The cars are in! Time to vote! :)

[9JordonFlex9]

Yes...vote for me! Haha...I have been having a mad self debate in my own mind on which car to buy n which has the best outcome....I think about almost everything, buy price, weight, initial power, forced induction, potential power after turbo and other mods. Handling!

Anywho, here are the Top 3 on my mind!!!
Mazda 3
Scion tC
Chevy Cobalt 2.2L
All these have turbos, cobalt is coming out in a few months or so....

Which do you guys see best in your own eyes?
My eyes are these facts

Mazda 3-lightweight, looks GREAT inside and out, 2.0L decent engine, 2.3L good engine, turbo results amazing, engine seems to be strong from the manufacturer...no problems I really see..pretty modable. Good MPG
THe BEST handling I ever test drove!!!

Scion tC- lightweight...280lbs or so heavier than the 3. Worst MPG out of 3. Powerful engine stock...great potential, 280hp and tq at about 8-10psi. Looks great out, not that good inside, VERY modable...great handling

Chevy Cobalt- heaviest...about 3k, ugly headlights, great lookin otherwise, horrible steering wheel, ok interior design, ecotec is a great engine...Hahan reports 500whp on a 2.2L auto. Numb to the feel with ride....

Prices... (about)
Mazda3 $16,400
Scion tC $18,500
Chevy Cobalt $15,000(good dealer price )

 

[Replica]

tC for sure. It's a neat car.

 

[Akaveli]

Mazda3 or get an RSX!

 

[MikeAwesome42]

maybe i'm misunderstanding, but none of those cars come with turbos. i know you can get a supercharger as an option on the tC and the cobalt. unless you mean you plan on putting an aftermarket kit on the car, in which case i would say go for the mazda3 5-door. i personally think its always nice to have the added utility of a hatchback, and the tC backseat is really lacking in the space department

 

[MikeAwesome42]

yea good point, RSX type-s, you can make some nasty N/A horsepower in that mofo

 

[Replica]

A RSX-S is alot more expensive and was not on the list.

Buy it!

 

[9JordonFlex9]

cant affored the rsx insurance...its 1700 more each year! good hp but bad tq on those things....

most likely goin with the 3 or tc...the tc has good back seat room...i sat in back...hehe

hatches are nice

 

[Replica]

The quote I got for a tC on insurance was like $950 for 6 months. My stupid Honda is $1,350. Hit up the tC forums and see if it's the car for you. They only bad thing about tC's is they feel pretty lazy in the turns.

 

[MikeAwesome42]

you think the backseat is ok? when my buddy test drove one i sat in the back and hated it. im 6' tall and the legroom was ok but my head kept hitting the rear window

...s***, why are we talking about the backseats? youre gonna be driving the car

 

[9JordonFlex9]

im already been into scionlife.com for a while now...i test driven one and all...know bout turbos...twm(the best), a lot of mods for it..haha.

160hp 163tq tc
160hp 150tq 3 S i dont know which one benefits from the turbo more...I have seen bigger #s outta the S model than the tc....turbonetics claims 300hp at 8.5psi...but its more like 270-280 whp. at 8.5psi the mazda pushes what? 240-255? around there? mazda a lil lighter...better interior, better handling!

and the tc is...bout 400 bucks more each year..my honda is 2000 a year...2400 with tc and 2750 or so for 3

 

[tsunami]

dayum that insurance info is crazy high... you guys are either way young or need to take your foot off the gas through those school zones.. lol, i would go with the 3 b/c handling=fun and you can leave the suspension alone for a while, and mod the power with the tc you are goin to drop some money right away on making it corner better... i like both cars but have heard some not so nice things bout the tc interior, which i have yet to see in person....

 

[mazda3zoom]

ive considered all of the 3 cars you are, and the mazda3 is the best i think. Im not just saying that cuz i have one either. The Tc looks sweet from the outside, but the interior wasnt that great. The Cobalt was nice, but had cheap looking interior and was bad in the curves. Only good thing about that one was the supercharger. The mazda3 takes curves good, even on factory suspension, Outside looks are decent, and the interior is pretty nice given the price. Again this is my opinion, thats it. If i could get a new car i would get an SRT-4, my friend at the dodge dealer told me theres still a few of them floating around on the lots.

 

[mazda3zoom]

The RSX-s is nice, but they suck off the line. my cousin had one and we raced from a roll and i stayed with him really good, but then once he got into those higher rpms and i hit the speedlimiter, he still had another gear to go so then he dusted me. His was stock.

 

[ebmp5]

get a mazda 3 why look at the hiboost mazda 3 it's running 11"S 1\4 mile's

 

[Gambino]

dont get the tC! I have a 3s and my brother has a tC. having driven both, I cant tell you how much more I like my 3. I know its only 280 lbs more, but the thing is a pig compared to the 3. Very sluggish and not responsive. go with the 3

 

[Mz3Hatch]

i have experience with all 3 of the cars (kind of)..

i own a mazda 3s hatch.. love the car, handles unbelievably well, not awesome speed for stock but yet very fun 2 drive..

scion tc.. friend has and with just minor work runs 14.9 at track, minor work is intake and exhaust.. now hes waiting for turbo that puts an extra 100+ hp into car..

girlfriend owns cobalt SS Supercharged.. if you can find the right one.. its like 21000 for the car and insurance is not that bad.. quick car.. smooth driving and shifts.. doesnt handle as nice as the 3 with fast sharp turns.. but i think it looks amazing too..

but those are my opinions.. are you looking to buy for speed? looks? both? id tell you to get either a 5 spd 3s, or get the SS/SC, both are great cars and look great to me.. id say hold out and wait for mazdaspeed 3.. mmmm...

 

[Phatbungo]

Hey dont know if this helps but...

I was in the market for a NEW USED car. Test drove impreza, jetta, celica, and a couple of others. I owned a 03 Mazda p5 and sold it for certain reasons. Well a year later now that my insurance is a lot lower b/c of the age bracket thing, i can afford a nicer car than i am driving now. Well i called my mazda salesman that i delt with before and i went and test drove a mazda 3. Out of all the cars it was the nicest. I went home and checked out ratings and stuff on different cars in its bracket, and the Mazda 3 scored the highest. (it killed the cobalt)

Anways you cant go wrong with mazda, the cars are fun as hell to drive especially in a five speed and on a curvey road. Well to end this after looking at used cars to buy i am picking my NEW mazda 3 up in like 2 days. So if it helps i went out for a used and fell in love with another mazda and bought new, i never thought i would find a car that would top my P5. (besides a bmw)

 

[three]

Yes the 3 is very big into handling and has good decent power. Just put it this way one of my close friends has a tc and after i let him drive my 3 he went out and dumped his whole paycheck on some suspension mods. Yeah the tc is a lil faster than the 3 but like everybody else said the 3 just seems so much more alive.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Yes the 3 is very big into handling and has good decent power. Just put it this way one of my close friends has a tc and after i let him drive my 3 he went out and dumped his whole paycheck on some suspension mods. Yeah the tc is a lil faster than the 3 but like everybody else said the 3 just seems so much more alive.

I have a 3 and a 5 and I agree that although they may not be the most powerful on the block, they are the most fun to drive. I looked at the Cobalt, but GM quality and dependability kept me away. Plus the interior wasn't a nice as the 3. The new Jetta drove like a Toyota Corolla and the GLI was too damned expensive.

For the money, the 3 is the best car out there. Throw in Mazda reliability and service and it's a fantastic deal.

WARNING Customer service varies depending on your dealership. I am VERY lucky to have a great dealer (Sentry West in Shrewsbury MA).

Every mechanical product will have some issues over it's life time (although all 5 of the Mazdas I've owned have been troublefree and, solid as a rock, reliable). It's all in the way the issue is handled that makes the difference between a great ownership experience and a horrible one.

My dealer has never ceased to be professional and very accomodating.

 

[Vegasdriver]

GO FOR MAZDA3!

Do not go for the Chevy, reliability and resale suck.
Scion tC is nice, though bland on looks. Its reliability is very good.
Mazda3 is most well rounded. Has received great reviews and is a head turner. Go for the ZOOM ZOOM factor of MZ3!