Brand new Honda Civic vs Mazda3

[MZ3]

Yeh.. the facelift version of the Mazda 3 came with its Variable Valve Timing which bumped the power up slightly.

[MZ3]

Forgot about Audio control
Digital and dual speedo vs conservative

Audio controls can be added for around 40 dollars yourself!

Also, the mazda 3 speedo is conservative. It took a little get use to the the positioning of the needle. At 0, the needle points at 6o'clock rather than the traditional 8o'clock. I would be going 80..thinking i was gonig 60 =P. I guess that was bacl then when my car was smooth with its stocky fat wheels and i did come from a shitbox 99 Corolla 1.8

[dmx]

[QUOTE=Slow_Dan;1812013]

Interesting point you brought up there, coz that was exactly what i noted when i bought the 3, having sold the VTi, the price was the same or less after the upgrade to include cruise control, audio control, and the power windows. An upgrade of cruise and audio control bumped the mazda 3 prices to $21,500 when i bought mine that was in 2006. I do think its a smarter move by Honda to have it in the specs, as many people do not know what is available as accesories or add ons, and the lack of visibility over what the prices are for things that are optional or non-standard.

i did own both, and really liked the m3 in terms of power and pull throughout the revs. the website also seems to say that the M3 havin 108kw, and not 103kw. n i had more confidence going around the twisties when i had the m3

they qoute me before, 2006, to add power window, electric mirror (??? if i'm not wrong), and cruise, (AUTO), it end up to about $28K drive away.
that's why i choose civic VTI, 26K, complete.
and then, i preety sure, in the brochure, mazda3 have 2.0L engine with 104 kw. even my Honda sales, also tempted me, say, it's only 1Kw diff ( 1.8L civic 103 kw) at that time, 2006, not sure if now, they upgrade the power (mazda3).

Audio controls can be added for around 40 dollars yourself!

Also, the mazda 3 speedo is conservative. It took a little get use to the the positioning of the needle. At 0, the needle points at 6o'clock rather than the traditional 8o'clock. I would be going 80..thinking i was gonig 60 =P. I guess that was bacl then when my car was smooth with its stocky fat wheels and i did come from a shitbox 99 Corolla 1.8

but civic have no optional for audio control, but you can DIY

[triode12]

Granted I'm asking this on a Honda forum but at the moment I'm trying to decide between these 2 cars...

So hit me with all the reasons why I should buy a Civic over a Mazda3?
... or reasons not to ?

Edit: I've actually have test driven both but I am still curious for additional input.

If you want a car right now - I'd choose the Civic.
If you can wait, wait till the New Mazda 3 comes out either later in the year or early next year.

The current 3 is coming to the end of it's model life, it was introduced in 2003 and Japanese cars have a 5 year model lifetime. So if you buy the 3 now, it'll take a larger depreciation hit vs the Civic when the new 3 comes out next year. The Civic was introduced in 2006 so there are a few more years to go before it's replacement is introduced.

The interior of the Civic is better than the 3, heck it is even slightly better than the new 6 in certain respects IMO (e.g. in terms of quality of materials). It is one of the two reasons that sold me on the Civic.

However! I believe the 3 is a slighly nicer car to drive in the city. It is a bit more exciting a drive at lower speeds. The Civic is very stable and it's stability (which is a strength actually) can lead to a bit of a boring drive at speeds under 80 (esp in an automatic). The Civic drives like a much larger vehicle, it feels like you are driving at 30-40km/h when you are actually driving at 60-70 km/h. But don't take my word on it. Take both out of a test drive. YMMV.