I'd buy a Hyundai over domestic anyday.

OP: I think the Mazda 3 is amazing, buy that!

actually, looking at the above pics the Kia Forte looks even better LOL!

One of the salesmen at the dealership I work at bought a Forte Koup....LOVES IT!!

Get a Kia. There I said it.

No really though, look into it (the forte koup)

seems to be the idiotic trend thats being going on lately on RS

go figure

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:



neither of those car, the mazda 3 is fugly

im sorry but i would buy the new hyundais and kias over dumbestic anyday

Yeah? Guess what... twenty years ago people were saying the exact same thing about Japanese cars.

Have you drive a new Hyundai or Kia lately? They're actually quite good. They contain absolutely zero character or soul, but for what they are, they're good cars.

how's Kia reliability in their current line-up compared to Hyundai's?
reliability is so subjective IMO...how does one quantify it? The number of repairs/recalls in a year?

If you're looking at the Mazda3, consider the Ford Focus. Same car, more stuff

^agree. Docus can be modded to a mean little car

The new Focus is not bad. Although I much prefer RWD, I was pretty impressed with it when I got a brand new one as a rental in Los Angeles. I drove it for about a week. It had its pros and cons but overall, if you're looking to get a lot of car without the Mazda price tag, the Focus is not a bad choice.

Yeah, I had it for a week as a rental for a road trip and I loved it. Couldn't stop playing with the Sync system. Drove very well too

I heard that the Mazda 3's engine is the same as the Ford Focus... is that true?

no they are not the same engine. mzr vs durtec ..
They use to share the same chassis at some point in time.
on a side note, new for this year. the sx4 comes with a 6speed manual

^ Would the mazda engine be a win over the Suzuki engine?

(Not in terms of horsepower, torque, but in reliability and gas consumption)

Although I must admit that Korean cars do look pretty good and rather cheap, I'd rather wait a few more years before actually purchasing one. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear KIA or Hyundai is "unreliable", even though it may have already turned out to be reliable.

I'd get a Korean car over an American car, but that's just me.

Anywho, I'd vote for Mazda 3 if it is compared to Suzuki lol, but then I might be slightly biased ;)

dL

Aren't they the same motor with a different name? Aftermarket Cosworth parts fit both motors. Wiki says they're the same chassis/suspension along with 3 Volvo models

The North American Ford Focus does NOT share the same chassis as the Mazda 3.

The Mazda 3 shares the international "C1" platform.


Wiki: "Where second generation North American Focus models continue with the C170 platform beginning with model year 2008 — in sedan and coupe configurations — the international Focus introduced in 2005 employs the newer C1 platform for sedan, hatchback (3 and 5-door), and wagon configurations."

The Duratecs are the same as MZR's though.

no one knows, because right now all it can prove is it looks not too shabby, specs on paper looks promising. And thats about it

u know i never thought i would suggest a hyundai or even a kia (forte is pretty nice)

but these guys have been at it for awhile and they finally seem to be offering some nice rides to people

well enough to consider anyway and not ignore

The other day I also found on Craigslist a 2000 Mazda Protege LX sedan(Top of the line)
Almost 130,000 kms, comes with aftermarket sony deck, and sub and amp.
I went and test drove it, everything seemed to be pretty good and in working order.
The owner has receipts for maintainance and stuff all done at Richmond Motorworks.

Asking price $5500 without sub and amp.
I talked it down to $5300 with sub and amp, but said that I would like to test drive it on the highway before buying it.

Do you guys think that this sounds like a good deal? Too expensive? Any known problems on old Mazda Proteges?

Or should I still go ahead with the Suzuki/Mazda?
Sorry for all these questions...I'll admit i'm an undecisive guy :P

So you are considering the two cars from $20K+ to a 10 yr old protege at 5.5k?

"Indecisive" is an understatement my friend. I think you need to know exactly what you are looking for. ie. New car peace of mind, New car safety improvements VS old car value, and old car reliability. It all just comes down to what you NEED VS WANTS out of a vehicle.

Yeah I know it's a big jump... and maybe stupid.
But here are my reasons for why I'm now thinking of an old car over a new one:
1) This would be my second car... So a new car wouldn't be completely ideal cause I might still ding it a couple times, and with an older car it wouldn't hurt myself too much cause I wouldn't care as much for it.
2) Safety isn't a major issue, as I only do city driving, for school and work, plus the occasional highway run so I'm not as scared of getting in an accident.
3) I'm more worried about the car being unreliable, which is why I'm asking RS if you guys know if the car is reliable or not.

With an old car, I can basically buy it out myself.
But with a new car, I'd be doing the 0% financing which would be done through my parents, which would be an "advance" if you will, from our deal that they'll get me a car worth around $20,000 after I finish post secondary.

Well, in that case... you can buy my 97 Prelude instead! Jokes aside... Here is how I see it:

New Car:
Pros: peace of mind, WARRANTY, newer safety equipment, easier to pick up girls (maybe)...etc

Cons: Much more expensive, paying both taxes, much faster drop in value, might need to "baby" it more... etc

Old Car:
Pros: Cheap, Don't need to care about it as much, only one tax paid when purchasing (assuming from private seller), cheaper parts...etc

Cons: You might be embarrassed to drive it at times, you never really know the full history of the vehicle, much more to worry about in general

The choice is yours, but ultimately, I think I will just take the new car- just because you can. However, this may also get you labeled as "momma powered". ;)

^ I wouldn't be saying its a "momma powered" car.. LOL.
I'll make something up saying somehow I bought it :)

True that I have the ability to take a new car, but if I don't use that card now I can use that card down the road when I really finish post secondary or something, and maybe there'll be better cars in the future for under $20,000?

Yes it'd be kind of embarassing as the Protege is stock except for sub, amp and sony deck. But honestly the body looks pretty ugly. Is it an easy moddable car?