Like some people who have posted on this board, I have cross-shopped between the Mazda 3s and the Scion tC. I'm eligible for the Ford employee discount program (S-Plan for Mazda vehicles) as well as the recent college graduate rebate. Even with S-Plan invoice prices and the rebate, a similarly-equipped 3 ends up costing more than the tC. The following are actual prices from the S-Plan sheet for a Mazda 3s. I have configured it with options to make it as close as a stock tC as possible.

Item: S-Plan Price:
2.3L 4Dr 5spd S $15329
Destination Charge $520
ABS/SAB/SAC $688
Sport Package $421

The tC comes with a moonroof standard. If we add the Moonroof/6-CD Package (unfortunately you have to buy these together) to the list of options for the 3, the invoice price increases by $765.

Moonroof/CD Package $765
Total before rebate $17723
College grad. rebate -$500
Total after rebate $17223

Compare this to a tC:

Item: Price:
2.4L 2Dr 5spd $15950
Destination Charge $515
TFS College grad. rebate -$400
Total after rebate $16065

Conclusion: Even with invoice pricing, a college grad. rebate, and no moonroof option, the Mazda 3s ends up being more expensive than the scion tC. Don't get me wrong, I'm still seriously considering getting the Mazda 3, I just wanted to dispel the "I can get a Mazda 3 cheaper than a tC with my employee discount" myth. In my opinion, both the Mazda 3s and the Scion tC are great cars for their price. You can't go wrong with either one. I hope this information was of help. Thanks for your time and I hope you all are happy with your next car, whatever it may be.

 

Starting price on a tC is $16,475 I believe...

 

Starting price on a 2005 scion tC AFTER destination charge is $16465 for a 5spd.
The base is $15950. www.scion.com.

 

One thing that's cool if you get the 3: if you're already springing for the sport pkg, leather seats are only about $500 more. (In a display of very conventional automaker wisdom, you can't get factory leather without the sport package.)

All in all, considering you'd also have SAB, a 6-CD changer and sill extensions, you'd be running about the same price or better than a similarly equipped tC - although admittedly with the tC you could avoid buying the sills, SAB and the 6-CD if you didn't want them, which you can't on the 3.

 

If you dont mind me asking where did you get that invoice price? Yahoo Autos has invoice on a Mazda 3s @ $15,531. Also the Mazda site has prices as listed:

Moonroof & 6-CD Package = $890
ABS/SAB/SAC Package = $800
Sport Package = $490

Also the tC has a Tire Pressure Monitor so cant forget that:

Xenon & TPMS Package = $700

Also the fact that the tC plays mp3s so need to add that

MP3 Player = $325

Also I dont think the Mazda 3 comes stock with a out side temp gauge. So need to add that also:

Compass/Outside Temp Autodim Mirror = $223

That looks like about all I can see.

 

I went to a Mazda dealership this past Thursday and drove a 3s, but it was auto (they didnt have any 5 speeds in stock) and it drove about the same as the tC. I asked them if they could find a black 5spd and they couldnt find a single one in the 04 model, I'de have til January until the 05's come out just to order one wtf? It's like everywhere I go, someone's tryin to ____ me off and doesnt want me to have the car I want.

 

You must watch Fox, because you are being very "fair and balanced"...

The 6cd player is included with the moonroof, I think a 6cd changer is compareable value wise to a single disc w/MP3 (yes the single MP3 will hold slightly more music, but will also be slightly lower in sound quality), so -$325 on the 3. The tC does not have an autodim mirror, so you better add that, +$310 for the tC. Plus the Xenon you get on the 3 is not even available on the tC, so add atleast $700 for a quality HID upgrade on the tC. Does the 3 come with floor mats? If so, add $145 to the tC . I think the 3 has mudguards too, +$88 to the tC. The 3 has a 3yr/60k mile warranty, a 3yr/50k $0 dectuctable warranty on the tC costs an extra $800.

 

Nope, dont like watching news. Also if you add the auto dim to the tC you get home link, so you would need to add that to the 3. Then you run into that cant happen thing because on the 3 you can go for the out side temp or home link but not both unless you want to have 2 mirrors up there? Yeah you would need to add the floor mats to the tC. I dont think the 3 coomes with mudgaurds so you can take those off. Also I think the 3 is a 4yr/50k warranty. Not sure though the way yahoo has it listed is to much for me to make sense of. http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/mazda..._warranty.html

 

These are not technically "invoice prices". These are actual prices from an S-plan worksheet. The S-plan is a Ford employee discount plan for Mazda vehicles. In some cases the S-plan price matches the invoice price. Hope that answered your question.