YACT: Mazda 3, Scion tC, or Civic SI

[amoeba]

I would say that if you can catch a deal, go for the mazda 6i.

I got mine recently for slightly over 15k.

 

[Nocturnal]

If you're going to wait and buy the 06 Si then I'd say the Si. The Si that is out now is hideous and slow.

 

[Aztech]

Originally posted by: JEDI
mazda6 has a rebate. mazda3 does not. mazda6 costs the about same as the mazda3.
but the mazda6 are made in the USA, while all Mazda3 are imported from Japan.

mazda6 uses the same engine as the mazda3s (2.3L). but the 2.3L is a gas hog.

mazda3i has a 2.0L engine. 26city/34hwy (automatic). :thumbsup:

mazda3 sedan trunk is small. but you can fold down seats.

skip the 2005 mazda3 and go for the 2006 mazda3. the 2005 mazda3 (both i and s) has weak a/c. hopefully they fixed that in the 2006 model.

also the engine in the 2006 has vvt (variable valve timing). :thumbsup:

Huh? So which one are you saying to get, the 3 or the 6?

 

[GTaudiophile]

2.3L is not a gas hog. I get 26-28mpg with stop-and-go Atlanta traffic with the A/C running!

 

[NFS4]

Mazda3s Hatch

 

[GTaudiophile]

I test drove the 6S (V6 with 5-speed) and 3S, and bought the 3S.

The 3 is built in Japan (so are its engine and tranny). The 6 is built in MI (either the engine or tranny comes from Japan).

The 3 handles better, has a better manual tranny, and gets better gas mileage. The V6 in the 6 also seems to lack oompf. I kept asking myself, where is the power?

 

[whoiswes]

well, i looked at both the scion and the honda si today - and i'm getting the mazda 3. probably the hatch, but the sedan isn't out if the price is right.

reasons? i'm 6'3" - the scion was WAY too small. my hair was rubbing the headliner, when i was just sitting in the car...otherwise, i really liked it. the civic SI was nice, but the backseat was smaller than the mazda's, and it was almost impossible to get in and out of (something that is important to me). the mazda had neither of these problems, and it was fun to drive.

i'm heading to the dealership right now - i'll update if i have news when i get back.

 

[conjur]

:thumbsup:

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: whoiswes
well, i looked at both the scion and the honda si today - and i'm getting the mazda 3. probably the hatch, but the sedan isn't out if the price is right.

reasons? i'm 6'3" - the scion was WAY too small. my hair was rubbing the headliner, when i was just sitting in the car...otherwise, i really liked it. the civic SI was nice, but the backseat was smaller than the mazda's, and it was almost impossible to get in and out of (something that is important to me). the mazda had neither of these problems, and it was fun to drive.

i'm heading to the dealership right now - i'll update if i have news when i get back.

SWEET! I am 100% satisified with my 3 hatchback. Bargain hard buddy! I got mine for 16.7k with abs/moonroof/6 cd/side curtain options last year

There is a good amount of room in the backseat of the 3, and you can always put down the seats and head to a drive in movie theater

 

[randomlinh]

3s sedan! heh... or hatch. I didn't get the 6i because it's bigger (even though i probably could have snagged it for cheaper..), and I liked the handling of the 3.

don't like the si styling, and the tC... I wanted 4 doors, and I hated the cd player cover thing on the tC. If I wanted 2 doors, I would have bought the tC most likely because of toyota's rep. Your best bet is to drive and see how you like em all. I love my 3s, short only maybe wishing I got a hatch (but if I did, I would be saying the same thing about the sedan).

oh, I do 60 miles a day, i average about 27.8 mpg so far, ac on for the past two weeks, an even mix of city/highway since I'm stuck in rush hour quite a bit. I did 24 once.. but that was after an auto-x

another edit... bmw.. costs too much in parts (or so it seems). With that said, if I had the money, I would have bought a cooper s.. sooo much fun to drive.

 

[whoiswes]

just got back - the dealer agreed to $16K even out the door, including the $500 gerber rebate and $1000 for our crappy corsica on trade.

i have the same config as dxkj - ABS/airbag package, along with the moonroof/6CD package. considering this is $2000 under invoice, i think i did pretty good....

we haven't finalized the deal, yet - they still have to approve the trade. but, if they say no, i walk - i'm guessing they'll let me make it to my car before running after me - i hardly had to negotiate at all, and ended up only $300 over what i wanted to pay, but also got the $700 moonroof/CD changer...

sorry this is so disjointed - i've never had a new car (let alone a nice car) so this is almost as big a deal as when we bought our house...

will update again soon!

 

[JEDI]

so basically w/o the trade-in or the gerber rebate, you got it for $500 under invoice

hm.. just looked up mazda 3i base (manual). 12.8k + 765 (moonroof) + 688 (abs) + 560 destination charge = 14.7k invoice.

mazda3s base (manual) = 15.5k + 1.5k (equipment) + 560 dest = $17.5k

subtract $1500 (rebate+trade in) = $16k.

hm.. with taxes + title, $16k is below invoice... congrats!

 

[MikeMike]

Mazda3 s is byfar the sexiest of them all, hatchback or not. great car i loved it every minute.

some ppl are just liking the Scion cuz its a toyo, although there ahve been numerous complaints about headroom in the vehicle.

 

[whoiswes]

Originally posted by: JEDI
so basically w/o the trade-in or the gerber rebate, you got it for $500 under invoice

yup, that's the way i'm looking at it too....especially considering there were only six in the country left that fit my specs, i think i did alright.

time will tell...i have the insanely-large-purchase-jitters right now...i'm gonna go get trashed and sleep on it. tomorrow i'll play...