Help deciding on a car

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yaywalter
Nah, it's not really about fuel economy. I just don't like overly large vehicles. Mustang's not too bad, but everyone's got one around here, so I'd prefer something different.
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I don't know man, if that is the only reason your not considering a Mustang, then I would seriously reconsider. An inferior product is never a reason for being different :)
 
Cale
Uh... Not the best choice. At all.
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Uh.. care to elaborate?

As far as I'm concerned there is no "best choice", so if you're implying it's a bad choice, I'd like to hear why.
 
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disinfected
Base Mazda 3 feels super weak to drive and is really plastic-y. GTI is a great drive, however.
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The 3 is something I'd either go for an earlier 2.3/manual or wait for the SkyActiv on... But really? The interior can be considered "bad"? This is news to me.

The 2.3L (and now 2.5L) 3 will move well, handle exceedingly well, and generally be a nice car.

AudiPro
Dont get a Mazda theyre not worth it. Try a Ford Focus theyre fast and pretty spacious.
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Wat. You do realize that here in the US, the Mazda3 is the 2nd gen Focus (albeit apparently a bit worse in some ways) while our Focus until the 2012 model year is a continually worsened 1st gen Focus.

disinfected
But the Ford Focus is the epitome of unreliable. Mazda doesn't have the best track record compared to it's Japanese counterparts, either.
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Focus is the epitome of unreliable? And you just vouched for the GTI?

Really? Really?

There are two people I know of who've owned GTIs on here... One is Philly and his was in and out of the dealership more than you can count on your fingers and toes, then there was socomplayer02 who went from a GTI which he had some issues with (though not many) to a GLI which was newer, gently driven, etc that broke EVERYTHING. Mind you the GTI and GLI are mechanically identical.

Meanwhile the Focuses I've known have been generally reliable, the only one to blow up was my grandmother's but only after she ran a 20k oil change interval once then almost made it again. It died at about 130k miles.
 
My first car was honda it was great even with the minor issues.
My new car is a honda.

Any small japanese car will do nicely.

Like a toyota corrola.
 
I have normal Focus, model 2009, 1,6 gasoline 115HP. It's a good car indeed.

Wait until they release the new ST, and go for it. :)
 
yaywalter
Uh.. care to elaborate?

As far as I'm concerned there is no "best choice", so if you're implying it's a bad choice, I'd like to hear why.
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Trounced by nearly everything in its sector in terms of its drive, and down here their reliability hasn't been spectacular to say the least either. Very uninvolving and cheap-looking.

The Lancer Ralliart is a step in the right direction but, in a very bold and overall terrible move priced it to compete with the Subaru WRX. It lost that battle quite badly despite the WRX's shortcomings compared to 'Rexes of old.

I'll chuck another vote in for the Focus to be honest. Bit of a shame they didn't offer auto on the MazdaSpeed 3. What's the USDM equivalent of the SP25 over there? Also a good alternative that; good dynamics and a fairly punchy engine but it's probably outclassed transmission-wise by the Focus and VeeDub alternatives.
 
Mazdaspeed 3 is a lot of fun to drive if you can get the manual block out of the way.

Suprised nobody has mentioned resale value on here yet.... I am well aware this will be fiercely shot down but it's true... nearly anything Japanese will have higher resale.

Again with manual but a Civic SI could be a good choice too. If you can find an '11 or even a '10 SI new at a lot they are going amazingly cheap right now with the '12s coming in.

Oh and I'd run from that GTI, I've heard nothing but problems, expensive problems, with those things.
 
Prosthetic
Where the hell did you get this information? I own a 04' and has yet to have a single problem, not even a minor problem.

Oh wait it has an American badge, it must suck. :rolleyes:
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I've owned 3 Focuses, my brother 2, my step sister 3 and my friend has an 07. They are great and reliable as long as you do not get an SVT. My other 2 (05 & 07) were great and even the stock Focus is quite fun to drive in the twisties. The new world Focus is fantastic, I would recommend it highly. Just ask Joey. :D
 
disinfected
There's currently no current-gen US Focus that isn't a heavy boat with a measly 2.0, and the 4-door is absolutely hideous. The five-door is quite good looking, but it's a step down from a new GTI.

I'd totally take the ST, though.
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How do you figure the Focus is heavy? It has a curb weight of 2,948lbs. Whereas the Mazda3 is 3,124lbs and the GTI is 3,213lbs. The Focus only weighs 200lbs more then a MINI Cooper which is about 35in. shorter.

The "measly" 2.0L engine has 160hp and 146lb. ft. of torque. That is excellent from a natural aspirated 2.0L engine. The Mazda3 needs 2.5L to get 167hp, the Golf needs a 2.5L as well to produce 170hp. The GTI managed 200hp from a 2.0L but it also has the help of forced induction. When the ST finally goes on sale it will trounce the GTI. But back to the 2.0L, I've never had an issue with it, I can get up to speed without a problem and the car is capable of high speeds.

As for handling Edmunds.com recorded the GTI at .84g on a skidpad whereas the Focus did .91g. In a 6 X 100ft slalom Edmunds.com managed 67.1mph out of the GTI and 68.3mph out of the Focus.

The only thing the GTI does better is acceleration with a 0-60 at 6.7 seconds. The Focus can only manage 8.7second but it is also down 40hp and a turbocharger, so that makes sense.

On paper you'd have just as much fun with a Focus as you would with a GTI.
 
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CMvan46
Mazdaspeed 3 is a lot of fun to drive if you can get the manual block out of the way.

Suprised nobody has mentioned resale value on here yet.... I am well aware this will be fiercely shot down but it's true... nearly anything Japanese will have higher resale.

Again with manual but a Civic SI could be a good choice too. If you can find an '11 or even a '10 SI new at a lot they are going amazingly cheap right now with the '12s coming in.

Oh and I'd run from that GTI, I've heard nothing but problems, expensive problems, with those things.
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How can they have higher resale yet be amazingly cheap? Most civics I see hold their value.
 
Joey D
How do you figure the Focus is heavy? It has a curb weight of 2,948lbs. Whereas the Mazda3 is 3,124lbs and the GTI is 3,213lbs. The Focus only weighs 200lbs more then a MINI Cooper which is about 35in. shorter.

The "measly" 2.0L engine has 160hp and 146lb. ft. of torque. That is excellent from a natural aspirated 2.0L engine. The Mazda3 needs 2.5L to get 167hp, the Golf needs a 2.5L as well to produce 170hp. The GTI managed 200hp from a 2.0L but it also has the help of forced induction. When the ST finally goes on sale it will trounce the GTI. But back to the 2.0L, I've never had an issue with it, I can get up to speed without a problem and the car is capable of high speeds.

As for handling Edmunds.com recorded the GTI at .84g on a skidpad whereas the Focus did .91g. In a 6 X 100ft slalom Edmunds.com managed 67.1mph out of the GTI and 68.3mph out of the Focus.

The only thing the GTI does better is acceleration with a 0-60 at 6.7 seconds. The Focus can only manage 8.7second but it is also down 40hp and a turbocharger, so that makes sense.

On paper you'd have just as much fun with a Focus as you would with a GTI.
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I wish the rep system was back in place. +rep for that post. I'm so tired of people hating on the Focus. :D People just need to shut up and drive them, they are such a blast. My '05 was 136bhp 136tq and while it wasn't a straight-line accelerator the handling was top notch. The ability for the Focus to display very little (and in my SVT no) understeer is a testament to excellent suspension design. If the original poster can snag a first generation Focus the weight is even better. You could of spec'd out a Focus for just slightly less than 2,600 lbs. My 5-door weighs ~2,750 even with the bigger wheels, brakes, subwoofer and etc. :sly: 👍
 
eSZee
How can they have higher resale yet be amazingly cheap? Most civics I see hold their value.
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Well as I said the new 12s are coming in now and they don't want the 11s (and some Honda dealerships still have a couple brand new 10s) which you get wicked deals on to make room for the 12s.... They absolutely will resell for more than a focus, there isn't even a debate about that.
 
JCE
I've owned 3 Focuses, my brother 2, my step sister 3 and my friend has an 07. They are great and reliable as long as you do not get an SVT. My other 2 (05 & 07) were great and even the stock Focus is quite fun to drive in the twisties. The new world Focus is fantastic, I would recommend it highly. Just ask Joey. :D
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I love my Focus. If I were to win the lottery, I would keep driving this everyday.


@The Focus is heavy comment... I think you should go drive one... like right now. They feel incredibly light.

EDIT: There is a reason why they like there 'Fucus' on Daves farm ;)
 
I say don't go for the GTI, especially with one of those DSG transmissions. I would definitely say Mazda 3 or focus with my preference being the Mazda 3
 
deadcell96
Aren't cobalts considered crap? I would say to go for the mazda 3. I have a 3i 4 door auto and it's a blast to drive.
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Yes, but the turbo SS is one of the best FF cars out there. Though it will likely disintegrate like the srt4s.
Mazda 3 is fun and you'll like it but MPG is not that great.

CMvan46
Well as I said the new 12s are coming in now and they don't want the 11s (and some Honda dealerships still have a couple brand new 10s) which you get wicked deals on to make room for the 12s.... They absolutely will resell for more than a focus, there isn't even a debate about that.
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Wicked deal? WHat is your definition cause mine seems to be different.
 
Let us consider for a moment the various vehicles that would occupy a similar slot with the GTI:

  • Ford Focus MKIII: This is probably the best vehicle in the size class simply because it is the newest that had the greatest amount of development funds put into it. It looks great, drives fantastic (or so I hear), the fuel economy isn't bad, and (thus far) have proven to be quite reliable. However, I have my own reservations about the Powershift automatic. It being a dual-clutch setup, Ford is having some fairly significant growing pains with the car in both the Focus and Fiesta. I'd wait it out and row my own, and if you do choose to go that route, I highly recommend the Focus SE Sport Package over the other trim levels. It gets the suspension off the top-trim Titanium models, but keeps the prices in check otherwise.
  • Mazda3: The significant updates for 2012 are a welcome change, in my opinion. They've fixed the odd face, making it a little less-silly, and ultimately far more reasonable than what had been before it. In my mind, the M3 is still a shade of its former self, the '03-'09 models being absolutely outstanding in every measurable way. The new 2012 SkyActiv models are very interesting, adding a new 2.0L direct-injection I4 that produces 155 BHP (that's 5 BHP less than the Focus), and will manage 40 MPG on the highway (only the Focus SFE does that if I recall). The best news is that you can finally get the base 2.0L engine in the hatchback, whereas previously you could only get the larger 2.3L and now 2.5L options.
  • Volkswagen Beetle TSI: Basically, you're getting the GTI with the Porsche 356-inspired body. I think the Beetle looks better, and according to some initial drives, it may actually handle a slight bit better thanks to the different stance. As I recall, prices are going to run just past $24K for the DSG-equipped model. Not a bad deal if you're looking for something a little different.
  • Nissan Juke: It rides a little higher than the GTI, but is no-less-capable in the performance department. The 1.6L turbo unit in the Nissan apparently has a near-bottomless torque curve with the CVT, and in AWD trim, may be a halfway decent vehicle in the snow (I'm eager to try it myself). I like the interior, although, I hear a lot of people don't. The outside is even more polarizing. That's okay. It is definitely a unique vehicle. You can get a pretty well-equipped SV model for less than $24K, and in my mind, that is an absolute steal
  • Volvo C30: I'd say this is the best-looking car in the class, probably by a long-shot... But yeah. Other than that, unless you're getting the 2.5T model with a couple of the option boxes checked, you're not that well-off when it comes to reliability and resale values.

Other than that... I'm not sure. It depends on what you want, and how much you're willing to spend on it.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. Today I went out looking with a friend who's also looking to buy a new car soon. Right now I think I'm probably gonna go with the Mazda 3. 👍
 
The Focus is a good choice. Fords are generally reliable. Even though I dislike them. :p

I'm not one with experience, as I've never owned one before, but VWs are fairly problematic from what I've seen and read. One of my friends had a Golf that had to be serviced quite often. It will get you in the long run.


The Mazda 3 is a slick little car though.
 

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