I have actually had 3 Hondas: an 87 Prelude, a 94 Civic Ex 2 Door and my Current 2000 Acura 3.2 ( Acura is owned by Honda and the 3.2 is a fancier version of the accord sedan) All have been very reliable, well engineered cars. Recently my Dad-in-Law bought an '08 Accord Ex--V6 a very roomy and luxuriously riding car.

The Civic has always been a great value, but I really like the fact the Mazda 3 has the 5 door configuration which is not offered on the Civic ( the CRV is too big for my needs) and from what I understand the 3 is the closest thing to a BMW for under 22K,

I will definately drive both cars to see which I like better

I appreciate everyone's opinion