[root]

you can track the resale value on the ALG site -- that's the value that mazda and honda are using when figuring out the residual for leases -- so it does have some meaning. Last I looked the 3 was worse than the civic only by a couple of percent, that's ~$400 over 3 years. The 3 will also have a worse gas mileage, probably another $200 / year difference. If you weigh these costs vs. HID, ESC, and things like that the price to pay seems pretty small... Just make sure you understand the cost of ownership (incl insurance differential) before making the decision.