Which of these Mazda 3's would you choose?

[Atlas P-Body]

Hi,

I'm based in New Zealand and am looking to buy a Mazda 3. There are a couple of options and I'm trying to figure out which would be the better choice.

1) 2005 Axela 2.3L automatic transmission (4 speed), ~25,000 K's on the clock
2) 2006 Axela 2.0L automatic transmission (5 speed), ~65,000 K's on the clock (keyless entry, steering wheel tiptronic gear shift)

I would love to hear peoples views on which would be the better choice. I'm not going to make any major modifications to either of these cars. I'm more interested in a car that holds its value and runs efficiently as opposed to needing incredible performance.

I'd also be interested in hearing about any quirks or problems with either of these models.

 

[hat1018]

I have an auto trans 5speed tiptronic '06 3 with a 2.3L. I like it pretty well. Power of the 2.3 is good. My trans however hesitates/slips when shifting from first to second. I would go for the '05 with the 2.3L for the simple fact it has less mileage and more power. Not sure how much more power though.