[Orpheus]

I've ridden in a couple Corrola S's. They ain't anything special. Corrola's just a nice, no hassle, no frils, gets you from A to B type car. It's slow, has bad brakes, and handles badly. But again, does its job. Worth its price for that, but not much else.

On the other hand, I've had to drive some rentals recently, including a Scion, which is probably in your price range. The cheaper one. Forgot the model. But it handles surprisingly well for that price. Not memorably slow either. So, I'd consider one if I were you.

(The other car gets my vote.)

edit--other as in the mazda. though i have no experience with one. car mags seem to like it though.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

I recently bought my GF a Mazda 3 hatchback w/manual transmission and she LOVES it. I shopped around and found a 2004 metallic sport blue edition with low miles for 14.5K. Took awhile to find this deal but it paid off big time.

We also tested the new Honda Civic and the Corolla. None were as fun or good-looking as the Mazda 3. It was no contest, really. The Mazda 3 feels far more substantial. It really comes across as a higher-class car, both in appearance and performance. Zoom-Zoom, indeed!

Life is short and we spend too much of our lives on the road as-is. Why not enjoy the ride?

 

[skyline889]

IDK the old Mazdas like my old RX were good but I just haven't been impressed with the build quality or reliability of the new ones from Ford, although the old FDs weren't exactly what you would call reliable it was because of the rotary engines not anything else. The old Civic was pretty boring not to mention severely underpowered but the new Si is supposed to be pretty ridiculous plus it looks good too, it should be hitting the floors soon it may already be there depending where you live. Or bypass all of these and do what my parents forced me to do and convert to the mommy van, go team Odyssey!

 

[Ticky]

As mentioned by many people - it depends on what you want from the car.

Get the

Toyota Corolla Altis (that's what its called in Asia) - for best cabin quality and equipments in its class. Reliability is top notch too. Great resale value.

Mazda 3 - attractive sporty exterior looks (IMO - one of the best in its class until the new hatchback Civic came along). Driver oriented steering (ableit the engine isn't the best).

Civic - awesome sporty exterior looks (hatchback, the sedan is better than Toyota but not as good to Mazda 3). Attractive interior cabin design, though quality is not as good as Corolla. Reliability is also very good (based on relatives and friend's experiences - Toyota edges Honda by a bit). Good resale value.

 

[Edwood]

Funny, out of all the choices here, the Mazda 3 is at the top of the list for my wife.

She does not like the Corolla (4 years with a Geo Prizm, and she hates that car).

She really really wants a hatchback. Even though the Scion Tc is technically a hatchback, I don't think it offers the "utility" that a hatchback normally provides for her.

Of course, she really wants a Mini. But at $20K+ I don't think that is quite a good idea if we are trying to stay on a budget.

Of course, I'm pretty much screwed either way. She buys $20K+ car = no monies for new Head-fi toys. She buys cheap car = no approval to buy new Head-Fi toys.

I guess I can forget considering an HE90 setup any time soon...

-Ed

 

[plus_c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy What about the cost of insurance to either car? To me, buying the car is the easy part. It's the cost/frequency of repair/maintanence, resale value, utility, safety factors and cost of insurance that I have to live with day in and day out. I like a sporty, fun-to-drive car as much as the next guy or gal, but the above are more important to me.

Funnily enough, insurance is a wash for me. But I'm in the legendary "near uninsurable men under 25" group.

I hear you with the reliability concerns - and they're very valid. However, not only do you have to live with the costs day in and day out, you've also got to live with the car. My philosophy is even if you're not paying much to maintain the car, it's still going to suck to maintain a car you don't like.

FWIW, Consumer Reports has good things to say about the Mazda3, and is pretty positive about its predicted reliability.

 

[zachary80]

My budget is under $18k, a couple hundred over is fine because I know someone at about every dealer around here.

One of the major concerns for me is the insurance. I get hit really hard on anything, even going to a car that has just two doors (whether sporty or not). A Mazda3i is about the highest I will go on insurance; although it has a larger engine than the Corolla and Civic, they are more frequently stolen and therefore cost me about the same.

As far as Mazda being owned by Ford, I believe Ford only owns around 25%. And hopefully Ford will begin to improve, but change takes time.

Car Packages:
Planning on getting the ABS and Side Airbags added to whichever car
Moonroof is my top accessory. I loved it in my last car and in my sisters. With the 3, that means getting the 6cd changer.
I still havn't decided on whether I would want a spoiler for the 3, as it costs $375 and is hard to find a model with all that I want

And does anyone here know about the audio of either car? It would be really nice to be able to hook up an amplifier for new speakers and maybe another for a sub to the stock unit. Neither one would be pretty to put in a new CD player.

 

[redshifter]

i have a corolla coupe with over 300,000 miles on it, and it still has pick-up like you wouldn't believe. i've also owned a mazda 626 in the past and would never buy a mazda again. the 626 at least had a really cheap feel and wasn't reliable like the toyota.

 

[JahJahBinks]

Have u considered the 2006 Honda Civic?

 

[imported_Echo_]

 

[zachary80]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JahJahBinks Have u considered the 2006 Honda Civic?

Yes.

I can't get past how the back of that car looks, plus I can't get a moonroof on it

 

[BodiesOfLight]

Mazda 3i Touring gets bad gas milage. Something to think about. The Toyota will probably run forever, but looks boring.

I'm with the Civic.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Echo_

Still looks like an homogenized, pasteurized snore & boremobile to me *Zzzzzzzzz...* Honda trying to add "pizazz" is about as productive as our current politicians claiming they're "honest"

All flash and hot air. They go after the middle of the market with a nuclear weapon and spread themselves all over the map

 

[zachary80]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BodiesOfLight Mazda 3i Touring gets bad gas milage. Something to think about. The Toyota will probably run forever, but looks boring. I'm with the Civic.

28 / 35 doesn't seem bad to me at all. I am not saying the Civic doesn't have its own advantages (I even love Honda and if you asked my favorite maker it would be them), I just like these two better for my price range.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SennFan The Mazda 3 is to much of a chick car. The Corolla is nice, but you can probably get something sportier that's used in the 20k range...i.e. a used Audi S4 (6cyl). These are awesome, fun cars that are extremely well built. It's important to mention that it's well built b/c that's obviously important to you since you're looking at Toyota's. Check this S4 link out on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi-...17229805QQrdZ1

Chick car?

Audi S4?

Are you serious?

Chick car? WTH? I know lots of males who bought the car, and they love it. The thing they continue to tell me is how much fun the car is. It's pretty sad if people actually passed up this car because you told them it's a chick car..because it's one of the better sporty cars in its class to drive.

The S4 is a high maintenance, gas guzzling, expensive to own and insure car. As a current Audi A4 owner, I think this is bad advice as I know firsthand how expensive the parts are and how often these cars need work after the warranty period expires.