What can beat a Civic?
- Thread starter The Critic
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Critic,
You owe it to yourself to test drive a Mazda 3 with the standard 2.0 liter engine which does get better MPG than the 2.3 liter. Much closer to the Civic in fuel economy and FUN! FUN! FUN! to drive. The handling was unbeleivable and the steering was as tight as anything I have driven lately and the power was noticibly more than the Civic. Quieter on the highway as well. I drove them back to back. Reasonaly equiped, the prices should be in your ballpark.
You owe it to yourself to test drive a Mazda 3 with the standard 2.0 liter engine which does get better MPG than the 2.3 liter. Much closer to the Civic in fuel economy and FUN! FUN! FUN! to drive. The handling was unbeleivable and the steering was as tight as anything I have driven lately and the power was noticibly more than the Civic. Quieter on the highway as well. I drove them back to back. Reasonaly equiped, the prices should be in your ballpark.
But a Mazda is a FORD! Never again will I have anything remotely connected with Ford.
Roger
Roger
Mazda is Ford controlled, but the 3 is manufactured by Mazda in Japan. I owned a 2004 3i and loved it. I would have NEVER considered a Civic once I drove the 3 due to it's superior handling characteristics, handsome exterior and an interior that seems to belong in a far more expensive car. I have lost track of what Honda currently does with their engines, but after my disaster with a timing belt on a Mitsubishi years ago, I swore off cars with belts forever. Good news..the Mazda has a chain. No maintenance...change your oil and go. (For those of you waiting with itchy fingers to say 'timing chains break too', we all know chains outlive belts 99% of the time, so save your breath). Go give the 3 a whirl before you buy anything...that car could very well change your mind.
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I also was looking at this car/corolla sonata etc.....Wanted a nice car for a daily driver, so, i bought an 07 Mustang GT.....And what a great choice that was
Nice car.
So it gets 40 mpg like a Corolla or Civic and cost under $20k! (or $15k?)
Did not think so.
Apples and Oranges.
Take care, bill
It gets close to 28 highway...And i came to my senses and realized i really didn't care what the mpg was...I would rather drive a more responsive and fun car than a toyota...But i do have an intrepid for the rainy/snowy days..
Does yours have a cartridge filter or a spin-on filter?
'06 Mz3iT 2.0l w/ ATX. 32-34 mpg. $16k. Picked it up in 7/06 now at 6k miles with no problems or issues at all. Some nice improvements out for '07. Dude, get the 3.
All i sedans (2.0) have spin-on...all S sedans and all hatchbacks (2.3) have the cartridge setup.
One of my friends has a 2.3L Ford Fusion (which replaced the "Green Monster", a green Ford Expedition--he got really sick of feeding it) and he has yet to change the oil in it, I was just wondering how difficult it is with that engine. I did notice that the filter is on the bottom of the engine.
I don't know if it's really difficult, but you do need to know what's different about the filter. How many miles has he gone without an oil change?
He just got it, it isn't due for an oil change yet (it has 2200 miles on it) but I think it's probably a good idea to do the first oil change on an engine a bit early. This is just my theory, it has never been proven
I have to agree with all of these 3 recommendations. I just got rid of my Civic in August (for an Accord, needed something bigger and wanted a V6). My friend got an 06 3s GT sedan about a year ago, and I'm just blown away by how that thing drives for the price. It has nothing to do with the power either - the steering, the braking, the handling, and the nice attention to detail in the interior make the thing an awesome package. It totally embarrased my Civic in the twisties, and that's with all kinds of aftermarket suspension goodies on it! I would honestly take a 3s over a Civic Si in the current generation of both cars, and that's saying something - the Si is a ________ good small car.
Wait til you drive the Mazdaspeed 3. That's gonna kill everything this side of an STI / EVO
Cartridge to spin on filter conversion kit is available and easy to install. Some say removing the splash guard is the hardest part of the oil change.
Seems easy enough to me. On the Mz3, early complaints included weak a/c, some rattles, less than expected mpg, bad purge valves, no mp3 plug and play, ATX hard on fluid, and a few others. Most have been addressed though TSB's or next model year improvements. Typical growing pains for a new model and most owners saw none at all. Check the Mazda forums for all the details. Mine always brings a smile when my lovely bride turns it loose for a day and I get to drive it. But, hey, I'm sure the Civic will be just fine.
Well, saying that ANY $16K compact beats it is a broad statement...I personally wouldn't buy a Kia or Hyundai over the Civic mainly due to build quality and resale value. But if it's vehicle dynamics I'm using as my criteria, the Mazda would get my money.
The Civic has always been an ECONOMY car. I feel that Mazda designed their cars with "sporty" in mind. I'd love to get a 3, but I have no need yet...
I have a '93 Mazda MX6. 2.0L 118hp/127ftlb, 5spd 26/34 MPG rated. Last road trip I pulled 35.7 MPG with 202k miles.
1.6/1.7L Civics/Sentras/etc from the same vintage feel anemic compared to my engine and only get slightly better fuel economy.
And its a timeless design. With a fresh paint job, the car looks like it was modeled after MY2000, not back in 1992:
I have a '93 Mazda MX6. 2.0L 118hp/127ftlb, 5spd 26/34 MPG rated. Last road trip I pulled 35.7 MPG with 202k miles.
1.6/1.7L Civics/Sentras/etc from the same vintage feel anemic compared to my engine and only get slightly better fuel economy.
And its a timeless design. With a fresh paint job, the car looks like it was modeled after MY2000, not back in 1992:
For anyone who lives where it snows, that's easy: Subaru.
Besides, Subaru engines are the ONLY ones in the Subaru/Mazda/Toyota/Honda passenger car crowd without transverse mounted engines. Changing a timing belt doesn't get any easier than on a Subaru. Oh yeah, trans drain plug and spin on filters too. To me, that makes it a pretty simple choice.
Dave
Besides, Subaru engines are the ONLY ones in the Subaru/Mazda/Toyota/Honda passenger car crowd without transverse mounted engines. Changing a timing belt doesn't get any easier than on a Subaru. Oh yeah, trans drain plug and spin on filters too. To me, that makes it a pretty simple choice.
Dave
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