HELP! '13 Optima vs '13 Accord vs '13 Mazda 3

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I would boycott the accord as they nixed the excellent SLA front suspension for a cheapo mac strut front end. The SLA was a major selling point as Honda was a hold out until now on this vastly superior front suspension geometry. I would add the supurb American assembled Passat Diesel to your list. You can even get it with a stick
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I must admit I am girlish over the Optima as The Optima has gorgeous (euro) styling inside and out, and if the Kia Forte sedan I rented in FLA earlier this year is any indication, the Optima could be a stellar driver as the Forte was the best driving (near flawless) of any compact Ive driven in the past 2 decades since my troublesome Ford Contour (Mondeo) Sport.
 
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Originally Posted By: salv
the kia optimas and hyundai sonatas are really nice cars. the warranty is amazing. drive then and compare them. buy what suits you best. I love the turbo versions of these cars. tons of fun to drive.

The warranty may be impressive on paper, but from my experience as a Hyundai Sonata owner it stops right there on the paper. Dealers don't care to handle warranty claims, maybe Hyundai / Kia doesn't pay them enough for labor.

I agree that test driving the cars of interest makes most sense.

As others wrote, that Mazda3 is smaller than the Accord. I'd choose between those two, depending on preference for more space (Accord) or more fun to drive (Mazda3).
 
this is delving into financial advise, but i fail to see how a brand new car is a good idea for a college student. set your sights much lower.
 
Accord easily, if it were me.
The others are non contenders.
I say this because I've seen the new Accord in both sedan and coupe and it is an awesome car.
 
I know the Mazda 3 is not in the same segment as the other two, but it is one of the 3 cars she is interested. So I am looking for advice/comparisons between these cars or just reviews of any of them that you can give me.


Thanks for all the help so far guys, I appreciate it. Feel free to throw anything else in.
 
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Originally Posted By: bourne
Mazda 3I GT. with a bit of negotiation , you should be able to get it for close to 20k. Its fully loaded and is still being made in japan. We have been very happy with ours.


How close to 20k can you get?
 
Act of god, likely is not covered. Maybe by comprehensive policy?

Id go for a 4 cyl, MT accord.

But if she has to incur debt for it, then to a beater she should go. Last thing that an unemployed or underemployed (she should be focusing upon studies, not working) student needs is a new car loan. And doubly so if she is using student loans for it. Stupid, stupid to pay a depreciating asset via a student loan, she will be paying the car off 20 years from now.
 
Originally Posted By: BigBuck
Hey guys. My girlfriend goes to Radford University, and in case you didn't know they had a student parking lot flood because of a dam being released. The school didn't notify her until 5:30 in the morning, when the car was already ruined. Here are some links for background info.

News story

Students seeking answers from university You make a claim to your OWN company and let THEM decide if anyone else should be "brought in". When a company agrees to insure your car OU give THEM the right to collect repayment from third parties causing damage they have to pay you for.

file.php

Here is a picture of some of the vehicles. This is nowhere near how high the flooding was. It was above most cars.



Ok, well her car was a 2010 Honda Accord EX with 16,000 miles. Geico says it is totaled. Water above the roof, the car was 100% submerged. I have additional pictures I may post sometime. Not sure how much they are cutting her a check for, thank God she had insurance.


Onto the cars. She is interested in the three in the title. 2013 Kia Optima EX, 2013 Honda Accord EX, and the 2013 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring. Could anyone offer some suggestions on any of these vehicles? She is going to be test driving soon, but she is looking for any input. All is welcome.




Off topic, but if anyone reads into the story, could you give me some advice for her? It seems like the school should be at fault. She did not receive a notification until 5:30am when the car was already submerged above the windows. Is there anything you recommend she do? She lost a car that wasn't even broken in yet, and now has to dish out money to buy a new car. Any advice on that front? I am still young myself, so I appreciate all the help.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Act of god, likely is not covered. Maybe by comprehensive policy?

Id go for a 4 cyl, MT accord.

But if she has to incur debt for it, then to a beater she should go. Last thing that an unemployed or underemployed (she should be focusing upon studies, not working) student needs is a new car loan. And doubly so if she is using student loans for it. Stupid, stupid to pay a depreciating asset via a student loan, she will be paying the car off 20 years from now.



It is covered under comprehensive. Would it be an act of god if someone released the flood gates?

She would get an automatic. In the Accords case, it would be the CVT. The other two have 6sp autos. Can anyone chime in on the new CVT in the Accord? or the transmissions in the other two? She can't drive stick, so that isn't an option unfortunately.


She is paying cash for it. Paying it off right there, no loans, no monthly payments. She is good with her money, and has quite a bit saved up. She works 1 job at school and works 2 jobs back home with occasional babysitting. Geico will probably give her 15-18k for the totaled car, I will update when she finds out more.



Also, she is looking for a car that will last her 10+ years. She doesn't get tired of what she has, also.
 
Originally Posted By: BigBuck
She lost a car that wasn't even broken in yet, and now has to dish out money to buy a new car.


I do agree with others. She has to dish out money to buy a different car, not a new car. At the very best, she gets out of the old car with insurance money, and any loan or note is paid off. So she's starting from scratch, with no car and presumably no loan. So whatever she spends on a car will either have to be paid in cash or will have to be financed.

I would highly recommend that she consider spending 25% of what she was planning on spending (maybe $5,000), and putting her schoolwork first. If her parents are buying her the car, I might politely ask that they put the money toward her education instead of the car. If they're buying both, then she's incredibly blessed to start her life with no debt.

But don't add debt as a student, especially if she's incurring debt via school loans as well.
 
the warranty is, in reality the best in the business by far. most people that claim otherwise, do so because they misunderstood the warranty from the get go. most items are 5/60, and powertrain is 10/100. if a dealer does not comply with the written terms of the warranty, that is a major issue, but if the dealer doesn't comply with a misconception of what the warranty covers, that is the customer's problem.
From my personal experience, Hyundai goes above and beyond to help their customers. I have seen a customer get their motor replaced under warranty, even though they double gasketed their oil filter, drove it with the oil light on, and blew the motor. I have seen a 2006 Sonata with 156k on it get a rear crossmember replaced under warranty. Hyundai's goal at this point in time is to become "the most loved car company". They are up and coming. Their vehicles are very reliable, and their service is second to none.
 
In terms of safety, *my interpretation of the latest IIHS test results* seems to suggest that the Honda is notably "safer" than the KIA and quite a bit moreso than the Mazda.

Do yourself a favor and watch the IIHS crash test videos for all three, especially the offset tests.

I'd go Honda, KIA, Mazda - in that order.

I really like the new KIAs, really *don't* like the new Mazda's, and (unlike the other two), haven't driven a new Honda. The KIA I drove I really liked (and I own an older KIA - 2003). I owned a 2002 Honda which was very good. The late-model Mazda I drove I was unimpressed with. In fact, now that I think about it, the CX-7 or CX-9 (whatever it was - a not-quite minivan) I drove recently was terrible.

If the price difference was within 10%, I'd take the Honda. Otherwise, I'd look at the KIA, too.
 
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Originally Posted By: BigBuck
I know the Mazda 3 is not in the same segment as the other two, but it is one of the 3 cars she is interested. So I am looking for advice/comparisons between these cars or just reviews of any of them that you can give me.


Thanks for all the help so far guys, I appreciate it. Feel free to throw anything else in.


If she's good with that crazy cartoon styled "face" on the Mazda3, it's a solid choice. No significant shortcomings.

But it looks like something created in Pixar's studio to me.
 
Originally Posted By: salv
the kia optimas and hyundai sonatas are really nice cars. the warranty is amazing. drive then and compare them. buy what suits you best. I love the turbo versions of these cars. tons of fun to drive.


As long as you are strictly in a straight line! At least the Honda and the mazda can be cornered. And a Kia optima was the first vehicle i have felt the floorboards flutter on in decades! Notably vague steering as well.

I shopped this segment hard and was not impressed with Kias or Hyundais other than their fantastic complement of toys. If actual DRIVING means anything to you the Korean car is a poor choice, and I question its ability to hold up under hard abuse like my Wife can dish out!

I would think that for the average person just looking for transportation they remain a viable choice.
 
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
But it looks like something created in Pixar's studio to me.

Agreed. I still can't get over this, but it's very subjective, I guess.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Act of god, likely is not covered. Maybe by comprehensive policy?

Id go for a 4 cyl, MT accord.

But if she has to incur debt for it, then to a beater she should go. Last thing that an unemployed or underemployed (she should be focusing upon studies, not working) student needs is a new car loan. And doubly so if she is using student loans for it. Stupid, stupid to pay a depreciating asset via a student loan, she will be paying the car off 20 years from now.


I don't know, it all depends on how many lawyer hours are put in to the negotiation process and how much of a payout it is.
 
Somebody else mentioned Mazda and rust. Please heed the warning. As far as my own personal experience about rust is concerned, Toyota > Honda >> Nissan > Mazda.
 
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