Mazda 3 or 2008 Corolla...

[Daren 3NE 2NR]

I am currently looking at new car options and found the following to be within my budget as well as features.

a. Mazda 3
b. 2008 Corolla
c. Subaru TS 1.6

I am posting this on all associated boards looking for you to give me reasons why I should choose one of those above. I'm looking for a safe, reliable vehicle with excellent fuel economy under the 160K bracket. Other points I am considering is after sales service and resale after 3 years. I've been getting varied reviews about Southern Sales after sales service so if anyone can advise accordingly, please do so. Finally, if you've got suggestions for another make/model let me know as well.

[Daren 3NE 2NR]

Interesting. posted this on the Mazda forum, and not one reply. I'll take that to read that the Mazda 3 is a TWOFT.

[cinco]

nah mazda drivers are a buncha drunkards
Mazda 3 is a nice car but southern sales is the problem.

[Computerman]

I'm looking for a safe, reliable vehicle with excellent fuel economy under the 160K bracket. Other points I am considering is after sales service and resale after 3 years.

b. 2008 Corolla
Mazda 3 1.6 is not worth the effort. But the 2.0 is a different story!

[Daren 3NE 2NR]

finally.. thanks for the info. seems to be consistent with I'm hearing all round. it's a pity though since the Mazda 3 got such great reviews in other countries. guess that's what poor service will do to any business.

[Dorikin Performance]

d mazda3 is an excellent car i bought mine roro because of the very poor service i got when i bought my 323 from southern sales just a few years ago ... if ur decision is between a new mazda3 and a corolla go wit d corolla

[acesinghit]

Interesting. posted this on the Mazda forum, and not one reply. I'll take that to read that the Mazda 3 is a TWOFT.

seems to me u already made your decision. I see performance is not your priority since the Subaru Impreza 1.6 TS is heavy and underpowered which makes the 1.5VVT-i Corolla faster. The Mazda 3 SV-T 1.6 is faster out of the 3. May I include the Mitsubishi Lancer in this list? There are models below the $160k ceiling you mentioned.

I can consider the following:

2008 Toyota Corolla GLi

- 1.5 DOHC 16V VVT-i
- Super ECT-i 4-speed automatic
- dual airbags
- 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist
- 15" alloy rims
- Fog lights
- AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with 6 speakers and iPod/auxillary jack
- front and rear mud guards
- front and rear seat belts
- front and rear adjustable head rests
- deluxe fabric seats
- a/c
- power: windows, locks, steering, brakes, mirrors
- tilt/telescopic steering column

$156,000.00 Vat Inclusive
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008 Mazda 3 V

- 1.6 DOHC 16V SV-T
- 4 speed ACTIVEMATIC transmission
- dual airbags
- front disc/rear drum brakes with brake booster, ABS, EBD
- 16" alloy rims
- AM/FM/CD stereo with 4-speakers and steering wheel mounted audio controls
- front and rear mud guards
- front and rear seat belts
- front and rear adjustable head rests
- deluxe fabric seats
- a/c
- power: windows, locks, steering, brakes, mirrors
- tilt/telescopic steering column
- projector beam head lights
- rear lip spoiler
- keyless entry with immobiliser

$155,000.00 Vat Inclusive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GLS

- 1.5 DOHC 16V MIVEC
- 4 speed INVECS-11 transmission
- dual airbags
- front disc/rear drum brakes with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist
- 16" alloy rims
- Fog lights
- AM/FM/CD 6-Disc MP3 player
- front and rear mud guards
- front and rear seat belts
- front and rear adjustable head rests
- deluxe fabric seats
- a/c
- power: windows, locks, steering, brakes, mirrors, sunroof
- tilt telescopic steering column
- projector beam head lights
- rear wing spoiler

$160,105.00 Vat Inclusive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personally I'll take the Mazda 3 it being the better car after reading so much press/mag releases online. My 2nd place will go to the Lancer then the Corolla. WRT the above in terms of specs/price and other local factors regarding service and resale etc..The Mitsubishi Lancer thus comes in my #1 spot, then #2 goes to the Toyota Corolla then #3 the Mazda 3.

Anychoice between those 3 are good choices.

[acesinghit]

I did not bother to mention the Hyundai Elantra GLS 1.6 ($162,000.00) and Honda Civic EXi 1.6 ($180,000.00). Happy hunting.

[JWT]

toyota has the best warrenty
and best after sales service

i have 2 no complaints yet

[DuAL StaR]

hey duane
i had the same choice for my self
between the mazda 3 and 08 corolla
i went with the corolla all the way man better bet for get the subie too slow
and the mazda 3 is great but not that much amt of space in it
i was luck to get the 08 model of my corolla as a limited edition
they only brought down those for the lunch alot more features

[acesinghit]

mazda 3 is great but not that much amt of space in it

care to explain in what areas sir?

i was luck to get the 08 model of my corolla as a limited edition
they only brought down those for the lunch alot more features

so u have the nze120 or the nze140? what limited edition features do u have thats more than a mazda 3?

[FullStop]

am, i not too sure, but oh yeah i sure, subaru, LOL, i take one of those with my ac on das d 1.6 i mean of course with my 1.6 3, corolla is a great car, but it depends on what you lloking for , if just reliability, go corolla, if sportiness is a factor, and handling, go for the 3, the corolla nice, but the handling sucks bad, cant beat mazda for handling, ppl who say the 1.6 3 bad, allyuh drive it yet?, it kinda lazy on the low rpm's, but pretty nice after 2500 rpm, and after 4500 rpm it have a nice surprise for you, and by the way the 3 is quite large in its class, just the wider wheelbase does make it look small, .The 3 has SVT, and it have this thing called a variable length intake manifold, when that bugger open up at 4500 rpm you get an extra 7 psi of air ,,das like a very small supercharger, but you does feel it,come na mazda ppl, stand up, i know allyuh more passionate than that, by the way, the 3 get better ratings than the corolla, civic, subaru etc, southern sales kinda bad, but if you goin into the showroom, ask for sylvan busby, than man is the best sales man in there, he extremely helpful, was to me , anytime i had problems he sort me out immediately, i hope this helps laterz, oh yeah toyota warranty great, if you like having to go by toyota for everything including oil changes, and ansa service in my opinion real poor well at least them in south who dealing with the lancer real poor, dem in lange park ok though, oh yeah, the 3 also faster than the lancer,,,but am u betterlisten to x2floor, he better at this than me

[De Bench]

As a Mazda onwer I will tell you buy the Toyota.

For that matter buy a Skoda, Lada anything but a Mazda

[FullStop]

ok,,,mr. mazda owner, ,,in my home there is one toyota fielder, 1 mazda 3, 1 mazda 323 and a mazda b2500turbo,,,the fielder great, but the handling soft and rather 'girly' if you might, the 323 runs nice, the 3 runs great and the b2500turbo unkillable, my father also had a 626 which he says gave him ten years trouble free service, what mazda you own, that would cause you to not recommend mazda? please share, cus i would love to know

[villain]

the mazda 3 etc lazy because of the tranny...thats the fault with most mazdas...but put in a box and you'll see the difference....

the mazda (or is it ford cant remember...does it matter anyway same thing) b something 50T van does more....im impressed that a van could move like that...

[acesinghit]

im seeing mixed reviews here.......the corolla is a good car but too soft for me. Its engine bay, trunk and interior is small and its handling sucks........the new 08' yaris handles better than the nze120 and nze140 corolla's. The build quality is good, very refined car and being a light car with a small 1.5 VVT-i engine, fuel economy is sweet.....but that still wouldn't draw me to buy one. i'll take the Civic, Lancer, 3 and Impreza over the Corolla anyday. An Elantra is a stronger car and has a stronger suspension....so it depends on your taste....some saying the 3 lazy but have they ever driven it b4? for an automatic 1.6 just under 1200kg in kerb weight, find another compact car that can dust its arse and outhandle it for me.....there's none! The corolla's ho hum grandpa styling wouldn't cut it for me and the 1.8 feels unimpressive compared to the VTi-S Civic and 2.0 Lancer and 2.0 Mazda3.......the USDM gets a 2.4 VVT-i unit lifted from the old Camry so the Corolla should have more pep but it'll get whalloped in the twisties.

all automatics can be considered lazy........I've seen a 5WD Almera with a OQ18DE engine dust an automatic SiR B16A Civic in an EG8 chassis so go figure!

[villain]

when you say 1.8 you mean the 1.8 vvti feels unimpressive?..
try to run one of them celica's with one nah
the corolla 1.6 vvti its heavy and handling sucks but in a straight line it moves for a heavy a$$ car (i have one at home and well as a mazda 323)

the 2.0 mazda 3 gets cut a$$ until it reachs top end ...righttt up and then its with me...a 1.6 manual....automatic makes all cars lazy and does not really show the true performance of an engine...

never driven a civic or a 2 litre lancer so i cant comment on performance...but i have been driven in the civic and its quite nice i dunno what people does be bashing civic for? as for the lancer ive only driven the 1.6 and that has gotten washed by a manual wingroad

[FullStop]

hello, the new corolla still coming with the 1zz-fe?, i not sure, but i dont think so na, i thought was one of them dual vvti engines, cus those actually have less ponies than the 1zzfe and 2zzge, anyway, you does really take a 2.0 3 with a 1.6?, das a zm-de or a zl-ve, i want to do some stuff on my bro zm-de as well...

[MAZMART]

The Mazda 3 is the better car at the moment and is causing quite a stir worldwide. It's built on the same platform as the Volve S40 and the Euro Ford Focus. All the press gives the nod to the 3. Unfortunately they are giving you anemic engines in T&T so I can't comment on the power you have there.

When I was home the other day (From Atlanta), I found that the 3 had very little cred or respect, and being a Mazda nut, I decided to stop by Southern Sales. I was in there 10 or more minutes and nobody even asked if I was interested in something. I'm not sure if it would be that bad if Naz Ahamad was still alive.

Paul.

[De Bench]

ok,,,mr. mazda owner, ,,in my home there is one toyota fielder, 1 mazda 3, 1 mazda 323 and a mazda b2500turbo,,,the fielder great, but the handling soft and rather 'girly' if you might, the 323 runs nice, the 3 runs great and the b2500turbo unkillable, my father also had a 626 which he says gave him ten years trouble free service, what mazda you own, that would cause you to not recommend mazda? please share, cus i would love to know

In my yard we have 1 GC-TS, 1 GC8-STi-RA(extremly modified), 1 tercel, 2 2007 Ford Rangers and a mazda BG8Z.

In 1 year I have changed 7 gearboxes in the mazda.

7 SEVEN

The other car I raced, a Corolla, 265hp/298lb/ft torqe we NEVER broke a box like the way the mazda did.

I life gone buy our family had 2 626's, worst cars ever owned, we thanked god when they stole the first one, but then the insurance co. bought back one for us.......uggggg
as far as I'm concerned, the 626 was made with engine backpressure and a transmission determined to slip.
with the excepton of the Tercel, all our cars are mildy modified(JUS4SHO & Wagron R can atest to that) and NONE of them requires as much attention as the Mazda.

While this may be biased as the mazda is a race car, it only comes out once or twice a month and it has the best of the best installed on it.
unfortunately I have invested way to much $$$$$$$ in the mazda to sell it without beating some sort of enjoyment out of it
Had I not put so much time and money in it I would have sold it to Mittal as scrap and bought a Lada, slap in a 2JZ and have fun

[villain]

hello, the new corolla still coming with the 1zz-fe?, i not sure, but i dont think so na, i thought was one of them dual vvti engines, cus those actually have less ponies than the 1zzfe and 2zzge, anyway, you does really take a 2.0 3 with a 1.6?, das a zm-de or a zl-ve, i want to do some stuff on my bro zm-de as well...

yeah it does take the 2.0 because of the tranny...but manual and manual i will get washed....now the 2 litre in the 3, is different than the sport20which is also auto...now that is another matter....lix for me up and down the road...and imagine if you get a box for it...

i dont know what the new corollas coming with but i know the two door auto celicas come with the 2zz and some fielders come with it too....

corollas are more for women (not to diss anybody with one) because of the soft suspension, etc.... the others that come with the 2zz, 4age,3s etc would be more suited for the guys because it built for roughing up....

and as for modding a zm, you will have to spend plenty $$ to get any substantial gains and then there is only so much you can get...then the gear box breaks after 200hp...
If you want to try the bpt 1.8 or the sport20 know that you will need to fly in your parts if and when something goes wrong...be prepared for you car to be down for some time...that not acceptable to me so im not changing engines...i'll make do with what i running with....until somebody can guaranty a local supply...

[acesinghit]

oh yes......the sheit i does read. i know of a corolla that was modified until the owner simply, i mean the vehicle call it quits on him. a PBC local that passed through 2 trannies already. The car came with a 4A-FE I believe but could not get any so he ended up getting a 5A-FE engine and tranny installed and this is a local TOYOTA doing LESS than 110,000kms....

another dust biter is my aunt's honda civic exi (PBL) purchased brand new from classic......doing only home to work to grocery runs it is on its 2nd tranny already.

a classmate of mine whose dad gave him a Lancer GLX (PBK) local is now parked up since the CVT tranny died on him and it is doing about 75,000kms approx. They can't get any so they considering a 4G92 with automatic.

for the purpose of this post to obtain more failures i got this info from my mechanic:

A suzuki baleno only 3 years old then has to do an entire engine job and ofcourse the tranny died. the vehicle currently has a GA16DE engine and tranny installed.

A PAZ Hyundai Accent GLS, local with over 200,000kms is still in its original engine and tranny!!!! this i can faint to

My uncle's Nissan Sentra B12 is still with the original E13 engine and 3-speed auto tranny and it working taxi to boot.

in a nutshell there are lemons and there are people who just don't take care of their vehicles because of ignorance therefore they are quick to blame the auto makers. I wouldn't doubt any legitimate trouble but modified cars with after market parts would not be as guaranteed as what it was in the beginning with original parts unless you are talking about a K&N filter and a Borla exhaust.

all great brands have problems and it is rather stupid to try to convince people not to buy of a particular brand because i can say same to the other "great" ones. As far as I see things now and the kind of trouble these modern cars are giving ill buy another hyundai and im pretty sure it do just fine as all the other hyundai owners who i've made contact with are pleased with their vehicle. Now how's that for a change compared to the late 80's and early 90's?

[acesinghit]

when you say 1.8 you mean the 1.8 vvti feels unimpressive?..
try to run one of them celica's with one nah
the corolla 1.6 vvti its heavy and handling sucks but in a straight line it moves for a heavy a$$ car (i have one at home and well as a mazda 323)

the 2.0 mazda 3 gets cut a$$ until it reachs top end ...righttt up and then its with me...a 1.6 manual....automatic makes all cars lazy and does not really show the true performance of an engine...

here i go again.......the celica has a more aggressive cam profile it achieves more lift and duration AND its a 6-speed manual. the nze120 corolla (local) one i drove was one without VVT-i and it only has 160Nm of torque with a 4-speed ECT-i tranny. The 08' one i drove, ie. nze140 has dual VVT-i so thats intake and exhaust cams but the rating is 170Nm of torque needless to say, the grandpa gearing makes no use of that effectively making a new VTi-S Civic faster.

the nze120 corolla 1.6 VVT-i is heavy compared to the generations of yore but stack for stack with its direct line of competitors of that era, the nze120 was the lightest compact car out of that bunch.

since there are not many 2.0 local mazda 3's im assuming to raced one and gave it cut arse? or was it roro? and with what car did you do such damage?

[Computerman]

oh yes......the sheit i does read.

Like yuh does buy that magazine too?

in a nutshell there are lemons and there are people who just don't take care of their vehicles because of ignorance therefore they are quick to blame the auto makers.

Damn straight!

[villain]

since there are not many 2.0 local mazda 3's im assuming to raced one and gave it cut arse? or was it roro? and with what car did you do such damage?[/quote]

i believe the mazda 3 ,2 litre was roll on roll off.... it was i him and a sport20 going up the highway....
i attributed the mazda3's cut a$$ because of the tranny...if it was box i dont think i'll be able to beat him...i running a 1.6 manual....his acceleration is better but i always catch him high mid range to top end....well the sport20 was in a class by himself...like he was slowing down to keep up with us

[villain]

oh yes......the sheit i does read.

Like yuh does buy that magazine too?

in a nutshell there are lemons and there are people who just don't take care of their vehicles because of ignorance therefore they are quick to blame the auto makers.

Damn straight!

so why is the general problem with mazda's is the tranny or
b14 is the head...(happened to me and i went by a neal and massy mech and was told that this was a problem happening with all these cars)
or the lancers that some magnet on (im not sure so correct me if im wrong) on the tps does fall off...etc etc...

i believe what you say that majority of the time people are to blame for their car problems but i also believe that certain cars come with certain factory weakness....

another eg... the air maf sensors for my car zm de had a mass recall some time ago because they found it to be faulty in a number of cars...

[bds]

the roro mazda3 has a version with a 1.6 that from the outside looks like a 2.0 complete with led lights rear disc brakes and full flair kit so i'm pretty sure this is what you raced and not a real 2.0.... the price of a 2.0 roro is ridiculous and one would have to be stupid to buy it anyway cause for that price you can buy a 1.6 brand new.... check that link below ... 168 000 for a roro 2.0 mazda3... they had to be mad

http://westcoastautotnt.com/cgi-bin/car ... carid=2582

and this link is of a 1.6 model that looks like a 2.0

http://westcoastautotnt.com/cgi-bin/car ... carid=2239

[Amit]

mazda all the way, my 323f going on 12 years no maror problem, car running well for its age. southern sales was crappy at times but there are mech out side that know there mazda really well


i going to test drive the mazda 3 soon,

[ilovebeti]

im seeing mixed reviews here.......the corolla is a good car but too soft for me. Its engine bay, trunk and interior is small and its handling sucks........the new 08' yaris handles better than the nze120 and nze140 corolla's. The build quality is good, very refined car and being a light car with a small 1.5 VVT-i engine, fuel economy is sweet.....but that still wouldn't draw me to buy one. i'll take the Civic, Lancer, 3 and Impreza over the Corolla anyday. An Elantra is a stronger car and has a stronger suspension....so it depends on your taste....some saying the 3 lazy but have they ever driven it b4? for an automatic 1.6 just under 1200kg in kerb weight, find another compact car that can dust its arse and outhandle it for me.....there's none! The corolla's ho hum grandpa styling wouldn't cut it for me and the 1.8 feels unimpressive compared to the VTi-S Civic and 2.0 Lancer and 2.0 Mazda3.......the USDM gets a 2.4 VVT-i unit lifted from the old Camry so the Corolla should have more pep but it'll get whalloped in the twisties.

all automatics can be considered lazy........I've seen a 5WD Almera with a OQ18DE engine dust an automatic SiR B16A Civic in an EG8 chassis so go figure!

don't all the local yaris come with the 1.3 NON vvti?

oh yeah, Corolla FTW

[trini mk5]

D truth is that they don't make cars to last as long as the years b4..thats how they make their money..faster turnover.
The toyota corolla is a nice everyday car not a handful to handle..well as a matter of fact none of the cars in this discussion r a handful,but a nice feminine car, easy to drive and has a lil zip in it(VVT-I). Its a toyota so good reliability and good resale.
The mazda has a nice sporty look to it and it handles pretty well too,but the 1.6l lacks grunt of any kind..oh BTW the mazda 3 that we read about in car mags etc are not the same ones we are blessed wit in our twin ISLAND republic..but it gets good praises nontheless.
The lancer was always an anemic performer(ralliart or watever) except the evo models but as an everyday car it can pass..the looks not too sure.
SUBARU 1.6l BIG WASTE OF TIME(mite as well jus take d bus route) And have you seen that engine bay..all that drama for a 1.6 [/b]
And transmissions are normally lazy..no matter wat they call them nothing really beats a good ol manual.