Hi everyone. I am a long time visotor but first time poster. I really would like some help deciding which car I should get between a tC and a Mazda3. I was really into the 3 until I saw the tC and its pricetag. Afterwards, I couldn't think of any other car other than the tC but after seeing some nice Mazda3 5doors on the road and one at my church, I am having mixed feelings. All the reviews I read have pretty much say the same thing for both cars. I think I am biased because I am leaning towards a pure import vs a car that has some ford parts in it. However, I have read a lot of topics talking about all the problems that the tC has because it is a new car after all. I really dont know, both cars look good imo and after pricing them, they come out to pretty much the same price. Can you guys please help me out. I am sorry if there was a similar post.

 

get the tC...enough said...lock the thread...

 

it was a toss up between the 3 and the tC. Both cars are well made, handle well for their class, and are peppy. After test driving the tC it was my choice though. Slightly cheaper, more options.. and I don't need 4 doors.

The tC's most common problem is a hatch rattle, which at least in my case is hardly noticeable (although there). From what I hear, mazda 3 is having some serious issues with a/c and rattles. But, all heresay, as with all on the internet. But my choice would most definately be the tC. Then again, you could probably get a mazda 3 below invoice now that demand is down (and it's no longer buy-a-car season for dealers)

 

its a simple choice of 4 door vs 2 door, reliability vs nicer interior, styling vs styling

everything else is about the same.

 

Test drive both. See which one you like.

I believe the mazda 3 is more money if you equip both with same options.

HID is an option for Mazda 3 that is not available on tC... I wish it is...

This is your car, you need to make the final decision.

 

i was in your same position. i drove both . i like the gauges on the three a little better but i hate that the radio is this weird massive part of the dash so forget just getting a metra kit and getting a aftermarket deck cause it aint gunna happen on the 2. as far is the ac goes i leave in vegas and it is hot mind you i did this all in june so it was very hot. and the 3 took for ever and a day to coll off and plus just the slightest acceleration would make the ac shut off for three seconds. and plus since i have own the tc i have had three mazda owners saying i have a nice car and they wish the bought the tc instead.

 

and like the tc the 3 was a first production car too, wasnt it?

 

test drove both, and they were VERY different from each other. the 3 ultimately felt faster/more nimble, but that wasn't it's overall characteristics. power was very good in the upper RPMs, but decently lacking under 4k or so. as far as handling, the car was quite nimble with little to no body roll or understeer, but still felt like driving a minivan. the integrated stereo was quite a disappointment, as was the fact that the price was thousands more than the tC. sales rep seemed reluctant to deal on the 2004s, and we preferred the way the tCs had a lot of things standard so there wasn't much hassle in getting what we wanted.

definitely drive them both, and then make your decision.

 

get a tC, I just bought one 2 weeks ago and love mine...

No rattles at all yet either, and I have 2 10s, with a JL amp...

 

Both the 3 and the tC are both good cars. My opinion is that the 3 costs much more than its worth. If you do one of those side by side comparisons on edmunds.com or even the mazda site...then you'll clearly be able to see that the standard features that come on the tC are far better than those on the 3. If you were considering the 5 door...then i think it would be a harder decision deciding between the 2, but the price of the 5 door compared to that of the tC gives the advantage to the tC. Though i'm biased to the tC considering that i chose to buy one, i think its a better buy than the 3. The intangibles such as it being having one of the few tC's that are around compared to the bunch of 3's is also one of the main reasons why i decided on the tC.
Even though i like the styling of the 5-door Mazda 3, i dont think the price tag is worth it and my honest opinion is to go with the tC.

 

I personally think the Mazda 3 hatchback is a better car... the interior is much nicer and the ride is more compliant and it absorbs bumps more effectively. The dash material is infininately better (I think Toyota's decision with the whole "rice paper" texture is one of the worst decisions ever).... and the guages are also more exciting.

 

Friend bought a mazda 3 2 days ago. Brought it by. We both agree that the mazda 3 is teh nicer car. I suggest you drive both.

Mazda 3 was quieter, less road noise, less interior noise. Mazda handled better, shifted better. Power felt same. Mazda's seats were more comfortable, more headroom.

IMO, it had a nicer dash. Only thing it lacked was the sunroof, but I rather have no sunroof than a sunroof that is noisy.

 

I too was in the same situation, I test drove the mazda 3 5 door and while I was still negotiating a price I decided to go take a look at a Tc, now I own a Tc. A few things, I felt that the tc is way more comfortable than the mazda 3, as well all tc come basic to the dealership and you get the options you want not what is in the current package, they send out mazda 3 with different upgrade packages and you might get some stuff you dont really want or might be lacking something you do want and unless you get it ordered you are stuck with it. Plus the tc is way better looking than a mazda 3, I would go with the tc but its best to test drive both and see what you think, lastly about what someone else said that the mazda 3 felt faster, to me it was the other way around, and I test drove a mazda 3 5spd vs a tc auto and I found the tc had more *****, they are both same hp.

 

I personally will never buy a car w/ ford parts in it again! All my cars have been ford by-products and they all were pieces - especially the Mazda I owned. IMO the TC looks better anyway - I am not a fan of 4 door cars!

 

Like many of the posts, I also came down to either the Mazda 3 or tC. You might hear about some of the tC problems but the Mazda 3 also had some problems such as scratches appearing on the brakes, check engine light appearing, and another type of idiot light showing up due to a plastic lense cracking and moisture getting in the lense. Sorry I don't have more detail as I stopped comparing in 4-5 months ago. Also the Mazda 3 was more expensive and did not have some of the standard features like the tC. For the tC, I am NOT replacing the stereo but on the Mazda 3, the stereo really sucked and I would have spent $1000 on replacement.

Kevin

 

i had the same struggle, but after test driving both, i liked the tC a ton better.

i thought the tC was a better value than the mazda 3 and had better styling (both interior and exterior) and motor.

 

i test drove the 3, and i did like the inside of it, But it wasent what i was looking for,

so i went and put a Deposit down on a TC> with ground effects and spoiler...

for lesss then what the loaded 3 had...

i think i made the "Right" Decision...

jas<

ONLY thing the 3had was a navagation System, the Screen came out of the dashboard! way cool.

but the only positive i really saw!

 

I like the 3... but once you get the options you want =$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

Yeah, the NAV system on the Mazda 3 is nice but so expensive (as is all NAV systems).

Kevin

 

I'd suggest that you head over to the Edmunds.com forums for the Mazda3 and the tC. They have problems and solutions forums that you can scan and get a good sense of what tC and 3 owners are _____ing about with their cars.