Quote Originally Posted by jut703 View Post
I also bought a secondhand car with that budget 2 years ago. I ended up with a Mazda 3 2.0R because it had really good handling, timeless looks, lots of features (leather, sunroof, steering wheel controls, climate control, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers) and was cheaper than the Civic FD or Altis. Biggest drawback of course is the awful fuel consumption at 5-6 km/L for heavy city driving. This improves to ~12 km/L for highway/provincial driving. All electronics are still functioning well, but at 120,000 km I'd had to replace practically all suspension bits as well as the alternator and AC compressor.

I've also owned several 10th gen Altises and it's a comfortable, reliable, but really boring car - no features whatsoever except climate control, uninspiring to drive. I was getting around 7 km/L for the automatic, and around 7.5-8 km/L for the manual in moderate to heavy traffic conditions. My '09 Altis had over 90,000 km on clock before I sold it but had no major issues whatsoever.

We also had an '07 FD Civic in the family and it's the most spacious among your choices, has good handling, and the same power as the 2.0 Mazda 3. FC is slightly better than the Mazda at around 6-6.5 km/L in heavy traffic. Suspension bits, engine mounts, AC compressor and minor electricals (power windows, door locks) were all replaced before we sold it after 100,000 km.

If I were to buy again today, I'd look into a 2005 Camry 2.4V. Consumption is about the same as the Mazda 3 2.0R and it has less features but it's certainly more comfortable, more spacious, and more prestigious. Second choice would be the Civic FD 1.8S but it has to be a well-maintained unit.

Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk
Hi, from what I'm seeing, a 2007 Civic 1.8s, have fabric seats, is that a disadvantage?