this is a great forum, its been a lot of help.

ok, im looking to buy a good commute car for under 20K. styling and realiabilty are the most important factor to me. which is why im considering the TC.

went to the dealers last night and looked at the TC. my first impression was a nice side profile, sweet features, but a little pigish looking from the front. other cars that caught my eye were the Mazda 3 and the ....... Tiburon (i know, a hyundai, but it loooks sweeet and a 100k warranty.)

they each have their pros and cons, such a decision, any opinions?

 

ill put it down for the tC. my girl has an automatic and its still fun to drive. (go for a mt tho... ) but compared to the mazda 3 (which ive driven) the tC has a much larger interior, and nicer int. features.. (+ i heard it's hard to mod the stereo if you ever plan to)
when i comes to the tiburon...iono..thats not on my playing field..no real hate, but im still laughing at the old image it had....

~tesh

 

Buy a tC or I'll kill a kitten.

-Z

 

probably a lot of people on this board looked at both, and most probably chose the tC otherwise they'd be posting on a mazda board. looked at both and really liked both (the 5-door 3). In the end it came to price, the tC was thousands cheaper for a similarly equipped mazda3. plus the salesman was a douche.

pros of the tC:
price
features
torque
better radio
easier to change radio
looks (subjective)
better buying experience
no mazda3's under 19k on the lot
did I mention price yet?

pros of the 3:
interior/cargo room (5 door)
handling
higher revving engine
looks (crap, ok so I like them both)


In the end, if the mazda salesman had said "ok, I'll match the tC in features and price", it would've been a VERY HARD decision. But when his first comment implied that I couldn't afford one, and his second comment stated that they were not willing to deal, and his third comment showed he was completely ignorant of the scion line

him: so what other cars are you looking at?
me: oh, mainly the tC
him: oh, I think you'll find that this drives VERY different from that.
me: really? how so?
him: well this has 160hp...
me: um, so does the tC, and the tC has 165tq.
him: uhhhh. here are the keys. have fun.

did handle *very* well, and moved quickly when it was over 3.5k rpm, but below that it felt sluggish. in the end we opted for the tC due to price, features and ease of sale. hope this helps.

 

Tibbies are awesome. I was gonna buy the gt b4 i was gonna get my scion. Mingarage wide bodykit, and plenty of parts @ sharkracing.com. But when comparing performance numbers, options, standard features, history, and base msrp. the tC was a no brainer.

 

history of the tiburon scares me, and no ABS.

 

then ill eat it afterwards, buy the tc

 

this is from mazda 3 forums

Rytoka
Go-Kart Driver



Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 73
Location: Minnesota
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 10:14 pm Post subject:

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I had too much rattles and problems with the 3 and I had it only for like 9 months. The dealer's take FOREVER to fix the problems and sometimes they give the car back to me and says, here it's done, and it still rattles like hell. The backseat's too hard for me and my back started to hurt ever since I've gotten the car. Maybe b/c my spine is crooked in my lower back. Also, the carpet inside is really low quality. I found that out while doing my sound system. Also, I hated how my car wasn't a spin-on filter. Um. Basically it. Traded it in for a Scion TC. I am loving that car so much more. I agree it really sucks at turning, BUT doing accel. and straight line, that thing has torque! and I also think it's a better bang for the buck with all the options. Well Thats it.

 

dont buy a tiburon. its gonna give u nothing but problems, even tho it has the warranty. plus the resale values for it are really low. its between the mazda3 and the tC. they are both sweet i personally like the tC better, obviously.

 

What about a base RSX? You can get one for about $19,000.

 

but the mazda 3 has "zoom zoom zoom.."
LOL

 

I almost bought a mz3 a while back. It was a couple months before the tC was out and I needed a car. I tried to negotiate a price but never landed on a price I wanted. I visited 5 dealers and none of them could bring the price down enough for me to like it. This was also when the mz3 was recently released so that was the reason. I found out about the tC and then just waited for that to come out. I've loved it ever since. No regrets.

 

Base RSX $19,000
tC $16,500

Given that their performance are about the same, it's a no-brainer.

What is it with Mazda dealers? My reason for choosing a tC over the Mazda3 was the price and dealership experience, which was similar to the original posters.

 

yeah ive thought about getting a used 03 type S. base doesnt seem worth it.

 

My previous car was a '01 Protege which I really enjoyed, so I naturally went to the Mazda dealer to deal on a Mazda3 5-door. Dealer experience was horrible. I went with checkbook in pocket, but here's what happened:

1) Dealer's first offer was $1k *above* sticker. I raised my eyebrow and he said "hey, can't blame a guy for trying, right?" From there, I was immediately on the defensive and wouldn't give in one bit to pressure.
2) I went back and forth with a salesman for about 30 minutes. He was starting to bend and was getting closer to my target range, but I stonewalled and refused to go higher. (I was planning to give way a little bit eventually). He called in the "sales manager" who asked me to write down my "final" offer, then took the piece of paper, ripped it up, and threw it on the table.
3) I collected my things without saying a word, drove myself to the Scion dealership and plunked down my deposit for the tC.
4) Mazda salesperson called me next day, and I had the *great* satisfaction of telling him I bought elsewhere. He asked what I went with, and I told him I bought tC cause the price was right and the dealer treated me with respect.

I had my heart set on a Mazda 3, but I'm *so* glad I went with the tC.

 

mazda or toyota? its a no brainer!

 

I considered the Mazda3 based on price alone but after visiting the Scion dealership and test driving the tC (great dealership experience btw) I just couldn't get over it enough to even go visit the Mazda dealership to see the car in person. My whole family is loyal to Toyota so it wasn't a difficult choice for me.

 

I asked my Mazda dealer what the $3000 dealer adjustment price was about. He said it's there to make the car sell faster. I asked him a couple more times to make sure. He was sure...

He had little idea what comes with the car and keeps pointing out the cool gauges and he told me this car came with air-conditioning. Oh wow, air conditioning on a Mazda3 S hatch! What a bargain! </sarcasm> I tried bargaining with him and he won't budge on the $19,000 price. I asked about ABS and stuff. He asked for more money.

I told him I'll think about it and call him back. I never did.

 

I think out of brand new cars the tC is the best deal. Good price, and it's a good car for the price. Hyundai survives off their 100k mile warranty. It is the best warranty around.

 

Seeing as how performance is the only thing to consider for you, why didn't you get an SRT-4? Sure, $4k more, but the performance vs a tC is a no-brainer.

The base has its advantages.