i'm trying to find a new car within the next couple of months as I go out to utah for school. So obviously snow will be a concern. I was wondering if anyone has had or driven both (mazda 3 s and subaru impreza) and can tell me the difference in reliability, performance, and driving in the snow. or if anyone can help me decide, it would be much appriciated! thanks.
oh and what is the modding like on the 3's?
oh and i'm looking at either a 2004-2005 impreza (non wrx) and a 2006 or 2007 mazda 3 s. i have about 11-12k to spend

 

Mazda 3 hands down. Impreza, (non-WRX) in that year looks very dated IMHO

 

If you are looking for the Mazda, try and get it with traction control, although front wheel drive cars normally do well in the snow the Impreza is all wheel drive, but if you are not into skiing that really wont be needed.

 

My other car is an '05 Outback XT.
Traction=fantastic
Engineering=somewhat questionable, especially the turbo models
Customer support="it must be your fault it broke" or "that's not covered and it costs $$$$$$$$$$ to fix"

It's a blast when it's working though.