I'm in the market for a new car and I have narrowed my list to the GTI 1.8T, Civic Si, and the Mazda3 S 5door running a distant 3rd. I'm into hatchbacks as it shows in my list.

I'm looking to spend less than 20K and I am wondering what people have paid recently for their Civic Si. I took at look at Carsdirect.com and noticed that the Si is listed at 17K and Edmunds running closer to 18K. I once heard that the Civic Si is selling below invoice due to the lack of demand. What has your experience been at the dealership?

Do I have to worry about high theft rates with the Si as compared to the previous model, as well as majority of the whole Honda scene? Is there any common issues that I should be aware of as I am a newbie to new EP3? I'm trying to gather as much information before I start heading to the dealerships to get a closer look at both cars. I'm sure everybody here loves their Honda, but perhaps somebody was in the same situation as I am and have a comment to offer.

I don't have any plans to mod either car. I already have a project car and don't need a second. Reliability is important to me and I'd like to avoid theft at all costs. I like going to the movie theaters, malls, etc w/o having to worry if my car will still be out there when I come out. I've already experienced this paranoia when I used to own an ITR and I hated it.

 

If reliabilty is in question then go with the Si. I owned a 1.8t Jetta and sold it to get the Si. I never experienced any problems with my jetta, it was an 02 and I sold it in 03 with only 8,000 miles, but almost every other person that I know that owns one has had some issue with it (1.8t). Coilpacks were a major problem with the cars and that has now been resolved, I think. The next Gen Golf will be out soon and you may be able to use that as a bargaining tool if you decide to go with the 1.8t..........very few people are fond of the new Si, only it's seats, and theft is not a major issue.

 

the mazda 3 is very nice

 

I like the vw gti mostley because its turbo.

 

I say the Si. VW's break down. The Si stock will NOT be stolen, no interest. No easy swaps etc. Even teh seats are kinda big for an eg/ek ...

Anyway, for the reliability, low profile factor, I'd get the Si. People still see mine and have no clue what it is.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by taikahn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No easy swaps etc. </TD></TR></TABLE>

the EG swap is somewhat easy with Hasport mounts, but deffinently not worth the trouble

 

no one likes the A3 when they can get an A2 lol.

 

I was looking at a mazda 3 hatch, cooper s, and the Si. The mazda 3 was almost as nice as the civic, but not as much fun. The cooper s has zero foot room where the pedals are. The clutch is in the way of the dead pedal, and the interior is cheezy. The handleing and steering gave me a boner. The Si, for me, is the best combo between fun and practical. Handles really well, is extremely quiet and smooth, and gets great gas mileage. The mazda 3 wasn't as much fun, but it did have more room. An 02 cooper s I drove had 13k on it and the dealer wanted 24k for it! The mazda was new and, if I could find one without options, would be around 17k. I went with the 02 Si with 13k. Talked the salesman down to 14200 and rode away in my new lover. Coming out of a modified 92 civic hatch, the new Si is a luxury car! I love it. Everyone I let drive it gets out of the car with a huge smile on their face! I'm also into hatchbacks, but I did consider a low mileage nissan sentra ser spec-v. Good luck with your decision.

 

I like the SI. Even if you don't want to mod the car, you still have the option, plus the 1.8t does have less of a reliability factor. Plus, it's a honda, it'll be worth more down the road. I like the interior more in the SI as well,as aposed to the 1.8t. But don't through out the mazda, it looks like a nice car. Plus, the interior resembles the RX-8. Same steering wheel, similar dash. But, check out insurrance rates. If the mazda costs less than the SI and is less on insurrance I'd go with the mazda. Money shouldn't be the bottom line though. At the end of the day, which makes you more happy. Do as much homework as you can, test drive both back to back.

 

Just because you mentioned reliability i would not get the VW. I would go with either the Mazda or Si. Since the Mazda is so new i havnt had a chance to check it out yet. It looks like a very nice car though and even the car its replacing (Protege 5) was a good car, although a little underpowered. The Si is a honda, nuff said i think. Nobody does small cars better then Honda. Its all around great, handling, practicality, fun, and mpg. The only thing going against the Si would be the fact that it is a 2 dr and insurance will be more then it would be for the Mazda. Like allmotor said test drive the Si, then the Mazda, then drive them both again if you still have the slightest doubt. I ticked off many salesmen before i got my Dc5. Shopped for a year and test drove about 10 different cars, each one like twice. I picked the Honda Goodluck

 

I was considering the Mazda 3 5 door and the SI as well, and I experienced a weird phenominon in the Mazda. My shoe kept getting stuck between the brake pedal and the side of the console. It was pretty dangerous. Not only that, but the salesman would only go down to $19,700 on it, because it had leather. I drove the SI and at first was skeptical because I'm 6 foot 3 and thought I wouldn't fit, but it has the same leg room as the 3 and no problems with the pedals. I ended up getting the SI in black for $16,900. I love it so much. Great car, reminds me a lot of my old 1988 CRX SI. I just ordered a Neuspeed P-Flo for it and can't wait to get it. Stock it still has plenty of punch, but I have to go aftermarket. The shifter is amazing, nice and smooth, and the interior is top notch. I know someone who just shopped for one and paid $18,500, so shop around. I got it in Febuary when the prices were low. I also painted the calipers with cermic duplicolor red paint and with the black body and red accents it looks awesome. If you want reliability and performance, plus 28-30 miles per gallon on 87 octane, go with the SI....can't beat it!

 

Forgot to mention I also put in an S2000 engine start button where the dummy cover is next to the shifter, and moved the hazard button to the other side. It fits perfect and my local stereo place did it for $75! It's suttle, but great looking, and fun to start the car with! I have picts posted on http://www.hondacivicforum.com if you want to take a look. I don't know if it's bad to mention another forum, hope not...we're all friends, right?!

 

http://www.hondacivicforum.com/tm.asp?m=5

 

buy the Gti 1.8t , there are numerous upgrades that wont cost u much that will make u go fast , as for reliablilty , it is nothing of a honda , but it is definately not a big deal at all , nothing major

 

u can buy my si

see sig

 

a colleague of mine recently traded in his 1.8t because after one year, he was having all sorts of reliability (electronics), and fit/finish problems. the vw dealer was also a Mazda dealer so he ended up picking a mazda 3. just a thought.

 

i don't know much about Honda's or Mazda's but i know that a 1.8t is very cheap to make fast due to the fact that it comes with a turbo from the factory. but if you plan on modding it say good by to your warranty, VW dealerships can be real strict about this. as for reliability, like other people said, the Honda will probably out last both.

If i were u i would go with the gti, just b/c i love VWs

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by foolery &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i don't know much about Honda's or Mazda's but i know that a 1.8t is very cheap to make fast due to the fact that it comes with a turbo from the factory. but if you plan on modding it say good by to your warranty, VW dealerships can be real strict about this. as for reliability, like other people said, the Honda will probably out last both.

If i were u i would go with the gti, just b/c i love VWs</TD></TR></TABLE>

The cars are garbage even before you mod them. After modding and without a warranty, you're driving a time bomb. For the same price, you could buy an EP3 and drop in a K20A and blow the doors off of any 1.8t. Even without the Honda warranty you'd still have less to worry about than a stock VW with its warranty.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jimmyjames &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The cars are garbage even before you mod them. After modding and without a warranty, you're driving a time bomb. For the same price, you could buy an EP3 and drop in a K20A and blow the doors off of any 1.8t. Even without the Honda warranty you'd still have less to worry about than a stock VW with its warranty.</TD></TR></TABLE>

What he said

 

Any car can be prone to theft, stock or not, it all depends if at that time if someone wants it. Which of the cars is most easily accessible? Which has the highest theft rate? Do your research.

As far as reliability is concerned, lets take into consideration all the cars have the same reliability. Which of the cars parts are the most costly to replace/fix? From my standpoint it's probably going to be the Honda, Mazda, then the Volkswagen.

Obviously, you have internet, check for recalls on the three cars for questions as to whether this car's fault has already been taken care of. From their take each car for a spin and make a decision the next day after weighing all the pros and cons.

Good luck

 

VWs are infact known for their electronics problems. Most German cars have electronic problems...go figure.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">VWs are infact known for their electronics problems. Most German cars have electronic problems...go figure.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Trust me, I know. My old roommate's less than a year old Volkswagen Golf caught on fire on the way back from Tampa. He had a number of problems prior to this, the disaster was deemed to be electrical and the car later deemed a lemon.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jimmyjames &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

The cars are garbage even before you mod them. After modding and without a warranty, you're driving a time bomb. For the same price, you could buy an EP3 and drop in a K20A and blow the doors off of any 1.8t. Even without the Honda warranty you'd still have less to worry about than a stock VW with its warranty.</TD></TR></TABLE>

...and if you don't want to go the whole transplant route, you can slap on a Jackson Racing supercharger and get the same power for about the same price, if not less...$2,700 for the supercharger. I say go for the SI, screw the common GTI that you see twenty times a day. The EP3's are unique and a true sleeper if you put some aftermarket parts in it.

 

That's the thing, I don't ever plan on modifying this car, be it the Si or GTI. I already have a project car and I cannot afford to have a second nor the potential of having both cars down. So the thoughts of modding either car are quite entertaining and interesting, but its something I am completely removed from at the moment.

The past problems of the GTI scares me a bit. I'm not interested in spending anymore time at the dealership waiting for warranty service. But I really like the thoughts of having leather and stock turbo. But the Si is priced much better and is more of a return to roots for me. I'm really caught in the middle and jumping from ship to ship on which car I like more. The only solution for me right now is to spend a lot of time at the dealership.

 

My buddy has the 20th (25th? 30th?) anniversary GTi, it's nice. He hasn't had any problems with it at all and I haven't heard any major VW complaints with some of the later models on any other boards I'm on.

That said, for the $15-16K you can get an Si for, that's hard to turn down. It's not fast in stock form, but it's still fun to drive, sporty, decent looking (interior and exterior) and resourceful (I've fit a ton of crap in my hatch).
That said, you've got the right idea in just test driving them and seeing which one you like more.