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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3
879 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM
You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Congrats on your decision. I would have probably waited until the '06 Civic came out but I have a natural liking of Honda products. Besides this statement "My rationale was that if I ended up with the Corolla, I would spend more time regretting not getting the Mazda3 than I would the other way around. " says it all. Who knows, if there was a car as sharp as the 3 when I graduated college (has it been 13 years already, sheesh) I may have never hopped on the Honda bandwagon. I hope you get a good deal and don't forget to tell us what color you chose! |
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Replying to: pmc255 (Jul 17, 2005 5:51 pm) >loaded options (ABS, Power, A/C, 4speed AT). Congrats on making a decision! I think you were right to decide on the 3i instead of the 3s, based on your stated preferences. If you don't care for more horsepower and prefer the higher fuel efficiency of the 3i, then it's most likely not worth it (to you) to pay more for the 3s, even if it is "only" $800 more. >The invoice price for my loaded Mazda3i is $16,794, including >destination charge but excluding taxes and associated fees. If I >can knock the price down to the invoice or below, and take >advantage of known rebates (a recent grad rebate and a Gerber >cash rebate are supposedly available), then I think I can get an >out-the-door price of $18000 or below. The Gerber rebate's still available, but the grad rebate has been discontinued..sorry! Even without the grad rebate, you're talking ~$16500 for the 3i, not the 18k MSRP. So, when comparing the prices of cars, you should make sure to think "what would I actually pay for each of these cars", not "what is the MSRP of each of these cars", because the 2 questions have very different answers. If unsure, use Edmunds TMV as a rough guide of the "what would I actually pay" prices. |
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I don't know where you live but here in Denver you can get any mazda at the dealer I bought from for 2% over invoice + $350 Doc fees. I know the doc fees are not necessary but I was not looking to get the best possible price. I wanted to best price with little to no hassle and that is what I got. That would make your 3i with Power Package, AC, AT, and ABS have invoice of 16,794. So the price before tax and license would be 17,480 less any applicable rebates. If you do better than this you would be getting a decent deal. They can be had for less but then most of the time you have to do a lot of haggling with the sales people. Let us know how you did.
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Replying to: modock (Jul 20, 2005 6:47 am) I think that is already quite a good deal, considering that it's below both the TMV price on Edmunds ($17,524) and the CarsDirect price ($17,144, albeit not available in the Seattle area). I'm a first-time buyer, but I do want to make an attempt at haggling with the dealers to try to get a good deal. My goal is of course invoice, if not a little below, perhaps $16,500. I'll try to use my "I'm going to buy a Corolla if you don't give me a good price" mentality as a leverage point.  I am a little wary about the "extra stuff" the dealers will throw at me unexpectedly, however. I've heard people getting decent prices, but end up shelling out a lot more money because of doc fees, warranties, extra accessories (ie. lojack), etc. Hopefully I'll be able to turn those down if they offer them. I can do fine with just the Mazda warranty, and will add extra security to my car in the future when I find it necessary. |
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My wife drove all three cars today. Her job includes a lot of work in ergonomics - so she is an expert. Here is her evaluation. (For reference - she is about 5' 8" and "normal" build). She has also worked for an automobile seat manufacturer. Seating: Honda's seats have the longest "pan" and are the only ones to almost reach to behind the knee. Materials are soft but supportive and position is comfortable. Mazda comes in second with a firm, supportive seat - but may be too firm for some on long trips. The telescoping steering wheel Toyota has the shortest seat and an awkward position, especially for a driver with long legs. Lack of a telescoping steering wheel makes for an uncomfortable reach. Instrumentation: All three scored well here, but Mazda had an edge on variety of lighting options for conditions. Noise: Mazda was the quietest on the road and had the least noise during acceleration and braking. Honda was almost as quiet on the road, but had more engine noise. Toyota had a lot of initial acceleration noise. All three lacked decent arm rests for the driver's right arm. Rear room was cramped in all three with Honda seeming the tightest and Mazda the most roomy - if a compact can ever seem roomy. Toyota's trunk impressed as did Mazda's glove box. Steering wheel mounted audio and cruise on the Mazda was a huge plus for ergonomics and safety. Overall driving impressions: She like the Honda the best, but confesses to being somewhat biased as she's driven Hondas for the last 15 years. Mazda was the most fun to drive, but gas mileage wasn't as good as Honda. No love for the Corolla - even though the second car for the past 12 years has been a Corolla. Don't know if that helps anyone out there - but there it is!
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Replying to: earlthom (Jul 21, 2005 6:55 pm) All three lacked decent arm rests for the driver's right arm. I can see this comment coming from a person with a smaller frame. Being tall, I tend to keep the seat back quite a ways, which gives me plenty of center-armrest real estate. No complaints here -- but I can see how there'd be less armrest if I slid the seat way forward. Toyota's trunk impressed as did Mazda's glove box. Actually there are times that I hate my 3's glovebox! I'll put something in there (like an extra beverage bottle), and when I reach over to retrieve it, I find it has slid all the way to the back of the glovebox and wayyyy out of reach from the driver's seat! Thank God for the 3's brisk acceleration -- most of the time it's the only way I can get that bottle to come back to me!  Meade |
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OK, let's all take a deep breath and say, "YAWNNNNNN!!!" http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=102766 Can we say "Neon" front end glued to a "Pontiac Fiero" rear, complete with Bayliner-inspired reverse transom? Meade
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Replying to: mdaffron (Jul 22, 2005 10:23 am)
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To be honest, the new Coupe Civic looks like the new Mitsubushi Eclipse 2006. The front bumper (well view) looks very similar. Of course the old Civic coupe looks way better. Cars these days are too round like the 350z. In my opinion, this is a quite a bit "yawner" .. but aren't most cars nowadays like that? Very round to achieve maximum aerodynamics? 
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Anyone think it's worth waiting for the '06 Mazda3 or '06 Civic? The '06 Civic is supposedly a new-generation Civic, and much of the details are unknown. The '06 Mazda3 is a continuation, but has different trims with different options and may be a better deal for the same price as the '05 models. From what I heard, the '06 Civic is coming out around November, and I don't think I can go car-less for that long. At best, I will wait for the '06 Mazda3 to come out and see if it's worth getting, or maybe try to get an '05 Mazda3 for a bargain.
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