VW Passat vs. Mazda 6 vs. Honda Accord coupe vs. Nissan Altima

i've narrowed the list of cars down to

VW Passat (1.8 turbo) vs. Mazda 6, Honda Accord Coupe and Nissan Altima.

Which would you choose and why?

Keep in mind I am comparing the VW Passat 1.8 Turbo with the 6 cylinder from the japs.

Which one offers best value and why?

Originally Posted by cummer

i've narrowed the list of cars down to

VW Passat (1.8 turbo) vs. Mazda 6, Honda Accord Coupe and Nissan Altima.

Which would you choose and why?

Keep in mind I am comparing the VW Passat 1.8 Turbo with the 6 cylinder from the japs.

Which one offers best value and why?

Stay far away from any VW product.
They are at the bottom of the ratings by JD Power and Consumer Reports.

They have numerous problems and are not recommended by CR.

Passat, Mazda 6 -> You will have nothing but troubles in the long run
Altima-> Currently good value for your money and seems to be solid built but most likely less resale value than accord coupe
Accord-> Hands down proven, most reliable, best re-sale value and trendy vehicle(insurance rate might be high though)

Drive all four, make sure of the dealer warranty coverage, follow the forums for these models and most importantly, buy the car you like! Contact http://www.apa.ca for the best MSRP.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by yatko

Passat, Mazda 6 -> You will have nothing but troubles in the long run
Altima-> Currently good value for your money and seems to be solid built but most likely less resale value than accord coupe
Accord-> Hands down proven, most reliable, best re-sale value and trendy vehicle(insurance rate might be high though)

Drive all four, make sure of the dealer warranty coverage, follow the forums for these models and most importantly, buy the car you like! Contact http://www.apa.ca for the best MSRP.

Good luck.

i dont see where you are getting mazda in same group as the VW for reliability from??? there havent been any issues with the car..and the accord is not trendy for god sakes..its one of the ugliest cars on the road, the front is repulsive..the coupes rear is not as bad as the sedan, but overall still a very bloated droopy looking yacht styled car... as for resale..accord will have the higher resale..but u pay more upfront and get much less than the altima/mazda 6 for the same price.

Acura CL? hehe

Originally Posted by Jovi

Stay far away from any VW product.
They are at the bottom of the ratings by JD Power and Consumer Reports.

They have numerous problems and are not recommended by CR.

I concur. My dad is very disappointed with his 1999 Passat. He's spent 5k in maintenance and repairs so far, and wishes he had leased it instead so he would have been rid of it by now. It's only worth about 13 500 now, so not worth it to sell at this point. He spent less money in 10 years on his 1989 Accord.

Mazda makes a good quality product. I've had my Protege5 for almost 4 years now, and not a single major problem (brake pads, oil, and a new set of tires ONLY)

I'd buy a Mazda 6 Sport

- it's a hatchback that looks like a sedan. A hatchback will carry large sized loads (can easily put a bike in the back with ease) once you fold the seats down.
- Mazda 6 looks the best to me.
- nice discounts on them. If you shop around, you can get one for $500 over invoice.
- lower financing
- fun to drive
- for the most part, they are reliable cars (on Consumer Report's Recommended List)

Accord will be the most reliable, resale etc, but I dunno, every time I see one, it's being driven by some grey haired guy, it just seems to be bought by the older crowd.

Get the Mazda 6 in that electric blue colour and it's really really sharp.

I wouldn't get a Passat, more expensive parts, service don't combine well with poor reliability.

The Altima is a family car, it's big, feels heavy, and no as much fun to drive as the Mazda or Honda.

Personally, I think the Mazda 6 Sport is the nicest looking of the bunch. The Accord (along with the Camry) are the class leaders but they have a middle-aged dad styling to them.

Originally Posted by danfromwaterloo

Mazda makes a good quality product. I've had my Protege5 for almost 4 years now, and not a single major problem (brake pads, oil, and a new set of tires ONLY)

Protege is proven concept since it is on the market forever 3 platform, but old mazda 6's were very bad and I heard new ones are not as reliable as competition either.

German engineering will smoke any japanese import of the same hp any day. Reliability reports are generalizations that may not hold true for you. All cars in the long run will have to be maintained and repaired. The difference is whether the maintenance is done at the right intervals. Since German engineering is more superior, they tend to push the car a little harder, which means the maintenance must be done at the time specified and would be less forgiving if you are late.

I'd pick a german car over any japanese import any day. VW is as good a place to start as any german manufacturer.

You should also be able to get a good deal from VW on the Passat. The current generation of VW is being discontinued (new model look coming out soon) so lots of dealers are starting to clear out their inventory to prepare for MK V.

Originally Posted by cummer

i've narrowed the list of cars down to

VW Passat (1.8 turbo) vs. Mazda 6, Honda Accord Coupe and Nissan Altima.

Which would you choose and why?

Keep in mind I am comparing the VW Passat 1.8 Turbo with the 6 cylinder from the japs.

Which one offers best value and why?

My Rating in this Order

Accord - hands down most reliable great resale I have a 200 w/135K Not a single problem so far

Nissan Altima - This is a good car that looks great. I used to own nissans and I never had a problem

Mazda 6 - It may be a Taurus in disguise But my 99 Mazda Protege is still serving me well and I assume the 6 is exponentially better. I had the chance to use one for the day when I took my protege in for a timing belt and it was allot of fun

VW Passat - VW is highly over rated and over priced. lots of problems over time and fairly expensive repairs.

I would pick the Nissan first
The Accord second
Mazada then the VW

I say the NIssan cause less cost to service than Honda and it is a bigger car. If you are considering the V6 then hands down the Nissan. I have a Spec V Sentra (6 spd sport suspension 17" wheels and 175 hp) I love the car it plain out hauls and handles very well, reliability has been stellar and I am at 65K on a 2002 model.

Nissan will always give you the most power for the buck. Resale may not be as high as a Honda but it is improving and the Altima is a very solid car. Drives well and looks alot better. The VW is nice you can telll it is a German car but as others have said it has issues, many more than the others

Last the Nissan will come in the cheapest I bet. In this range thats why I would choose it

CK

I have a '99 passat 1.8T, and have not had any major problems so far. Just regular oil changes and replaced the battery last year, although i do only have about 37k on the odometer. I've even added a computer chip to it to boost the turbo, so from 150hp -> 190-200hp now, just with a single chip!

So yes german cars are more expensive to maintain, but i think its worth it over those other bland vanilla japanese cars that everyone else has. If you're just looking for a car to go from A to B then get something else, if you want something enjoyable to drive, get something german.

I have my unconventional view of all these cars. Since it is unconventional, you can ignore it.

I start with what I won't pick first and reason.

1. Accord. Too many Accord on the road. I don't like to buy a car that everybody has. If I have to, I will choose a color that is not common. Honda dealers, salemen and garage are jerks. Until their service get better, I don't even think about them.

2. VW. I hate VW in a passion. I just don't feel right sitting in one.

3. Mazda. I would have picked this if their dealer and salemen are not jerks.

4. Nissan. Altima sounds okay but I prefer a Maxima.

The Sentra I test drive years ago was a POS. It almost got me into an accident out of the dealership driveway because of its unexpected low (or no) power. The car did not move with 5 adults on it. Even a Neon was better than that, much better than that.