Contemplating the 3
 

Hey all, I'm contemplating the purchase of the Mazda 3 5-door and was wondering if any of you could provide some input.

A local dealership has one car in stock that is Titanium Gray with leather interior, manual transmission and has the moonroof/6-cd option installed. It does NOT have the ABS package or the HID headlamp package.

I'm now wondering if these two features are enough to keep me from purchasing this particular vehicle.

The other issue is that I assume the 2005's will be right around the corner, and might have some of the minor issues people have reported with the 2004 corrected.

What do y'all think I should do? I've currently got a 2000 Honda Civic EX with 88k on it, so there's no real rush... but after driving it I'm all fired up :)

i don't have the hid's or the abs and am very happy with my car, i actually prefer non abs cars, and am planning on doing an hid conversion some time in the future.... as far as i know there is no word on how soon the 05's will be out, the 6's are comming soon but the 3's are still in limbo (i think mazda wants to give the demand for them a lil more time to get rolling?? all about the $$)

I don't think you will see large discounts on the '04 models because of demand.

As for the ABS, keep in mind that that package also includes the side impact airbags and curtains. If that is a requirement for you I would wait. I personally don't care about ABS, the side airbags would be nice, but weren't a requirement for me, so I just went with a 2004 i 4door manual with only the power/convenience options. The only reason I didn't get the hatch, is the other two vehicles we have are hatchbacks, and it wasn't offered with the smaller engine. We wanted the small engine for the best gas mileage.

Is there a price limit that you want to stay under? Some other cars to look at would be the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, the Volvo V50 T5 (same chassis as the Mazda3 with a turbo 5 cylinder), a new "cheap" Audi wagon coming out in the next year or so, Focus wagon (I would wait until the next iteration of the focus when it gets the C1 Mazda3 platform in this country), VW Jetta/Golf, Subaru Impreza, and I am sure I am forgetting several.

Here is a nice review for the 3, they mention some comparable cars at the end.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/mazd...ntent...Mazda*

I just picked up my 3 today. I got the Titanium Grey with the Side Air Bags and Moonroof options with a manual trans and wheel locks. I got them down to $18,100, which was $1300 off the sticker and $600 less than I could get Toyota to sell the Matrix for. I told the Toyota salesman that there was no reason to buy an inferior car than the Mazda for more money.

So far I could not be happier and hope to learn a great deal about my car in this forum.

I've got a 3 s with Sports package (17" wheels) and the ABS/SAC/DBS system. It is worth the $800 for the ABS package for the side air-bags alone (Volvo helped them develop the system). Plus the Dynamic Braking System will save wear on your brakes. I'm not sure where you live and the people who share the roads with you, but ABS can save your life. Most people aren't skilled enough to emergency brake as well as the computer can...Just a thought.

I found that having ABS does help a little on the insurance side of things, but it's also for piece of mind as well. Having your brakes lock up on you is a scary feeling. The HIDs I thought didn't make much of a difference at first until I started driving with it. When I hopped into my mom's Solara and drove that the lighting was different enough for me to notice. I guess I'm just spoiled by it now. But try test driving both cars with and without the xenons and see what you think.

"most people aren't skilled...." Indeed, but NO ONE can modulate brake pressure at the 4 wheels the way ABS does. You'd have to have 4 brake pedals ... !

I'm glad Mazda bundled the ABS with the extra air bags.
I figure I'll use the ABS any old time the road is a bit slick....
but the air bags are like insurance - you hope you never have to use it - but its good to know you're covered.