smarx

Hey guys. I don't have a 3 right now, but am very serious about buying one. Looking at an '07 but been offered a good deal on an '05. Only looking at 5-door hatch models.

Here is my question. Of those of you who own an 05-07 3 why would you buy or ot buy again?

I like the way they look and percieved gas milage. Not a fan it is very close to a Fucus. The engine was sluggish, but could be due to the car siting for a while. Overall impression is good though, but looking for some insight from people that have put some milage on the car. My use for the car is a daily commuter of 70 miles per day when not travelling (which is pretty frequently) and basic requirements for a car are sporty and good gas milage.

Thanks a buch. I appreciate the insight that only owners can give.

Roddimus Prime

sporty + good gas mileage doesn't exsist.....unless you drive a modded diesel.

I love the 3S hatch and I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. They are VERY well built. The interior is probably the best of any in it's class. It has performance on par with the last gen Civic Si with more features for less money.

Will it get great milage?? no. But it'll be fun to drive and that's what matters most when you spend all day in a car like I do.

smarx

Just to make sure I understand sporty in your context, would define less than 20mpg and being able to roast the tires in 3rd gear doign 70mph? That is sport or in some cases more than enough. That to me is not an everyday commuter car, but a weekend toy.

Sporty and good gas milage go together everyday IMO. Over 30mpg and being able enjoy turns defines ' in my case. Picture sporty as Saab 9-3, Civic Si, 350Z, Benz C230, etc. Sport is 911, Vette, Aston Martin, Ferrari and other such almost exotic or exotic. I'm not lookin at a damn 3 because I think its a ****** sports car. If I wanted great gas milage (~40) I'd buy a prius or other ugly as ****, tree hugger car.

Is this more clear?

ceejay

I have a 70 mile round trip commute. I get about 27-28 mpg in my '04 5-door. I couldn't be happier. I have close to 65,000 miles without a single problem. I'm on my second set of summer tires (Goodyear RSA's disappeared in a hurry, currently running Continentals).

Other cars get better mileage but I pass them all on the hills with my cruise control set.

Roddimus Prime

watch the language on this forum....we put up with a little but not that much.

My definition of sporty is something quick/powerful that is SOMEWHAT impressive. I don't consider a standard 2.3L 160bhp engine impressive. I'd consider the RX8 sporty, 350Z sporty but no....a saab is not sport at all....maybe the saabaru models but thats a different story.

Volvo makes some quick cars but I dont consider any of them sporty except for the R models.

Honda makes only one sporty car and thats the S2000. Mazda makes SEVERAL sporty cars. MS6, MS3, RX8, MX5, etc.

P.s. I averaged about 25mpg in my 3S hatch. Coming from a 99 mustang V6 (that would easily outrun it and get 32mpg) I think the mustang felt sportier even though it is just a base V6.

smarx

Roddimus >

Easy way to fix that you know. Block swear words.

Now that you give a comparison your comments can now be understood, although impressive is way to unquantifiable. I'm not here to argue your definition of sporty, but to give no reference in your first response made it hard to take anything you said without raising more questions. Did you ever think the reason you think the mustang felt sportier is becuase it is stiffer, smaller and potentially lighter weight? All three being key areas in helping a cars sportiness. I also hope you didn't get into a 3 thinking it was going to be sportier than a mustang.

I find the posted MPG interesting so far. Every car I've owned I get 2-3 more mpg than the EPA estimates, so seeing the 3 rated at33 highway and hearing mid 20's is interesting to me.

Roddimus Prime

I'm an admin but I'm not here to ban what words people can and cant use. We just ask that our members use something called tact and class. We like to think of oursleves as the grownups of the mazda community.

The reason the mustang felt sportier was because it is RWD and has GOBS of torque. The 2.3L in the 3S feels wheezy up top. I think the MS3 is about as perfectly sporty as a 3 can be. A littler firmer chasis and about +125wtq.

I'm also not an elitist or anything but I've owned some very respectable cars (including porsches) and I can say confidently that for the money Mazda makes the best products on the road right now if sportiness is what you're after.

smarx

But you are here to tell me to not use certain words? If you don't like people to use the word then create a rule so that when people do, the spell checker finds it and posts it as 'f**k' or some other form. Then you won't have to play nanny and slap someone's wrist when they use the wrong word.

I agree the MS3 is as sporty as the 3 will be, but that does not detract from the fact the base car is sporty in that for its segment it is a sporty car. In its class I would consider to be the Corolla, Civic, Cobalt, Focus, etc. Does that make sense? Now if you start throwing other cars into the equation (like a mustang) you start comparing apples to oranges and it becomes one great big pissing match and for that matter a larger matter of opinion.

By putting what you had to say in perspective like this last comment is great. Tells me exactly what you think, not vague or implying that I don't get something because I think a 3 is IMO a sporty economical car that is also very functional for me intended uses.

Roddimus Prime

I'm sure we could very easily use some sort of word filter to prevent certain language from being used however I can't say this in a way you'll understand...

We want a different CLASS of people here. Good people don't have to be policed. They just need to understand that we try to be more mature. If you don't fit in it's made very clear and the other members usually ask for a ban.

I'm not a fan of censoring peoples words. Lord knows I speak my mind all the time. what I DO ask though is that you some better judgement in the future.

Good luck with your upcoming purchase.