[stooken]

Anyone with first hand experience?

Looking into a few options on used cars for my sister. Thought about the 03+ Civics but I had no idea they were only 117HP. Maybe the Corolla S? I just want something compact for her.

[Vannak]

Mazda 3 is a fun car with some power. I think you should consider that or a Scion TC

[areitu]

the Mazda3 is a pretty nice car, great handling and good interior for a japanese car. They should be fairly reliable and low maintainence. There's a 2.0 and a 2.3, but I think you can only get the 2.3 in the mazda3 wagon. it's overall a better value if you get the higher trim level ones with the steering wheel mounted controls.

If she doesn't care too much about the sportiness, Civics and Corollas aren't a bad choice, though I'd lean towards the Civic to begin with. The corolla S doesn't have that much more power over the Civic and both cars have plenty of passing power.

If you're considering german, avoid first the first year of the new generation of VW GTIs and Audi A4

[carchrism5]

I like the Corolla S very quality car, looks decent, decent gas mileage. all around good car

[stooken]

Originally Posted by Vannak

Mazda 3 is a fun car with some power. I think you should consider that or a Scion TC

oh yeah. i'll look into a used TC. brand news are a little over the budget.

Originally Posted by areitu

the Mazda3 is a pretty nice car, great handling and good interior for a japanese car. They should be fairly reliable and low maintainence. There's a 2.0 and a 2.3, but I think you can only get the 2.3 in the mazda3 wagon. it's overall a better value if you get the higher trim level ones with the steering wheel mounted controls.

If she doesn't care too much about the sportiness, Civics and Corollas aren't a bad choice, though I'd lean towards the Civic to begin with. The corolla S doesn't have that much more power over the Civic and both cars have plenty of passing power.

If you're considering german, avoid first the first year of the new generation of VW GTIs and Audi A4

thanks for the info.

i looked up the HP specs. civics are @ 117, corolla s @ 130 and mazda 3 @ 150.

[HyperM3]

Tc's actually have a bad reputation as not being reliable. Its rare as a Toyota built car but thats the sad fact. I enjoyed the drive in the Tc but it left a little to be desired.

Drove a Mazdaspeed-3 and that was hellafun. Really nice handling with great power. Decent seats and interior. Sound system was nice too. I think Mazda flies under the radar and dont really produce anything outstanding anymore. Ive never heard anyone complain about build quality though. Maxima's drive on forever just like camry's and accords.

[stooken]

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Tc's actually have a bad reputation as not being reliable. Its rare as a Toyota built car but thats the sad fact. I enjoyed the drive in the Tc but it left a little to be desired.

Drove a Mazdaspeed-3 and that was hellafun. Really nice handling with great power. Decent seats and interior. Sound system was nice too. I think Mazda flies under the radar and dont really produce anything outstanding anymore. Ive never heard anyone complain about build quality though. Maxima's drive on forever just like camry's and accords.

my mom had a mazda 626 years ago! i think i'll take my dad to check out the mazda 3

[Ru$$ell]

my ex has one of these,pretty nice car to zip around in

[SpecC]

Originally Posted by stooken

oh yeah. i'll look into a used TC. brand news are a little over the budget.

no way man. the tC is nowhere near the joy to drive when compared to a Mazda 3

Originally Posted by HyperM3

Tc's actually have a bad reputation as not being reliable. Its rare as a Toyota built car but thats the sad fact. I enjoyed the drive in the Tc but it left a little to be desired.

Drove a Mazdaspeed-3 and that was hellafun. Really nice handling with great power. Decent seats and interior. Sound system was nice too. I think Mazda flies under the radar and dont really produce anything outstanding anymore. Ive never heard anyone complain about build quality though. Maxima's drive on forever just like camry's and accords.

yeah... i agree 100% with this post. my tC isn't bad but it's only been a year and i have 3 rattles in there somehow! everything feels really flimsy in there too...

on the other hand... the mazda 3 my housemate has feels a lot sportier inside and it is a lot stiffer to drive which i completely prefer.

IF you were buying the car for yourself, i'd suggest you get the mazda 3...

but girls seem to like the tC a lot more since they aren't too concerned about driving experience. i think the tC looks decent and better than the mazda 3

[herbz]

mazda3 = japanese BMW, whether or not Lexus or Infiniti like it.

[ChineseGuy]

cooper S?

support BMW guys...

[Year's_End]

Let's see...what's the budget limit? $10k, $15k, $20k? If it's $20k then you have a bunch of good choice to choose from. What about the Mitsu Lancer? It even has flappy paddles.

Personally, I'd probably go with either a Civic Coupe or a Mazda3 in the category. The Tc is more looks than anything else. The Civic is hella-reliable, is light and tossable, and looks futuristic (maybe even overkill). I used to drive a black onbeige '06 Civic EX Coupe. The car was a great value, and I even got complimented by a guy driving his E550 one day at a gas station when it was all clean and shiny. My one complaint would be the blue digital speedo. It got a little tiresome after a while and I couldn't wait to drive a car with a traditional analog speedo.

The Mazda3 is the driver's car in the segment. Not to mention it has nice styling to boot too.

You should arrange a test drive for the three cars. Forget the Toyota Corolla...blech. So bland. I think only those who are the least enthusiastic about driving would opt for one in the company of these other choices.

[Year's_End]

By the way my Civic made 140hp, not 117.

[Robert]

The Civic is hella-reliable

From the bay area before FL?

I agree with Civic and Mazda 3. Civic, if fuel economy and reliability are higher priority than fun. The Civic drives well but I think the Mazda 3 has a firmer suspension for spirited driving. Civic on the other hand is a superb commuter because of ride quality and transmission that keeps on rolling. On stock civic suspension, you are going to wish you bought a Mazda 3 as soon as you drive hard.

[Year's_End]

I've lived in the bay area my whole life? Is that what you're asking?

Btw, my Civic did roll quite a bit when it was pushed, and understeer was a b*tch...but hey...it's a FWD car, what can you expect? I had a lot of fun with that car though. Probably the only time I'll ever use the e-brake with so much frequency hehehe.

[Robert]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

I've lived in the bay area my whole life? Is that what you're asking?

Btw, my Civic did roll quite a bit when it was pushed, and understeer was a b*tch...but hey...it's a FWD car, what can you expect? I had a lot of fun with that car though. Probably the only time I'll ever use the e-brake with so much frequency hehehe.

Yea, I noticed your usage of the word "hella"

I have an 07 Civic for daily commuter right now. Love the little car for what it does.

For OP: if you want to get an used current generation Civic, get the 07. The 06 had a few bugs but it's covered under warranty but the owners may not have it done yet.

[Year's_End]

By bugs, could you by chance be meaning the relentless squeaks from the dashboard? That was a major prob for me, forgot to mention that.

Oh, and about the hella thing...I do live in the bay area...but I kinda got that from Southpark...HyperM3 used it (post #6) which kinda made me feel like using it lol.

[BK]

I test drove a Mazda 3 back when I was test driving a bunch of cars (also tried the Mazdaspeed 6 at that dealer), and I agree with Railgun - it is decidedly underpowered. I did not try the Mazdaspeed 3, which is much, much more powerful. But I drove the most optioned-out Mazda 3 you can get. I think 160 HP?

Besides the power, the MT is more rubbery than the MT in a Civic and has very little feel. And as an aside, neither MT are even close to as nice as the MT in a BMW, despite the complaints you see here on e90post about the "rubbery BMW MT." I actually like the BMW MT.

On the plus side, the Mazda 3 feels reasonably sporty, sort of the same way a Civic does (i.e., it's small and light, so it feels tossable). It looks fantastic for the price, and I like the interior. All in all, in that segment, the only two cars I'd consider are the Civic and the Mazda 3, and I'd probably pick the Mazda 3 over the Civic. It was nice, just lacking in power.

For a little more cash, a Jetta or Rabbit (or GLI or GTI) would be more fun to drive and have a nicer interior, IMO. But VW doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation for reliability.

[stooken]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

Let's see...what's the budget limit? $10k, $15k, $20k? If it's $20k then you have a bunch of good choice to choose from. What about the Mitsu Lancer? It even has flappy paddles.

Personally, I'd probably go with either a Civic Coupe or a Mazda3 in the category. The Tc is more looks than anything else. The Civic is hella-reliable, is light and tossable, and looks futuristic (maybe even overkill). I used to drive a black onbeige '06 Civic EX Coupe. The car was a great value, and I even got complimented by a guy driving his E550 one day at a gas station when it was all clean and shiny. My one complaint would be the blue digital speedo. It got a little tiresome after a while and I couldn't wait to drive a car with a traditional analog speedo.

The Mazda3 is the driver's car in the segment. Not to mention it has nice styling to boot too.

You should arrange a test drive for the three cars. Forget the Toyota Corolla...blech. So bland. I think only those who are the least enthusiastic about driving would opt for one in the company of these other choices.

budget is $10k-$15k. i can probably get a brand new mazda 3 for the price of a used civic. used 04 civics are going for around 15k. that's about the price of a new mazda 3 i'll drop by the honda dealership later to see if i can find any good deals on the civic.

this car is for my sister so i don't need anything too fancy. i don't need alot of power but have enough for her when she needs it.

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

By the way my Civic made 140hp, not 117.

only 06+ made 140hp. any years before that were substantially lower.

[IboughtafreakingBMW!]

My Dad and my Mom have one. Its a great car. Great handling and the turn radius is just ridiculous (its like its on a pivot). I agree that it could have more power, but then there is always the Mazdaspeed 3...

[stooken]

looks like i'll be checking out the mazda 3 mid january after my family get back from their vacation.

thanks guys!

[shragon]

the mazda 3 is good car in it's class imho. drove some at the rev-it-up event a few years ago.

if i was considering something in that range, i'd definitely check out the mazda 3.