Scion tC vs. Mazda 3? EDIT: With poll now.

[Danman]

Alright, so I think I narrowed it down to either of these cars.

- Test drove a blue 06 Mazda 3 s Touring package yesterday. Beautiful, great handling, pickup, etc. Has sunroof and 6 cd player package. Sticker on it is 19k. I was able to play the numbers game with the dealership and they really wanted me to buy it last night, but I walked because I wanted to think things over.

- Tried to test drive a tC last week, but they sold them all before I could. I sat in it, interior is nice but not as much head room as the 3. I want to get the manual, so sticker on that is 16.8k, plus all of the other BS fees.

Pros to the 3:
- Standard side, front and rear (I think?) airbags on that 3. The tC was about 500 dollars extra to get the side ones.
- Better gas mileage than the tC


Pros to the tC:
- Cheaper maybe stripped down? (Maybe not after the 750 dollar dealer fee!)
- 2 Sunroofs


I'm looking for a car that's fun to drive, yet gets good gas mileage since I drive about 110 miles a day for work. I'm torn right now on what to do, I'm going to visit Toyota of Orlando today to see if they have any tCs I can drive, then maybe head over to the Mazda dealership again.

Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks,
-Dan

 

[DaTT]

Mazda 3. Not that I like either, but the 3 looks far better than the tC

 

[sniperruff]

depends on what you'll use the car for, one obvious pro to the 3 is that it's a sedan/wagon. on the other hand, the tC has a 2.4L that is proven to be reliable.

 

[NFS4]

Mazda 3s > tC.

tC has a lot of features for the money, but Toyota skimped out on the quality of the vehicle. The interior is downright chintzy. The Mazda 3s had a rather hard plastic interior, but at least the plastic is well textured and solid instead of thin, cheap, tinny plastic used in the tC. Also, the tC is a squeak and rattle nightmare from what I hear...especially from the sunroof.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
depends on what you'll use the car for, one obvious pro to the 3 is that it's a sedan/wagon. on the other hand, the tC has a 2.4L that is proven to be reliable.

The Toyota 2.4 has been around since '00.
The Mazda 2.3 has been around since '02 (maybe even before).

They're both good engines.

 

[Aharami]

if you can get the 3s for a similar price of the tC, i say get the 3s. its a more refined car and performance wise, they're both about the same

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Mazda 3s > tC.

tC has a lot of features for the money, but Toyota skimped out on the quality of the vehicle. The interior is downright chintzy. The Mazda 3s had a rather hard plastic interior, but at least the plastic is well textured and solid instead of thin, cheap, tinny plastic used in the tC. Also, the tC is a squeak and rattle nightmare from what I hear...especially from the sunroof.

no squeaks and rattles from my gf's tC...so far. she has about 2K miles on it

 

[Danman]

What should I be getting a 06 Mazda 3 s Touring for? It also has the sunroof and 6 cd player package. I saw on the mazda3forums that employee pricing on it is 16,700 plus 500 for the sunroof/cd player package.

 

[thawolfman]

Originally posted by: Danman
What should I be getting a 06 Mazda 3 s Touring for? It also has the sunroof and 6 cd player package. I saw on the mazda3forums that employee pricing on it is 16,700 plus 500 for the sunroof/cd player package.

We need a thread on haggling at the dealership.

Can't someone do this

Although I remember there used to be one a couple years back, but then I'm just too lazy to search for it.

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but help me out here...

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: sniperruff
depends on what you'll use the car for, one obvious pro to the 3 is that it's a sedan/wagon. on the other hand, the tC has a 2.4L that is proven to be reliable.

The Toyota 2.4 has been around since '00.
The Mazda 2.3 has been around since '02 (maybe even before).

They're both good engines.

thought mazda started selling the 3 in the US since 04?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: thawolfman

Originally posted by: Danman
What should I be getting a 06 Mazda 3 s Touring for? It also has the sunroof and 6 cd player package. I saw on the mazda3forums that employee pricing on it is 16,700 plus 500 for the sunroof/cd player package.

We need a thread on haggling at the dealership.

Can't someone do this

Although I remember there used to be one a couple years back, but then I'm just too lazy to search for it.

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but help me out here...

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: thawolfman

Originally posted by: Danman
What should I be getting a 06 Mazda 3 s Touring for? It also has the sunroof and 6 cd player package. I saw on the mazda3forums that employee pricing on it is 16,700 plus 500 for the sunroof/cd player package.

We need a thread on haggling at the dealership.

Can't someone do this

Although I remember there used to be one a couple years back, but then I'm just too lazy to search for it.

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but help me out here...

Remember - you can't haggle at Scion dealerships - it's a pure pricing structure, either you pay MSRP, or you don't get a car.

 

[Ryan]

Also - my vote goes for the Mazda 3 - it's MILES ahead of the tC in terms of refinement, and build quality.

 

[Danman]

Originally posted by: Ryan
Also - my vote goes for the Mazda 3 - it's MILES ahead of the tC in terms of refinement, and build quality.

Thanks dude. I'm going to go with the misses to the Scion dealership to see if I can test drive one yet. Then maybe I'll head over to the Mazda dealership.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: sniperruff

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: sniperruff
depends on what you'll use the car for, one obvious pro to the 3 is that it's a sedan/wagon. on the other hand, the tC has a 2.4L that is proven to be reliable.

The Toyota 2.4 has been around since '00.
The Mazda 2.3 has been around since '02 (maybe even before).

They're both good engines.

thought mazda started selling the 3 in the US since 04?

the MZR 2.3L is used in the 6i as well. and the DISI turbo version in the mazdaspeed3/6 and new CX-7. Ford uses the 2.3 block as well, with a different head.

My vote goes for the 3. I do not like the seats in my friend's tC. Short trips are ok, but even after 15 minutes, I wasn't very comfortable. Maybe I'm just used to my 3. But the rear seats in the tC are definitely NOT usable for long drives. I was in the back for 2hrs (1hr each way) and it was rather annoying. the 3 looks more refined as well IMO (more refined that quite a few cars actually). Scion does have toyota behind it, so that tends to be a big factor.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: Ryan
Also - my vote goes for the Mazda 3 - it's MILES ahead of the tC in terms of refinement, and build quality.

I'd disagree as an owner of a tc with 37K miles. There were a few initial QC problems, but I also bought one of the first tc's made. I've had not a single mechanical problem with this car. Haven't had to replace a single thing.

 

[Shyatic]

Mazda3 FTW.

 

[ai42]

Man I don't get it. Why is everyone stuck up on the Mazda 3. It's a nice car and has some nice features etc. But I have to admit I totally love how the tC looks. tC has a little more power and smaller chasis. Of course it depends what you want to do but I'm just not digging the Mazda. And they are both FWD! For basically the same money as the Mazda 3 you could get an AWD Subaru Impreza 2.5i.

My vote get something Japanese (yes I know they are both Japanese).

 

[monk3y]

Mazda 3... Gotta get a poll in gear.

 

[Strk]

Originally posted by: ai42
Man I don't get it. Why is everyone stuck up on the Mazda 3. It's a nice car and has some nice features etc. But I have to admit I totally love how the tC looks. tC has a little more power and smaller chasis. Of course it depends what you want to do but I'm just not digging the Mazda. And they are both FWD! For basically the same money as the Mazda 3 you could get an AWD Subaru Impreza 2.5i.

My vote get something Japanese (yes I know they are both Japanese).

A vanilla Impreza isn't actually a bad idea. Although, after checking his profile, he is in Florida. I doubt he'll get that much need for the AWD. I was actually going to recommend upgrading to the GT for the seat warmers, until I saw that part .

 

[SZLiao214]

I think we all just need a little RossMan. Between the two i like both but at equal price i would probably go the mazda 3. Ive always been more of an interior guy over performance but you guys say the differences between the 2 is very little so thats a moot point. The 3 is a bit fem but i still like it

 

[BW86]

mazda3

add a poll

 

[theeedude]

You can get Mazda3 for invoice if you are descent negotiator, especially now that the new Civic is out, they are more willing to deal.

 

[sgleo87]

I had it narrowed it down to the Mazda 3 and the Scion tC before I bought my first car 1 1/2 years ago. In the end I bought the Scion tC just because it has so many cool accessories you can add on and I love customizing stuff. Overall I would say both of them are great choices and have great exterior and interior design. I think the tC is a bit faster when accelerating. I really like the manual transmission in my tC, it is very sensitive like it would be in a sports car. But it is really a matter of personal preference and taste.

 

[wasssup]

I drive 100 miles a day just for work, more if i'm actually going somewhere else that day...

While I *want* to buy a new car, it doesn't make sense to put all that mileage on a new car...so i'll be using my "beater" 99 civic for a while to come. Why not look into a used car like this? I get 35mpg (i've got a manual), which is about average for my car I think.