Hatchback vs Sedan tuff decision
 

I have not been able to find the 2004 Mazda 3 that i want....so i am left with choosing between the leftovers. I have narrowed it down though and this is my dilema... 5 door in Sunlight Silver Metallic with Moonroof,abs,xenon automatic basically everything i want ..except leather seats
OR
SEDAn 3s Shimmering Sand Metallic.....it has everything the 5 door has...but ....its not a hatchback. i could buy the body kit for it though i guess...

So, I could have either the 5 door with cloth seats or the sedan with No hatchback. I cant decide..HELP!

P.S.- different colors really make a difference in how a car looks overall. i dont like the sedan in white but it looks pretty damn good in Shimmering Sand Metallic.

I, although I sometimes feel alone on this, prefer the cloth over the leather on the 3. I like the color difference in the design and I hear that the leather they use on the 3 is pretty cheep, and that it shows. So if leather is your only problem, then go for the hatch because the leather supposedly not of the highest quality and therefore not worth the extra money. Especially when the cloth looks so sweet.

well i would go with the sedan... mainly because i like sedans over hatch's

i would always choose a sedan over a hatch, the hatch's just don't appeal to me for some reason....

and the leather point brought up in the previous post is a good thing to look over.....

if you really like leather you should maybe get the cloth version, then later on spend a little extra and get leather put in.... the leather would be how you want it, and u can use the best quality materials if you want....

me i would go with the sedan and get the body kit for it... :)

My initial response is to get the cloth 5-door. Then I tought about interior color. You will read many places here that the A/C is pretty weak. Are they both back interior? I would go with the lightest interior color available. I have black cloth and it gets stinking hot even with dark window tint. I would hate to get into hot black leather.

I prefer the hatch for 2 reasons. First the 3 does not have that much room in the back so having the hatch means some much needed extra space. The second thing is that the sedan's trunk lid is kinda small. If you open one up at the dealer it makes you wish that they had made the 3 sedan about 3-4 inches longer so the trunk lid could be bigger. I also am a hatchback person and the 3 is the most beutiful hatchback ever made. It just looks sweet. So if I were you go hatch because if you get the package that gives the 3s the 17 inch weels then they both will cost about the same.

i agree go with the hatch, i also have heard about the leather being cheap on the 3 as well, with people complianing about threads poking through already. plus the hatch is much nicer lookin then the sedan!!...imo...

I have a hatch. Plenty of room. Titanium gray.
 

After market from the dealer in NJ. came out perfect. No heat problems.Sand is an awesome color but the sedan is too small.

go with the hatchback! lol not just because i have the hatchback tho... i like it a whole lot better over the sedan. about the cloth interior... the two-color clothes look real nice, i have a yellow hatchback with black and blue interior cloth

If you want leather, ask the dealer if they install it in the vehicle. My step-father had luck with this (for a price) for his VW Golf TDI. If you are concerned with the quality of leather, perhaps an aftermarket company can provide a better solution.

I had my leather instaled by a shop. Pretty hard to find a 3 hatch, moonroof, leather in titanium grey at the time.The quality is way better than factory leather. I had a chance to compare the two side by side at the dealer. They also installed bun warmers in the seats. Two switches now located to the left of the cig. lighter.

Had to be the hatch for me, although I do like the coupes with some of the body kits available.

The 5 door you're considering is equipped like mine. I LOVE it. I am very happy I got the hatch- not just because of looks but the room in back... makes it so much easier to move stuff, and it holds a lot too (i just had it packed with stuff this morning and it was so nice to not have to make 2 trips). I like the look of the 5 door's front end better too, but the extra space is why i wanted a hatch back to begin with. The leather seats are nice and a bit firmer than the cloth, but the cloth is very comfortable and sporty looking- i get a lot of compliments on it (black and red). whichever car you get though, you'll be happy- it's a fun to drive car, comfortable and very well thought out. while the ac doesn't crank like some other cars, i've used it on days that are 90+ and i've been very comfortable. but i'm usually blasting down the road with the windows and the roof open, so... :)

Go with which one you like better, I prefer hatches, we bought the sedan because of gas mileage reasons (it is a commuter car). We would have bought the hatch if it was available with the smaller engine. The other problem is we already have 2 hatchbacks, didn't really need a 3rd.

If you ever want to move big objects, the hatch is very nice. You can actually fit things like TV's, tables, and chairs in them. Not so with the sedan. The sedan has a very small trunk for its class (I think it has to do with the rear suspension setup). It does have the folding rear seats, but the opening isn't very large.

y opinion
 

Well i have the Mazda 3 5 door in the silver and it looks really sharp...It's loaded and at first i thought i wanted a sedan till i tried out a 5 door and i ike it a lot better and i like my cloth seats i'd go with the 5 door cause i liked it better and maybe u will too. :rolleyes:

I say you can't go wrong either way. Both the hatch and the sedan are nice. The hatch is just a bit sportier and the cloth seats are awesome. The leather in the 3 felt more like Vinyl to me than anything. For practicality the hatch would also be nice for carrying stuff around. So I would recommend thinking about what you do on a daily basis and see which one would probably fit your needs more than the other. Otherwise, both styles look pretty nice. Especially in yellow =D

I've got a Ralley White 3s sedan: I traded in a Sunlight Siver for it (Not for the color but for ABS). The white is gorgeous and turns more heads than the silver ever did. Between hatch and sedan, it depends on how old you are/feel. The hatch may look a little silly on you in a few years if you're older. Regardless of the body style, go ahead and get it loaded, it's the only way to really make the 3 worth the money.

Don't do leather seating! When you get thrashing, you'll slide. The cloth just grips better. Plus there's upkeep on the leather if you want it to stay looking good. (After some time, it'll just start to look bad regardless of what you do.)