Hey folks, I'm looking for your (obviously biased) opinions. I'm getting my first car and am trying to see what my options are.
I'm interested in the first-gen Mazda3, and have heard that it's a fun car to drive. There's a certified 2007 in immaculate shape with only 114,000km for sale but it's listed at $5,000 which I feel may be a tad high (thoughts?).
There's also a Honda CR-Z in my area that looks interesting, listed at roughly $5,500 CDN. However, it's a 2011 and I'm conscious about the hybrid battery system needing replacement a few years down the road. On the other hand, it's a Honda and I've heard great things about both their reliability and manual shifters. It's got about 225,000km on it and apparently has everything needed for a safety. It has a couple dings in the front and rear bumpers but I'm cool with that.
Insurance costs seemed somewhat similar for the two. I'm unfortunately a 21-year-old male so my rates are pretty dumb, but I've had a clean record since I got my license at 16 and will be relocating to a small town away from the Toronto area where I currently reside.
I'm moving up to rural Central/Northern Ontario, which will make snow handling a big concern. Storage capacity shouldn't be as much of an issue, though it would be nice to load the car up when I move to minimize the number of trips I'd need (point for the 3). My job will also have me on the road a fair bit doing interviews and such.
What are your thoughts on either of those two cars? Anything I should be looking for on a test drive? Thank you very much!