Anybody here own a Mazda 3?

[redrocket04]

I'm thinking of buying a new car, now that I don't spend a shit ton of time commuting, and this is standing out as a great option for me. Does anyone have any experience with these cars? I'm not looking at anything more than just a basic version.

Honda Civic and maybe a Toyota Corolla as options, as well.

[Casper]

How tall are you? I can't drive the new Corollas because I'm too tall. It's like a freaking clown car.

[redrocket04]

How tall are you? I can't drive the new Corollas because I'm too tall. It's like a freaking clown car.

I'm about the same height I was when I was at your house Friday... Bout 6'1"

[Bad324]

although both solid choices....from personal experience of friends cars, I leanr towards the Corolla

[Casper]

I'm about the same height I was when I was at your house Friday... Bout 6'1"

Yeah, I don't pay attention to how tall dudes are unless they're taller than me.

[Steve Butters]

my mom owned a mazda that i used to daily in HS (we worked at the same place, so i dropped her off at work and then went to school in the car and then headed back after)

i can personally say it was a very nice car for the money....im 6'0 260lb and had no problems with it....ide like to own one, but the speed version lol

her bf has a corolla, and its a fucking shit box... its an 06 and its already needed 2-3k in just repairs done to it... ecu fried, charcoal canister died, random other little shit has gone bad....and its ugly as sin

and cant forget that the corolla is slower and much less enjoyable to drive (ive driven both)

to me, its a no-brainer....but there are corollas on the road, so i guess some people disagree with me....i would never buy a corolla though myself

not to mention that corollas use the cruise control feature, even when youre mashing the brake pedal loll

[SWing'R]

We own a Mazda Protege5 which is the predecessor to the M3 and I can tell you that its the best car we ever owned. Its going on 8yrs old with almost 120K miles on it and up until this year we had pretty much zero repairs on it other then "expected" stuff like brakes and tires. We had some major repairs this year but given the performance of this car up til now I have no problems putting a little money into it to keep her goin.

[Steve Butters]

my moms was an 04 and had about 80-90k on it when she wrecked it last summer..... we hadnt done one repair on it at all

[Cdubyah]

The 3 is a little cramped for me, but I'm a big fella. I just felt smashed into the sport style seats. I had plenty of leg room though. The ride is nice, and doesn't seem to have many mechanical issues.

My brother has owned two of them. They have worked well for him so far. Except the recall on the cigarette lighter.

[mahdey]

Thought about the jetta tdi? Cooler and its a diesel. Mazda's are nice as well.

Corolla...lol. Had one as a rental in 06, my best friend and i made a pact to never let one of us buy one. I felt embarrassed driving one.

[redkow97]

The civic is a decent car, but expensive for what you get. Plus everyone will assume you're a teenage girl. The only car you could put a civic next to and have it look manly is a VW beetle.

My dad has a corolla, and when he was shopping them, I encouraged him to drive the "S" model. He did. his report was, "the corolla has no business even pretending it's got any sporting aspirations whatsoever. The 'S' model is a waste of money, because the corolla is what it is: slow, but high quality." Now that he's in his 50's, I think that's all he wants, but even he admitted it was a kick in the junk to get rid of his Taurus and realize the Corolla felt under-powered by comparison.

The Mazda 3. I like the look of the first generation better. Only meaningful difference between first and second gen is that the option engine in the 2nd gen is now a 2.5 liter instead of the 2.3

for basic transportation, I'd go with the base 2.0 and a 5 speed. If that feels too anemic, the 2.3 is very nice in a car that small.

I haven't driven the 2.5, but two of my coworkers have Mazda 3's. Between them, and a friend, I've driven the 2.0 and 2.3 with an automatic, and the 2.3 with a manual. If you can find that combo, I highly recommend it!

edit - don't write off the kia Forte either. The "koupe" is actually really good-looking, and the sedan gives you a lot for what you pay. The warranty makes it a pretty safe buy too.

[Steve Butters]

kia forte koupe is the best looking car in its class IMO

i had a kia something rental car, and it was a decent little car....but make sure you get one thats not base model...not sure on the forte, but the rental car i had was base model and it didnt have ABS....no ABS sucks in the winter time, i think kia is one of the only companies that its not standard on some of their models, so just make sure to go over all the options on them before you buy

also, if were talking new cars....the new mazda 3 is fucking ugly looking....i dont like cars that smile at me

only thing is....its a 2 door, unlike the mazda and corolla, so im not sure if that was a main factor for you or not

they make it in a sedan also,

[Twisty]

I am 6 feet tall and my wife owns a Mazda 3 from 2005 and she has never been happier. The car gets great gas mileage so it is great for commuting

[redrocket04]

Yeah, I'm looking at new.

I agree about the doofy look of the new Mazda3, but I also don't want a car that makes me want to run it into a sturdy wall when I drive it. That's where the zoom-zoom thing comes in. Maybe it's just a marketing thing.

Civic, funny you mention that it's a teenage girl car. My little sister got a new one for her 16th bday. lol. Loaded with everything, including a giant fucking butterfly sticker on the sunroof so that "she'd always have butterflies around." I drove that thing to a car wash once, and was embarrassed beyond measure. I'd forgotten that until now.

Corolla is kind of an afterthought more than anything. They're everywhere, but they've never really appealed to me at all. I'm only considering it because my current car is made by Toyota, and it's been good, so I figure it warrants a shot.

There are others I like, as well. Four doors isn't a requirement at all.

For some reason that I just cannot figure out, I like a Mini Cooper and the Smart cars. Maybe its because I could put a busa engine in it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3RC_Y4aXs&feature=related

But yeah, I do like a smart car...

I also kinda wouldn't mind a Nissan Versa, but I consider it more of a throwaway car than the others... Just not a bad deal for a car if talking the base model.

Maybe I'm getting a little too "entry level", but I think I'd be perfectly content driving any one of these cars, now that I'm not putting 30-40,000 miles a year on. Since January, I've only driven a little under 1,000...

[jporter12]

Just ride the bike! Duh!

[- JJJ -]

I drive a 2008 speed3 as a daily commuter, it's a good car except bad leg room for the backseat passengers and didn't handle great in the snow.. I will have snow tires this winter. Other than that it's great

[RStar417]

My wife has one, couple of years old and she loves it. It's not bad looking for a small sedan. I'm 6' 2'' and I have enough room. Not sure I would want to drive to Florida in it but it's pretty comforatable. Good pep for the size.

[jhl385]

I have a Protege, one of my daughters has an '07 3 and my girlfriend just bought a '10 3. So I have experience with 3 generations of these.

These have all been GREAT cars. I'm 6'2" and fit all of em just fine. I can see if you're very overweight they might be tight. All have VERY reliable and drive much, much better than a Civic. The Corolla's don't even compare in driving feel and fun.

Go drive one. That alone will convince you.

My girlfriend just checked her mileage and it was 32 MPG in mixed driving, I only manage 26 in my Protege - a bit more throttle I guess.

All have proved to be very reliable too. Cheap to operate.

Edited May 12, 2010 by jhl385
Additional comment

[redrocket04]

I went and checked out the a 3 tonight at Byers, and a Corolla and Versa, as well.

Byers flat out ignored us the whole time we were there. I don't wanna be hustled before I get out of my car, but damn, if I'm looking at a car, then go in the showroom, break up the tea party the salesguys are having, and do your job. This didn't happen, so I've still not driven the 3.

The Corolla was right to be an afterthought. It's sad.

The Versa, unexpectedly was actually pretty nice. This was for the 1.6 base version. no power windows or locks, no radio, just a/c and the requirements that make it a car, but still, it was pretty nice, and for $11k brand new, I was impressed.

Tomorrow will be the others...

[jbot]

toyota matrix/pontiac vibe (i know they don't make any more pontiacs lol), if they still make them?

gti

subaru impreza (not wrx/sti depending on your budget)

i'm partial to hatchbacks.

if you don't need the fuel economy and depending on your budget and if you need the sedan, the civic Si sedan is pretty neato. but at that point, you're close to an accord. i'd skip the camry, i had one and was not a fan.

[that dude]

Fuck Mazda buy a civic or jetta for commuter whip

[redrocket04]

toyota matrix/pontiac vibe (i know they don't make any more pontiacs lol), if they still make them?

gti

subaru impreza (not wrx/sti depending on your budget)

i'm partial to hatchbacks.

if you don't need the fuel economy and depending on your budget and if you need the sedan, the civic Si sedan is pretty neato. but at that point, you're close to an accord. i'd skip the camry, i had one and was not a fan.

Agre about the Camry. I had one, and sold it after three months and bought an '03 Accord six speed as my daily driver, back when the Lex was still company owned.

Speaking of VW's, my next door neighbor just came home with a new CC last night. That is a sexy ass car.

Edited May 12, 2010 by redrocket04

[serpentracer]

I didn't bother to read the whole thread. but I know someone with a 2008 mazda 3. he let me drive it.

my impression is it has a great set of brakes. very powerful. it handles pretty good too. but it has a very weak engine.

comfy seating. I like the triptronic shift option. although without much power from the engine it's not really worth having.

I do not like the red dash lights and stereo/hvac controls. no way to put a aftermarket stereo in it either. big turn off for me since the stock radio is so weak.

would I buy one? no. it's over priced. and he regrets it too. those $375 a month payments are getting to him.

also believe it or not he traded a VW 2008 GTI in for it. he said it's fast but you have to revv it to like 1800 rpm just to get it to move. he highly doubts the 207 ft/lbs torque rating. he said it feels more like it only has 100.

Edited May 12, 2010 by serpentracer

[redkow97]

^which engine? the 2.0 or the 2.3? and i would bet the Mazda 3 revs to at least 6 or 7k

why wouldn't you rev it beyond 1.8k starting off? It's not a truck, nor is it a heavy car. A little slipping of the clutch isn't going to hurt it.

What's your daily driver? I find it kind of humorous that a guy with a 2003 R6 as his listed bike complained about lack of torque

[Steve Butters]

the 2.3 has plenty of torque for a daily driver....and it has VVT to help with passing

its by no means fast....i topped ours out once at 111 (fuel cut) and it took longer to hit 111 in that car than it did to hit 146 (gov.) in my saab....but for average (sub 80mph...after 80s its a pig), daily driving, it can get out of its own way...just dont expect a race car or anything

Edited May 12, 2010 by Steve Butters