Alright...I'm in the market for a new car alongside my 8 and i've narrowed my decision down to two choices

Mazdaspeed 3 grand touring or Honda Civic SI sedan w/ nav

I work at Open Road Mazda in NJ so for my price I can get the Speed 3 for 440/month while i can get the Civic SI for 390/month

Sure one is faster than the other...but both have their positives

The Speed 3 is fast, fun, another mazda, very practical
The Civic SI is decently quick, fun, cheaper, and has a navi

I'm pretty stuck on making a decision

PLEASE HELP AND GIVE ME YOUR INPUT

 

civic is more 8-like, but i'd go with the three. hugely practical, big power, and fun in a different way. seems like a no brainer since you already own the 8, and not that im biased towards another mazda product, either. ill tell ya, if i was buying now, id take a good look at the speed3 before buying my 8, regardless of how much i love my car.

 

I would hold off, and wait to see if the Mugen Civic SI makes it here. I believe I read somewhere it would.

 

The Mugen Si will be coming over here but in extremely limited numbers so expect huge mark ups.

I'd go for the MazdaSpeed 3 soley cause you work for the dealership and if you have any problems you know they wont mess around with you.

The Civic anyway you cut it is still a Civic and has the sterotype attached to it.

 

If you need gas milage go Civic

If you need to beat an EVO go Mazdaspeed 3

 

depends on whether you want a hatchback or not, right?

 

Is that the best they can do for you on the Speed with the 'S' Plan?

 

I've driven the "base" models of both cars.

I really don't care for Honda's nav system. My GF has it in her '07 civic. It likes to go on the fritz, going opposite of the headlights (IE: night mode with lights off, day mode with lights on) and the voice-recognition really, really fails. We're talking "Find nearest mexican" will sometimes find mexican restraunts, sometimes change it to a random XM station, and one time tried to search for plumbers. The manual entering of an address isn't always great, either. It tries to be user friendly with an autocomplete function, but sometimes it autocompletes to the wrong address and you don't realize it until it has directed you to the other side of town. For example, you want to go to 105 W. Main Street and it autocompletes to 105 E. Main Street.

As for the drive, its a civic. It rides a little to the rough side of comfortable, but steering feedback is a little vague. I do, however, like the dash layout. Except for the volume **** on the nav equipped models... its like it was an afterthought.

My brother has an 07 3hatch sport. It is a blast to drive! Has a much more upmarket feel to the interior, much better feel to the steering. Great gearbox (the civic is an auto, so I can't compare gearboxes) and much more sporty feel than the honda.

If I could afford both cars, I'd get the Mazda without hesitation. Mazda cars just feel better, IMO.

 

Beat an Evo at what? Smokey front wheel burnouts, prettier interior, uglier looks?

To the OP, if reliability, mileage, and resale value are top priority the SI is probably the better choice. Other than those things the MS3 is probably the better car. Honestly, I don't think I'd buy either and I'd just get a GTI if I was looking at cars in that segment. There are pretty good deals to be had on GTIs right now.

 

Straight from Honda Site.

"Soon to stun the Si scene in fall 2007, the inspired MUGEN Civic Si Sedan goes from "Formula Sport" concept to a sports car enthusiast's reality. Co-developed by Honda and MUGEN, the Civic MUGEN Si Sedan adds an aggressive dimension of performance to the Civic Si Sedan with a Twin Ring Motegi track-tuned suspension, aerodynamic body styling and a performance exhaust system. The suspension lowers the vehicle by 15 mm with highly aggressive spring and damper tuning for enhanced handling performance. The full-vehicle aero-package adds a front spoiler and sports grille, side spoilers, a rear diffuser and an adjustable rear wing. The lightweight, MUGEN forged aluminum wheels measure 18 x 7.5 inches and include high-performance 215/40R18 rubber. Honda will produce a limited release of 1,000 MUGEN Si Sedan models, which will carry an under-$30K price tag. Honda lovers, rev your engines and get highway ready, because Honda sets the MUGEN free in the fall of 2007."

30K for a car that will just look better then stock. For 23K you can get a fully loaded SI. Only people paying those prices will be idiotes in my opinion. I'm sure you can get the same suspension, aerodynamic body styling and a performance exhaust system for much less then 7K. Does look nice though

 

I agree to go with Mazda. I prefer them over the honda, but also because you work for them. Why wouldn't you support the company you work for???

 

I'd get a used 330ci M-sport or something along those lines. MPS3 and Civic are so boy-boy.

 

well....its either one of the two....or trade the 8 in and get a 335xi coupe....but i would be scared of parting with my 8

 

I say go with the civic to offset the 8's mileage

 

I had a 3 that I traded to get my 8 . I just purchased a 08 civic this week, actually 2 of them and auto and a manual one for the wife.

I loved the way the 3 handle, milage was good .

The civic I really like the new body style . very sporty and milage from what I see is a little better .

All in all you make the call... Personally I would not base it on where you work at . I work for Nestle but I prefer a Pay Day any day. Test drive them again.

Good Luck.

 

Have you check with your insurance company and see how much it'll cost you to insure those cars?

Civic usually cost a bit more than other cars when it comes to insurance here.

 

go with the civic, you already have an 8, you need gas milage and reliability