Can a Mazda 3 Hatchback fit a Baby Seat? Should we get a Civic or the 3?

[Just B4 a Family]

My wife and I are deciding between the new Honda Civic or the Mazda 3 Sport hatchback.

Both of us love the Mazda 3 but we are not sure if a baby seat will fit in the back (behind the passenger seat) with an adult sitting in the passenger seat.

Also, we have heard that Mazda parts are more expensive than and not as reliable as a Honda. Plus we heard the 3 is coming out with a new design in fall 2009 but the Civic will be the same until 2012.

Should we opt for the safe, reliable (but a little boring) Civic over the sporty Mazda 3?

For Mazda we want the Mazda 3 GT Sport 5DR Auto;
For Honda we would go with the Civic EX-L 4DR Auto.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

[dealhunting]

My wife has a 3 sport hatch. I'm 5'11" and have to sit behind the driver's seat when she drives. I can squish into the front seat but need to sit very close to the dash and am very cramped.

My advice would be to take an infant carrier/baby seat with you and try it out in both cars during a test drive. Thats what we did so there were no surprises. The lack of room is usually only an issue with the infant carrier and rear facing seat. After you are able to turn the seat forward facing, all you need to worry about is the kid kicking the back of the passenger.

Do not listen to the salesman. We were told that there was no need to trial install the seat. he told us that there would be more than enough room.....

[reynoldpat]

I think mazda 3 and civic are the same in terms of the rear seat spacing, i did have mazda 3 hatch with a rear-facing baby seat, it fits fine.
But since mazda 3 will have a redesign model in 2009, which probably will show up before end of 2008. You should better wait for new model. For sure by the time the new model arrive, the old design will have huge discount. So if you buy now, you'll lose big bucks on the resale value.

Dodge Journey is a great family car with a great deal too, Subaru Impreza and Saturn Astra might be another option for you in the same price range.

[hotgo]

1. I had a Mazda3 Sport GT with a rear-facing baby seat behind the passenger seat. It is definitely uncomfortable to sit in the passenger seat as a 6' adult. However my 5' 1" wife had no issues at all.
2. Other cars have the same issue! It's not a Mazda3 only problem. We currently now have an Audi A4 and a Subaru Outback. Neither is any better for the passenger space. I can't imagine that the Civic is any different...

Just be happy that the rear-facing seat is only a short term problem... we are on the verge of moving to front-facing now...

[Aggy]

But since mazda 3 will have a redesign model in 2009, which probably will show up before end of 2008. You should better wait for new model. For sure by the time the new model arrive, the old design will have huge discount. So if you buy now, you'll lose big bucks on the resale value.

There's always going to be newer model. Sure you'll get a discount on the older models and resale value will be lower, but how long to do you plan on keeping the car?

We just bought a 2008.5 Mazda 3 Sport GT and love it. It came out a couple months ago. Will I be upset when the price goes down? Nope cause there's always going to be a newer car out there.

You'll be fine with the hatch. We bought the hatch just for the same reason as you as we plan on having a baby in the near future.

Also, if you're in TO area, check out this thread...

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/s...t=mazda+buying

I bought a car from him (as hundreds of others I'm sure) and was not disappointed. Read through the thread as there's a ton of info. Trust me...best price, best service and he'll make the buying process fun!

[mrcantrell]

My wife and I are deciding between the new Honda Civic or the Mazda 3 Sport hatchback.

Both of us love the Mazda 3 but we are not sure if a baby seat will fit in the back (behind the passenger seat) with an adult sitting in the passenger seat.

Also, we have heard that Mazda parts are more expensive than and not as reliable as a Honda. Plus we heard the 3 is coming out with a new design in fall 2009 but the Civic will be the same until 2012.

Should we opt for the safe, reliable (but a little boring) Civic over the sporty Mazda 3?

For Mazda we want the Mazda 3 GT Sport 5DR Auto;
For Honda we would go with the Civic EX-L 4DR Auto.

Thanks for any input you can provide.

The Civic being the same till '12 is a lousy reason to buy that over the 3. I was ready to buy a Civic when I got wind of the deals on the '08 Mazda3, I test drove the Mazda3 and never even went back to see the Civic. The 3 is a MUCH better drive and has a much more extensive feature sheet for less money. I bought my wife an '07 Mazda5 and we love both cars, if you have doubts about the 3, consider taking the 5 for a test drive, same platform, and the prices aren't too far apart.

I haven't had a rear-facing baby seat in the 3 but my forward facing was much easier to install into this than my Corolla.

I think mazda 3 and civic are the same in terms of the rear seat spacing, i did have mazda 3 hatch with a rear-facing baby seat, it fits fine.
But since mazda 3 will have a redesign model in 2009, which probably will show up before end of 2008. You should better wait for new model. For sure by the time the new model arrive, the old design will have huge discount. So if you buy now, you'll lose big bucks on the resale value.

Dodge Journey is a great family car with a great deal too, Subaru Impreza and Saturn Astra might be another option for you in the same price range.

Mazda3 will not have a redesign for '09 [according to Jeff-thebiz, he has a thread in this forum] but will for '10. Which means OP was right about Sept '09 release.

If someone is worried about resale value they'll stay away from a gas guzzling POS like the Journey, which is no where near even similar to what the OP is looking for. Even worse it's a Dodge, and a first year first run.