06honda civic or 05mazda 3 HB or 03-05vios for a second hand car??? HELP :D

[amir_anti_yosi]

Hello Tsikot! I'm a newbie to this forum and found out about it while google-ing car reviews for a mazda 3

anyway, the Family has given me the budget 350k for a second hand car. Both my parent's do not know how to drive or know alot about car's Basically this will be the first car of the family. I'm willing to add up to 100k tops to the budget for a car I like so (so that's about 450k)

The family first decided for the first gen vios (03-05), priced at 300-350k (prices are based on sulit.com), it's cheap, low FC, cheap to maintain (I often make the joke you can buy spare parts of toyota from a sari sari store *peace*) but my
sister and I agree.... it's a taxi >.< though of course that could be fixed with a little customization here an there

while searching sulit for some more cars - I found out that the 05 mazda 3 is almost the price with a 03-05 vios.
if both are 2005models, 1.5L engine and A/T the price would almost be the same. (I prefer hatchback though :D) So I
thought why not a mazda 3 instead ??? it certainly looks cool and sporty (specially the hatchback :D ). but but but, I've heard a lot of negative comments for the mazda 3. the FC is high (<10km/L i think?), maintenance is high (alot of people complain the shock absorbers), and according to many "sirain" daw. though I have a tito that says he is very happy with his mazda 3, it's very spacious (*nice*) and he has no complains over the FC and maintenance of the car, and he doesn't think it's sirain :D


now that the money is with me, I tried and searched sulit for my "dream car". ever since I laid eyes on a honda civic on my way to school back 5 years ago, I fell in love with it and have always wanted THAT car. Sulit shows several 06 honda civic's at 470-495k negotiable (1.8v or 1.8s A/t, rare nga lng ang black) . I think I can somewhat stretch my budget to that amount (I also heard that prices of "for sale" cars are lower than the prices in sulit because people are expecting other people to TAWAD alot). While yes I can settle for a vios right now, it's cheap and very fuel efficient (considering the gas prices) my only concern is that, I do not know when I would be to buy another car again or have 350k again to spend on a car, so I want to make the right decision. If my "DREAM" car is 100k away, which I can give, why not go for it? the 06 civic is very ***Y I'm sure alot will agree, HONDA isn't a bad brand either and like toyota there is abundance in parts. I have heard only very little, almost nothing negative about the 06 civics

So for 100k more why not an 06 civic? I can make the 100k eventually, so I do not want to waste the opportunity to buy this car cause I do not know when would be the next time since both my parents will be retiring in 5years

So my dilemma here is, what car should I buy? I'm strongly considering factors like FC, maintenance, durability, value for money. Maybe Tsikot members can help me out

I'm sorry for the long post I just wanted to lay down my thoughts because I know very few people I could talk to regarding cars. If you've read everything and I thank you very much for doing so. If there are any questions please ask here I'd be willing to answer any questions. Any input would be nice, comment or criticisms, negative or positive

thanks Tsikot

[mda]

In terms of FC, the vios wins - no comparison. The current civics do pretty well in terms of FC, halos pantay sa mazda3 from what I hear. Bumper-to-bumper traffic, our 1.8AT gives us 8-9KM/L, and our 1.8MT a wee bit slightly better. Plus mas mabilis sa arangkada yung civic compared to the mazda3/vios be it AT or MT

**The civic AT is geared more for highway driving, FC figures *could* be closer to the vios than the mazda3 if you drive on the highway a lot. Have heard some teamFD members doing 14-16KM/L on the highway.

The mazda3 edges out the vios in terms of space, while the civic is also slightly larger interiorwise than the 3. If you're going to put around solo or with a passenger a whole lot, a vios will definitely be more practical. If space is an issue, that's when you can begin to consider the other cars from a practicality point of view.

Durabilitywise, the early mazda3s had problems with suspension giving out a bit early. But the Civics have also had their fair share of problems (engine support for the pre-facelift ones). The vios should have its own problems but I'll defer to others who probably have first hand experience.

**I know of a friend who owns an 04/05 mazda3, still running all original parts though. Luck of the draw nalang sa 2nd hand unit. Yung 06 civic naman namin, bumigay yung engine support after the warranty na.

***When it comes to automatic transmissions though, look for a unit which has had the AT fluids changed at the prescribed intervals. Mahal ang bagong transmission.

If you really want the civic, my take: wait for the 9th gen civic to be released para magsibagsakan presyo ng current gen civic. And do get the 'S' variant.

Hope this helps

*personal bias ako sa choices, sa civic ako hehe

[amir_anti_yosi]

thanks sir mda - your input is highly valued. and oo nga ako rin biased sa civic :D

[mda]

Since biased ka sa civic, just remember to get the S, now that both the V and the S variants are similarly priced.

FYI:

S variants have airbags, ABS/EBD as well as the AUX in for music players. And the nice optitron gauges

The 06 V with black mudguards lacks ABS/EBD/AUX, but the 07/08s with painted mudguards get these features added. Still no airbags and optitron gauges though.

Since halos pareho na yung presyo ngayon, go for the S if you get the chance.

[amir_anti_yosi]

sir mda, a friend of mine quoted that civic parts daw are a little on the expensive side?

[mda]

Perhaps - but compared to what?

Also, what parts yung na quote exactly?

[GTi]

The Mazda 3 looks nice and handles well. But its main drawback is the engine, especially if you are looking at the 1.6L variant. It is both underpowered and very thirsty. The 2.0L Mazda 3 is very good, but of course the gas mileage most certainly isn't. So I'd suggest you go ahead and get the Civic 1.8S. Get the manual variant if you are so inclined as it will give you the most out of the engine's power and better fuel efficiency. Or you may consider saving more money and getting the previous generation ES Civic VTi-S. There are quite a lot of 2005 units and you can find many in much better condition for a price cheaper than much traveled but cheap FD Civics. And since the VTi-S is a 1.6L, fuel efficiency is very good and the performance is still there (25hp more than the similarly 1.6L Mazda 3!).