Honda civic si vs mazdaspeed3

[blaggah]

Almost 22k on mine, and no problems yet.

 

[Nachtsturm]

I was cross shopping the Si and MS3 as well.

All the Si has over the MS3 IMO, is looks(coupe), resale value, comes in white, and a much better shifter. But it is slow.

After a test drive of the MS3, I loved the torque pull. And went with it. No regrets. And the price was the same, I paid invoice for my MS3, the Si I would have paid sticker.

Although, if the SRT-4 Neon was still made, I would have bought another one of them.

 

[Hikaru9]

SI Pros IMO= Awesome gear box. One of the smoothest ever. Great sounding, extreemly smooth high RPM engine. Comfortable seat for the long haul. Great looking design in and out.

MS3 Cons IMO= Gearbox is a bit notchy.

I went from a 05 RSX Type S before my MS3. My personal opinion is that the Honda is a fun car to throw around with excellent handling, but no power.
I will add my one complaint about the MS3 is the touchy clutch. Coming from the Honda this thing is just not up to par, but you get used to it after a while.

(iagree) As someone who owned an RSX for five years, I agree 100%. MS3's gearbox/ clutch has been my biggest complaint so far, but I seem to be getting used to it.

Contrary to what others have said, I actually like the two tier instrument panel of the Si. I really love the idea of having a large tachometer right in front of you.

 

[importgirl212]

with the reliability thing....i work for mazda sellin cars...i have this awesome write up at my desk....and it's extremely extensive. I think the website is something like "pro preowned" but not exactly...i'll post it later. But it researches about 100 different auto makers for 3-9 year old vehicles and their warranty reliability. Mazda came out #1 at 8.04% and honda came in second at 8.94ish. I also checked Manheim auto auction and a Cosmic Blue speed3 with 12,000miles on it sold for $21,500...that's very impressive....all in all i just believe the speed3 is the biggest bang for the buck...

 

[camrycev6]

I think someone said it earlier...but the the stereo in the Civic is better. (MP3 player!)

 

[speed3se-r]

14 valves/4cylinders = 3.5 valves per cylinder?

I must be missing something. I thought the K20A's had 16?

K20's are also chain driven not belt.

 

[Haltech]

14 valves/4cylinders = 3.5 valves per cylinder?

I must be missing something. I thought the K20A's had 16?

I worked on Acura's/Hondas in the past. Acura had some bad water pumps that would seize, causing the timing belt to break.. Out of 16 valves, youre replacing 14 of them.. Thats what i meant by 14... You break your belt, youre screwed.

 

[sunny4201]

Do you guys think that if i dont do any modifications on the MS3 engine or exhaust, there will be no problems for at least 50,000 miles?

Also, whats the cost of insurance on the MS3(i am 19). It has to be higher than the Civic si.

 

[clos561]

its proly cheaper...4 door hatch....

 

[Mocoso]

Do you guys think that if i dont do any modifications on the MS3 engine or exhaust, there will be no problems for at least 50,000 miles?

Also, whats the cost of insurance on the MS3(i am 19). It has to be higher than the Civic si.

There are no guarantees in life but YES I doubt you will run into problems for at least 50K miles if you dont mod and if you mantain the car properly....remember that the MS3 while only on a 2 yr production run doesnt have a lot of "new" unproven components in it with low production runs

Oh and I think the whole Honda and Toyota are reliable is WAAAYYYY over-rated... while they may tend to make more reliable cars in general it is no guarantee that ALL their models will be

 

[PeterC]

I think someone said it earlier...but the the stereo in the Civic is better. (MP3 player!)

The MS3 GT can play mp3s from CDs.

 

[pirdo]

Or you can use the aux jack (for people w/ no sat radio) with your iPod and you're set with mp3 music.

 

[Sacrilicious]

....remember that the MS3 while only on a 2 yr production run

wait, so the ms3 is going to end production after the 08 model year?

 

[ill_eagle94]

The MS3 GT can play mp3s from CDs.

Mine can't.

 

[ill_eagle94]

I worked on Acura's/Hondas in the past. Acura had some bad water pumps that would seize, causing the timing belt to break.. Out of 16 valves, youre replacing 14 of them.. Thats what i meant by 14... You break your belt, youre screwed.

It's got a timing chain, not a belt.

 

[POLARBEARsMP3]

hey i would probably buy a SPEED3 instead of a CIVIC SI which isn't bad, get the sleeper SPEED3. i bought my brother one there is barely any parts for it.....

CHECK IT OUT my brothers CIVIC SI if u have an myspace account

http://www.myspace.com/pjeter313

 

[ZooMIN3]

Do you guys think that if i dont do any modifications on the MS3 engine or exhaust, there will be no problems for at least 50,000 miles?

Also, whats the cost of insurance on the MS3(i am 19). It has to be higher than the Civic si.

I don't think you'll have any problems with minor mods to your car, be it Cold Air Intake(CAI), Short Ram Intake(SRI), Cat-Back Exhaust(CBE), or any suspension problems. The only way if something is guaranteed to get screwed up, is if your upgrade was installed incorrectly.

Or if you just have bad luck, altogether your car just falls apart on ya... (bang)

If you already have insurance for another car, just call your agent and have them run a quote for both cars you are looking into. They'll give you a better estimate than we could. It'll depend on who you have for insurance, how long you've been with them, if you have multiple cars with them, your age, your driving history, and how long you've had your lisence. If I left something out, post it up! Let us know what you come up with, and good luck with what you decide.

-J

 

[RJKSpeed3]

get the MS3... i used to own an acura rsx which has the same engine as the si and my rsx felt like a slug after test driving the ms3.......

MS3 can be reliable as the si as long as you take care of it....

 

[camrycev6]

The MS3 GT can play mp3s from CDs.

Actually, it can't. Sorry.

 

[camrycev6]

Or you can use the aux jack (for people w/ no sat radio) with your iPod and you're set with mp3 music.

I didn't like the aux jack setup because you couldn't easily changes songs (or do much else for that matter), so I eventually paid the $200 for the iPod adapter kit installation. It took a little getting used too, but I really like it now. It just would have been nice to start with an MP3 playing stereo. (Or better yet...a NAV / DVD system that plays MP3 DVDs...that would be awesome in terms of storage capacity.)