prelude or mazda3
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From: Toronto, Ontario
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there are a few problems with buying a used prelude:
1) you won't know where the problem areas are right away, you might buy it and a few weeks later you'll find something wrong.
2) they don't make preludes anymore, so you might feel outdated when it comes to styling.
3)insurance will definitely be higher.
i personally wouldn't buy the prelude if i was in your situation. But i'd definitely look to other cars besides the prelude and mazda3.
i currently own a mazda3, but only bought it b/c i wanted a new car in that price range.
as nookie said, its two completely different cars.
if you like performance: prelude
if you want a fun everyday driver: mazda3
1) you won't know where the problem areas are right away, you might buy it and a few weeks later you'll find something wrong.
2) they don't make preludes anymore, so you might feel outdated when it comes to styling.
3)insurance will definitely be higher.
i personally wouldn't buy the prelude if i was in your situation. But i'd definitely look to other cars besides the prelude and mazda3.
i currently own a mazda3, but only bought it b/c i wanted a new car in that price range.
as nookie said, its two completely different cars.
if you like performance: prelude
if you want a fun everyday driver: mazda3
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 0 hmmm... i'd have to say im still stuck in between.. the mazda 3 sounds like a great car, but im not sure if i can trust it's reliability... as far as the prelude goes, who truly knows about it's future forecast for it was a pre-owned car.... damn this is driving me nuts...
I got the chance to use and abuse several Mazda 3s's at the Mazda REV IT UP event, and I believe they are pretty fun cars.
The doors on the S trim cars felt fairly solid, they are much better than my friend's Protege.
The interior I felt was pretty good, excellent steering wheel and gauges. It looked very BMW-ish, be that good or bad. Interior plastics on the S trim felt pretty good in most places.
The doors on the S trim cars felt fairly solid, they are much better than my friend's Protege.
The interior I felt was pretty good, excellent steering wheel and gauges. It looked very BMW-ish, be that good or bad. Interior plastics on the S trim felt pretty good in most places.
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From: Rochester, NY
Rep Power: 0 see what else there is out there besides the prelude and mazda 3 if ur willing to spend up to 18k or so..ive always wanted a lude but to tell u the truth its probably smart to go with something new that has some sort of warantee along with it...but the prelude could go both ways-- find problems later or work out fine...id go with something new..look around to see what else is available besides the mazda tres.
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From: San Diego
Rep Power: 0 Mazda econoboxes have been pretty reliable from what I have seen. The 3 is replacing the protege, look at it's reliability stats, should be good. Mazda reliability goes down the drain with the rotary power, but hey that's rotary for you....
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From: , Other, ZEBRA
Rep Power: 328 Originally posted by J_Scogs
Let me tell you. I bought my wife a Mazda6 seven months or so and it has been in the shop about one of those months. The rotors prematurley warp and the transmission slips. We drove the 3 for two weeks and it is very cheaply made. When the doors close they sound like the glass is going to break and the interior is pretty cheap. My 01 civic is 10 times better in quality and reliability than the mazda. One other thing Mazda is owned by Ford and the shop manager for our local shop says that Mazda is using alot of Ford parts and they are having alot more cars in the shop. This is just my opinon and experience with Mazda. When the Skion XB comes out we are selling the Mazda. So stick with a Honda or any other import
Let me tell you. I bought my wife a Mazda6 seven months or so and it has been in the shop about one of those months. The rotors prematurley warp and the transmission slips. We drove the 3 for two weeks and it is very cheaply made. When the doors close they sound like the glass is going to break and the interior is pretty cheap. My 01 civic is 10 times better in quality and reliability than the mazda. One other thing Mazda is owned by Ford and the shop manager for our local shop says that Mazda is using alot of Ford parts and they are having alot more cars in the shop. This is just my opinon and experience with Mazda. When the Skion XB comes out we are selling the Mazda. So stick with a Honda or any other import
lease: By the way, Mazda does use several Ford parts, but Mazda used these parts through their own discretion. Ford does however borrow lots of Mazda technology. We've owned several Mazdas including a Twin Turbo 93 RX-7 that still runs with no problems at all. Look at it how you want to, but in all honesty I've had more problems with my Hondas. I see it like this: it's the owner, not the car...except for DSM's and a few other notoriously unreliable cars.
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Rep Power: 0 My friend owns a prelude and he loves it I love as well I find the styling is great for it even keeps up with the new futurist looking cars. You really can't compare the 2 cars there both in different categories. But here are a couple things, the lude has practically no back seat so don't try and carry 4 ppl in it, the stock system is great, the handling is really good for a car of it's weight. Mazda 3, no worries new car with warranty, seating for more ppl and looks wise is more new. You have the option to get 17" mags with a sports package that is quite nice and your getting 160hp for the price which isn't that bad. If you wanna have the sports coupe I would say prelude if you want something to carry 4 with some go to it go for the 3.
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Rep Power: 0 the prelude and the mazda 3 arent even comparable. it depends on what you want. the prelude is a sport coupe and is an all around better performer, performance wise. get the lude, hands down if you want a sporty car with a good aftermarket.
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