New Mazda3
 

There are still lots of Protege5's on the dealership lots these days and the price is still not coming down.

My question is, if the new 3 Sports are out already and they are priced comparably to the old P5 but with better suspension, more powerful engine, stiffer body and pretty much better everything, why would anybody buy the old generation?

Sometimes I kick myself in the ass for buying my P5 in August when I could be driving a 3 Sport now and having about the same monthly payments for 4 year financing.

Personal preference.

Well I am not sure where you are buying your P5's, but they are certainly coming down in price around here. I got mine for 4k less than sticker. And if you check the pricing the new 3 is not really comparible price wise to the P5. Prices I have checked are higher and there are more options available on the 3 than the P5.

sorry, its nasty but the mazda3 is a ford .thats right ford, the protege is like 95% true mazda, a real mazda engine and design, the mazda3 is all ford just like the 6, the rx-8 -horrible, that car is guilty by design all ford'ed out with a 13b that runs like an 86 rx7 and floods worse than, so the maz3 maylook good but its a turd in a armani suit, wait a few years and see how they run-they wont.

Could you please stop this rant? The Mazda 3 is not that much a Ford. Let's talk Facts not this crap you keep posting. The 3 has a Mazda Engine and the design was done by Mazda the safety equipment was done by Volvo and Ford made the chassis (which there good at). Now what are you taking about.

Well the engine is the engine that goes with the Ford focus

No, it's not. The only engines available for the US Focus are a 2.0l Zetec (which is NOT related to the 2.0 in the 3 or the 2.0 in the Protege) which has 130 hp, and a 2.3l 4 cylinder which only makes 144hp. Besides the US Focus isn't even off of the same platform as the new 3 or the Volvo S40. That platform is only utilized for the new Europe only Focus C-Max, whcih will NOT be coming to the states. Ford does not plan on redoing the Focus until the 2008 model year.

not a ford
 

i recently watched a car show on tv, cant recall which one, but they were previewing the new mazda3's, in which the question had popped up to a Mazda/ford representative.... "Is the new Mazda3 at all a ford product" the reply was "No!!!, the Mazda3 is most certainly NOT a ford product, it is a Mazda. However ford is going over the design of the Mazda3 to incoporate it into their own models." Jus thought id add my two cents.

Jasper

I think im going to have to request a mod please ban this guy mazdaprotejoke for contstantly bashing and spreading false information, and generally having nothing constructive to say...the new renesis engine is most certainly not a 13b...it is redesigned engine with new port patterns and valve designs....there is a slight problem with the fuel maps that is causing the engine to not produce as much power as anticipated, this is a small ecu problem, and mazda is currently working on a flash to fix this..as far as the Mazda 3 is concerned the reviews are out and the reviewers from pretty much every magazine rave over this car...it is more powerful and more refined than the protege, although maybe not quite as nimble and not as much feel

Don't worry, I'm watching him ...

Please do.

Has anyone read the newest Car and Driver magazine reviewing the new Mazda 3??

They clearly don't like it as well as the 02-03 MP5!!

I think this is worthy of a new thread...

The Mazda3 is definitely more refined in most areas than the P5, but I like the styling of the P5 better. Personally, the Mazda3 looks too much like the Matrix/Vibe to me, though the numbers indicate it is mechanically better than the P5.
Just my opinion, mind you. The P5's sharp looks won me over.

Car and driver...
 

I read the article in question, and tho they do make some negative remarks of their experiences with the new Mazda3, they do have a significant amount of positive remarks on the car also. it all depends on personal preference basically, theres good and bad points about any car. no such thing as the "perfect" car, even tho we wish there was lol.

P5>M3!

Nuff Said!