now its my turn for help

[REED]

hey guys i just wanted to know how you guys felt about these cars

1. honda civic sedan
2. honda civic coupe
3. honda civic Si (EP3)
4. honda accord coupe(last body style)
5. mazda 3
6. VW Gti
7. acura RSX(nontypeS)

as of right now it looks like are 15,000 or 250 a month or something like that, i need something safe and reliability is very important, it also needs to be able to get me from RI to VA with at least most of my shit....my parents are really set on the civic, probly the sedan, but i want something a little more "sporty" (i hate using that word), it may even see some autoX action. obviously the acura, Gti and Si are at the top end of my price range. o and we are looking around august for this, so any help would be appreciated.....

[Team]

I was asking this same question about a year ago, and ended up going with the ep3. Reasons I went this way is because I first needed a reliable car going from Harrisonburg to Nashville (600 miles), Secondly I wanted a sporty car that gave me plenty of room while traveling and everyday driving. Im sure you can find some cheap 02-03 around that will be beneficial as well as a good little track car.

[G.Irish]

Of those I would pick the EP3 or Mazda 3. Are we talking brand new or new and/or used?

I'd lean towards the 3 but I'd drive both before deciding.

[REED]

all the cars are going to be new with the exception of the accord, i know that their is a whole world of cars i could consider used, however my parents are really against the used car thing, so that rules out my M3 (mike) or a 3rd gen (jack) or a mark IV (Dave)....

my concern with the EP3 is that i feel that i might as well get an RSX, i mean its the same car it just looks better, however i know that if i had one all i would say is how much i wish it were a type s, so my feelings are mixed towards those two cars.

I really like the GTi, but they are a bit expensive. and im not sure how reliable they are

the "regular"civics im not to impressed with, however they are looking more likely casue my family has a hard on for hondas, i would rather have an accord coupe, but that brings in the whole used problem

i havent given the mazda 3 much thought but will deff. look into it more, how has mazdas reliability been...i know they had some issues with the 3rd gens, but the only thing they share with a 3 is the emblem, how reliable are their "regular" cars?

if you guys have any different cars that im jsut not thinking of let me know

[CaptainHenreh]

Have you considered a Tibby? The V6 responds very well to I/H/E, and the 4 cyl might as well be a 4G63.

And they look nice too.

And have incredible warranties.

[Evan]

Go for the Mazda 3, hands down. Drove one at rev it up. Great handling, and the best interior of any sub 20k car that I have seen. Get the 5 door if you really want some room.

[Feersty]

With the Mazda3 I definitely like the sedan version.
l assume you aren't considering any domestic vehicles?

You could probably get a new/used SVT Focus for that much, and you get a Getrag 6 speed manual.

[REED]

thats a negative on domestics - i just got back form a mazda dealership - the 3 is pretty hot, and i think the wagonish one acctually looks the best....the 3 is deff. moving up on the list

[REED]

o yeah i acctually think the tibby looks good, but call me a snob if you must but i just dont think i would respect myself if i owned one....

[G.Irish]

My quibble with the Tiburon is its undue heft (over 3000 lbs). For the size of the car I'd expect it to be lighter. The Mazda will also have much better aftermarket.

The SVT Focus would actually be a high value deal but it sounds like that would not be something you'd consider.

[Feersty]

Who is the one that drives a V8 Ford Explorer right now, or is that against your wishes?

[REED]

acctually it a V6, and its not exactly by choice, it was that or my two feet and i wasnt about to walk the 500 miles to school pulling my little red wagon

o and my dad said that the explorer is the last domestic car he'll every buy

[Mike]

Mazda 3 or EP3... Hatches just rock for toting shit around. I've driven both and like the Mazda more.

[ScottyB]

is the accord model you're considering the 1998 to 2002 model? if so i can give you some pointers on that car since i own an "01.

[Feersty]

Those accord models seem pretty bland, besides yours Scotty.

[ScottyB]

Those accord models seem pretty bland, besides yours Scotty.

mine's bland, i guess, but that's fine with me the less eye catching the better, for alot of reasons.

most of the best selling mid size sedans are styled blandly so that they appeal a little bit to everyone and offend no one. look at the ford taurus for example...when it was restyled to look like the egg-mobile a few years back, the sales plummeted, despite the taurus being a top seller for years and years before that.

[REED]

yeah that would be the model i was considering, however thats been nixxed cause of the "used car "issue, after talkng it over, it seems to be between the mazda 3 sedan, EP3 or a civic coupe....the discussions havent been as serious as i would like them to be, but its only been a day or two since we brought it up

i looked at the 3 at a dealership and they seem really nice, the interior quality was good and the door had a nice "whump" sound, im looking to test drive one this weekend perhaps, just to see how it fits...

[REED]

another question: i have a few questions about this whole car buying process. 1st. it is my feeling that if im gonna spend all this moneyon a new car, i would like it to be as new as posible, therefore would it be unreasonable to get a car with like 1 mile on it, i understand that moving it around adds mileage, but after jacks stories about carmax, im concerned about buying a car with any mileage. 2nd. the odds are against that the exact car i want is gonna be sitting on the lot, is it possible for a dealer to order a car from the factory (not another dealership), or would i just have to wait until the next shipment comes in? and if he can order one their isnt like a special fee or something is there?....i just dont want the salesperson or my parents railroading me into a car that isnt exactly what i want wheather it be a honda or a mazda

[Dave]

don't buy unless it is almost exactly what you want. I waited 6 months to find the car that I wanted, and I haven't regretted it yet. Buying something close to what you want is not the same as buying what you want.

[Evan]

Reed,
I ordered my WRX from the factory. It is unreasonable to expect 1 mile, but IIRC mine had less than 15 (I want to say 7...). There are road tests after production and transit miles that are unavoidable. It is certainly not unreasonable to expect less than 20.
I had a great salesman and dealership to work with, and they had no problem selling me a factory ordered car. (They actually make more money this way, because then they dont pay interest on the car or insurance, it doesnt take up facility space, etc) but many dealerships will not order a car for you if there are cars on the lot they want to unload.
The added bonus of ordering a car is that you get the exact color and options that you want. No getting talked into stupid "packages" or anything you dont want.