Other cars Civic Type S 1.8 Vs Mazda 3 2.0 petrol (facelift)

sk4tec · 5th April 2007, 12:36

Hi guys,

I'm in the process of selling\trading my Golf mk iv TDi 150. I've narrowed it down to these two cars. They are both relatively cheap and offer warm hatch performance.

IMO Honda's make the best engine bar none, our 16 year Old Honda mower never stopped working and we never serviced it!! We've got at Jazz sport which is an amazing car.

Heres my thoughts on a Civic vs a 3

Mazda 3 +

Is based on a Focus II chassis, control blade multi-link, inclined dampers - in short it corners and is comfy
Spec is great Bose, Xenons, auto wipers, cruise, stability, 17" alloys.
cheap to insure - group 8 I think (my Golfs 15 I think).
Quiet motorway cruising esp in face lifted model.
Nice interior - imo - on a par with a mk iv or mk v Golf.
Seats, firm with lumber - almost as good as a VW seat.
No blind spot issues, rear wiper - a more conventional design - perhaps easier to live with??

Mazda 3 -

Engine's a little low tech compared with the Honda. Variable timing but not lift
Uses more fuel than the Honda.
Less dealers.
Perhaps worth less when reselling.

The comments for the Honda are only observations and may need correction, I'm a newbie after all!!

Honda Type S +

Honda drive train - it doesn't get any better than that!
Looks cool outside, nice interior.
A little cheaper than the Mazda.
Reliable drive train.

Honda Type S -

No Multi-link rear end. Sporty but at the price of comfort. Feels a little dumbed down for a Honda
Small fuel tank, and no magic seats. Perhaps more frequent fill ups
Soft seats no lumber - similar to the Jazz. I'm used to harder German seats
Noisy on the motorway, is there any room under the swoopy bonnet for sound proofing?
Smaller diameter brakes - lol yeah its a little nerdy but goes to show I've read the specs The Mazda 3 has similar size brakes to the last CTR!
Common faults - filler cap, rear dampers, dash rattles. Easily scratched dash material.

I've tried not to be biased - I like both cars. Lol perhaps a Mazda 3 with a Honda engine would be perfect. The Mazda 3 forum is not a very good source of information, so I don't know the common faults on it.

smb09_1999 · 5th April 2007, 12:53

If you buy a Mazda you'll not be able to come on here and get loads of useful information about your car. For that alone I'd go with the Civic!

I love my 2.2 but unfortunately can't comment on a 1.8. Sounds like you are already leaning towards the Mazda but I really don't like the shape of them - looks more like a Toyota Corolla.

sco77harris · 5th April 2007, 13:06

build issues are gone now, for sure, my first one was awful but this second one is perfect.

brakes are great, really good

may have a small fuel tank but fill ups neednt be frequent, you can get a lot out of it, suprisingly ecennomica.

a little noisey but not too bad in my oppinion, find volkswagens worse

dont forget all of us here, better value car, has morel ife in it than the relatively soon to be replaced mazda.

in summary it is the kind of car you wont regret owning and will appreciate driving everyday, where as i do not feel a mazda will have the same affect

pjr · 5th April 2007, 13:21

I can give you my thoughts on both your choices, as I have recently swapped from a Mazda3 2.0 Sport to a Type S GT Civic.

Fuel Economy (so far) in the Civic is much better than the Mazda - and should only improve with time.

Xenon headlight in the Mazda are very good, but I had several problems with the auto-levelling in mine. I find the Halogen lights in the Civic perfectly good.

During 3 years of ownership I had all 4 alloy wheels replaced twice under warranty due to corrosion. The most recent set were also starting to show very early signs of corrosion.

The brakes in the Civic are a little softer than those in the Mazda, although once they bed in they will get better.

The seats in the Civic are a little softer and I do miss the lumbar support. However I drove nearly 300 miles yesterday and the seats in the Civic were fine.

Had both cars been on sale 3 years ago I would have bought the Civic without hesitation (I wasn't keen on the previous gen Civic shape)

Don't get me wrong, the Mazda never physically broke down, but all the small niggly faults and ropey dealer service annoyed me a bit.

Hope this helps

apemonkeyman · 5th April 2007, 14:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

No Multi-link rear end. Sporty but at the price of comfort. Feels a little dumbed down for a Honda

Each to their own but I like the handling of my 5 door 2.2 iCTDi. The raunchiness of the ride makes me feel in touch with the driving conditions. I felt the same about the Type S when I had one on loan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

Small fuel tank, and no magic seats. Perhaps more frequent fill ups

In the 2.2 most are finding 450 miles (if not more) from a tank. The seats still fold down into the rear footwell freeing up more space when they fold flat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

Soft seats no lumber - similar to the Jazz. I'm used to harder German seats

I have heated leather seats - very much worth the upgrade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

Noisy on the motorway, is there any room under the swoopy bonnet for sound proofing?

The diesel is very quiet on the motorway, in fact on any road.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

Smaller diameter brakes - lol yeah its a little nerdy but goes to show I've read the specs The Mazda 3 has similar size brakes to the last CTR!

My brakes are fine - shows how un-nerdy I can be...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

Common faults - filler cap, rear dampers, dash rattles. Easily scratched dash material.

Not every car suffers from every fault. The filler cap is quickly fixed. Of your named faults, this is the only one I have experienced.

There are other owners who have nasty experiences with their Civics but I know there are also others who have had no problems. Most of the faults are very minor, just annoyances. Some problems seem to be exacerbated by poor dealer service which is not going to be a problem exclusive to Honda.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

The Mazda 3 forum is not a very good source of information, so I don't know the common faults on it.

Mmm, "Mazda = unknown quantity" then, more research needed.

If I'd known of this forum before I got my Civ I would've been tempted to drop to the spec excluding satnav & HFT, opting for aftermarket solutions. Maybe also to a colour that wouldn't show up dirt/paint-chips so much.

Does the Mazda have problems with the paint chipping easily?

However, your plus points on the Civic omitted 1 key feature of the Civic: 1 great big humungous GRIN free with almost every single car.

Don't think any other car in its class offers that.

sk4tec · 5th April 2007, 14:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

I can give you my thoughts on both your choices, as I have recently swapped from a Mazda3 2.0 Sport to a Type S GT Civic.

Fuel Economy (so far) in the Civic is much better than the Mazda - and should only improve with time.

Xenon headlight in the Mazda are very good, but I had several problems with the auto-levelling in mine. I find the Halogen lights in the Civic perfectly good.

During 3 years of ownership I had all 4 alloy wheels replaced twice under warranty due to corrosion. The most recent set were also starting to show very early signs of corrosion.

The brakes in the Civic are a little softer than those in the Mazda, although once they bed in they will get better.

The seats in the Civic are a little softer and I do miss the lumbar support. However I drove nearly 300 miles yesterday and the seats in the Civic were fine.

Had both cars been on sale 3 years ago I would have bought the Civic without hesitation (I wasn't keen on the previous gen Civic shape)

Don't get me wrong, the Mazda never physically broke down, but all the small niggly faults and ropey dealer service annoyed me a bit.

Hope this helps

Guys thanks for your input. PJR - u've given me something to think about!! I've read about the lights level not being set right on a few forums.

Wheel corrosion - someone at work has an RX-8, some corrosion on his and his Celica before that. But - your problems are a world apart from VW!! My Golf's not let me down but a lot of expensive niggly faults

I'm gonna test drive on at the weekend...see if I can't be tempted with that V-tec engine!!

grebble · 5th April 2007, 14:39

Here's my 2p's worth, as (very briefly) I had the same dilemma.

Essentially you are making the choice between a Honda and a Ford under a different name (remember the Mazda 121? Identical to the Mark IV Fiesta) - no competition. The Civic looks far better, the interior and dash is far nicer, and is far more practical than the 3. The ES and EX are as well specced, if not better. As for the faults, I have an 07 plate and they all seem to have been ironed out; I've had none of the problems you listed on mine.

I went for the diesel Civic; it was more expensive but what clinched it is that the 3 Sport will do about 35mpg, whereas the Civic can get 50mpg plus. With the miles I do, that works out at about £400 per year saving on fuel costs. Plus the Civic costs £115 per year to tax, the 3 a whopping £205!

Ultimately it's your choice, but if you do choose the Civic, go for the diesel.

pjr · 5th April 2007, 14:45

sk4tec,

Didn't have problems with my Mazda's Xenons for the first 18-24 months - Then they started randomly motoring up and down. This was temporarily fixed by reprogramming them, but about 3 months ago they started settling at too low a height - meaning I couldn't see very far in the dark.

This needed a new level sensor (under warranty) at an apparent cost of £600, not that I believe it should cost as much as that. My Mazda dealer also had another nearly 3 year old Mazda3 with an identical fault - and it had failed it's MOT due to faulty headlight alignment.

Also, Grebble was quite right - the road tax is way more on the Mazda £205 vs £140 (1.8 Petrol) - at the moment

Hope this helps

sk4tec · 5th April 2007, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjr

sk4tec,

Didn't have problems with my Mazda's Xenons for the first 18-24 months - Then they started randomly motoring up and down. This was temporarily fixed by reprogramming them, but about 3 months ago they started settling at too low a height - meaning I couldn't see very far in the dark.

This needed a new level sensor (under warranty) at an apparent cost of £600, not that I believe it should cost as much as that. My Mazda dealer also had another nearly 3 year old Mazda3 with an identical fault - and it had failed it's MOT due to faulty headlight alignment.

Hope this helps

That sounds a bit expensive!!

I'm on the fence at the moment, I'm gonna arrange a test drive for a type S. I did test drive the last CTR on the weekend - mega quick but too noisy for me. I'll post back after I've driven one.

aoshi · 5th April 2007, 15:14

I used to have a RX8 and loved the mazda experience. When I wanted to replace my RX8 I also narrowed the choice down to the Mazda and the Civic. I did a lot of test drive and I personnally prefer the civic. Don't get me wrong the mazda is a great drive: the performances between the two seem similar but I simply found that the mazda didn't have the same sex appeal as the Civic. I found the handling slightly better in the Mazda though (but it was maybe because I was used to the handling of the RX8 and the overall Mazda feeling).
And as pjr pointed I also had some previous problems with the RX8 such as wheel corrosion, so you might also run onto it.

l-noel · 5th April 2007, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by sk4tec

That sounds a bit expensive!!

I'm on the fence at the moment, I'm gonna arrange a test drive for a type S. I did test drive the last CTR on the weekend - mega quick but too noisy for me. I'll post back after I've driven one.

Ask for a test drive of the Diesel too ! Just for fun or like me to be conquereed by the engine ...

sk4tec · 5th April 2007, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by aoshi

I used to have a RX8 and loved the mazda experience. When I wanted to replace my RX8 I also narrowed the choice down to the Mazda and the Civic. I did a lot of test drive and I personnally prefer the civic. Don't get me wrong the mazda is a great drive: the performances between the two seem similar but I simply found that the mazda didn't have the same sex appeal as the Civic. I found the handling slightly better in the Mazda though (but it was maybe because I was used to the handling of the RX8 and the overall Mazda feeling).
And as pjr pointed I also had some previous problems with the RX8 such as wheel corrosion, so you might also run onto it.

I wasn't a huge Mazda RX-8 fan but when I sat in one in the showroom I was impressed. I liked the slick gear change.

The Mazda 3 doesn't compare to a RX but the face lifted on does have a nice gearshift. Perhaps not on a par with the Honda. The 3 does have a few RX cues inside.

I was really impressed with both interiors, there really isn't a need to go German unless your obsessed with door clunk noises!

If I were going diesel then it would have to be the Civic. But I've done the punchy diesel thing with my Golf. Petrols are a lot cheaper and fun in their own way too!

I've done a lot of reading up on worldcarfans.com. Thanks for your input guys!!

Obo · 6th April 2007, 00:04

Personally I dont think theres any competition, I looked at loads of cars (including Mazda) before going back to my original choice the civic, I dont think any car in it's class comes close to it on style and looks especially the interior / dash, theres nothing that looks remotely like it. However since you said the Mazda is "a more conventional design - perhaps easier to live with??" it seems you dont agree?

As everyone else says ultimately it's your choice it looks like you're leaning towards the Mazda from your pros and cons list, however dont let the common faults on the civics put you off, theres nothing to say you would experience any of these problems.

I think you need to test drive both in the same day and make your decision by that, other peoples opinions are ok but they can never give you an exact feel of what a car is really like!

okehciv · 6th April 2007, 05:40

HMMMMMMM Go for the Mazda

okehciv · 6th April 2007, 05:42

It was a JOKE
A stupid one maybe

Nitehawk · 6th April 2007, 19:43

I've had to mazda 3's the first was a TS2 the second was a 3 Sport. I loved the car for what it was worth, but after owning the 2nd one for less than 18 months on a like for like basis I found fuel consumption pretty lousy on the Mazda Sport compared with my current ES. The CO2 emissions also add about £70 to your tax. It was a very comfortable car and tests I have seen on line favour the Mazda Sport the after sales is also very good and professional. I hate poor customer service more than I hate the dentist ............. But for looks, economy, practicality, and good forum fedback Give me my ES anytime

That's my humble but honest opinion

sk4tec · 6th April 2007, 23:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nitehawk

I've had to mazda 3's the first was a TS2 the second was a 3 Sport. I loved the car for what it was worth, but after owning the 2nd one for less than 18 months on a like for like basis I found fuel consumption pretty lousy on the Mazda Sport compared with my current ES. The CO2 emissions also add about £70 to your tax. It was a very comfortable car and tests I have seen on line favour the Mazda Sport the after sales is also very good and professional. I hate poor customer service more than I hate the dentist ............. But for looks, economy, practicality, and good forum fedback Give me my ES anytime

That's my humble but honest opinion

Duly noted - thanks for your input. Thats two ex 3 owners!! I'm gonna get around to test driving a type S soon.

sk4tec · 7th April 2007, 16:39

I test drove a Type S it about 6K on the clock. Here are my thoughts compared to the 3 (face lift)

Exterior
Looks much better than the 5 door, the alloys fill the arches well. I'm still a little mixed about it - looks cool but perhaps a little over styled for my taste. Not made my mind up yet. I'm not sure how well it will age. Lol am I showing my age???

Interior
Feels like a coupe, the seat feels low and it feels sporty! The pedals are great, will be good for heel and toe (unlike the 3's!!). The dash didn't make sense until the engine was running. For me the wheel adjusted just fine so I could see the speedo and rev counter. The brochures don't do the dash display justice!! The seats were good, head rests positioned nicely. They had some lumber built in even if they didn't adjust. Wheel was nice, and the buttons clicked nicely. I didn't try the radio. I didn't like not having a rear wash wipe.

Drive
The steering was fast and had nice weighting. The ride was sporty but not crashy - better than I expected. It was a very easy car to jump in and drive, much easier than the Mazda. The throttle was more linear. I thought the gear change would be better - I prefer the Mazda's 6 speed box. Quite good roll stiffness. But I suspect on really challenging roads the Mazda might be better. I didn't drive too hard though. The damping felt spot on.

I was a little disappointed with the engine performance. I couldn't tell the V-Tec kicking in and overall felt a fraction less performance. There isn't much in it and both are a lot slower than my Golf

. No doubt the engine is more advanced - it certainly is very smooth. I liked the comfort indicators.

Any of the ex Mazda owners care to comment?
Thanks guys

Type S Bournemouth · 7th April 2007, 16:56

if your wanting more performance from the civic then why not consider the 2.2 diesel. Its performance is great.

Max Damage · 7th April 2007, 18:37

Just test drove both a Type S diesel and petrol. I preferred the diesel but to be blunt both need at least another 20BHP under the bonnet.

The handling is good, interior good and space good and I will most likely be going for one on lease through the company as my first company car. But at the moment my car is a 51 plate Skoda Octavia vRS with 215bhp on tap and boy does that car make the civic feel slow

Finished the hour with the car and many thanks to Pennine Honda for that. I really do like it and will now get one but as soon as I got back in the Octy it was big grin time again

The plus side of the civic though is 12p per mile instead of 9p for all other medium diesels that are 2000cc or less and my spare cash will be used to buy an EVO

5th April 2007, 12:36	#1 (permalink)
sk4tec Valve Cap Join Date: 4th April 2007 Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Civic Type S 1.8 Vs Mazda 3 2.0 petrol (facelift) Hi guys, I'm in the process of selling\trading my Golf mk iv TDi 150. I've narrowed it down to these two cars. They are both relatively cheap and offer warm hatch performance. IMO Honda's make the best engine bar none, our 16 year Old Honda mower never stopped working and we never serviced it!! We've got at Jazz sport which is an amazing car. Heres my thoughts on a Civic vs a 3 Mazda 3 + Is based on a Focus II chassis, control blade multi-link, inclined dampers - in short it corners and is comfy Spec is great Bose, Xenons, auto wipers, cruise, stability, 17" alloys. cheap to insure - group 8 I think (my Golfs 15 I think). Quiet motorway cruising esp in face lifted model. Nice interior - imo - on a par with a mk iv or mk v Golf. Seats, firm with lumber - almost as good as a VW seat. No blind spot issues, rear wiper - a more conventional design - perhaps easier to live with?? Mazda 3 - Engine's a little low tech compared with the Honda. Variable timing but not lift Uses more fuel than the Honda. Less dealers. Perhaps worth less when reselling. The comments for the Honda are only observations and may need correction, I'm a newbie after all!! Honda Type S + Honda drive train - it doesn't get any better than that! Looks cool outside, nice interior. A little cheaper than the Mazda. Reliable drive train. Honda Type S - No Multi-link rear end. Sporty but at the price of comfort. Feels a little dumbed down for a Honda Small fuel tank, and no magic seats. Perhaps more frequent fill ups Soft seats no lumber - similar to the Jazz. I'm used to harder German seats Noisy on the motorway, is there any room under the swoopy bonnet for sound proofing? Smaller diameter brakes - lol yeah its a little nerdy but goes to show I've read the specs The Mazda 3 has similar size brakes to the last CTR! Common faults - filler cap, rear dampers, dash rattles. Easily scratched dash material. I've tried not to be biased - I like both cars. Lol perhaps a Mazda 3 with a Honda engine would be perfect. The Mazda 3 forum is not a very good source of information, so I don't know the common faults on it.

5th April 2007, 14:45	#8 (permalink)
pjr Type S(cotland) Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 24th March 2007 Location: Perth, Scotland Posts: 556 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 16 Posts iTrader: (0)	sk4tec, Didn't have problems with my Mazda's Xenons for the first 18-24 months - Then they started randomly motoring up and down. This was temporarily fixed by reprogramming them, but about 3 months ago they started settling at too low a height - meaning I couldn't see very far in the dark. This needed a new level sensor (under warranty) at an apparent cost of £600, not that I believe it should cost as much as that. My Mazda dealer also had another nearly 3 year old Mazda3 with an identical fault - and it had failed it's MOT due to faulty headlight alignment. Also, Grebble was quite right - the road tax is way more on the Mazda £205 vs £140 (1.8 Petrol) - at the moment Hope this helps Last edited by pjr; 5th April 2007 at 14:54.

7th April 2007, 16:39	#18 (permalink)
sk4tec Valve Cap Join Date: 4th April 2007 Posts: 13 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Civic Type S test drive I test drove a Type S it about 6K on the clock. Here are my thoughts compared to the 3 (face lift) Exterior Looks much better than the 5 door, the alloys fill the arches well. I'm still a little mixed about it - looks cool but perhaps a little over styled for my taste. Not made my mind up yet. I'm not sure how well it will age. Lol am I showing my age??? Interior Feels like a coupe, the seat feels low and it feels sporty! The pedals are great, will be good for heel and toe (unlike the 3's!!). The dash didn't make sense until the engine was running. For me the wheel adjusted just fine so I could see the speedo and rev counter. The brochures don't do the dash display justice!! The seats were good, head rests positioned nicely. They had some lumber built in even if they didn't adjust. Wheel was nice, and the buttons clicked nicely. I didn't try the radio. I didn't like not having a rear wash wipe. Drive The steering was fast and had nice weighting. The ride was sporty but not crashy - better than I expected. It was a very easy car to jump in and drive, much easier than the Mazda. The throttle was more linear. I thought the gear change would be better - I prefer the Mazda's 6 speed box. Quite good roll stiffness. But I suspect on really challenging roads the Mazda might be better. I didn't drive too hard though. The damping felt spot on. I was a little disappointed with the engine performance. I couldn't tell the V-Tec kicking in and overall felt a fraction less performance. There isn't much in it and both are a lot slower than my Golf. No doubt the engine is more advanced - it certainly is very smooth. I liked the comfort indicators. Any of the ex Mazda owners care to comment? Thanks guys

7th April 2007, 18:37	#20 (permalink)
Max Damage Valve Cap Join Date: 3rd April 2007 Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Just test drove both a Type S diesel and petrol. I preferred the diesel but to be blunt both need at least another 20BHP under the bonnet. The handling is good, interior good and space good and I will most likely be going for one on lease through the company as my first company car. But at the moment my car is a 51 plate Skoda Octavia vRS with 215bhp on tap and boy does that car make the civic feel slow Finished the hour with the car and many thanks to Pennine Honda for that. I really do like it and will now get one but as soon as I got back in the Octy it was big grin time again The plus side of the civic though is 12p per mile instead of 9p for all other medium diesels that are 2000cc or less and my spare cash will be used to buy an EVO Last edited by Max Damage; 7th April 2007 at 18:43.


This thread is about: Civic Type S 1.8 Vs Mazda 3 2.0 petrol (facelift), it's in Buying, Dealers and Servicing at the Honda Civic forum Civinfo; Hi guys, I'm in the process of selling\trading my Golf mk iv TDi 150. I've narrowed it down to these two cars. They are both ...

5th April 2007, 12:53	#2 (permalink)
smb09_1999 Nneeaawwwwwwww Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 15th February 2007 Location: North East Posts: 389 Thanks: 1 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	If you buy a Mazda you'll not be able to come on here and get loads of useful information about your car. For that alone I'd go with the Civic! I love my 2.2 but unfortunately can't comment on a 1.8. Sounds like you are already leaning towards the Mazda but I really don't like the shape of them - looks more like a Toyota Corolla.

5th April 2007, 13:06	#3 (permalink)
sco77harris Supporter Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 5th June 2006 Location: stanmore london Posts: 974 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	build issues are gone now, for sure, my first one was awful but this second one is perfect. brakes are great, really good may have a small fuel tank but fill ups neednt be frequent, you can get a lot out of it, suprisingly ecennomica. a little noisey but not too bad in my oppinion, find volkswagens worse dont forget all of us here, better value car, has morel ife in it than the relatively soon to be replaced mazda. in summary it is the kind of car you wont regret owning and will appreciate driving everyday, where as i do not feel a mazda will have the same affect

5th April 2007, 13:21	#4 (permalink)
pjr Type S(cotland) Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 24th March 2007 Location: Perth, Scotland Posts: 556 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 16 Posts iTrader: (0)	I can give you my thoughts on both your choices, as I have recently swapped from a Mazda3 2.0 Sport to a Type S GT Civic. Fuel Economy (so far) in the Civic is much better than the Mazda - and should only improve with time. Xenon headlight in the Mazda are very good, but I had several problems with the auto-levelling in mine. I find the Halogen lights in the Civic perfectly good. During 3 years of ownership I had all 4 alloy wheels replaced twice under warranty due to corrosion. The most recent set were also starting to show very early signs of corrosion. The brakes in the Civic are a little softer than those in the Mazda, although once they bed in they will get better. The seats in the Civic are a little softer and I do miss the lumbar support. However I drove nearly 300 miles yesterday and the seats in the Civic were fine. Had both cars been on sale 3 years ago I would have bought the Civic without hesitation (I wasn't keen on the previous gen Civic shape) Don't get me wrong, the Mazda never physically broke down, but all the small niggly faults and ropey dealer service annoyed me a bit. Hope this helps

5th April 2007, 14:39	#7 (permalink)
grebble Wheelnut Join Date: 7th March 2007 Location: Kettering, Northants Posts: 82 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Here's my 2p's worth, as (very briefly) I had the same dilemma. Essentially you are making the choice between a Honda and a Ford under a different name (remember the Mazda 121? Identical to the Mark IV Fiesta) - no competition. The Civic looks far better, the interior and dash is far nicer, and is far more practical than the 3. The ES and EX are as well specced, if not better. As for the faults, I have an 07 plate and they all seem to have been ironed out; I've had none of the problems you listed on mine. I went for the diesel Civic; it was more expensive but what clinched it is that the 3 Sport will do about 35mpg, whereas the Civic can get 50mpg plus. With the miles I do, that works out at about £400 per year saving on fuel costs. Plus the Civic costs £115 per year to tax, the 3 a whopping £205! Ultimately it's your choice, but if you do choose the Civic, go for the diesel.

5th April 2007, 15:14	#10 (permalink)
aoshi Wheelnut Join Date: 21st February 2007 Location: Suburb of Paris, France Posts: 58 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	I used to have a RX8 and loved the mazda experience. When I wanted to replace my RX8 I also narrowed the choice down to the Mazda and the Civic. I did a lot of test drive and I personnally prefer the civic. Don't get me wrong the mazda is a great drive: the performances between the two seem similar but I simply found that the mazda didn't have the same sex appeal as the Civic. I found the handling slightly better in the Mazda though (but it was maybe because I was used to the handling of the RX8 and the overall Mazda feeling). And as pjr pointed I also had some previous problems with the RX8 such as wheel corrosion, so you might also run onto it.

6th April 2007, 00:04	#13 (permalink)
Obo Rusty Nut! Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 15th March 2007 Location: Weston-super-Mare Posts: 614 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Personally I dont think theres any competition, I looked at loads of cars (including Mazda) before going back to my original choice the civic, I dont think any car in it's class comes close to it on style and looks especially the interior / dash, theres nothing that looks remotely like it. However since you said the Mazda is "a more conventional design - perhaps easier to live with??" it seems you dont agree? As everyone else says ultimately it's your choice it looks like you're leaning towards the Mazda from your pros and cons list, however dont let the common faults on the civics put you off, theres nothing to say you would experience any of these problems. I think you need to test drive both in the same day and make your decision by that, other peoples opinions are ok but they can never give you an exact feel of what a car is really like!

6th April 2007, 05:40	#14 (permalink)
okehciv Supporter Rocketship door handle Join Date: 21st January 2007 Location: shaw gtr manchester Posts: 1,014 Thanks: 7 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader: (0)	HMMMMMMM Go for the Mazda

6th April 2007, 05:42	#15 (permalink)
okehciv Supporter Rocketship door handle Join Date: 21st January 2007 Location: shaw gtr manchester Posts: 1,014 Thanks: 7 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts iTrader: (0)	It was a JOKE A stupid one maybe

6th April 2007, 19:43	#16 (permalink)
Nitehawk Supporter Locking Wheelnut Join Date: 2nd March 2007 Location: North Cambs Posts: 121 Thanks: 44 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts iTrader: (0)	I've had to mazda 3's the first was a TS2 the second was a 3 Sport. I loved the car for what it was worth, but after owning the 2nd one for less than 18 months on a like for like basis I found fuel consumption pretty lousy on the Mazda Sport compared with my current ES. The CO2 emissions also add about £70 to your tax. It was a very comfortable car and tests I have seen on line favour the Mazda Sport the after sales is also very good and professional. I hate poor customer service more than I hate the dentist ............. But for looks, economy, practicality, and good forum fedback Give me my ES anytime That's my humble but honest opinion

7th April 2007, 16:56	#19 (permalink)
Type S Bournemouth Supporter Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 3rd October 2006 Location: Bournemouth Posts: 989 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	if your wanting more performance from the civic then why not consider the 2.2 diesel. Its performance is great.