2011 mazda 3, volkswagen jetta, or mitsubishi lancer?

(2011-06-07 14:30:14)

1. Jl 95 Says: I have a choice between all of these. but which one is the most reliable and will last the longest?

2. ChristinaC Says: Mazda 3! I have been the proud owner of mine for 2 years and I love absolutely everything about it. It gets fantastic gas mileage (I don't do much driving other than errands/appointments and going to/from work, but I am over 3 weeks on the same tank of gas and will get easily another week or more!) and the initial purchase price was affordable. It also has quite a few nice features that you would not necessarily "look for" when car shopping, but will appreciate later on as you drive it! It is sporty and fun but still very practical. The sound system that came with it is really decent and I have never felt the need to upgrade it as I have with other cars. My good friend has the identical car to mine and she says all of the same things about it.

Mazdas also have excellent re-sale value if you want to sell it in a few years and upgrade to a new one. I will say that mine is 100% loaded with all the extras, so I may not be so in love with it if it were just a basic model. I would suggest that, since you are buying a new car anyway, to spend the extra few $$ and get all the bells and whistles. Also, if you know how to drive standard, mine was cheaper because most people want automatic these days and the dealer had a standard they were trying to unload at a discount. Manual transmission also gives better gas mileage.

The Jetta would probably be a decent second choice. I have owned a VW Golf in the past and it was not a bad car at all, but was expensive - both initial purchase price and to repair as it got older.

I would definitely NOT go with Mitsubishi as I have heard they do not last as well and don't hold their value.

Enjoy your new car!

3. Rob R Says: Listen to Flanders.

From your friendly Mazda Salesperson :-)

4. mccoyblues Says: Mazda3 is probably the best small car in it's class.

I'd put the Jetta (TDI only) second and the Mitsubishi third.