Opinions on these 3 cars..
Discussion
PH'ers,
Long have i been searching for a car i actually 'want' as opposed to one to do just a job.
I've had 2 cars since passing my test a couple of years ago (although i am 25) i had motorbikes etc, hence never learning to drive.
My first car was a Punto, my second & current one a 1.6 04 Scenic, so as you can see, my car history is s
te.
Having 2 years NCB limits me somewhat & my only real stipulation was i wanted something smaller than the Scenic, but it had to be 'warm' (by my comparisons to what car's i've already had) & that it has 5 seats.
I don't have a massive amount of £££ to spend & have been forever searching for something i just 'like'!
Civic Type R & Mazada 3 MPS & Focus ST were top of my list but due to the fact the CTR has 4 seats & the insurance costs for all 3 are too high has written those off, so i've gone for their 'little brothers'
Honda Civic Type S 2.0L V-Tec-05 plate,58,000 miles, 37MPG combined, £215 tax, £4295 purchase price.
Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
Mazda 3 2.0L Sport- 05 plate, 58,000 miles, 34MPG combined, £250 tax, £4250 purchase price.
Pro's - Nice spec & interior, Boase sound system etc, chain as opposed to belt.
Cons-Mazda's just seem like you get a lot of car for the money? Is there a reason for this a nobody i know has any experiences of Mazda.
Ford Fiesta ST-05 plate, 58,000 miles, 38MPG combined, £215 tax, £4495 purchase price.
Pro's - On paper it's the fastest, half leathers, best MPG.
Cons - It only has 3 doors & is belt as opposed to chain, slightly higher insurance
All are around the same money to insure & tax, return similar MPG & going via online reviews all seem to have pretty decent reviews.
I like them all equally, they'd more than likely be bought from a dealer as those are the prices i'm working on!
I'm however looking at a PH point of view, do you own any of the above, have experiences of any of the above & can you recommend any of the above!
Long have i been searching for a car i actually 'want' as opposed to one to do just a job.
I've had 2 cars since passing my test a couple of years ago (although i am 25) i had motorbikes etc, hence never learning to drive.
My first car was a Punto, my second & current one a 1.6 04 Scenic, so as you can see, my car history is s
te.Having 2 years NCB limits me somewhat & my only real stipulation was i wanted something smaller than the Scenic, but it had to be 'warm' (by my comparisons to what car's i've already had) & that it has 5 seats.
I don't have a massive amount of £££ to spend & have been forever searching for something i just 'like'!
Civic Type R & Mazada 3 MPS & Focus ST were top of my list but due to the fact the CTR has 4 seats & the insurance costs for all 3 are too high has written those off, so i've gone for their 'little brothers'
Honda Civic Type S 2.0L V-Tec-05 plate,58,000 miles, 37MPG combined, £215 tax, £4295 purchase price.
Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
Mazda 3 2.0L Sport- 05 plate, 58,000 miles, 34MPG combined, £250 tax, £4250 purchase price.
Pro's - Nice spec & interior, Boase sound system etc, chain as opposed to belt.
Cons-Mazda's just seem like you get a lot of car for the money? Is there a reason for this a nobody i know has any experiences of Mazda.
Ford Fiesta ST-05 plate, 58,000 miles, 38MPG combined, £215 tax, £4495 purchase price.
Pro's - On paper it's the fastest, half leathers, best MPG.
Cons - It only has 3 doors & is belt as opposed to chain, slightly higher insurance
All are around the same money to insure & tax, return similar MPG & going via online reviews all seem to have pretty decent reviews.
I like them all equally, they'd more than likely be bought from a dealer as those are the prices i'm working on!
I'm however looking at a PH point of view, do you own any of the above, have experiences of any of the above & can you recommend any of the above!
Well for starters the Fiesta ST will not do 38mpg unless you drive it like a bog standard 1.2 Fiesta, rather defeating the object.
Secondly, dont be put off by the belt driven engine. Plenty of people think 'chain driven' makes it super dooper reliable and flawless in every way, where as belt driven is like trusting your Mrs' knickers to power your engine but its all bks frankly.
Secondly, dont be put off by the belt driven engine. Plenty of people think 'chain driven' makes it super dooper reliable and flawless in every way, where as belt driven is like trusting your Mrs' knickers to power your engine but its all b
ks frankly.Definitely the Mazda, Ive driven all 3 and out of them the 3mps was the best drive and had really good equiptmemt without having to splurge on the options list imo. Bose stereo is nice too
ETA: didnt notice its not the 3MPS your going for so probably the focus for cheap parts and ease of maintainence.
ETA: didnt notice its not the 3MPS your going for so probably the focus for cheap parts and ease of maintainence.
Edited by Decky_Q on Tuesday 3rd April 17:04
I've had a Mazda 5 and while it's a very very good MPV, the engine (1.8) wasn't very exciting or aural though I've no experience of the 2.0
I like the Fiesta as it has a heated front screen but again the 2.0 engine which is also fitted to my 09 Mondeo, is a little unpersonable in the character/aural nature which may have contributed to it's perception as being a bit bland.
Can't comment on the Type S as I've only had the R on which the gearchange was sublime. Bit under-specced and basic in R form but I loved the engine. Assuming the S has the same shift and 8000rpm redline, I'd be calling there first but I think you need to drive all 3.
I like the Fiesta as it has a heated front screen but again the 2.0 engine which is also fitted to my 09 Mondeo, is a little unpersonable in the character/aural nature which may have contributed to it's perception as being a bit bland.
Can't comment on the Type S as I've only had the R on which the gearchange was sublime. Bit under-specced and basic in R form but I loved the engine. Assuming the S has the same shift and 8000rpm redline, I'd be calling there first but I think you need to drive all 3.
I passed my test after uni, so I was in a similar situation to the OP.
I opted for a BMW 316i and I LOVED it. It drove me 70,000 happy miles without any issues. It was "slow" (not actually that slow, but no performance car), but it drove so smoothly and had such good handling for what it was that I just loved it.
As a result, I have a soft spot for a bottom of the range beemer to this day.
I opted for a BMW 316i and I LOVED it. It drove me 70,000 happy miles without any issues. It was "slow" (not actually that slow, but no performance car), but it drove so smoothly and had such good handling for what it was that I just loved it.
As a result, I have a soft spot for a bottom of the range beemer to this day.
Edited by fozzymandeus on Tuesday 3rd April 17:37
Beemers had crossed my mind, but a friend of mine just got himself a 318 coupe & he said he rues the day when he did'nt get the 6 pot (coming from a 182) he's regretted it ever since, i'm trying to steer clear of the BMW route as i feel they're extremely bland!
Drive wise which would be better of the mazda 3/Type S/ST?
90% of driving is town, DC & fast A-roads/ very rarely do i venture to the M-Way!
Drive wise which would be better of the mazda 3/Type S/ST?
90% of driving is town, DC & fast A-roads/ very rarely do i venture to the M-Way!
lawrence567 said:
PH'ers,
Long have i been searching for a car i actually 'want' as opposed to one to do just a job.
I've had 2 cars since passing my test a couple of years ago (although i am 25) i had motorbikes etc, hence never learning to drive.
My first car was a Punto, my second & current one a 1.6 04 Scenic, so as you can see, my car history is ste.
Having 2 years NCB limits me somewhat & my only real stipulation was i wanted something smaller than the Scenic, but it had to be 'warm' (by my comparisons to what car's i've already had) & that it has 5 seats.
I don't have a massive amount of £££ to spend & have been forever searching for something i just 'like'!
Civic Type R & Mazada 3 MPS & Focus ST were top of my list but due to the fact the CTR has 4 seats & the insurance costs for all 3 are too high has written those off, so i've gone for their 'little brothers'
Honda Civic Type S 2.0L V-Tec-05 plate,58,000 miles, 37MPG combined, £215 tax, £4295 purchase price.
Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
Mazda 3 2.0L Sport- 05 plate, 58,000 miles, 34MPG combined, £250 tax, £4250 purchase price.
Pro's - Nice spec & interior, Boase sound system etc, chain as opposed to belt.
Cons-Mazda's just seem like you get a lot of car for the money? Is there a reason for this a nobody i know has any experiences of Mazda.
Ford Fiesta ST-05 plate, 58,000 miles, 38MPG combined, £215 tax, £4495 purchase price.
Pro's - On paper it's the fastest, half leathers, best MPG.
Cons - It only has 3 doors & is belt as opposed to chain, slightly higher insurance
All are around the same money to insure & tax, return similar MPG & going via online reviews all seem to have pretty decent reviews.
I like them all equally, they'd more than likely be bought from a dealer as those are the prices i'm working on!
I'm however looking at a PH point of view, do you own any of the above, have experiences of any of the above & can you recommend any of the above!
Just curious, you start by talking about finding a car you really "want". Do you really want a normal hatchback?Long have i been searching for a car i actually 'want' as opposed to one to do just a job.
I've had 2 cars since passing my test a couple of years ago (although i am 25) i had motorbikes etc, hence never learning to drive.
My first car was a Punto, my second & current one a 1.6 04 Scenic, so as you can see, my car history is s
te.Having 2 years NCB limits me somewhat & my only real stipulation was i wanted something smaller than the Scenic, but it had to be 'warm' (by my comparisons to what car's i've already had) & that it has 5 seats.
I don't have a massive amount of £££ to spend & have been forever searching for something i just 'like'!
Civic Type R & Mazada 3 MPS & Focus ST were top of my list but due to the fact the CTR has 4 seats & the insurance costs for all 3 are too high has written those off, so i've gone for their 'little brothers'
Honda Civic Type S 2.0L V-Tec-05 plate,58,000 miles, 37MPG combined, £215 tax, £4295 purchase price.
Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
Mazda 3 2.0L Sport- 05 plate, 58,000 miles, 34MPG combined, £250 tax, £4250 purchase price.
Pro's - Nice spec & interior, Boase sound system etc, chain as opposed to belt.
Cons-Mazda's just seem like you get a lot of car for the money? Is there a reason for this a nobody i know has any experiences of Mazda.
Ford Fiesta ST-05 plate, 58,000 miles, 38MPG combined, £215 tax, £4495 purchase price.
Pro's - On paper it's the fastest, half leathers, best MPG.
Cons - It only has 3 doors & is belt as opposed to chain, slightly higher insurance
All are around the same money to insure & tax, return similar MPG & going via online reviews all seem to have pretty decent reviews.
I like them all equally, they'd more than likely be bought from a dealer as those are the prices i'm working on!
I'm however looking at a PH point of view, do you own any of the above, have experiences of any of the above & can you recommend any of the above!
I'm not trying to be funny, but the prime reason for a hatchback is it's packaging as a good family or city car. Ok there are some fast and fun models, but they are usually the exception and still have a compromised design.
So my question is, do you really need a family car like a Civic or Mazda 3 or a compact family car/city car like a Fiesta?
There are so many great cars out there, but I don't see any of these as "want" cars, just a compromise as you wanted something else but needed the practicality.
300bhp/ton said:
Just curious, you start by talking about finding a car you really "want". Do you really want a normal hatchback?
I'm not trying to be funny, but the prime reason for a hatchback is it's packaging as a good family or city car. Ok there are some fast and fun models, but they are usually the exception and still have a compromised design.
So my question is, do you really need a family car like a Civic or Mazda 3 or a compact family car/city car like a Fiesta?
There are so many great cars out there, but I don't see any of these as "want" cars, just a compromise as you wanted something else but needed the practicality.
I have an 18 month old, who i pick up on weekends, i also work weekends which means i have to lug turntables etc about & i also give friends a lift so a 5 seater is a must, if not my choice would be a whole lot easier, unfortunately i have to take into account a little bit of practicality, coupled with purchase cost + insurance & what i 'like' brings me to the 3 choices above!I'm not trying to be funny, but the prime reason for a hatchback is it's packaging as a good family or city car. Ok there are some fast and fun models, but they are usually the exception and still have a compromised design.
So my question is, do you really need a family car like a Civic or Mazda 3 or a compact family car/city car like a Fiesta?
There are so many great cars out there, but I don't see any of these as "want" cars, just a compromise as you wanted something else but needed the practicality.
lawrence567 said:
I have an 18 month old, who i pick up on weekends, i also work weekends which means i have to lug turntables etc about & i also give friends a lift so a 5 seater is a must, if not my choice would be a whole lot easier, unfortunately i have to take into account a little bit of practicality, coupled with purchase cost + insurance & what i 'like' brings me to the 3 choices above!
Nah that's cool. Just thought I'd ask as so many don't. 
Guess it comes down to what you want. The Fiesta will likely be the most fun, but there's a trade off in size compared to the others.
But I guess it comes down to what you are after, if you want pace and don't mind compromising space then maybe a coupe of some kind mind be an option (Celica) as they can still be quite practical.
There's also bigger cars like X-Types and Audi A6's that could offer better hauling ability and in some case still not a bad drive.
lawrence567 said:
Honda Civic Type S 2.0L V-Tec-05 plate,58,000 miles, 37MPG combined, £215 tax, £4295 purchase price.
Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
The EP3 Type S is an excellent choice. Never mind the "poor mans Type R" image - it's still reasonably quick with 160bhp, and the reliability and practicality are excellent.Pro's-Nice spec with half leathers, Honda reliability.
Cons-It's perceived as the poor mans 'R'
Have you considered an MG ZS with the V6 engine? They made them up until 2005. Likely much cheaper than the other '05 cars you are considering. Old chassis, but was highly rated at the time, IIRC.
Or if you don't do many miles and mpg isn't a big deal, how about an RX8??
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