The Mazda 3

I know this isn't helpful, but... when I decided to ditch my Audi (those German cars are expensive to maintain), I looked at the Asian import market. I settled on my Civic, and am very happy with it (good fuel economy, inexpensive, etc), but I still wish from time to time I had test driven a Mazda 3. They look sharp.

 

I got one at the end of November. It is probably the most expensive of the economy sedans, but I thought it was easily the nicest. Mazda definitely made it sporty. The interior options are the best in its class (i.e. not cheap looking). The S model's engine is great too.

We were looking at cars, and I stopped to check this out. After my first test drive, I wanted this car.

Problems I've had:
1. It was a b**** to get. We picked all the options we wanted, and special ordered it, mostly because Colorado didn't have much selection last year. It was delayed on every part of the trip from Japan. Also, the dealers are convinced it is the hottest car in the world, so don't expect to get a great deal.

2. Had a problem with brakes squeaking in the early morning cold. It was a known problem and covered under warranty, not a safety hazard, but annoying.

Good things:
1. It's winning lots of awards, and was ranked highly by Consumer Reports.

2. It is a new model, but it is the successor of the Protege. I believe they have a decent record as far as repairs.

3. Get the leather seats. They are awesome.

This is my first new car, so I'm pretty up on it. Let me know if you have any other q's.

 

This is the exact color and model of my car, by the way. My fiancee was also set on the 4-door. I kind of liked the 5-door, but I have no complaints.

 

i would stay stick with jettas, but if you insist that theyre a maintneance hassle (never had a problem with a german car)....

 

When I test-drove the Civic, it felt like an "economy" car. The Mazda 3 feels like a "sports" car.

Consumer Reports ranked VWs with some of the worst repair histories. I know they aren't the final word on anything, but it seems like a good idea to go Japanese for a long-term car investment. Q

 

I'm from the old school o' Mazda. We used to have an RX-4 back in the day. The thing lasted forever and ever and ever. I love German cars too... I just parted with an XR4Ti that ran like a dream. Parts were a pain but it was a great, great car and worth it.

Mazda's are pretty good cars IMO and now's a good time for Mazda since Ford is *close* to giving them back a unique identity. They feel sportier - 1000x so long as you opt for the standard. Which reminds me... selecting a standard will probably save you some serious cash too. Then again it should feel down-right quick compared to the Jetta which is IMO a toilet with four wheels. They drive pretty well too and you have some space for cargo... which reminds me, it depends on what you plan to do and what you plan to lug around.

I guess it depends on what you plan to spend. Nissan Sentra, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, Saturn, Chevy Cobalt are all rival models or close to rival models, I think. But I have general Ford and Nissan horror stories that would give Freddie Krueger nightmares.

 

i dunno. i always viewed it as, more expensive parts, but fewer breakdowns or serious problems, so you spend less in the long run (at least vs an american car)

i drove the pants off my GTI and never had a single issue with it. my friends that had VWs were all the same way, as well.



im starting to think, though, that car problems are pretty random. *knocks on wood* ive put tons of miles on my cars, and driven them hard, and have never had an issue with any of my vehicles, whatsoever.

(edit: exception was an old '87 trans am that i bought used that had 150k miles on it. it sucked)

 

$900 for the Sport AT. My fiancee can't drive a standard, and I'm not good at it, so we opted for automatic. Most of the 3's packages run about $900.

ABS/Side Air Bags
Moonroof/6CD changer
Leather/Sport Exterior (4-door)
Sport Auto Transmission (Has minimal manual control)

I think there is also a Headlight/Tire Pressure package as well.

Adding these nice features ups the price considerably.

Also to note, the 4-door comes in 2 models, i & s. The S has a bigger engine and all of the power amenities and A/C.

One thing I didn't note earlier, the factory tires are not great on snow. Q

 

When I was looking at the end of the summer, I was torn between a GTi, mazda3 5dr and a scion tC. I didn't end up with anything as my wife was given her grandfather's buick and there wasn't a real reason to get a new car, but I loved the tC. The major problem I had with the Mazda was that I never even got a chance to drive one. It was next to impossible to find one here, without driving 2+ hours to StL or KC. And even at the bigcity lots, the pickings were slim.

 

This is a huge problem if you need the car immediately. We ordered the one we wanted, but with the multiple delays, we were scrambling to find another 3 with the same options/color. I think there was 1 in the western US, and it might have not been exactly the same. I was a more than a little panicked.

Mazda is making 3's to order, so there isn't any surplus of them. I think the 4-door "S" model is even harder to find. Here in Colorado, the only thing there were plenty of were white and titanium gray 3's. Ugh.

Now that we have the car that we wanted, though, we would say it was worth the wait and frustration. Q

 

I have a Mazda 6 and it rocks. I was ready to move up a level after driving a 1994 Honda Civic EX for 10 years... haven't looked back.

 

As do I. It comes out of the shop and about 2 weeks later, some other light is on.

The alarm was randomly going off when I locked it, so I took it in and the guy by-passed the alarm system. Would have been about $600 for the new sensors. Less than 2 weeks later, the back window started rolling down randomly. Got it back from that fix about 2 weeks ago, and now the check engine light is on.

This is a 96 model which has been kept in excellent shape. Previous owners lived in a brick driveway community near Muirfield and kept all the maintenance papers for it since they bought it. Past maintenance isn't a problem, but I buy it and wait about 5 months and everything starts going to hell.


But as for Mazdas, my neighbor has driven them for the past 15 years or so and swears by them.

 

Just buy a toyota starlet.

My one has done`188,900 miles or so and it's still running beautifully, and i drive the $hite out of it.....

 

RX-8 isn't a huge step from that price, either.

 

The Starlet never made it to the USA. You europeans get all the cool, compact sports cars.

 

Mines 13 years old so it isn't exactly one of the cooler ones.

If i had some money i'd buy a Ford Escort Cosworth(what a beautiful machine) or a VW Golf GTi (apart from the last 2 or 3)

 

I'll be picking up a Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra next year. Looks "sporty" enough.

 

do NOT get an rx-8.

over priced and under powered for what you get.

that and rotary engines have this little problem with blowing up after about 70,000 miles...