Normally I'd slide this into an advice forum, but seeing as we don't have one on the V2 forum (Which I don't blame them for, the V1 advice forum was dead), I thought I'd try my luck in Off-Topic.
Within the next few months I'm going to be getting an upgrade from my current car, a 2000 Honda Civic, to something newer, around the 2010-2014 range. I've done a lot of research and I've narrowed down my choices to a few specific models and years. One would think I'd have an answer by now considering I've exhausted online reviews and opinions. However, I still don't have a solid idea of what might be a good choice. My options are:
2010-2011 Honda Civic
2011-2013 Mazda 3
2010-2014 Toyota Corolla
It's a narrow list, but I am firmly placed in the interest of Japanese make cars, no European or Domestics. I just drive around town, to and from the city nearby, and not much else. I'm not transporting stuff, moving people, or anything like that. It's just for me. The Corolla would be the ideal choice if I'm looking for reliability. The problem is that since they hold their value so much better, they often scrape the high end of what I might wanna spend (Around 11k Canadian all-in preferably, but I'd like to spend less than that if I can). I like all 3 of them for different reasons.
Here's the real part of the debate here. What has me sketched is opinions around the 8th gen Honda Civic and the 2nd gen Mazda 3, as they seem rather divided. Mazda has shot up in reliability ratings and Honda has dropped, but my mechanic I've been going to for the past 6 years says the Mazda 3 (And Mazda in general) are built like crap, and his workers and my neighbour who does his own repairs agree. My mechanic suggested the Civic, but I've also heard equally opinionated things on those. It has me rather confused, which is why I want to hear from anyone here who knows these cars, either mechanically, or just in general based on your own experiences.
I know if I'm looking for pure reliability, the Corolla is the best choice. However, I don't want it to be the only choice. So, this is more or less a question if the other 2 options are even remotely worth considering still. Again, I am not looking into any cars beyond these 3 choices. I've driven enough cars to know I prefer these best, especially considering their reputation among their peers like the Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Sentra.
Anything anyone has to add, I'd greatly appreciate the help! I can also go into more detail as well if requested
Within the next few months I'm going to be getting an upgrade from my current car, a 2000 Honda Civic, to something newer, around the 2010-2014 range. I've done a lot of research and I've narrowed down my choices to a few specific models and years. One would think I'd have an answer by now considering I've exhausted online reviews and opinions. However, I still don't have a solid idea of what might be a good choice. My options are:
2010-2011 Honda Civic
2011-2013 Mazda 3
2010-2014 Toyota Corolla
It's a narrow list, but I am firmly placed in the interest of Japanese make cars, no European or Domestics. I just drive around town, to and from the city nearby, and not much else. I'm not transporting stuff, moving people, or anything like that. It's just for me. The Corolla would be the ideal choice if I'm looking for reliability. The problem is that since they hold their value so much better, they often scrape the high end of what I might wanna spend (Around 11k Canadian all-in preferably, but I'd like to spend less than that if I can). I like all 3 of them for different reasons.
Here's the real part of the debate here. What has me sketched is opinions around the 8th gen Honda Civic and the 2nd gen Mazda 3, as they seem rather divided. Mazda has shot up in reliability ratings and Honda has dropped, but my mechanic I've been going to for the past 6 years says the Mazda 3 (And Mazda in general) are built like crap, and his workers and my neighbour who does his own repairs agree. My mechanic suggested the Civic, but I've also heard equally opinionated things on those. It has me rather confused, which is why I want to hear from anyone here who knows these cars, either mechanically, or just in general based on your own experiences.
I know if I'm looking for pure reliability, the Corolla is the best choice. However, I don't want it to be the only choice. So, this is more or less a question if the other 2 options are even remotely worth considering still. Again, I am not looking into any cars beyond these 3 choices. I've driven enough cars to know I prefer these best, especially considering their reputation among their peers like the Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Sentra.
Anything anyone has to add, I'd greatly appreciate the help! I can also go into more detail as well if requested