New Scion tC or Mazda 3s or Used BMW 3 series or 06 Civic Si??

Login to find out (July 16, 2005 at 11:25am)

I would go with hte Mazda3. It is constantly winning comparisons with other cars in this price range. The bmw is nice, but it's a 5 year old car. I Would stick with the mazda3

Login to find out (July 16, 2005 at 7:42am)

lol... naa i was just lazy to upload a pic earlier...

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 9:06pm)

i like the frame on the mazda3. i dunno if there's a type S (i know the mazda6 has it) but i would definetly go for the type s since it's a v6 and usualy has a nice body kit. and if you're stepping it up to 17" wheels, it'll be a mean looking machine.. come to think of it, i don't thnk u can get type s on a mazda4 since all of them are 4 bangers. correct me if i'm wrong, somone!

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 8:20pm)

Actually, the 8 in question has not had its engine touched. The "mods" only invlove gutting the interior, roll cage, fire suppression, brake bias controller, and suspension changes. If anything, even the best cars break stuff when everything is pushed to the max in a racing situation. By racing, I mean wheel-to-wheel SCCA road racing. The engine of this car has been bulletproof. Of course, now that I've said this, he'll blow an engine next race :)

Now Consumer Reports might rate them lower, but I really haven't seen anything to indicate that Mazdas are unreliable, and like I said, me and my circle of friends have had plenty of them of various models and vintages. And we do not baby our cars :) Mazdaspeed Protege, '91 Protege, '97 miata, '94 miata, '92 miata, '04 mazdaspeed miata, '00 miata (aftermarket turbocharged), '88 323 hatchback, '96 626, '93 rx-7, '04 rx-8, '84 rx7, '04 Mazda 6...and many more. I would never hesitate buying a Mazda.

To the original question, anything Japanese (I'm not a 100% on Mitsu though) is perfectly fine by me.

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 8:19pm)

It's universally acknowledged that the Mitsu' Eclipse is preferable to women, as was the Mercedes SLK. HP #'s dont always translate to performance. Chassis-design, gearing, suspension setup, and WEIGHT are most determinate of a car's prowess in terms of performance parameters. This is where the Civic established it's name in tuning circles.

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 7:15pm)

performance wise.. no doubt man.. i was talking about the eclipse design.. unlike the mustang or the rx8 which has rigid desing lines.. btw .. comparing civic to eclipse is apples to oranages i'd think...

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 6:36pm)

if a hybrid h3 ever comes in the market.. i'll be the first one to get it.. lol..

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 6:35pm)

now the H3 is a macho car... or suv or whatever u wanna call it..

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 4:24pm)

Mitsubishi Eclipse is for chics. That car is not for matcho guys.

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 12:13pm)

i was reading bout the same thing on customer reports on the 3.2 CL's thei're transmissions sure do cra* out.. seems like more than 15% had transmission probs within 1 year of ownership..
the 2000 TL seems better but still has a little bit of tranny problems.. round 8% of owners...
that kinda turns me off .. i always thought acura's were as reliable as or close to lexus...

the mitsu eclipse.. has pretty bad reliablity history as well... from consumer reports.. so far... for some reason.. the desing comes of as a girlie car.. atleast i feel that way personally..

what do u guyz think of the 2006 Civic Si thats coming this sep.. looks promising.. 200hp.. 18 inch wheels .. slick design.. (a lot similar design o the tc if u ask me.. )
only prob is looks like it's only gonna be manual.. I'm frustrated driving manuals for the past 2 years in chicago traffic... ..

Login to find out (July 13, 2005 at 12:05pm)

Mazda's are unreliable. How much so? Well that's relative. Honda, Toyota, and even Nissan consistently come out ahead in terms of owner satisfaction based on quality, reliability, etc. Now, w/ that said, I'd still buy a MazdaSpeed offering.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 5:39pm)

Now here is where we disagree Goat. I've had a lot of experience with Mazdas and they've always been rock solid. About the only unreliable Mazda I've heard of is the last 7. In fact, a coworker just sold his Protege with 300K on the clock.

My buddy has a race prepped Rx-8 that he's already done more than 10 race weekends with, and other than oil consumption (pretty normal for rotaries), it takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' (did I just write that). Not only that, it's the fastest T3 car in the division.

786, I did not get that it was a Mazdaspeed Protege. Those were great cars, though I have a bias againt wrong-wheel-drive :)

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 1:28pm)

Goat: It's all good. Cars are something I'm pretty passionate about, and I can tell you are as well. I didn't mean to come across as sarcastic at all.

The only thing I really have trouble with is when people can't get past the brand logo to appreciate the actual car. I'm not saying that you're doing this, just making a point. But I like to evaluate a car on an individual basis, in light of its particular traits and abilities; without real regard for who the manufacturer is. I can't stand it when people just dismiss a car because "it's not a BMW", etc.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 8:30am)

The RX-7 did NOT need to be rebuilt every 50k miles. The rotor usually just needed new apex seals at about the 100k mark. If you took care of this before reaching the 85-95k mark, then your car was all set.
It's true, the RX-8 does have its issues as Yoaamir mentioned (oil consumption, cold-starting issues) and there's no excuse. But overall, it's still a good car with incredible performance capabilities and the brand has been relatively solid down the line. The Mazda6 has been fantastic. I was originally going to purchase a V6 but the dealer didn't have one optioned the way I wanted.

Solaris, the MazdaSpeed mentioned is the MazdaSpeed Protege. It was only available for one year (2003).

Goat, the prices I listed are actually quite accurate. Perhaps regional differences have caused them to be higher in your area. The Eclipse GT starts at a little over $23k, that is true. However, to get the stereo system you mentioned (a $1500 option), you must first purchase the GT performance package (a $3600 option). And that's still without an auto tranny in case that was a consideration. Either way you look at it, the Eclipse is a terribly poor value when compared to what is available for the same price and when you factor in it's horrendous fuel mileage.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 8:21am)

Solaris, you should read last month's issue of Automobile magazine. They posted the long-term wrap-up of their year with the RX-8. Had to have it towed to the dealer on a few occasions due to cold-weather starting issues. Mazda is aware of the problem, and apparently other RX-8 owners are having similar problems. That's not as bad as a tranny failure, but this is inexcusable in a $25-35K car in 2005. Now that doesn't mean that ALL Mazdas are troubleprone and should be avoided... for example, the Mazda3 and Protege have traditionally been very reliable cars... but as the level of complexity increases, so does the likelihood of having problems, and this is where Mazda has sometimes fallen behind Toyota and Honda.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 7:39am)

Goat,

I don't know where you're getting the idea that Mazdas are unreliable. I think the Mazdaspeed mentioned referred to the mazdaspeed miata, which is a great little car.

The only Mazda that had problems were the last generation Rx7, and that's because it was turbocharged. Even then, a significant number of problems can be attributed to owners modding their cars without understanding rotaries. Rotaries in general are fairly reliable units. In fact, my racecar is an '84 rx7 with the original engine. It's a 21 yr old car, and the engine pretty much lives above 7000rpm. Knock on wood, this is the car's third full season of racing with no engine problems.

To the original question, after having dealt with used german cars, I'd stay away from the 3.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 1:34am)

yeah i used to sell nissans about 15 years ago... so i know how dealers can be rather slimy when it comes to customer relations. fortunately the manager i worked for was a genuinely good guy.

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 1:29am)

Last one: "My 2001 CL has 21,000 miles on it and it is less than 3 years old. When it was 1 month old the trans blew out and it was in the dealer for a week. Now, the transmission went out again. It will be in the dealer for another week. It has 21,500 miles on it. My lease is up in 6 months and I am going to try to get out of it... Anyone know if dealers will let this occur? I figure they will have better luck reselling it with 21,500 miles on it before the end of summer, rather than waiting until November and having me put 2-3000 more miles on it. I am really disgusted. I have had the rotors replaced twice and now the transmission twice. All in all the car will have been in the dealer for three full weeks of service. All they could say was this transmission blow out was one of the worst they have seen. My car accelerated on it's own as I was entering the highway... I was lucky to be able to steer around traffic! If I hadn't I would have had a major accident. (The on-ramp was two lane and I was third car in line) Since I was going 90 at one point and red-lining, I think it's a safety issue and I don't want to drive this car. I just have to convince the dealer."

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 1:26am)

Here's another: "Dude, you are lucky. I am an owner of a 2001 CL Type S (which I really love), however, today I nearly crashed as my car (with my Mom inside) shifted from fifth at about 65 to second (I think). I actually felt the seatbelt - hard. This is my second transmission (first was replaced at 30,590) and I have 50K now. This is not good. I limped home (in second, I think - 5.5K revs was kicking in the rev limiter at 55 mph) and pushed my ACURA (i had no reverse) into my garage. I will get this serviced, but I gotta tell ya, this is really sad. The transmission will be covered under warranty blah, blah, blah but I bought Acura/Honda for RELIABILITY. The transmission is the bane of this model (imho)."

Login to find out (July 12, 2005 at 1:26am)

I'll just copy 'n paste a few forum entries for your reference: "Acura has extended the warranty on the A/T and torque converter for all 2001 & 2002. Whether a 2003 CL is covered depends on the VIN. (See: Service Bulletin 02-027 dated 1/21/05 titled Warranty Extension : 3.2TL and 3.2CL Automatic Transmission (supercedes 02-027 dated 9/15/03). I have a 2003 CL that I purchased in August 2002. The transmission failed at 45389 miles. The first symptom was a slight slip between 2 & 3d gear. The coup d'grace happened on I-75 when I went to pass somebody: the tranny bucked and klonked until I let up on the throttle. I drove immediately to the Acura dealer who put in a new one (with all the updates, I'm told) and had it back to me in two days. Gave me a loaner, too! Outstanding!! My warranty is, however, set to end in another 4,500 miles because my VIN is just outside of the covered range. I'm considering another vehicle because of the history of transmission problems and the soon-to-be-out-of-warranty status. I have written to Acura asking them to extend the warranty as a matter of customer good will, but I haven't heard back yet."

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New Scion tC or Mazda 3s or Used BMW 3 series or 06 Civic Si??

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New Scion tC or Mazda 3s or Used BMW 3 series or 06 Civic Si??

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