CIVIC, LANCER, MAZDA 3 - all 2004 which is best

Question

im loooking to buy a used car 2004 either civic, lancer or mazda 3 and i have no clue which one isthe best.. i dont' really care about putting on after performance parts and stuff like that, i just want a car that will last over 200 000 km with the least amount of troubles

Answer 1

I'd also have to say either the civic or mazda 3. In terms of reliability, they are probably your best best. If the mazda 3 you're looking at is the hatch, then that would be more practical than the civic.

Answer 2

If you want the least troubles then i guess the civic. However i own a 350Z and personally even i see a Mazda 3 sometimes and think "d**n that is a s**y 4-door" haha

Answer 3

civics are most reliable and mazda is a close second. performance wise it goes mazda 3 honda civic then a lancer. the old lancers are reliable but bland cars the knew ones are much better. i would go with the mazda hands down but that is just for performance mazda and honda are almost a tie though

Answer 4

I'd say:

1) Mazda 3

2) Lancer

3) Civic

Usually Civics are good quality although mine cost me $2,500 to fix a bung CPU just out of warranty :(. How dodgy is that?

Answer 5

All three are good choices in used cars.  For style and drive-ability I would rank them as follows; Mazda 3, Civic, Lancer.  For reliability; Civic, Mazda 3, Lancer.  It will depend on your personal preference and price.  There isn't much of a gap in reliability between the Civic and Mazda 3, but there is a huge drop off when it comes to the Lancer.  Good luck.  Check out KBB.com to get more info.  You may also want to join a forum to learn more about each car.  Try mazda3club.com