Hello everyone, my first post here and hopefully not the last.
well, I always loved Mazdas and I owned a 96 Highly Modded Miata for almost 2 years, loved it, most fun car I ever driven, traded it in for Supra Turbo (you have to love the speed and acceleration), anyway, now I am looking to buy a new car, something extremly reliable, good gas mileage, enough power for passing cars on the highway, smooth, low road noise, nice luxury features,..etc. anyway, after alot of research I am almost convined to buy a Mazda3 hatch, the amount of features and luxury is amazing for the price. if I want the same features in the accord or the camry (both were on my list) I would be paying at least 27k vs. 20k for the M3.

so my questions are, how is the car reliability? (I wont be doing any modifications to the engine since I already have a fast car), how is the ride comfort for long drives (3+ hours)? should I buy a Manual or Auto? how is the stock sound system? and finally is it worth it to wait for the MS3?

Thank you.

 

this is all a matter of opinion. First and foremost what is your budget? How much are you willing to spend on a car and rate these catagories in order of priority and I'll tell you what to buy.

1. performance

2. comfort

3. price


rank those and I'll set you up.


p.s. the 3S hatch is a great car and buying one slightly used will save TONS of cash on a good car.

 

thank you for the reply. Comfort is #1 priority since its a daily driver and I drive about 7 hours almost every weekend. performance is not a big deal since I already have a sports car, but I dont want it slow either like any of the scions (including the TC), as long as its fun to drive and wont bore me I will be ok, for example, the miata is in no way fast or powerful but the fun factor in it exceeds any car I ever driven.
price wise, as long as its under 25k I should be fine, however I am big on luxury features, like the grand touring 3 has leather power everything almost, rain sensing wipers, HID, navigation, wheel mounted controls, tire pressure sensor..etc so I definetly want something equal to it if not more. I was looking at the BMW 3 series (used ofcourse) but they are not that economical and the reliability isnt the best either, but bmw is famous for luxury and driving impressions (RWD,..etc). I am in no hurry to buy anything right now so I am taking my time to make sure I find the right car for me, the more I read about the Mazda3 the more I like it, not much info about the Mazdaspeed3 though, if it will be under 25k with the grandtouring package fully loaded then I will be all over it, if it will be closer to 30k then most likely i will settle for either the normal mazda3 or on something else. thank you again for the help.

 

How would you feel about the following package:

$26,525

274bhp
280tq
AWD
6spd manual
bose 6 disk changer
sport bucket seats
18" wheels
2.3L DIZI Turbo 4cyl.



The Mazdaspeed6 (base sport model) invoices for $26 and change.....about $1K more than you'd like to spend but has performance, luxury, comfort, style and PLENTY of power to outrun a scion. From what I hear BIG rebates are about to be released on the MS6 and if thats true you could get a sport model in the $23K range without much fuss. Imagine evo-level performance (almost) for $23K.

 

hmm, I dont think I will ever buy a Mazda6, for the same price I can get a fully loaded 07 Accord or Camry which have an excellent performance for a dailydriver car. I am not looking to race anyone with the car I buy, thats what I have the Supra for. Fuel efficiency is a must for me other wise I wouldnt need a second car. I have been trying to get more info about MS3 such as fuel consumption, the grand touring price,...etc so far the most likely route that I will go for is an 06 GT 3 and wait untill the warratty is over or almost over and turbo it which should be faster than the MS3 anyway. above all, I need to drive the 3 first to get a first impression, I test drove alot of cars in the past month and the one I liked the most for the features/price was the XB but its too slow for me and wind noise is terrible. the one decision that is killing me is weather I should buy the 3 now or wait untill the MS3 comes out and see what happens, one thing bad about teh 07 is the shorter warrantty. and I have a feeling that teh GT MS3 will not be under 25k with navigation,...etc

 

If milege is a concern get the Manual. I have the Auto and my biggest complain is the milege with the 2.3 .

Road noise is a bit more noticable than say my dads Altima and the ride is a lot more stiff. But it is great when taking on a winding road and the sound system makes up for the extra road noise.

I bought my 3 because it looks and feels like a luxury car without the price. I justified my purchase becasue Consumer Reports Ranked it very high for reliability.

My advise. Look at what you want to spend. Do some research on Edmunds.com and go and drive every care on you list, twice, and by the one you like the best.

Thats what I did and I bought an '05 Mazda 3s sedan. 2.3, power everything, Auto, in dash CD changer, Sunroof. I came out spending about $17,000.

 

Thank you for the replies, I made up my mind and already got approved for a loan, I am going for a Mazda 3 S Grand touring. Manual for alot of reasons, leathure,..etc. cant wait untill I get it. Thanks for all the help.

 

Just make sure you don't pay a penny over invoice cost.

Welcome to the club

 

How do you know what the invoice cost is for a specific model?

 

www.edmunds.com

 

its official, just bought an 06 Mazda 3 S 5 door Grand Touring with all the options (Navigation, Bose 6 disc, Sirius Radio, Fuel door, cassette (yes a cassette) all the other small options (cargo tray, all weather floor mats, step plate, side skirts, moonrrof deflector, wheel locks) all for 23100 OTD. the car has 22 miles only. I wanted a balck mica but the only 3 GT that was available is winning blue. ohh well, thank you guys for your support, picutres of the car along with the supra next week.

 

sounds good.