First time car owner. Honda Civic or Mazda3?

Posted by Jenord-Jark@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 36 comments

i'm finally buying my first car and i've narrowed it down to two that everyone seems to recommend. honda civic and mazda3. both look good to me but i have no idea which one is better for a newbie. i've heard civics are bulletproof and hold their value like crazy. but i've also heard mazdas are more fun to drive. my budget is around $15-20k used. mostly gonna be commuting to work and occasional road trips. nothing crazy. open to other suggestions if i'm missing something obvious. thanks.

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AggravatingAd61@reddit

mazda 3 use torsion beam rear suspension,civic have multi-link

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Anon_Tax_1738@reddit

I personally forgot Mazda existed until I moved to Texas and they were popular. So from that and the fact I’ve owned five I’m gonna say civic.

Not speaking bad to the Mazda but I barely knew it exists even today. I have read they’re fairly reliable through.

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RevolutionaryAge47@reddit

Never seen a Miata? Embarrassing take.

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Anon_Tax_1738@reddit

Sorry for offending you deeply by forgetting about the Miata. Especially being OP was asking about the model 3 and not a Miata. And my comment was specific to what OP was asking so the model 3, not the Miata.

Coulda worded it better, sure. But your pink panties are flaming because I didn’t include frankly weirdly followed underpowered roadster? Even if OP was asking about a Miata I’d say get the civic. But they weren’t at all referencing that.

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RevolutionaryAge47@reddit

Laughable take. Humiliating for you.

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Anon_Tax_1738@reddit

Far from it. Now a grown ass man driving a Miata, that’s humiliating.

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Fun_Boss_2112@reddit

Don't skip the Toyota Corolla. Virtually bulletproof. Properly maintained, 250,000 miles is possible.

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BombZoneGuy@reddit

Properly maintained, almost any car will easily last 250k.

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Fun_Boss_2112@reddit

And if the maintenance is neglectful, the Toyota will outlast any other vehicle except perhaps a Honda.

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BombZoneGuy@reddit

Agreed. I personally love cobalts. They easily get 300k+ with basic upkeep.

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schaden81@reddit

And one of the most boring vehicles ever created. It's not appreciably more reliable than a Civic or Mazda 3, but it's worse in driving dynamics, fit and finish, amenities and looks.

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AJHenderson@reddit

Between the two, I'd go Mazda. I was a long term die hard Mazda fan until Tesla out zoom zoomed them for best performance per dollar.

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maritimer187@reddit

I just bought a 19' Civic and love it personally. Either would be a good choice. Resale will be better in Honda. May be able to find a better deal in the Mazda though. I have known many people over the years with stupid high mileage on their Honda's with little problems so there is that to consider.

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wsxdfcvgbnjmlkjafals@reddit

i'm an idiot

my brain forgot that 2019 already happened

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BombZoneGuy@reddit

In either case, it would be '19, not 19', unless they meant anything before 2000.

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wsxdfcvgbnjmlkjafals@reddit

a 19-foot civic? daaaamn

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Alorow_Jordan@reddit

Find some mechanics and ask them what they are observing with either model you are looking into. I won't say model brand but going through a support person they were able to give me special information about issues on the model I was interested in. They said keep an eye out

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Reasonable_Shine_841@reddit

I would do Mazda. My wife has one and have no issues. Also just the fact that they use pretty much the same motor in all of their vehicles means the engineering and potential parts replacement down the road will be great.

We regularly take trips and have long work commutes. So far 20k a year in miles with only oil changes done

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Thinkfaster1@reddit

I’d buy the Honda no question. As long as it’s not one of the newer 4 cylinder turbo charged garbage ones.

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Talentless_Cooking@reddit

Civic, Mazda are rot boxes

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PhD77777@reddit

Thieves love Civics

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ThePlatinumPaul@reddit

Mazda at this point is one of the few car companies that actually care about design, build quality, and of listening to their customers. Meanwhile, every day, Honda gets further from the light.

Also, Mazda has one of the best red paints in existence.

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MissNobodyyyy@reddit

If you want zero stress ownership go Honda civic, but if you care even a little about enjoying the drive the Mazda3 is easily more fun while still being reliable

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2to11to27@reddit

Not a fan of some Mazdas because the steering is too heavy. You don't need heavy steering in your A to B car for a run to 7 11

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padreswoo619@reddit

Can't choose for you. They are both good compact cars. Mazda will give better deals tho and I LOVE my 20 more than the civics I've owned in the past. That's my opinion if asking 😁

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kooldudeV2@reddit

Hondas 1.5T sucks get the mazda

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Conscious_Dog3101@reddit

Both good choices. But I’d go with civic for a little more space inside. The 3 also has a stiffer ride while can make it fun, but gets tiresome over longer trips. And the Honda will hold its value better if that matters to you

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whiskeyanonose@reddit

I did a lot of analysis on interior space in different vehicles since I’m over 6’ tall and wanted to be able to have someone sit behind me. Honda as a whole has the most front and rear legroom by far!

Ended up getting a civic and an accord. The legroom front and rear feels almost identical, the difference is in the trunk space.

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MathematicianOne6902@reddit

Civic. Reliable, easy to fix, parts available and good resale

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No-Specialist-5173@reddit

Civic but pre 2018.

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KostyaFedot@reddit

Check Civic seats. Last time I spoke to its owner, he didn't liked it. Well, Mazda seat might be not as good as it was as well. Too sporty. We had Mazda 3 Sport 2L engine auto transmission, of two generation back. Went well over 200K km and our daughter sold it while it was still running, not much rust, if any.

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