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Honda Civic vs Toyota Corolla vs Mazda3

879 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2008 at 3:57 PM

You are in the Honda Civic Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda MAZDA3, Sedan

Messages Page 24 of 89

#223 of 879 Re: civic [ezpilze] by mdaffron

Oct 06, 2005 (12:27 pm)

Replying to: ezpilze (Oct 06, 2005 12:20 pm)
Right ... in your opinion. Here's my history with Mazda cars to date:
 
1992 Protege LX: 28,000 miles, no problems (totaled in hydroplaning accident)
1992 Protege LX no. 2: 83,000 miles, no problems (and I racked up all those miles in only 28 months -- 3K miles a month -- delivering pizzas during college)
2000 Protege ES: 91,100 miles, front strut bushings replaced at 85,000 miles ($250 job)
2002 Protege5: Wife's current car, 55,000 miles, no problems
2005 Mazda3: My current car: 10,500 miles, no problems
 
I don't have any experience working on Mazda engines because in five cars, 14 years and a little over a quarter of a million miles, I haven't had any engine problems!
 
Meade

#224 of 879 Re: Well, remember also ... [mdaffron] by legalpenguin

Oct 06, 2005 (12:45 pm)

Replying to: mdaffron (Oct 06, 2005 12:04 pm)
I'm female so I think differently, more logically too because I work in law. From what I've seen, guys tend to focus solely on performance and looks. Nothing else that anyone says matters.
 
I bought a Honda Civic because most experts say it's at the head of its class overall...period. Apparently a lot of people like the way it looks because it's flying off the lots. It's still a leader in its class.
 
It doesn't surprise me that a Mazda fanatic is going to continuously say derogatory and purely subjective things about the way a Honda looks. The Mazda is slightly different but I don't think it's very unique --I think it's take a lot of its look from the Toyotas, especially the Corolla. They both have a lot of soft rounded corners all over it which makes it look very feminine. I prefer classic lines and more definition.
 
I think mpg nowadays is a big selling point in cars because of the gas prices. Makes sense. The news says hybrids are hot! If you go for looks and performance, that's your perogative. However, I believe there are more important aspects to consider when you are spending your hard earned dollars on a car these days.
 
Mazda is a good car, don't get me wrong. I prefer Hondas and Toyotas. For years, they have been at the top of their field bringing customers cars that are known worldwide for their reliability, quality, resale value and gas mileage.

#225 of 879 Re: civic [mdaffron] by legalpenguin

Oct 06, 2005 (12:49 pm)

Replying to: mdaffron (Oct 06, 2005 12:27 pm)
I believe the previous poster who mentioned his opinion after looking at all three brands said that Mazda's reliability isn't as good as the others is talking about all Mazdas out there as a whole, not just yours, Meade. I'm glad you had no problems, but not everyone is that lucky.

#226 of 879 Re: Well, remember also ... [legalpenguin] by pat

Oct 06, 2005 (1:41 pm)

Replying to: legalpenguin (Oct 06, 2005 12:45 pm)
Please be careful - all opinions are subjective, yours included. We are all entitled to our opinions, of course, and we use own priorities to define the criteria we use to arrive at them. What you define as your criteria is entirely your prerogative. By the same token, others are entitled to define theirs according to their own line of thinking.
 
You aren't right and they aren't wrong, just as they aren't right and you aren't wrong. You all are entitled to your views and to express them here without getting beaten up for them.
 
That said, we are here to discuss and contrast our different viewpoints, so carry on. Let's just not get into telling others in some way that their opinion is somehow incorrect. It is not incorrect for them, even if we see things differently.

#227 of 879 Re: Well, remember also ... [mdaffron] by midnightcowboy

Oct 06, 2005 (1:42 pm)

Replying to: mdaffron (Oct 06, 2005 12:04 pm)
Okay you said :
 
"An economy car is an automobile that is designed for low-cost operation. "
 
Low cost operation, the key word being operation, in an economic sense is gas cost and maintenance cost. There are also factors such as reliability, tire cost,repair costs, insurance cost ,but these are not the major differentiating metrics.
 
Operation has nothing to do with sticker price according to your defintion.
 
My choice for economy car is the Mercedes 320CDi ; low operation cost.
 
The point is that mpg should be a significant factor in an economic car evaluation and it was not in the Edmunds economic car comparison.
 
If it were considered then Honda Civic would have been the winner. But hey, Honda Civic continues to win year after year and after all the Mazda 3 is a fun ,sporty car just not economical.
 
I tend to side with LegalPenguin, I think the Honda Civic is the best choice out of the 3: Best relability, Best mileage, good layout of controls, and the smoothest manual shift.
 
Cheers,
 
MidCow

#228 of 879 Re: Just remember friends ... [mdaffron] by 03accordman

Oct 06, 2005 (1:56 pm)

Replying to: mdaffron (Oct 06, 2005 11:29 am)
These days it is a fashion to say that this or that car is 'plain vanilla', 'for the masses', 'run of the mill' etc etc. The latest Civic is by no stretch of imagination a plain vanilla car, any more than a Mazda 3. The 3 is a great little car, but by no means unique.
 
Coming back to what Honda stamps out to the 'masses', well they make what people want to buy, not something that will sit in dealer lots and have to be discounted 4-5 thousand dollars. And what exactly do you think american masses are, idiots??? People talk and talk about different cars, but when time comes to vote with their wallets, everyone takes a more realistic look at things. This is the sole reason that the 05 Civic was handily outselling the 3 even with the 3 being considered a sportier car. This will continue, I have no doubt on that, and not because Mazda can't make more 3s.
 
Anyway, Honda does make some pretty exciting cars (IMHO) some of which are listed below:
 
S2000
New Civic Si
2006 Accord V6 Stick
Acuras - TSX, TL, RSX
 
Even the Odyssey is considered a sporty minivan. Apart from this, Honda itself is an exciting car/motor company, as demonstrated by their race presence. In F-1, they are considered at the top of the heap in power, pulling in around 900 HP from a 3.0L engine.
 
In the market place, Hondas are usually a the top of the heap in their respective classes, both in HP as well as Gas Mileage. That is the reason most of the cars/SUVs they make sell well, in fact are best sellers.

#229 of 879 Re: the 3 [stickguy] by giantkiller

Oct 06, 2005 (4:43 pm)

Replying to: stickguy (Oct 06, 2005 11:26 am)
Where is that in Mars? Give me me data please.

#230 of 879 Re: Well, remember also ... [midnightcowboy] by explorerx4

Oct 06, 2005 (4:46 pm)

Replying to: midnightcowboy (Oct 06, 2005 1:42 pm)
i'm guessing from comments that the new civic is way better than the old one. drove the last generation and hated the lack of feel. i bought an '04 focus. other than the cheap interior, it's a pretty good, fun car to drive. some cars are great on paper, but not so great to live with. i have never been able to get comfortable in toyota seats. the drivers seat in a sport package focus is way better than the standard setup.

#231 of 879 Mazda3 and Civic by allfiredup

Oct 06, 2005 (8:48 pm)

Here are my subjective views of the pros and cons of both cars-
 
Mazda3-
PRO- exterior styling, interior styling, acceleration, handling, black interior available
CON- lower gas mileage than some competitors (s model), driver seat a little cramped for bigger folks, harsh ride on imperfect surfaces
 
Honda Civic-
PRO- looks great from side and back, innovative and spacious interior, fuel economy, comfortable big-car ride
CON- front is unattractive, interior color choices are bland, no higher performance sedan option
 
Both really are fantastic cars. I think 3 sales will continue to increase with rising gas prices and Honda will have no problems selling their 300,000 planned units this year.
 
For me, it comes down to whether I want sportiness/handling (Mazda) or comfort and economy (Honda). I'm leaning toward the sportiness and handling.
 
If only Honda would offer an Si Sedan....

#232 of 879 Re: the 3 [stickguy] by allfiredup

Oct 06, 2005 (9:01 pm)

Replying to: stickguy (Oct 06, 2005 11:26 am)
The 3 i does get significantly better fuel economy than the s.
 
Here are the figures-
 
i - MT- 28/35
    AT- 26/34
 
s- MT- 25/32
    AT- 24/29
 
Mazda doesn't have the '06 specs listed on their site yet, so the AT figures are for '05 models. The i had some engine modifications that might affect mileage and the s has the 5-speed automatic this year which may increase economy.

Messages Page 24 of 89

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