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Before people start chewing off my head telling me how reliable Honda's are, I want to mention that I'm currently driving my 3rd Honda (2002 Civic Si coupe, with 1997 Civic Si coupe and 2000 Prelude before it). And although it has been mechanically issue free (near) 3-years, there had been (and continue to be) annoying trips to the dealer to address quality issues with my Si coupe. Basically, I'm bored and would like get something new for a change. Although I'm still single and preffer the styling of a coupe, I'm being looking into vehicles with a minimum of 3-doors (2-door hatches, 4-doors, or 4-door hatches), mainly because of versitality of carrying... stuff.

So, on my hit list... I've had the following vehicles to think about:

1. Mazda 3 Sport GT
2. Honda Civic SiR (USA Si equivalent)
3. VW Golf GTi 1.8T
4. Toyota Matrix XRS
5. VW Jetta 1.8T Wagon
6. Dodge SRT-4
7. Chevrolet Optra 5
8. Pontiac Persuit (USA Chevrolet Cobalt equivalent).
9. Subaru Impreza 2.5TS Wagon

Now, I don't want to wait any longer than November/December to make this purchase, therefore you can scratch off the next generation Jetta and Golf, and even the MazdaSpeed 3. Some of my personal comments:

1. Mazda 3 Sport GT - great looking (inside/out), great engine/transmission combo, reputable Japanese build, great value.

2. Honda Civic SiR (USA Si equivalent) - it's a Honda, better '04 MY looks, fantastic engine/transmission, lacks rear doors, minor questions on English build quality, lack of an arm rest (yeah... I'm picky).

3. VW Golf GTi 1.8T - classic looks, questionable Mexican build quality and reliability, rubbery stick shift, questionable 1.8-turbo quality.

4. Toyota Matrix XRS - good inside packaging, Toyota build quality (Cambridge, ON), rev happy 1.8L engine and slick tranny, but awkward looks (outside), uncomfortable seats (03 MY).

5. VW Jetta 1.8T Wagon - classic looks, questionable Mexican (or is it German?) build quality and reliability, rubbery stick shift, questionable 1.8-turbo quality.

6. Dodge SRT-4 - power, handling, looks, will-it-last quality?

7. Chevrolet Optra 5 - decent looks, good value, lacks power and refinement of previous Japanese vehicles.

8. Pontiac Persuit (USA Chevrolet Cobalt equivalent) - looks okay in Pontiac clothes, and interior appears to look great. Nothing more that I know of.

9. Subaru Impreza 2.5TS Wagon - Haven't driven this one, yet, but it has awkward but functional styling.

So, I would appreciate everyone's comments (since currently I have my sights fixed on the Mazda 3s) and their experience in the above and any other equivalent vehicles in the $20k to $28k CDN range. And yes, I know there was a discussion about a few of these cars back when, but most of them had unintelligent comments like... "that car sucks"... which I don't particularly care for.

Appreciate the help,

PiCASSO

*******************************

P.S.

The Chevrolet Optra 5 is the equivalent of a 5-door Suzuki Forenza:

http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehi..._overview.html

http://www.suzukiauto.com/sr_04/forenza/

We in Canada have inherited models that you in the USA will never see:

* Acura 1.7 EL (A loaded Honda Civic EX, which you already know of)
* Pontiac Persuit (Rebadged Chevrolet Cobalt)
* Chevrolet Optra / Optra 5 (Next Gen Daewoo Lanos)
* Chevrolet Epica (Suzuki Verona equivalent)
* Buick Allure (Buick LaCrosse, simply a name change)
* Nissan X-Trail (Honda CR-V equivalent)
* Toyota Echo (3-door/5-door)

 
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Of your choices, I like the Civic SiR and Matrix XRS. Both are built well and offer good power, handling, reliability, and practicality (although the extra doors and larger size give the Matrix an advantage over the SiR).

I can't say I have much experience with your other choices, although I have read alot of favourable reviews of the Mazda 3.

Another choice you might consider if you want a little more luxury, although with a little less power, would be the Acura EL. (okay so I'm a little biased )

 
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I really don't like any, but my top pic would be the mazda3 cause of the looks and options.

 
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yeah id either do civic or matrix

 
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I think all Volkswagen's are built in Germany?

 
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Well, although I don't know exactly where VW builds their cars, you can get a general idea by looking at the VIN plate of the vehicle.

The first digit identifies the country where the car/truck/van was built. A complete translation of the VIN can be found in the factory service manual. The country of origin codes are as follows:

1 or 4 United States
2 Canada
3 Mexico
6 Australia
9 Brazil
J Japan
K South Korea
L Taiwan
S United Kingdom
V France or Yugoslavia
W Germany
Y Sweden
Z Italy

http://www.carprices.com/cgi-bin/art...VINnumber.html

If you search through eBay for VW Golfs and VW Jetta's, you'll get various VIN numbers:

2004 Volkswagen Golf R32 (2489811905)
WVWKG61J04D131636 (Germany)

2004 Volkswagen Golf GL (2489867362)
9BWBL61J444001537 (Brasil)

2003 Volkswagen Golf GTi VR6 (2490038612)
9BWDH61J434011252 (Brasil)

2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI (2489205912)
3VWSR69M85M021865 (Mexico)

2004 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI Wagon (2489905786)
WVWSR61J44W068538 (Germany)

So as you can see, the Golf is manufactured in Brasil and Germany, while the Jetta is assembled in Mexico and Germany. And if I'm not mistaken, there are other VW's assembled in China.

There's more detail in the VIN number under the ISO standards:

http://www.iso.org/iso/en/CatalogueD...?CSNUMBER=9306

But that's only if your really bored and have the spare change to purchase the documents online.

 
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Don't forget to factor insurance into your equation, that can be a big differentiating factor between (for example) the SRT-4 and a 3 GT.

Throwing in my 2 cents, I used to own a '97 VW, the damn thing was in the shop every 3 weeks for some kind of minor thing, exceedingly annoying. I've got a 3 GT (sedan) coming my way at the end of Nov., go w. that, beautiful car.

 
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mazda3 gt....do it!

 
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actually, optra is the equivalent to the upcoming suzuki reno

 
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Mazda 3 is a sweet looking car. I don't know about long term reliability. Test drove it and it handles really well for a stock set up.

 
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get the Nissan X-trail !!
I love that car

 
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All the 1.8T's are fun cars. The golf 1.8 gti is going to be faster than the Jetta, but all VW 1.8 T's now come with an 8 year warranty because they have a slight 'oil sludge' problem, but if you change the oil every 5,000 miles the warranty will cover you. I am saving for an R 32... but thats much more than the above mentioned cars.

 
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nissan sentra ser spec v? that car is crazy tons and tons of torque
you should look at that. My mom has a matrix xrs and it is a blast to drive lift is simply amazing

 
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I would go with the mazda 3 but I would never get a srt-4

 
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yea..Mazda 3 all the way.

 
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I semi-agree. It's a great value. It's fast and decent styling. The crash test ratings for side impact are pretty bad though...

overall i'd say SiR. aftermarket is amazing for this car.

 
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I would get the SIR if you need a change.

 
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My 03 Gti 1.8t has never been in for any service related problems. Im at 15k. With that being said the interior is second to none and the engine is good for 350+wheel on stock internals. My 01 civic ex was in for service twice before I traded her in. Of course I vote 1.8t GTi.

 
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well, this is a honda forum, i would suggest you go with the SIR too...or just for the RSX....

but taking into consideration you are a Canadian, I would go with the Subaru, go test drive one though, not everyone likes it, but the car is ver very stable, if you have a few grands extra, go for the WRX...worth da $$...

you might also want to look into the Lancer Ralliart, a pretty decent car, good pricing..

Personally I think the mazda 3 is over priced, rated @ 160 hp, it's no where near that in terms of driving feel... oh, one more car, go see teh new corolla XRS, it got very good feedbacks...

my 2 cents,
Best regards,
Ah Long

 
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civiv si-r or the gti 1.8T

 
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I would go with the Subaru wagon, my sister has one, and the car is rock solid.

it handles really well for a wagon, overall its good in the snow, and/or handles anything you throw its way.

 
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The US model Suzuki Forenza and Suzuki Verona are actually Daewoo cars rebadged as Suzukis. Suzuki Verona = Daewoo Magnus. I forgot the name of the Forenza.

 
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i think forenza is the same car as the daewoo nubira, which was here in the US.

 
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Can you get the pontiac vibe? Same as the matrix, but cheaper. What about a Scion tC?

 
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Yes, the Pontiac Vibe is sold in Canada, however no Scions sold up here though.

 
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wait until november and get the new 2005 GTI....


GTI Engine -To power the Golf GTI, Volkswagen is using a newly developed 2.0 litre FSI turbo engine. The 147 kW / 200 PS direct injection petrol unit with a high-compression ratio of 10.5:1 makes an ideal GTI engine thanks to its dynamic torque curve (280 Nm between 1 800 und 5 000 rpm). With a standard six-speed gearbox, the four cylinders accelerate the Golf GTI to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 7.2 seconds. The GTI goes from 60 km/h (37 mph) to 100 km/h in 5th gear in only 7.5 seconds and reaches its maximum at 235 km/h (146 mph). The Euro 4 engine has an average fuel consumption of a frugal 8.0 litres per 100 kilometres. The extremely quick dual clutch gearbox (DSG) for uninterrupted power in gear changes is available as an option. It enables the Golf GTI to charge to 100 km/h in under 7 seconds (6.9).

 
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yea get the zoom zoom mazda3

 
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3. VW Golf GTi 1.8T

 
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Wow. I'm surprised that an old thread like this has continued for this long. We have Blackcivic03 to thank for that.

Well, my 2002 Civic has been traded in October 2004 and replaced by a leased 2005 Mazda 3 Sport GT (Winning Blue Mica):



Here are a few pictures of here: Link

Am I satisfied with it? Absolutely. Is it perfect? No, but neither was the Civic. My biggest complaint is the poor fuel economy that I'm getting, with the large 2.3L engine. As a comparison, my 3-year driving with my 1.7L VTEC Civic gave me 7.7L/100km, while this Mazda is currently averaging a 10.5L/100km (or some 25% more). But then again, the engine pulls much stronger than Civic ever could, with 0-60 in some 7.4-seconds (close to the 2000 Prelude I used to have).

My lease expires on October 2007, and by then there will be another load of cars to choose from. Maybe I'll return back to Honda with the 8th Generation? We'll see...

Take it easy, boys (and girls).

 
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i would say out of all of them, The TC is prob the best...

but your in canada right?

Take the mazda 3