Looking into getting new car: MazdaSpeed3 vs Civic Si sedan vs VW GTI 4dr

[tbone0217]

I am looking into getting a new car. I am not limited to these 3 choices, but these three seem to fit my needs. These are... under $25k, quick, good handling, decent gas mileage, enough room (preferably 4 doors) and reliable/fairly new (2002+)
Any thoughts or other suggestions

here is one interesting link
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=117762

let me know what you think... AND PUT WHY

[Andy_013]

SI

[blackshine007]

^^ SI's are slow without mods, MS3 FTW

[_Christian_]

MS3

[Duke E. Love]

save the money get a srt or a wrx. or spec v just my opinion

[OneSlow5pt0]

ms

[VooDooXII]

The Mazdaspeed 3 is bleeding fast...the GTi is a very adult car now. It's a great driver and has a very nicely tailored interior. Depends on how much cush you want...

[OneSlow5pt0]

MS6 would be better for a sedan.....if u need room + AWD and thier quick

[The Yousef]

depends if you want to mod it...but here is my breakdown:

mazdaspeed 3 is stupidly quick out of the box...and it's turbo and it's rather rare...the only problem is that no one (correct me if i'm wrong) can crack that bloody ECU....w/o going full stand alone ($$$)...my buddy had a Mazdaspeed Protege and the more you modify it the worst the car got without proper tuning (IE standalone)...lol

Civic SI sedan has VEETAK!!! but seriously k20 ftmfw...LSD, comfy seats, kick arse interior, looks really good...but kinda expensive for what they are (i'd get a WRX for the same amount of money) and no boost.

VW GTI is what i would i get (i almost bought the 3 door last year)...k04 turbo ftw! GIAC flash ftw! factory 18s ftw! plaid seats ftw! DSG gearbox (don't hate...that gearbox is spectacular) ftw!

[VooDooXII]

My SAAB can take Si's easy...heh.

I'd go with the Volkswagen GTi 5-door...it's solid as hell and the fit & finish on that car is tops. I think it looks best too. The Mazdaspeed is a close second though...simply because it has buckets of power.

[DarkMystic]

It's really up to you...

I was in the same situation your in, looking at these cars.

GTI= I would only get the GTI with DSG for the daily driving and smoothness, but the most expensive one with the DSG option I believe...
SI= Everyday drivability, good mileage, bi-polar(from slow to decently quick) on command
MS3= Worst mileage of the 3(not by much), most power and best handling.

Some other cars you should consider= WRX, Volvo c30, wait for new Lancer Ralliart.

Here is a dyno run on the 3 cars:
http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0610_gti_civic_mazdaspeed3_dyno/mazdaspeed_3.html


Here's just my opinion on the cars:
I hate hatches so you can guess which one I went with out of the 3 and loved the style of the SI. The MS3 comes with 4 doors and a hatch, which in my opinion made it look long, but I loved the interior of the MS3 the most. The SI interior and gauge is a "love or hate" thing. The GTI had decent interior too. I love the front end of the GTI, but hate how the rear end looks. If they offered the MS3 in sedan form, I would have probably gotten it.

Your best bet is to test drive them all! They are all pretty good cars, so you can't go wrong.

But don't expect to get the SI or GTI and have heaps of power...they are decently equipped but they're no monsters, they only have about 200HP. The MS3 is quick, but being a FWD car holds it back. I believe the WRX and MS3 have very similar 1/4 mile times.

If buying a 06 SI, make sure your dealer has reflashed you ECU for "rev-hang" issue. If buying 07 MS3 make sure you double check motor mounts at dealership(a good bit of the 07 MS3's had motor mounts breaking!)

After owning my SI for about a year I don't ever second guess my decision. But here are some things to keep in mind about the SI, long-term wise:
The interior (seats and panels) are pretty cheap in quality. The seats are made from faux suede and many have fading issues. I have my car tinted all around and only have some fading on the center armrest. The interior panels of the doors will "scuff" if you hit them with your shoes when you're getting out. They come right off with any interior cleaning product. When the engine is cold, it seems to be a little jittery

Little difference between 06, 07, and 08 years:
06 - No auto unlock for passenger when turning key to Position I from what I hear
07 - Now have VSA, now can auto unlock for passenger when turning key to Position I (again, I could be wrong), SI embroidered floormats, come with darker stock rims.
08 - Only thing I know so far is they now have tire pressure monitors.

Hope this helped and happy car hunting!

[SLo_MKIII]

this might be pushing your 25k limit a bit but 02 M3 will run u about 22-25k, u get 330hp roughly, 6MT, 18in wheels and will walk MS3 or MS6 cant go wrong imo

[tbone0217]

hey thanks for all the opinions. i think i am leaning towards the MS3 for room, speed, interior.
how easy/effective is tuning the GTI's K04 turbo for more power and what kind of effect would this have on drivability

[aemkitfox]

Si is the way to be.

Enjoy fixing either of the other cars.

If you sway towards the big H come see me at my work. We have a blue, black and the silver is on a truck.

[The Yousef]

hey thanks for all the opinions. i think i am leaning towards the MS3 for room, speed, interior.
how easy/effective is tuning the GTI's K04 turbo for more power and what kind of effect would this have on drivability

i'd jump on vwvortex.com for the best veedub advice...but GIAC from what i heard ( http://www.giacusa.com/programs.php?mpid=185 ) is the best....

[FlyingStroke240]

GIAC FTW.

see ya 240love.

[GIXXERDK]

I am looking into getting a new car. I am not limited to these 3 choices, but these three seem to fit my needs. These are... under $25k, quick, good handling, decent gas mileage, enough room (preferably 4 doors) and reliable/fairly new (2002+)
Any thoughts or other suggestions

here is one interesting link
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=117762

let me know what you think... AND PUT WHY

I'm also in the market for a car, under 25k. Maybe we can buy cars at the same place and get more discount? lol

I was hoping to find an Sti but hard to find one under 25 with decent mileage.

[tbone0217]

yea i dont think sti's are in my range...i am kinda looking for a more adult looking car anyway