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Between Civic Si vs Mazda Speed 3

primo_mike

primo_mike

squidly salt dog
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Location
north cakalaca
Moto(s)
848
Name
Mike
I'm torn between the two, I want a fun little ricer to drive around town and just have fun with and at the same time commute in and be my daily driver.
i know the specs on both and although the mazda 3 puts out more power the civic is $1500 cheaper and its a honda.
also another thing to factor in is if it would be able to and reliable to drive cross country possibly in the event i have to move.

pros of SI: cheaper, honda reliability

pros of Speed 3: more power, cooler looking

help me come to a decision BARF gods / car guys
 
I made the same research between the two.

The Mazda 3 is considered to be a faster car at about better price. I just didn't like the looks.
 
Scion FRS or Subaru BR-Z. Front wheel drive is for tricycles.
 
I really like my Speed3. Commutes well, decent amount of room to haul stuff with, pre- slotted for roof rack (bikes/snowboards), and best of all pretty fun to ride around.

I never crossed shopped it with a SI tho, so no experience there.
 
Both fun, mazda more so due to the hp. Check insurance premiums, might help you decide
 
You really should look at the Focus ST if you're considering those two. Really.
 
from what I read, speed 3 has alot of ford in it. if that bothers you....

the honda should last longer and cheaper to keep up since it is NOT turbo and AWD


wait...is the speed 3 AWD?
 
I bought my daughter a Mazda 3. It had the Ford/Mazda corporate I4. The Ford Focus and Mazda 3 are pretty much the same car underneath the top layer of sheet metal.

At a genuine 60,000 miles the engine (2.3l Ford/Mazda I4) threw a main bearing.

The replacement engine warped its head 5,000 and overheated miles after replacement.

The 2nd gear syncro-mesh (manual shift) started to fail at 65,000 miles.

Sadly she wadded it up - but that did reveal a serious strength - crash survivability is excellent. However I would not touch another Ford/Mazda.

We also have a 2002 Honda Odyssey which has 140,000 miles on it. At 125,000 miles the transmission started to fail. Honda replaced it with at a 70% discount for parts and labor. Other than that it just goes and goes and goes. :thumbup
 
OldMadBrit said:
We also have a 2002 Honda Odyssey which has 140,000 miles on it. At 125,000 miles the transmission started to fail. Honda replaced it with at a 70% discount for parts and labor. Other than that it just goes and goes and goes. :thumbup
Click to expand...

all honda/acura V6 autos around 2000 does that....multiple times in my friend's case.

for him...

1st time: covered
2nd time: not covered but then honda wrote him a check afterwards.
 
I have regular Mazda3 hb. The good, with rear seats down can fit lots of stuff. Comes standard with Bluetooth, Abs, and all 4 disk brakes. When I was shopping in 09 I considered fit, and it had less options and cost was more. The bad, mpg sucks. I had similar mpg on my firebird coupe. Wtf? Also on freeways its very loud inside. So when you test drive take it on freeway to see if that is ok for you.
 
Phaedrus said:
Scion FRS or Subaru BR-Z. Front wheel drive is for tricycles.
Click to expand...

This.

Also, having the "Honda" reliability only really applies if you plan on keeping the car for over 150k... cars last a lot longer now than ever before. Cars are breaking down a lot less.. even the shittiest of manufacturers have their cars lasting over 150k. A lot depends on how you maintain the vehicle.

Also, RWD or AWD is funner. I never understood why people race FWDs..
 
I would agree with TheRobSJ that you should also cross shop the Focus ST if you're seriously in the market, and at the risk of starting a VW-reliability-story-fest I would also suggest the GTI ... Plenty of folks have had a rough time of theirs but plenty of others have had many miles of enjoyment. I'm currently driving a 2010 with about 45k on it; still young of course, but no problems so far.
 
fast4d said:
all honda/acura V6 autos around 2000 does that....multiple times in my friend's case.

for him...

1st time: covered
2nd time: not covered but then honda wrote him a check afterwards.
Click to expand...

:dunno it seems Honda is not the pinnacle of reliability


i'll be reading this thread with interest though, I guess I am intrigued by the Mazdaspeeds. They say the ride is too harsh though [firm suspension].

But who needs these cars, anyway.
 
Mazda, hands down. That clutch on civics are complete shit imo, no feedback whatsoever. and the structural rigidity of the mazda's is second to none.

it's a no brainer imo.
 
You didn't mention new or used, or what your price ceiling is.
 
OldMadBrit said:
I bought my daughter a Mazda 3. It had the Ford/Mazda corporate I4. The Ford Focus and Mazda 3 are pretty much the same car underneath the top layer of sheet metal.

At a genuine 60,000 miles the engine (2.3l Ford/Mazda I4) threw a main bearing.

The replacement engine warped its head 5,000 and overheated miles after replacement.

The 2nd gear syncro-mesh (manual shift) started to fail at 65,000 miles.
Click to expand...
You sure she didn't have a hand in some of those failures?

Constantly lugging the engine in high gear and low rpm's, like many women do, can damage the main bearing. Especially if the oil hasn't warmed up yet.

As for the replacement engine, did she follow the break-in procedures?

And the synchros? Does she know how to shift?
 
fast4d said:
all honda/acura V6 autos around 2000 does that....multiple times in my friend's case.

for him...

1st time: covered
2nd time: not covered but then honda wrote him a check afterwards.
Click to expand...

My 1999 Accord V4 doesn't have that problem.

It is a strong factor to getting another 4 cyl. Let the V6 guys take me off the line and when I make it year 14, we will see who was right.
 
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