I know there is another Mazda 3 thread in here..... Anyhoo.... While down in Phoenix and Vega$ this weekend, I had a bright red Mazda 3 that I rented from Fox Rent-a-Car. Initially I was a bit suprised that they had this car available. Most of the time I'm stuck with like a Dodge Neon. Oh and this car was like brand new....never rented out before and they didn't even have license plates for it yet. I'm not sure which trim level the car had, but this one was spec'd out nicely. I have an '01 Ford Focus and an '03 Ford Escape. I really like both vehicles. But wow, did the Mazda 3 really exceed my expectations. I drove from Phoenix to Vega$ and back and had some really looong stretches were I could let 'er run 80-90+ mph. The car felt really, really solid and the engine seemed like it could run higher. Contrast that with my Focus and that thing doesn't like it when the speedo is past 80. It's very loud and doesn't feel overly stable. I *think* with some fresh tires and some suspension work (not tricked out though) it would feel better. But my engine seems to strain more than it should at that speed. Keep in mind though....my odometer is pass the 127,000 mark and the car is showing it's age. Looking at the Mazda site, it does appear that the 3 would be within my budget if I was in the market for a new econobox.