Holden Cruze is the newest model of them all - I personally dont trust "Bitsamissing" and i find them too common. Mazda 3's are great, but personally I love the cruze - are you looking at auto or man? $27g can get you the CDX man driveaway :) (With leather, ipod input and all the flashy bits) or a CD auto (Cloth, ipod input)
What state are you in?? (Just noticed this is in november) lol
Oh well, even if it's in November, we might be able to help someone else out!
When the Cruze's first came out last year, I went and had a look at one out of sheer curiosity... Great interior, really comfy and I love the look of the whole car. Since then though I've been told that a downside of the Cruze is that if you need a bit of power, it's kinda slow, even with the diesel which is the fastest in the range.
I agree with Bass's comment above, Mitsubishi's are pretty common (although this can be a positive thing, because it means that car parts should be cheaper and easily obtainable if you ever need anything repaired).
However I definitely find Mitsubishi to be lower quality than Mazda. Mazda uses better materials and workmanship, both exterior and interior, and their engines have a much better reputation. Besides this, Mazda's generally hold their value better than Mitsubishi's.
Through my work I've driven a few Mazda 3's, including a base model and also a sportier SP-23 (loved it). Mazda 3's are zippy and strong cars - I'm always pleasantly suprised. Definitely my pick.
I'm going to use the extra $4000 to go overseas for a while after deciding against the Mazda 3. The Holden Cruze looks nice but I'd be worried about the long-term quality of the workmanship...they're still a bit of an unknown commodity at this stage and the one I test drove seemed to struggle a bit up steep inclines. I've had a new Lancer for a few of months now and am LOVING it. Awesome long warranty and capped price servicing means I always know what my services will cost and can incorporate this into my budget.
