Mazda 3 or Scion tC

[Evo VIII]

I'm trying to help my couson decide between the mazda 3 or the scion tc, it would be cool if you guys gave my your opinion on which you would pick and why. Oh, and he is looking for overall, but mainly performance wise.

Thanks

[TSi_2_EVO]

i choose TC, i personally think it looks better (although the 3 has optional HID's) and it has the toyota build quality behind it. from what i see it will most likely have bigger after market support and with the TRD supercharger coming out for it, performance would be better than the 3.

[RobertK]

both cars are nice for the money, but they are rather different.

I would take the tc over the 3... but he should fork over a few more dollars and get the mazda 6. I love that car.

[Evo VIII]

Yeh, I'd have to agree that the tC generally has better styling. Another question that I have is reliability. I know that Scion is part of Toyota, but have you guys heard of any issues with the tC?

[TSi_2_EVO]

havent heard of any issues, my friend actually owns one and i havent heard a complant yet

[rExTuHfEr]

tc comes with 18's...or wait...17's......plus its really nice..this girl i know has one nice lil zippy car and a pimp inside....

[Sentinal]

scions are nasty cars even though the tc is the best of the three... yuck

the mazda 3 is pretty nice inside and out and has a lil get up and go to it personally for 20k I would get a SRT-4 or a barely used 04-05 WRX

[lookslikeanevo]

they are in the same price range and thats really abou tit...i like how the 5door 3 looks, but i also like how the tc with a widebody looks

[Arithmetic]

tC > Mazda 3

Peformance alone, there is sooo many people hoping on the tC bandwagon its crazy. It looks good inside and out, but i like the 3 inside and out better. The tC is to big to be called a coupe, they should have just slapped on 2 more doors, and it weights well over 3k lbs with just a driver. Gotta love the 3's xenon lights thou.

[no1v2]

Originally Posted by Evo VIII

I'm trying to help my couson decide between the mazda 3 or the scion tc, it would be cool if you guys gave my your opinion on which you would pick and why. Oh, and he is looking for overall, but mainly performance wise.

Thanks

If he's looking mainly for performance for his money then he shouldn't be looking at either of those cars. As someone else mentioned, a used WRX would probably be his best bet. If he wants a brand new car in particular, and can't or doesn't want to spend any more than a new tC or 3s costs, then I think he should look into the Ralliart The tC wasn't out when I bought my car, but I did corss-shop the Ralliart with the 3s, and it won in my book for performance, audio, looks, and most importantly, just being extra fun to drive.

If his heart is set on those two cars though, then I think it comes down to whether he'd prefer a sedan or a coupe. Most people have a fairly strong preference for one or the other. Personally I prefer sedans, but in this case it'd be a tough call for me to make. If I were cross-shopping them, here's the advantages of each for me:

tC:
- Chances are good its reliability will be up to par with that of other Toyotas, which is to say very good. Mazda on the other hand has a somewhat poor trackrecord of and reputation for reliability. I've also already read of some common issues with the 3, and haven't read of anything with the tC, but the tC is newer so that should be taken with a grain of salt.
- Comes with a stock MP3 CD player. It doesn't have any knobs though, wtf It's still better than the 3's situation though. AFAIK the 3 doesn't even have an option for an MP3 CD player, and its dash would make adding an aftermarket one a nightmare.
- The tC has a bigger, more powerful engine than the 3s, while having a negligible weight difference.

3s:
- Comes as a sedan or wagon. Personally that's a big plus for me. I'd go with the sedan, but I'd be happy with the wagon too.
- Looks better than the tC (IMO, of course).
- Isn't associated with the xA or xB (No, I don't really care about that, but I suppose if all else were equal that actually affect my decision.)

What's pretty much equal, at least IMO:
- their interiors (I think many prefer the 3's, but it's actually slightly too flashy for me, so I'm pretty indifferent between the two)
- their prices (Yes, the 3s stickers for more IIRC, but you can negotiate, and the tC's options add up way too quickly.)

Make sure your friend test drives both before making his decision, because that alone could make someone decide between those two cars!

[derickgoes]

My sister has a white tC, looks good to me,
-very roomy in the back seats
-mesh-like seating (leather gets hot, cloth is old fashion),
-a lot of potential (Toyota quality, even though its a Scion it is VERY different from the xA and xB almost as if Toyota was trying to break away from box on wheels and wanted to goto true-performance vehicle)
-nice rims, nice driving wheel
-optional performance parts (trd exhaust, aem intake, trd springs, trd supercharger, small wing that looks like a G35 wing, ground effects)

ONLY BAD THING IS:
-the mp3 player slide cover is hard to open, you have to tap it really hard, you can't press it lightly or hard, you have to tap it and when tapping it to open, it sometimes presses the FM button which changes it to radio, but you can always just keep the slide cover open, the slide cover looks cool closed though

Hope this helps

[loj68]

I'd take the Mazda 3......my brother had the exact same decision to make so we went shopping and driving the TC and the 3 and the 3 felt like the better car and that's what he bought. Not only is it a fantastic looking car but the interior is just about nicer than much more expensive cars plus he got the in-dash 6 disc changer with controls on the steering wheel, cruise control, sunroof, 17" alloy wheels, and the 2.3 liter "S" engine all for about $18k. He loves that car to death and having driven it a few times I can tell you it is a LOT of car for 18 large.

[Kid Lancer 7]

the TC... why?? Cuz it's Simply Pimply

A black Tc with gloss black rims n polished lip.. looks hot like fiiya!

There's more aftermarket involved with the tc.. i think your friend will have more fun driving the TC instead of the 3.

i was gonna trade in my lancer for a tc.. but my lancer has just gotten so sexy within 2 months.. (overtime works wonders) I think she'll never divorce me


Hineken

[loj68]

sweetness

[Evo VIII]

Whoa, thanks guys for all your responses. Yeh, looks wise I think he is more into the mazda 3, but I think when it comes to overall he might lean on the tC. I will see how it goes. Thanks again!