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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 67 of 89

#658 of 879 Re: Mazdas and 'Rollas and Civics, oh my! [irismg] by zzoomp09

Jul 15, 2007 (3:51 am)

Replying to: irismg (Jul 14, 2007 11:08 am)
Yeah, besides the breaks and tires, never replaced anything with my corolla and still running perfectly more than 140K. But I've been seeing some that should be needing repairs now like the muffler and alternator.
 
Regarding the red/orange lights, I for one prefer either the Corolla's or the Civic. Even though I didn't like the red/orange lighting of the 3, it didn't really bother me much as what I really wanted with the 3 was its sporty performance and handling. I've never owned a sporty car before and the 3 is the first one I've ever owned.
 
You're probably asking why did I owned a Corolla if I was looking for a "sporty" car, it's very simple. At that time I bought the Corolla, I want a very reliable "appliance". And the Corolla, the 8th generation that is, is one. And even the current model is also one. Did I mention I also had the same color as you had? LE Sandrift Metallic, bought from Capitol Toyota in San Jose, CA in 2000.
 
Regarding the gear shift, I guess thegraduate pretty much answered the question. I own a Manual as I had previously mentioned so I don't have that problem. I test drove an automatic 3 once and although I've heard about "Sportmatics", I've never expected the 3 to have it. So, when I test drove it, the salesman alerted me to change gears because I was expecting the car to change gears for me. I've actually unknowningly put the car into manual mode.

#659 of 879 3GT 5dr manual 1200 Mile Impressions by ecofun

Jul 15, 2007 (10:13 am)

I now have about 1200 miles on the new GT and here's what I think:
 
-Car drives very smoothly at any speed
-Have not taken it over 80 yet but north of 75 the engine noise increases significantly but nothing overbearing.
-Shifting this car is a pleasure, no vibration at all and easy to find gears
-At this price, I'm not sure there is anything that can beat the handling, highway entrance ramps are fun again. Civic Si probably can do better but at a significant cost
-Very pleased with the mileage, about 75/25 highway/city driving. 4 fill-ups so far, 1) 29.0 MPG 2) 32.0 3) 33.4 4) 28.2--this tank included a lot of stop and go rush hour traffic into downtown Boston three days in a row.
Car is very quiet over bumps, no rattles at all, very Honda-like in that regard. I wasn't sure Mazda could match that but I guess so. Next door neighbor has 56,000 miles on the same car ('05 model) and says he has no rattles and no major problems.
 
This is a car that should please anyone looking for a fun ride that is economical and reliable.
 
I have been looking for scratches that some say come very easily but I am not experiencing that. The all black interior does show a lot of smudge marks but they remove easily with a wet rag.
 
Great little car!

#660 of 879 Re: 3GT 5dr manual 1200 Mile Impressions [ecofun] by irismg

Jul 15, 2007 (10:29 am)

Replying to: ecofun (Jul 15, 2007 10:13 am)
You get 75mpg?!

#661 of 879 Re: Mazdas and 'Rollas and Civics, oh my! [zzoomp09] by irismg

Jul 15, 2007 (10:43 am)

Replying to: zzoomp09 (Jul 15, 2007 3:51 am)
Well, I bought a Corolla because I wanted a car that I didn't have to screw with, just hop in, turn the key, and go. And I've been pleased. But lately I've been dying for wood trim! LOL And, I've also been wondering about going back to the stick shift. Here lately though I've been having foot trouble and so that's in the back of my mind, if my only car is a manual and something else happens to my foot, how do I get to work, you know?
 
I understand the feeling of wanting something more, though. You still want reliable, you just want...more! The Mazda3 is undeniably cute, at least the sedan is, I wish that back end raised up some so you could store more stuff in it because the hatchbacks are flat ugly. Not Scion ugly, but less attractive. The Corolla LE has toys like moon roof and JBL and that great beige dash with the wood trim. And then there are the Hyundai siblings, Elantra and Sonata, who are both way better looking than they used to be. There are a lot of contenders for the buck out there these days, and I'm glad to see it! Makes test driving fun!
 
You know at the time I was shopping for the car I have now, I was really looking for a Saturn wagon, but the wouldn't come down off the price of them. $15K for a wagon back in 1998 was high in my book! Then I went to another dealer and saw the Toyota program car...the rest is history!

#662 of 879 Re: Mazdas and 'Rollas and Civics, oh my! [thegraduate] by irismg

Jul 15, 2007 (10:54 am)

Replying to: thegraduate (Jul 14, 2007 8:05 pm)
Hi, thanks for the detailed response. Wouldn't have helped me back then, but it's certainly good to know should I end up with a Mazda. Seems like my cousin's Nissan has that, too.
 
I think it's silly. Are people that afraid of the third pedal?! It's not the shifting that's important, at least the way I understand it. You get a manual because you don't want a car weighed down by I-don't-know-how-many pounds of fluid and oil so you can get better gas mileage and still get somewhere! To say nothing of the convenience of not having to take time off work to have the car serviced for $150. What good is it to be able to shift and yet you've still got a heavy transmission underneath you?! Mind you, thegraduate, I'm not addressing these questions to you, I'm just kind of virtually shaking my head at all of it!
 
Anyway, thanks for explaining what the "M" was. I didn't have the car long enough to play with it. I stuck to the gears I was familiar with!

#664 of 879 Re: Unavailability of rallye red on Civic [bottgers] by electrobuzz

Jul 15, 2007 (5:44 pm)

While the '06 Civic is "cooler", if you are over 30 - it's a little silly and blingy.

#665 of 879 Re: Unavailability of rallye red on Civic [electrobuzz] by bottgers

Jul 15, 2007 (6:06 pm)

Replying to: electrobuzz (Jul 15, 2007 5:44 pm)
I see nothing "silly" about the Civic in general, just Honda's decision to make the color rallye red available only on the EX and SI trim levels. Generally speaking, the Civic is a very nice ride regardless of your age.

#666 of 879 civic by steve333

Jul 15, 2007 (6:13 pm)

I couldnt get over the dash and steering wheel-a tad too odd for me. Also, pricey. I decided on the Cobalt because the pickup is excellent and the seats support my back well. The Mazda 3 was impossible to find at the time.
I ruled out the Corolla afterb taking it for a test drive and finding that I couldnt wait to get out of the car. In my opinion the Corolla is way out of its league and too far outdated to make its reliability and Mileage a positive. I'm sure the new model will be loads better but right now I cant imagine anyone choosing it over a Civic 3, or even a Cobalt. To each his own I guess.

#667 of 879 Re: civic [steve333] by bottgers

Jul 15, 2007 (6:29 pm)

Replying to: steve333 (Jul 15, 2007 6:13 pm)
I know what you mean about the Corolla. Our secretary has an '03 she'll be selling next year. I test drove it and I couldn't get the driver's seat far enough back to get comfortable, and I'm only 6' even. The Yaris was way more comfortable. I haven't test driven a Civic yet, but I'm sure I will at some point. I like the looks of the Cobalt, but GM has a horrible track record with the reliability of their smaller vehicles, so it's not even in the consideraiton running. So far, of all the cars I've test driven, believe it or not I like the Yaris hatchback the best. The redesigned Corolla might be worth a look, but we're gonna have to wait a while for that to be available.

Messages Page 67 of 89

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