Which would you rather buy/drive? Just curious.

 

As much as I think the new Canadian Civic SE fro $16,800 is a hell of a deal, the 3 is just the better car. Looks, performance, and content wise anyway.

 

I haven't driven the 3 yet, but I like it way more than the current Civic, even the Si. By the way, 3 provides many options such as HIDs, navi, leather seats, that are not available in Civic.

 

3 is better looking, more powerful, welll equiped then civic. but the only problme is resale value and repair fee. if money is not a probem for these 2 car.. 3 is a sure win.

 

The 3 is a better car than the Civic. The car is more up to date with styling, better engine technology, and more features at an affordable price. However, I'll take the Corolla sedan, please!

You can get a Civic w/ leather, but that is if you live in Canada cuz they havet the Acura EL.

 

wait for the civic redesign this coming year......moreover who wants to deal with a mazda service department???????????

 

IMHO, the latest civic is not that good. I prefer the EK or EG series much better. I think Mazda 3 won performance wise compared to current Civic, and it looks better as well!

 

I just voted, 12 people voted for the 3, 2 for the Civic, and 3 were undecided. I hope the people at Honda are seeing this. I'm not saying that there is something wrong with the Civic (I still think it's a very good car) but there is room for improvement and Honda needs to do that ASAP, the competition isn't stopping.

 

im a honda fan but since we dont have the civic type-r here i'm going to have to go with the mazda3. i've seen pix/features and mazda has def done a fine job with the 3

 

I would choose the Mazda 3 as well. I've got a '97 EX and I like it and all, but the 3 just offers more options and std. equipment than the Civic does.

 

the 3 is hot to death, and for anyone in ny don't buy from country mazda in huntington i had an extremely horrible experience at that dealership.

 

Oddly enough I was planning on buying a 3 this June when my Boxster lease is up... It's a heck of a lot of car for the $$, and has a far better interior than the Civic (which I also considered).

Of course, I test drove the TSX last Sat.... and I decided I might just spend a little more!

 

i would rather drive a corolla than a civic... so that shows how far down the civic is... In other words...Mazda 3 by far..no contest

 

No Competition, I went and test drove one in Velocity Red with the leather and let me tell you that car is worth every penny and the navi is worth only $1750 and so you can get a fully loaded one for around $22,500 out the door its an amazing car though and the Civic is so underpowered and the brakes are just as shitty as can be. WAKE UP HONDA!!!

 

wow...a blowout. And this is a Honda/Acura board.

 

it's hard to compare ....

since Mazda3 is a 4 year newer body design vs the EP civic that
was introduced in 00 as a 01

emmm the fact that Mazda3 has set a bench mark for this class
in north america, the new civic will blow us away in two years..
hehehehe

 

I like this kind of competition. The Mazda 3 appears to be a great car (I have not driven one). If it's that much competition, the others will have to get their act in gear to win back the market share.

That said, aside from the Si (which is a good car, despite its minivan looks) the Civic line is a bad value for the money. I would much rather have a stripper or used Accord instead.

 

That's right.

Before I clicked on the "Results" and saw what they were, I thought this was a ridiculous poll -- of course the Civic was going to win, going away.

It says a lot about the Civic. And even more so, it says a lot about the people on this board. I can't believe that some of the quasi-trolls keep saying we're so biased. Yes, we're biased, as everybody is -- but compared to what might be expected, we're pretty darn objective.

 

Actually, when we were looking for a car for my brother, we chose the Corolla over the Civic.
Since the Mazda3 came out we're half tempted to trade in the Corolla for it.

 

I'd buy the 3 in a heartbeat. I'd buy the current Protege over the CIvic.

 

What do you expect... it's just been redesigned with all the latest advances and is more in tune with the trends of the current market. Civic needs a redesign. Competition has become fierce.

It used to be that as power, handling, and styling got more bold, people still bought Honda for the quality and reliability. Now that quality control is starting to rise globally and all companies are competing fiercely for that image, Honda is losing that edge and will have to compete on all levels.

 

man, how do u go back to a mazda and honda/acura after driving a porsche? i would love to drive a porsche around rather than a mazda or acura any day.

 

I picked #3. For the same/similar money, and in a small car, I'd either buy a 1984-1989 3.2 Carrera or maybe three (3) nice 944s. The only downside of P-cars is that nobody can see you except the cops, and the maintenance costs.

 

Maybe he's seen the light about RWD and snow.

 

One of the truly great cars I have owned was a 1990 Mazda 626 (built by UAW in Michigan no less). Mazda gets a lot of bad press here due to their affiliation with Ford. I have found Mazdas overall to be very well engineered and assembled vehicles. Ironically, Volvo and Jaguar are also basically ford products too and SAAB has become just another GM company.

While I purchased a TSX, I drove the Mazda 6 (6 cyl) as well and it is a damn fine car. If the interior was a bit more upscale, I may have gone with that car over the TSX on performance, handling and interior space, which I deemed better overall .

I recently had the opportunity to drive the new Mazda 3, with the larger 4 cyl. engine form the Mazda 6 and pretty much optioned out (leather etc.) and all I can say is "WOW!!!." A truly fine product (and based of the ford Focus platform). Mazda has truly gotten their act together once again and has made sure that their product offerings offer good performance in their class.

 

I test drove the MAzda 3 and it is a nice car, like the design and looks but it feels so cheap! The civic feels like its got more to it, but its hard to compare unless I know what model civic you are looking at.

 

Don't get me wrong... I love my Boxster! But I'm 29, and married (which I wasn't when I got it). And my daily beater (1992 Saturn SL1) is dying.

I want a car which I can enjoy every day, and which will leave me with more cash in my pocket from day-to-day. The TSX isn't as fast or flashy, but it comes with a lot more stuff for 20 grand less! Plus, I can put snow tires on it & drive it in the winter... and oil changes won't cost $275... $1200 tire replacement every year.

My street wasn't plowed after the recent snow, so I can't even get the Boxster out of the driveway...

Someday I'll get another one... hopefully used, and then I'll supercharge it.

 

Luckily I've kept my old Saturn running for snowy days. But I did try to move the Boxster down the icy driveway recently... ended up having to push it back.

Most of the weight is over the rear wheels, but 10 inch Pirrelli P-Zeros aren't the best winter tire.

You know, despite doing a lot of pretty outrageous speeding, I've never been pulled over in the Porsche. No radar detector, either. I refuse to drive like a jerk, though.... but I've probably done 140+ a few times.

 

I've test-driven Mazda3 a number of times, and it drives and handles great!

But only one problem: the material is cheap. It feels cheap.

So in essence, you get what you pay for.

 

i used to have a 02 civic EX...and i thought it was a great car! had 40,000 miles on it with no problem..guys also have to remember...the 3 cost ALOT more then the civic~

 

I think the prices are comparible.

The Mazda3 is fresher looking, and has some nice features but that crappy crash test rating is a sticking point for me. The civic crash rating is much higher. all 5 stars I believe. Civic reliability should be better as well. I dont think its as easy a choice as the poll suggests.

 

All 5-stars for the coupe only, 4-stars for side impact for the sedan, 5-stars everything else. Not perfect, but still very good. I agree, if I were actually out buying a car, the choice would not be as easy as it is here. I voted for the Mazda, but I'd probably buy the Civic, taking everything into account. But I'd go for the EX, the lesser model trims are indeed underpowered in this class.

 

Yes, a deceptively tough call.
I'd rather drive the 3 for its styling, power, interior, etc.
I'd ratherbuy the Civic for its Honda-ness, reliability, and that it's not based on the Focus platform.

I did that Mazda driving event and they have you racing around in 3s. I was quite impressed. Sharp little car.

 

The Focus platform is actually pretty good.

I'd take the 3, but I probably wouldn't keep it for more than 5 years.

 

The platform that the Mazda3 is built on is based on the European Focus, which is totally different than North American Focus.