4 cars ... must choose one ... your opinions please

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R

raildogg

Lifer
Aug 24, 2004
12,892
572
126
I have narrowed it down to 4 cars:

Honda Civic EX sedan
Mazda 3 GT hatchback
Honda Fit S
Toyota Prius

I built a little system where I give each car a rating according to importance to me:

35% - gas mileage
20% - fun to drive/performance
20% - looks
10% - resale value
15% - price

Here is what I gave each car:

Honda Civic EX -

Gas - 27%
fun to drive - 13%
looks - 16%
resale value - 9%
price - 12%

total = 77%


Mazda 3 GT hatcback -

Gas mileage - 20%
fun to drive - 17%
looks - 16%
resale value - 8%
price - 12%

total = 73%


Honda Fit S -

Gas mileage - 28%
fun to drive - 13%
looks - 13%
resale value - 9%
price - 15%

total = 78%


Toyota Prius -

gas mileage - 35%
fun to drive - 10%
looks - 10%
resale value - 9%
price - 3%


According to my chart, which is based on importance to me and what I think each car deserves:

1) Honda Fit S
2) Honda Civic EX sedan
3) Mazda 3 GT hatchback
4) Toyota Prius

Please give me your input if you agree with these ratings which I gave. Also, I have not driven the Honda Fit yet, so I can't say much about the fun to drive factor. I had an appointment scheduled yesterday, but the car got sold.

As of right now, even with my ratings, I still don't know which car to get.
 
A

akshatp

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
8,349
0
76
Looks like you have done your homework and some good research. Remember, in the end, the opinion that counts most is yours.
 
D

dmw16

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
7,608
0
0
Cars are too emotional for me to use a rating system like that. But I like the look of the Fit. I'd say drive them all and decide that way. The Mazda3 you mentioned isnt that turbo charged one, is it :)
 
Gamingphreek

Gamingphreek

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
11,679
0
81
The fit will not be as fun to drive. IIRC the quotes was hovering around 100HP. If you have any slightly steep inclines except it to down shift, hit V-Tech, shift and keep repeating. The Civic Ex is in a different class IMO than the other cars, but also is FAR better in most aspects (Obviously the Prius and the Fit will get better gas mileage)

-Kevin
 
L

Lonyo

Lifer
Aug 10, 2002
21,938
6
81
Maybe you should re-rate them based on a 1-4 numbering, then multiply those ratings (1-4) by the % importance, then calculate a final total.
Then work out which one is best.
 
R

raildogg

Lifer
Aug 24, 2004
12,892
572
126
Thank you, poll added.

I have test driven all of them except the Fit. I can't find any Fits around here since they are all sold out and there is a long waiting list. Yes, it is the regular Mazda 3, no Mazdaspeed 3 for me please :D
 
Captante

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,353
10,876
136
I'd go with the Mazda 3 first & the Prius as my second choice based on your options.
 
R

Reggae4k

Senior member
Mar 24, 2000
428
0
0
I like the Fit, but if power is an issue, stay away from this car. To me the quality of the materials and handling makes up for the lack of power.
 
F

fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
FYI: The Civic will not get EPA mileage, whereas the Mazda 3 will easily. My gf's 06 Coupe automatic doesn't get quite near EPA and no one else does either. Check out all the user MPG data from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?a...ehicleID=21736&browser=true&details=on

IMO the Fit & Prius are in a different category altogether.

If you value fun to drive at all, get the Mazda 3. Nicer car, better value than the Civic (Civic still screams ECONOMY CAR despite the $20K price tag), and you'll actually get EPA MPG or better.
 
mugs

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
Tossup between the Civic and the Mazda 3. Mazda 3 looks nicer.

Honda Fit only if you live in a city and/or won't be driving much at high speeds. I wouldn't want to get into an accident with an SUV at high speeds in that thing.

Prius... no, never.
 
IHateMyJob2004

IHateMyJob2004

Lifer
Sep 29, 2004
18,656
68
91
A guy at work just got a Civic. He loves it. YOu seem to rate it highly. So, I'm trying to encourage you on it.

I personally would go for bst fuel economy, but that's because it would be my third family vehicle and I'd simply use it for commuting.
 
W

Whisper

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
5,394
2
81
I'd probably go with the 3, but wouldn't mind a civic if I liked it better after the test drive.
 
R

raildogg

Lifer
Aug 24, 2004
12,892
572
126
Well, I've been looking at some figures and it seems like the Mazda 3 is really sensitive to stop and go, and hard driving when it comes to gas mileage. Some people are getting 18MPG, which is terrible for a 4 cylinder. But the manual transmission for the Mazda 3 offers better numbers. Some figures are here:

http://fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Mazda&model=3

The Civic seems to be getting around 31MPG or so. Fit is about the same as well. Surprisingly, the Prius is at 38MPG according to some.

I know the Mazda 3 is a great car and I love it, but its fuel economy is the number one concern for me.
 
OS

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
76
Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
FYI: The Civic will not get EPA mileage, whereas the Mazda 3 will easily. My gf's 06 Coupe automatic doesn't get quite near EPA and no one else does either. Check out all the user MPG data from the EPA:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?a...ehicleID=21736&browser=true&details=on

IMO the Fit & Prius are in a different category altogether.

If you value fun to drive at all, get the Mazda 3. Nicer car, better value than the Civic (Civic still screams ECONOMY CAR despite the $20K price tag), and you'll actually get EPA MPG or better.
Click to expand...


I'd consider those numbers next to meaningless, even when compared against the 3 from that site. The numbers aren't controlled for driving style, region/conditions, or even straight manipulations. Plus for some cars (ie the 3), the sample size is not nearly large enough to have any significance.

edmunds review

edmunds has some observed numbers in their comparo, but they tested a 2.3 mazda.
 
S

sthaznpride17

Senior member
Jul 31, 2005
252
0
0
Ok so i can offer some firsthand advice. I have a 2006 Honda Civic Black AT LX.
My friend drives a Mazda 3 (2.3) GT

His car is much better than mine. Ill list the downsides and upsides

Civic:
Looks ugly (Subjective)
Manual Trannies are almost impossible to get a hold of, My AT jerks like my 10 year old Camry
The 2 tier dash is cheap looking and I think it is stupid.
The steering wheel is small very very cool
The interior feels very economy (cheap)
It has Drive By Wire, which means there is a bit of lag when you push the throttle
WEAK, doesnt matter if it has VTEC its only SOHC, Vtec potential is brought out in the Si trim. 140 HP doesnt cut it for a driving enthusiast like myself. Feels like your going fast. But then you look at the digital speedo and you are like oh 35mph. Oh.
Handles pretty well for a FWD, less understeer compared to Camry
I got 29mpg mixed driving


Mazda 3:
Handles well, better than the Civic
More HP and torque, easier to accelerate.
Manual Tranny is awesome, even the AT has sportshift, Civic doesnt
Looks better (subjective)
Interior quality felt better, with leather seats :)
GT edition has Xenon HID's, Civic has regular Halogens (headlights)
Worst fuel economy (not by much) freind claims he gets 26mpg aggressive driving.

If my parents had not been making the decision I would have gone with the 3 hands down. Now if you are considering the Si by any chance, go for that. It is what makes Honda great.
 
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