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im shoppin for a new car...i got the choices down to 2...si(ex) or p5...now im in trouble...couldn't decide between those 2....plz list some pros and cons and suggestions to help me out!

i can probably get the si for $22300 w/o GST and p5 for about $23200 w/o GST....all loaded...automatic btw
THANX!

 
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those prices r in CAN

 
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i suggest u get the Veloz Si (with body kit and stuff), personally, i think the Si looks better than the p5, and for sure the si is faster than the p5, have a little better milage than the p5, and aftermarket parts are much more than that of a mazda, plus you'll end up spending more to maintain a mazda than a honda

 
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It really depends there. I love the P5 but the Si is more sportier. Which one would you rather have? The honda will be a lot easier to customize than the P5. I wished I waited when I bought my civic.

 
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lets not worry about mods for now....i've heard that the new gen civic has many quality issues...thats my main concern...also the civic interior is kinda plain....p5 definitely has the look

 
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Hey I was in the same situation like you too!
My girlfriend has a Civic so I got a better conclusion to which to buy.
I found that the Civic was more smoother and engine noise was lower when I floored it. The transmission was a lot smoother on the Civic.
They both have about the same horse power but the Civic seemed to pick up better. The P5 handles better than the Civic. The P5's interior I found was nicer than the Civic in my opinion. The P5 has a annoying windy noise when you drive on the highway. I also went to the mazda forums and looked around. The owners say that the most annoying thing they noticed about their P5 was the wind noise, and the vibration from the engine in the mornings when they start the car cold. After the car warms it tends to not vibrate. Another thing that got me away from the P5 was that a "few" of the owners said they had a oil leaking problem. As of current the P5 is made in Japan.

 
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Well, the P5 definitly is loaded, it doesn't really need to be modded. If you get a P5, you'll have a 4-door. Check out the differance in insurance for both. Also, if you plan on hauling more than 2 people, I'd stick with the P5. The civic doesn't have a large enough back seat!

 
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i dont know any quality issues with the civic, got my Si last july, nothing to fix except oil change

 
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If u're going for auto , go for the P5, someone said the Si is faster, well i wouldn't agree with that completely. P5 althought weighs a little more, has 130 HP and 135 Lbs of torque. Gas milage is better on the P5, and it was voted economy car of the year.

As far as aftermarket parts go, someone said there's no parts for mazda? You're wrong, there's already many turbo kits being built for the 2.0 L engine, as well as more choices of intakes, exhaust and aftermarket parts. All the japanese aftermarket protege parts fit the Canadian / US P5.

Quality: P5 is 100% made in Japan with no recalls whatsoever. Many quality issues with 2k1/2k2 civics, as i did own one. And there were 2 recalls for the 7th gen civics regarding the fuel connector.

P5 auto has sport shift, Civic doesn't.

Take u're pick. P5 comes with nice stock 16" rims and the interior IMO is a LOT nicer with white gauges and faux carbon fibre dash trim.

Handling: Stock P5 can out handle the 7th gen civic stock, any trim. The handling is so nice on the P5, and the steering is a lot nicer.

Edit: Dealer will install aftermarket intake/exhaust and they garantee it won't void the warranty. Can't say that about Honda tho. Mazda has it's own Mazaspeed aftermarket parts, which they will install and won't void warranty. They're also making a turbo kit when the 2003 Protege comes out, which will fit perfectly on the P5.


[IMG]http--www.7thgencivic.com-forum-attachments-02protege5.jpg[/IMG]

 
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Yup, what zero said. P5 has a larger, more torquey engine, and a bit more hp (130 vs. 127), but it is louder and noisier than the EX, and does not sound as smooth as the VTEC engine. Also, all of Mazda's 2.0 DOHC engines seem to have this valve chatter problem when it's cold. Smoothness and operation of the shifter and clutch on the Civic is probably the best in its class, by far. Much better gas mileage and better safety tests on the Civic too.

Pluses for the P5: 4 wheel disc brakes, fogs, 16" alloys, much better stock tires. Better overall handling and suspension too.

Also: those prices you quoted are MSRP. For sure you will be paying less than that. And I think right now you can talk the price of the Civic down quite a bit more compared to the P5. So another plus for the Civic: lower price.

And: Coupe vs. hatchback : 2 very different styles. Really depends on what you need.

edit: there was another guy here before tyring to make the same decision... I'll try and find those posts for ya.

 
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thanx for the replies....its 3(civic) vs 2(p5) so far....wel that doesn't really mean anything

could u compare the qualities...like suspension..transmission comparison...etc

 
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those prices r pretty much the lowest i can get....maybe 1 or 2 hundreds less and thats about it

 
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Ronin has a good point about the engine being noisy, but all that needs is a minute or 2 in the morning or when u start the car. It's good to warm up any car IMO. After that the engine is very quiet. Wind noise can be eliminated by taking off the roof rack strips. Very easy to do. Price: You can definately bargain a lot more. I didn't have to pay PDI or frieght and with just the TAx on top came to 21350 fully loaded, so talk to a good dealer. Again, go to a dealer near the end of the month , at 4:50 PM before they close, and they'll be desparate to make a sale.

Mileage, hard to say which is better, i can get over 500 Km on one tank. About the same on my Civic too, but then again i boost my engine since i go on the highway a lot.

 
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<< thanx for the replies....its 3(civic) vs 2(p5) so far....wel that doesn't really mean anything

could u compare the qualities...like suspension..transmission comparison...etc >>



suspension / handling is a lot better on the P5 as well as nicer stock tires.
Transmission, well haven't had my car long enuf, but the P5 comes with a sport shifter, if you knowwhat i mean. I 'm a member on 3 protege 5 forums and haven't found any transmission problems. Again, the civic, made in US/Canada, P5 made in JAPAN.

 
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BTW, some other guy was here a few weeks ago (Kenji, I think), who was trying to make the exact same decision as you. He finally went with the Civic.

Here, I found his posts:
link
link

 
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I said it would be easier to modify a civic. I know there is Mazdaspeed and such but a lot of north american aftermarket part makers prefer civics. As for gas mileage, I get over 500km for a tank of gas driving in the city. I think the record I've seen was 570km on a tank(running on fumes!). A honda is still built well despite being built in US/Canada. It's all in how it's assembled! I have had my civic for over a year now and so far I've only been annoyed with 2 things, rear deck rattle and the crap stock tires they include! If you want a sports car, go with a civic.

 
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<< I said it would be easier to modify a civic. I know there is Mazdaspeed and such but a lot of north american aftermarket part makers prefer civics. As for gas mileage, I get over 500km for a tank of gas driving in the city. I think the record I've seen was 570km on a tank(running on fumes!). A honda is still built well despite being built in US/Canada. It's all in how it's assembled! I have had my civic for over a year now and so far I've only been annoyed with 2 things, rear deck rattle and the crap stock tires they include! If you want a sports car, go with a civic. >>




Civic != Sports Car.
Sports Car = Ferrari, Porche, etc...

 
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Noodleboy,

I'm refering to what I can buy! I think a civic is more like a sports car than a Z24 cavalier, a protege 5, etc. Do you consider an integra type R a sports car? How about a SiR? The new RSX-R can do 0-60 under 6 seconds. That is sports car territory.

 
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<< thanx for the replies....its 3(civic) vs 2(p5) so far....wel that doesn't really mean anything

could u compare the qualities...like suspension..transmission comparison...etc >>


Well, really the best way for you decide on the handling and suspension is to test drive both. Have you done that yet?

And I agree with noodleboy: the Civic is NOT a sports car !

 
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test drove 4 times for each car lol...imo civic has better suspension and transmission...and there r ppl sayin the opposite....but u know...p5 is actually ranked pretty high up by those car reviewers

 
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Ya do what Ronin said, go test drive it. It is after all, you're money, and i think no matter who tells you what, your gut feeling on what car to get is the right one.

But here's a post from the RSX forum....


"Everyone who says it's underpowered is right, especially compared to the RSX, but do go underestimating the car. The handling is incredible, and the MP5 (similar to MP3) has been put in lists with vettes, ferraris and other big name sports cars. (The RSX was not in those lists)

the MP5 has a lot of room inside, it's very comfortable, and the aftermarket is starting to pick up (thanks in part to the efforts of the toronto protege club(www.toprotege.com).

If you want a sports car, stick with the RSX, but if you want a nice comfortable ride great handling, and pretty good on the fuel, the MP5 is a great deal (at 23k loaded, how can you go wrong)."

Edit: Car and Driver voted the Mp5 #1 out of all over new 5 door hatches which included.:
Pontiac Vibe
Suzuki Aerio (sp)
Toyota Matrix
Ford Focus
Chrysler PT Cruiser

 
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<< test drove 4 times for each car lol...imo civic has better suspension and transmission...and there r ppl sayin the opposite....but u know...p5 is actually ranked pretty high up by those car reviewers >>


Well, I know about those P5 reviews too. But what someone likes about a car may not be what you prefer, just like what you're proving to yourself right now. It may be that you prefer something with more of a plush ride, and a more comfortable highway cruiser, like the Civic.

Same thing with transmissions. Most people will tell you to get 5 speed for any car, cuz it give you more control and power, but not everybody likes the hassle of manual shifting, like yourself. And so you go with automatic. Nothing wrong with that.

For sure, you should look at all the reviews for both cars, but that doesn't mean you have to agree with all of them. Make your decision based on what you really prefer... that way, you won't have any regrets later on

 
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so hard....

 
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<< [i]

<< Make your decision based on what you really prefer... that way, you won't have any regrets later on >>




Yes, what he said!

 
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It is a hard decision. Is money an issue? How about insurance costs? How many passengers are you going to be taking on a regular basis?

 
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I forgot an important part, insurance. My P5's insurance was $200 Cheaper than my 2k1 Civic.

 
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I get a lot of police attention in my car now since I've added rims and an exhaust. Would I get that in a P5? Would you run into the same rednecks in pickup trucks everyday that like to pick on civics? Edmonton is really bad for that! I should know, I get picked on all the time.

 
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money was the only reason I picked my 2k2 EX coupe over a 2k2 P5. my coupe was $3000 (USD) cheaper than a P5 with the same features, and IMO the P5 interior looks extremely cheap compared to the Civic EX. It's definitely a nice car, though. My friend was dissapointed when we couldn't be car brothers [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

 
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And if you're worried about the reliability of the Civic, the 2003 models should be out towards the beginning of Fall, and they should be even better than the 2002's, which were better than the 2001's. I have a 2001, which was supposed to the the most problematic year, but aside from 1 leaking strut and a few rattles (which were all fixed by the dealer), it has been very good to me, even through the harsh winter here in Ottawa. It was the easiest winter I've ever had in terms of car ownership. Parked outside, never plugged it in or anything, and always got split second startup in the mornings... it was awesome.

 
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You must have a gut feeling as to which one that you want. I think you know which one you want. If you don't, just make damn sure before you sign the dotted line. It sucks when you buy a car and wished you would have gotten something else a few months later.