Between a Honda Civic, Mazda3, Ford Focus, and Scion tc, what should I buy? Any

[jimbo72]

other suggestions? I'm leaning toward a Honda Civic and the tC, but I think the Focus will be the cheapest for my insurance. Thoughts?

[conradj213]

Stay away from the Focus for all that is good in this world, stay away from the Focus. That being said, the Mazda3 shares many of the same components as the Focus but is tuned slightly better and is almost as good as the European Focus which is by all counts a fine car, the US version sucks. I think that Honda tends to overprice the Civic so I wouldn't get it either plus people like stealing the airbags out of them by breaking into the car through the rear window.

So, I would lean towards the Mazda3 but in addition to it you should check out the Saturn Ion 2 or 3 (but not the Ion 1). My dad has an Ion 3 and it's a great car. Electric power steering (which is more responsive than hydraulic steering, you could steer the car with your pinkie finger if you wanted), the battery is contained in the trunk thereby reducing heat exposure and giving you longer battery life and then it has the dent resistant plastic body panels, I like the Saturn Ion also, so much so that it will be my next car.

One more word of wisdom, stay away from Nissan I had a bad experience with the car that I am not willing to forgive any time soon. A problem with the ECM and fuel pump took a month to fix (but I could still drive the car) and then I was rear ended by an overzealous truck driver who went on to hit four more cars. That took five weeks in the shop to get all the parts from Nissan thanks to their just in time part system. Saturn on the other hand has most parts on hand at the factory so repairs won't take nearly as long.

[Just ME]

Scion has a cool new body style and seems dependable. Don't care for the new civic body style much. I've owned a Honda Civic before and it was the most dependable car and the best mileage too!

[lucas8888]

focus would be cheaper all around cheaper for repairs

[nicajm65]

The Focus is your best choice here. Inexpensive up front, and will continue to be less expensive in the long run (insurance and maintenance). A Focus is a Focus no matter where it's from, so don't be afraid of someone else's bad experience (most likeley from lack of mainteneace). The Focus be maintained inexpensively, and there are Ford dealerships everywhere. The 3 is similar to the Ford, but why buy the 3 which costs so much more? Your other choices are too mainstream and definitely too expensive for what you get.

[hondapilot4me]

For the long term, I would probably select the Civic for its practicality. Plus you can get the Hybrid.

But a used Focus is always inexpensive and easy to operate. It's a hard choice. I would drive all 4 and see which one is your favorite.