YACT: Mazda 3, Scion tC, or Civic SI

[whoiswes]

looking at the following four cars. will be my daily driver (about 40 miles round trip). i've never had a new car before, and all of these fit the bill for what i'm looking for.

1. Mazda 3i - $16,000
2. Mazda 3s hatchback - $17,300
3. Scion tC - $17,400
4. Honda Civic SI - $18,400

just wanted to see what you all thought. thanks.

EDIT1: going with the Mazda 3s hatchback. heading to the dealership now. invoice for the one i want is $17,300. $1000 for our trade and $500 for the gerber rebate floating around, and i'm at $15,700 for my offer.

EDIT2: 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!

 

[Chrono]

NEITHER! IS350/IS250 baby.

 

[Doggiedog]

The tC's trunk is really tiny if it matters to you.

 

[Excelsior]

Mazda 3s Hatchback

 

[thechinesehero]

tC's room in the back is HUGE compared to other coupes. the trunk is meh but thats what folded rear seats are for out of all honestly i'd go for the tC then the civic si... im more of a honda fan, but i seriously think toyota's a bit more reliable, although hondas last LONGER.

 

[Ryan]

Civic Si

 

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
The tC's trunk is really tiny if it matters to you.

It's hatch design gives it plenty of space with the rear seats folded down.

 

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: thechinesehero
tC's room in the back is HUGE compared to other coupes. the trunk is meh.
out of all honestly i'd go for the tC then the civic si... im more of a honda fan, but i seriously think toyota's a bit more reliable, although hondas last LONGER.

Forever? Forever ever? Forever ever ever ever?

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
The tC's trunk is really tiny if it matters to you.

It's hatch design gives it plenty of space with the rear seats folded down.

Its more convenient to put 2 golf bags in a trunk than to put on in the trunk and toss one in the back seat of a two door. I know this because my friend has one and we play golf together often. Besides that, it is a nice car and I'd probably get it out of those 4.

 

[Koenigsegg]

Do you understand how a hatch design works?

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg

Originally posted by: thechinesehero
tC's room in the back is HUGE compared to other coupes. the trunk is meh.
out of all honestly i'd go for the tC then the civic si... im more of a honda fan, but i seriously think toyota's a bit more reliable, although hondas last LONGER.

Forever? Forever ever? Forever ever ever ever?

Forever never seems that long until you're gone

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
Do you understand how a hatch design works?

Yes. I owned a VW GTI and it had a HUGE trunk.

 

[Koenigsegg]

So why would you need to put a pair of clubs in the back seat when you can put both in the hatch area?

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
So why would you need to put a pair of clubs in the back seat when you can put both in the hatch area?

What are you talking about? What I said was the tC cannot fit two golf bags in the trunk. In order to do so, you'll have to put one in the trunk and the other in the back seat.

 

[Fenixgoon]

clearly, you need a hummer

 

[conjur]

3s sedan but it's not listed so I picked 3s hatchback

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
So why would you need to put a pair of clubs in the back seat when you can put both in the hatch area?

What are you talking about? What I said was the tC cannot fit two golf bags in the trunk. In order to do so, you'll have to put one in the trunk and the other in the back seat.

I couldn't fit one golf bag in the hatch of my Mazda 3. Too narrow either direction. I had to drop a seat down and lay it flat. Or just toss it in the back seat. I've got the same problem with my Passat wagon. I can't put a golf bag in the hatch of that lengthwise either. You have to criss-cross the bags and use up the whole hatch space.

Hatches are great for boxes and long, bulky items that require you to put the seat down. They suck for hauling golf bags though. They are just too narrow because of the wheel wells digging into space.

Most non-hatch vehicles have a bit of room past the wheels where you can drop a golf bag or two without problems.

That's one of the few situations where a sedan is more functional than a hatch.

As for the OP, Mazda 3 hatch for the win.

 

[deejayshakur]

another one of these yact reposts.

 

[Maximus96]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
So why would you need to put a pair of clubs in the back seat when you can put both in the hatch area?

What are you talking about? What I said was the tC cannot fit two golf bags in the trunk. In order to do so, you'll have to put one in the trunk and the other in the back seat.

if you lay the back seats down, you can easily fit two golf bags in the trunk. i love my tc

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
The tC's trunk is really tiny if it matters to you.

no it's not. there's tons of space there. with the seats down, it's as good as a little station wagon.

 

[FOB]

tC

100% made in Japan

 

[Storm]

Where did you get that price for the Civic Si? This is for the new model? The redesigned 2006? I don't think you will be able to get it for less than 20k

 

[KokomoGSTmp]

Why not consider a Nissan Sentra SE-R Vspec? BMW Mini Cooper?

The Civic has the least space of them all... and it's probably the most gutless as typical of Honda powerplants. This kinda doesn't work with the Si being so overweight for it's size.

I'm guessing that you're going for a manual trans?

And do you think the OP is going to be putting golf clubs in his $18k car?? WTF?!

 

[vi edit]

And do you think the OP is going to be putting golf clubs in his $18k car?? WTF?!

I put golf clubs in my $3000 Camry.

WTF does the value of a car have to do golf? I used to regularly golf for $10 a round on evening specials. I don't need to be rolling in a Benz to do that.

 

[Koenigsegg]

Originally posted by: zaku

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Koenigsegg
So why would you need to put a pair of clubs in the back seat when you can put both in the hatch area?

What are you talking about? What I said was the tC cannot fit two golf bags in the trunk. In order to do so, you'll have to put one in the trunk and the other in the back seat.

if you lay the back seats down, you can easily fit two golf bags in the trunk. i love my tc

That's what I've been trying to say..