mazda3 1.6V? or Civic 1.8S? or altis 1.6V?

[dblackswan]

Mga sir!,, kelangan ko lng ng konting enlightenment

My wife & I have been on hard times deciding on which to choose among those cars above..4 mos from now we are having our 2nd baby.. Im usually abroad (for work) 6-7 mos & stays in manila 2-3 mos for vacation so its definitely my wife who'l be driving the car more often..my wish list?:

1.comfy interior/ride ( baby on the way)

2.spacious/trunk space (me,my wife & 2 kids plus yaya sometimes.. and bigger trunk space for my 80''L X 60"W suitcase which i always use when i go/back from abroad plus extra plastic bags from duty free as pasalubong

3. Audio sytem ( my wife & 5 y/o kid loves music & both uses ipod) only the civic has an USB ipod connection..


4. Safety features/handling/ parking ( when im abroad,my wife is the family driver>> school-grocery-mall normally.

5. fuel consumption/city drive (sometimes we travel to south to visit relatives..

6.Good/reliable casa service,maintenance/pms cost and availability of aftermarket/modification parts someday!

Budget: 800-950K


My say: >paddle shifter,auto climate/aircon, not really necessarry!
>romurs about the mazda3 phasing out since mazda3 2010 is coming out, but when?
> only the civic has speed sensing auto door lock & only the altis has backing sensor

Thanks guys!.. more power!

[ghosthunter]

I would say, choose the Civic 1.8S. It basically fits in all your requirements.

As for the backing sensor, you can have that installed from a car accessory shop. For my new Lancer EX, the backing sensor only costed P1800 to install.

The "speed sensing" door locks or auto-lock doors is a feature available in many inexpensive aftermarket car alarm kits.

The only major concern is the fuel consumption. Having a 1.8L engine, it will have the consumption to match a 1.8L engine. Don't believe the marketing and PR the sales agents give you. The good thing, as long as you are light on the gas pedal, it will still get respectable fuel mileage.

The extra power is also handy when the car is full of people and stuff.

Mazda3 is not something I would recommend. The seats aren't that comfy, especially on long drives. The long term maintenance can get expensive at the casa. The 1.6L engine is under powered because the Mazda3 has a heavy body and was designed to use a 2.0L from the start. And being underpowered, fuel consumption gets a bit higher than expected.

The Corolla Altis ... well... I am concerned with the engine sludge issue affecting Corollas with the ZZ engine series. And this problem is an accumulative problem, develops over time. Engine problems can happen as early as 40,000km on the odometer or well beyond 150,000km with some people. Frequent oil change can DELAY the problem but not avoid it. In the end, why buy a car with a known major issue/problem?

[renzo_d10]

My answers are in blue.

1.comfy interior/ride ( baby on the way) -> You can't go wrong with the Altis here. Among your choices, I believe this has the most comfortable ride. Last on the list would be the civic.

2.spacious/trunk space (me,my wife & 2 kids plus yaya sometimes.. and bigger trunk space for my 80''L X 60"W suitcase which i always use when i go/back from abroad plus extra plastic bags from duty free as pasalubong -> Again, the Altis wins here. I dunno how big the trunk space of the Mazda, the Civic however is pretty big enough ... the altis is just bigger.

3. Audio sytem ( my wife & 5 y/o kid loves music & both uses ipod) only the civic has an USB ipod connection.. -> Civic. `nuff said.


4. Safety features/handling/ parking ( when im abroad,my wife is the family driver>> school-grocery-mall normally. -> Civic. The Altis' handling however is somewhat " wallowy " the Civic drives better ( as per to experience ) . The Mazda 3, i dunno.

5. fuel consumption/city drive (sometimes we travel to south to visit relatives.. -> Civic FC -> 8km/l city driving ;; 11km/l mixed driving ( tested ) -- Altis FC -> 9-10km/l FC ;; 11 km/l mixed ( that's what i`ve read ) -- Mazda 3 FC -> Lucky you if you you reach 2 digits in your FC may it be highway or city.

6.Good/reliable casa service,maintenance/pms cost and availability of aftermarket/modification parts someday! -> Good Casa service ? It's either the altis or the 3. ;; pms cost ? toyota. ;; availability of aftermarket parts ? -> Civic.

Budget: 800-950K


My say: Get the Civic.

-> Altis ? NOT ... for now. Sludge issue, sticking of accelerator pedal. Not worth it.

-> 3 ? It drinks like a 2.0. And, facelift will come out sooooooonn.

Thanks guys!.. more power!

No problem.

[niky]

1.comfy interior/ride ( baby on the way)

- Mazda has the best front seats, but not by that much. Civic has the biggest rear seat, by a mile. Mazda rear seat kind of tight on headroom. Corolla legroom compromised by poor front firewall design.

2.spacious/trunk space (me,my wife & 2 kids plus yaya sometimes.. and bigger trunk space for my 80''L X 60"W suitcase which i always use when i go/back from abroad plus extra plastic bags from duty free as pasalubong

- Civic

3. Audio sytem ( my wife & 5 y/o kid loves music & both uses ipod) only the civic has an USB ipod connection..

- Civic

4. Safety features/handling/ parking ( when im abroad,my wife is the family driver>> school-grocery-mall normally.

- Civic/Mazda3. Note: Corolla brakes a bit mushy, but for city use, it's perfectly fine. On highway, Corolla's steering is light and vague... darty over bumpy surfaces.

5. fuel consumption/city drive (sometimes we travel to south to visit relatives..

- Corolla... but not such a big advantage anymore, the new Altis is nearly as heavy as the competition, and the engines are still small and still mated to that anemic 4-speed. The Mazda3 is good on long trips... the fuel consumption problem is because, as noted, it's a heavy body... but if you don't try to wring out every last iota of performance from it, you can get somewhat decent city consumption. The Civic's fuel economy bonus is the 5-gear automatic, which gives it good highway legs... (longer cruising gear)... but in the city, economy falls between 1.6s and older 1.8s.

6.Good/reliable casa service,maintenance/pms cost and availability of aftermarket/modification parts someday!

- Casa service depends on your casa. Maintenance cost is cheaper for the Corolla (in terms of brakes, suspension, etcetera), but you can save on labor and oil costs with the 10,000 km intervals of Honda in the long run. Both the Civic and the Mazda3 have relatively expensive replacement parts because they're new cars (compared to, say, 90's cars)... but the Corolla's engine parts are not that cheap, either... and if you plan on keeping it past 100,000 kms, you do have to worry about the engine's condition.

- Modifications are easily available for all three cars, but if you want a little Zoom-zoom... the Civic has the most potential. Bigger aftermarket, MUCH more powerful engine. The Mazda3 handles better, but the automatic transmission and puny 1.6 engine pretty much limit what you can do with it.

- Oh... built in head-units make sound-system mods difficult, but there are adaptors for the Mazda3. I'm pretty sure the others have adapaters available, too.

Budget: 800-950K


My say: >paddle shifter,auto climate/aircon, not really necessarry!

Only car with paddle shifters in your price range is the Honda Jazz... which you should look at, since it has better seats than the base Civic (the only Civic seats I like are the leather ones in the 2.0), has terrific fuel economy and great trunk space. Oh... and it's also a five-speed AT.

>romurs about the mazda3 phasing out since mazda3 2010 is coming out, but when?

Maybe late this year. Good thing, too, that it finally gets a five-speed AT. Should fix complaints about guzzling (which are really complaints that you have to floor it all the time to get any acceleration out of the stupidly long 2nd gear the Mazda3 AT has).

> only the civic has speed sensing auto door lock & only the altis has backing sensor

You can buy backing sensors, but they're a nice touch. Never felt put off by the lack of speed sensing locks, though GH may disagree.

Thanks guys!.. more power!

Good luck with your purchase. I'd angle you towards the Civic or even a Jazz, but keep your options open. For that money, you may even be able to look at (small) seven seaters from other manufacturers.

[dblackswan]

Thanks a lot guys!.. it seems everyone's in favor to the civic,of course through your personal experiences & expertise, i do believe that every single ideas u share to us (soon-to-be-car owners) is brilliant!.. really appreciate it!..
for me,the civic won! the new M3 is the next in line if i can wait till it reach our shores.. And once again tnx re "altis' engine sludging trouble".. I was only aware with the "gas pedal" probs before and now add'l turn off!..

As per ghosthunter: why buy a car with a major problem (esp engine related) in mind?..

mabuhay kau!

[ghosthunter]

BTW, we are mostly in favor of the Civic because of the limits in the choices you gave us.

If you would open it to all cars in the price range, I think we would end up with more varied choices.

[niky]

Forgot to add: the biggest minus of the Civic is ride comfort. The Corolla has a wafting, pillowy ride. The Mazda3 is stiffer, but the suspension is supple. The Civic has a stiff ride, bordering on harsh. This is why I suggest the Jazz, as the ride is more supple. You'll have to bring your wife along on the test drive to see if it's okay for the both of you.

[dblackswan]

Forgot to add: the biggest minus of the Civic is ride comfort. The Corolla has a wafting, pillowy ride. The Mazda3 is stiffer, but the suspension is supple. The Civic has a stiff ride, bordering on harsh. This is why I suggest the Jazz, as the ride is more supple. You'll have to bring your wife along on the test drive to see if it's okay for the both of you.

yeah i'l bring my wife and kid on the test drive!.. Do you have any recommendations on which honda dealer is best (or at least proven excellent dealership) in the metro?.. My place is just around mandaluyong & we got Honda dealer in shaw but my cousin referred me in Honda high Street Global City?.. what do you think?..

[niky]

You can ask at Honda Club Philippines... or we could wait for Honda owners to chime in. Can't help you... we live in the south and bought ours at Honda Alabang.

[dblackswan]

You can ask at Honda Club Philippines... or we could wait for Honda owners to chime in. Can't help you... we live in the south and bought ours at Honda Alabang.

yeah thanks!.. I think it'l be better on my wife's side to purchase the unit where its just 5 mins from home & for the regular pms its a bit easier when the casa is just in the neighborhood.. I already considered my wife as the official incharge on casa maintenance side since im always absent..

Thank y'all for the time & help!.. U guys great!.. U'l hear from me when we got our new car.. Still here on the High seas..