hello,
As some may know my lovely 3/5 was smashed up a few weeks ago. The body shop's estimate was $17,400.00 which puts it into the "totalled" catagory. They said that parts are really costly for this model because of its newness. The insurance company said they are working on the "value" of the car and intends to pay for what the car is worth with about 5k miles and 5.5 months of wear. I thought I would get replacement cost. MMMM! But, I checked Vehix and Edmonds.com for used Mazda 3/5 prices. I was surprised that there were so many 2004 3/5s out there for sale with 8 - 20K miles. Now I wonder, why are people getting rid of this car? The good news is that they are listed for pretty high prices - $16 to almost $20k. Any thought about our pals selling off so soon? Maybe it's a move up to the 6?

Problems with your 3 so far?
 

Scoggins:

So sorry to hear about your 3, but in the long run, totalling it is probably a good thing. Seems like they're never the same again when you repair a ton of damage.

Having previously spent seven years in hell in Massachusetts as an auto insurance adjuster (and having my appraiser's license, too), maybe I can give you a few tips (although each state has its own little quirks in the insurance biz). Definitely arm yourself with ads for similar cars in the area. Take a look at the Kelley Blue Book, the NADA (National Auto Dealers Assoc) Book and the RedBook (anything you can't find online you can often find the reference section of your local library). If I'm telling you anything you already know or being preachy just ignore me. It's okay! :) Typically your car is insured for Actual Cash Value, so they'll tell you what they think the fair market value of it is, and you can try to prove your case if you disagree.

Regarding the glut of cars in the ads: Oftentimes when there's a new, hot, sporty car out, you'll get a lot of people (oftentimes those that really can't afford it) that run out and buy the cars. They then figure out they can't afford the maintenance (just think of the tire bill on this one...lol), insurance, car payment, etc. So a year or two after they come out, you find them clogging up the classified section. Hopefully it's that scenario and not inherent problems with the car itself.

Alright I'll stop this rambling post. Good luck Scoggins!
Pickle
had her 3 5-dr for 1 month and still lovin' it!

W3,
Thanks for the advise. Very helpful. I got a bit spooked seeing all these nearly new 3/5s out there wondering if the problems we all discuss have gotten to some folks and they just bailed out. Hopefully not.
thanks again,
Scoggins