Accord vs Passat vs Mazda6

[Troop92]

So in the search for a new family/commuter (since my beloved Turbo S Beetle isn't child friendly) I've narrowed it down to the above cars. Anyone have any expereince with each? I'm a little picky on year, so for the following:

Accord: 2006 (4 or 6 cyl)
Passat: 2006-2010 (2.0T)
Mazda6: 2009 - 2014 (4cyl)

All are around same gas mileage/room/comfort. Just looking if anyone has had one or not, experiences, etc.

 

[moab_cj5]

"When I told her I drive a Honda, she said we both need to see other men." Just kidding.

I would shy away from the Passat. I owned on once (it was a 99 with the turbo 4 cyl and 5 speed) for about 8 months. Fun car, nightmare to maintain. VERY expensive to fix, everything is computer controlled, so there is little you can do yourself. They may have fixed this issue, but if the battery died, I would have had to tow it to a dealer for the dealer to relearn the computer.

I don't think you can go wrong with the accord, my joke at the top aside...I own a Honda mini van and it has been a great vehicle. It is a 2007 that I bought new. Has 120k on it now and running very strong.

I don't have any experience with Mazda.

 

[Troop92]

"When I told her I drive a Honda, she said we both need to see other men."

Awesome.

 

[blznnp]

I havnt had that year accord, we had a 2001 I believe. Wish we still had it, it was a great car. I don't think you can go wrong with an accord, the only thing I don't like about Hondas, is how loud the road noise is inside. I have it in our van, my dad has it in his new accord, we had it in our accord, but it's not something that would make me run from the car.

 

[Trate D]

I have a 09 Mazda 6 with the 2.5L. We have had it for 60,000 miles car has 87,000 on it now and have had zero issues other than general maintenance. The car is comfy front and rear plenty of leg room front and back and a huge trunk. On long trips it averages around 30 mpg and that's with bigger wheels and tires. It has been a great car and plan on keeping it for a long time. It also has a timing chain instead of a belt so no worries there.

 

[Gravy]

My friend has that year range Passat. They commonly have electrical issues.
I love that motor though.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

In addition to the 5 Miatas I have owned over the years we have a 2005 Mazda 3 that my wife bought new and it is a great commuter car, only "issue" we have ever had was a $40 sensor that took 30 minutes to change. That being said, next year when we buy a new car it will be a Fusion or a Subaru due to their high safety ratings.

 

[N-Smooth]

Can't go wrong with the accord. It's almost the same car as my Acura. Timing chain, not belt is a big plus for me. Regular maintenance and one door lock sensor on my car and it's got 120k on it

 

[Tonkaman]

I would highly recommend taking your car seat and installing it into each of these cars. You may quickly decide one is too small or too difficult to restrain. My silverado had such plush leather sets that the car seat was tough to since down straight. Anything that doesn't use the LATCH system should be disqualified in my book

 

[N-Smooth]

Good call^
I can vouch for the accord as it has 5" more rear leg room than my car and we have a carseat. Not sure on the passant but if the leg room is anything like the Jetta it will be tough. Never been in a Mazda 6.

 

[Tonkaman]

Our Mazda 3 has great car seat restraints but the back seat is so small that a car seat won't fit behind me while I drive

 

[Trate D]

Our forward facing car seat in the back of the Mazda fits like a glove. Me and my brother 6 ft and 6ft 2 have rode in the back plenty of times and there is plenty of room.

 

[Trate D]

In our 6...^^^

 

[Troop92]

I have a 09 Mazda 6 with the 2.5L. We have had it for 60,000 miles car has 87,000 on it now and have had zero issues other than general maintenance. The car is comfy front and rear plenty of leg room front and back and a huge trunk. On long trips it averages around 30 mpg and that's with bigger wheels and tires. It has been a great car and plan on keeping it for a long time. It also has a timing chain instead of a belt so no worries there.

I have had two Mazdas in the past (MX-6 and 6 wagon) and loved them. Reliable, fast, efficient. The Mazda is in the lead right now, if I can find one at my price point.

I would highly recommend taking your car seat and installing it into each of these cars. You may quickly decide one is too small or too difficult to restrain. My silverado had such plush leather sets that the car seat was tough to since down straight. Anything that doesn't use the LATCH system should be disqualified in my book

All of them have LATCH system, and all of them are big enough to handle a car seat just fine -- car seats are HUGE -- and have ample cargo space. I do like that the Passat and 6 don't have hingest to crush your stuff.

My friend has that year range Passat. They commonly have electrical issues.
I love that motor though.

I didn't know about the electrical on the Passat, I'll have to look into that more. I'm not too aftraid of VWs, I have a great mechanic and our 2003 Beetle hasn't given us any issues in the 6 years/100k miles we've had it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I've got an '04 accord (99% the same as an 06) and we absolutely love that car. We have the 4cyl and it's plenty peppy for a 4-door grocery getter, and it gets 32 mpg on the freeway. As much as I love my Toyotas, I love my Hondas even more. My Hondas won't die, and they rarely need anything more than a $90 part every few years. If you're looking for sex appeal, or a way to show off how much power you've got, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a dead reliable car that you can forget about and just drive when you need a car, I don't think you can beat a Honda.

One thing I've heard from my mechanic is that the '02-07 accords with the v6 auto shared the same tranny as the odyssey. That tranny usually holds up about 150-200k behind the v6, then it's time for a new tranny (typically). You won't have this problem with the 4 cyl, and you'll get better MPG at the expense of speed and power.

In my experience, the Honda will have the best resale value when it comes time to sell it.

 

[Troop92]

Thanks guys. Now I just have to keep my eyes open and find the one that's best on the pocketbook....

 

[blznnp]

I have to take my comment back, or yet edit it, it was a 2005 not a 2001. but still a great car and wish we still had it, only reason we got rid of it was that it was close to 100K miles and I wanted to get the best trade in value that I could on it and my wife wanted a mini-van, but we still stayed with a honda.

 

[Troop92]

I have to take my comment back, or yet edit it, it was a 2005 not a 2001. but still a great car and wish we still had it, only reason we got rid of it was that it was close to 100K miles and I wanted to get the best trade in value that I could on it and my wife wanted a mini-van, but we still stayed with a honda.

Let's be real, if I found a good deal on a 2003-2005 I would jump on it, I just like the looks of the 2006 more. As to the Mazda, they do carry their resale well... Pricey buggers. I found a good looking Passat in Vinyard that I'm hoping to look at this week.