I got me a Mazda 3

  • Thread starter Sage
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Sage

Sage

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GTP_Sage
Meet my new baby:





Mazda 3 s with the side and curtain airbag package, manual 5-speed, Titanium Gray. I absolutely love it – very powerful engine, wonderfully light clutch, snickety-snick stickshift, small fat leather steering wheel (with audio controls on it! and cruise control!), ginormous trunk and interior space, and great build quality. My only gripe is that the tires are a bit loud at highway speeds (but at least it’s better than the Subie, whose engine is woefully loud at 75mph). Otherwise, this thing is almost perfect, and all for 17 grand. 👍
 
Nice Sage 👍 They are handsome, those 3's.

Is the red/gold Outback in the 2nd picture the Subie you refer to?
 
Yup. That was my daily driver, but now my mom will get it back. I won’t miss it – the Mazda feels way more powerful (it’s down a few hp, but it also weighs 800 lbs. less) and is more fun to drive. :)
 
Nice car, Sage! 👍

My parents owned a Mazda 6, so I suppose it's pretty similar. Same colour too. :) Also good to know it should be relaible.

What engine size is it? 2.0?
 
Sage
Yup. That was my daily driver, but now my mom will get it back. I won’t miss it – the Mazda feels way more powerful (it’s down a few hp, but it also weighs 800 lbs. less) and is more fun to drive. :)
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AWD tends to numb out the throttle response -- but if I get the clutch slip right, my Impreza has great pull off the line with all that traction...

And all this time I thought you were driving the Outback Sport...

Let us know what kind of gas milage you get, the parents are looking for a new car around $15K and the Mazda3 is one that I might suggest to them...
 
Not bad. Definitly liking it over your previous daily ride, and hopefully it should be a lot better on gas for you. Liking the color choice as well, big props for that! 👍
 
Blake
Got some interior shots?
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No, I figured no one would be interested (a Mazda 3 interior looks like a Mazda 3 interior ;)), but I can take some pictures tomorrow if you want (it’s nighttime right now).

RVDNuT374
Now you have one more reason to hate Fords. ;)
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Except that this is literally a European Focus underneath. ;)
 
Congratulations on your purchase, Sage! 👍 Back when Jedi bought his 3, I still preferred the wagon, but I'm starting to really like the style of the sedans lately. Beautiful car.

zoom-zoom.

P.S. At least the tires are something you can upgrade later. :)
 
Very nice, Sage! Fun looking but elegant in that metallic grey. And light on its feet, too!
 
Congrats on the purchase... It looks great!

When is the MazdaSpeed 3 suppose to be out? It's going to be quite a pocket rocket...

I was looking at a Mazda 3 for my sister a while back... I had a hard decision what to suggest to her... a Mazda 3 or a Scion tC.

Did you look at the Scion tC - it's pretty nice for the price.
 
How much is the Scion? 'Cause I bet the Mazda3 could eat it for breakfast.. hehe. It's quicker than it looks. :)

Seriously.. this is a GT forum, for cryin' out loud.. we want fun cars. :)
 
Jedi2016
How much is the Scion? 'Cause I bet the Mazda3 could eat it for breakfast.. hehe. It's quicker than it looks. :)

Seriously.. this is a GT forum, for cryin' out loud.. we want fun cars. :)
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Starts at $16,840
2.4-liter DOHC 4 cylinder with 160 hp and 163 ft.-lb of torque.

It's no slack... and it's defiantely not bad looking. xA and xB are hideous... but this Scion tC looks respectable.

I think there is an option for a TRD supercharger... haha.

Both cars are great... period.
 
Sage
2.3 L: 153 hp, 149 lb-ft torque (the detuned version for California).
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Restrictions? Nothing a few mods won't fix... :lol:

About the noise, the current Euro-Focus has better noise suppression than the Mazda3, and I can vouch for its quietness, but like rollazn says, a good set of tires will cure that.
 
Sage
Yup. That was my daily driver, but now my mom will get it back. I won’t miss it – the Mazda feels way more powerful (it’s down a few hp, but it also weighs 800 lbs. less) and is more fun to drive. :)
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We've got an Outback, and I still think it's a lot of fun to drive.

But then again, you live in SoCal, and I live in Quebec.
 
niky
Restrictions? Nothing a few mods won't fix... :lol:

About the noise, the current Euro-Focus has better noise suppression than the Mazda3, and I can vouch for its quietness, but like rollazn says, a good set of tires will cure that.
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I believe it was a6m5 who said that... :)
 
rollazn
Did you look at the Scion tC - it's pretty nice for the price.
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Yeah, I definitely considered a tC, but I’ve read that it’s a pig in the handling department, so I passed up on it. And when I first test drove the Mazda 3, I was hooked on how awesome the clutch and shifter felt, which I know is another complaint of the tC, so that really sealed the deal for me. The dealer offered me a manumatic for free (shift-it-yourself automatic that normally costs $800), but I insisted on a stick, because it’s that good. :)

Assuming your sister isn’t quite so crazy about shifting and handling, have her test drive both of them – I imagine the tC’s still a great car (they’re incredibly popular at my high school). I’m not a fan of MotorTrend, but this is the only comparo I could find that included the 3 and tC (normally they’re not compared, since one’s a four-door/hatch and the other’s a coupe).
 
Congrats, Sage! I really like the color. 👍

Sage
Except that this is literally a European Focus underneath. ;)
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Isn't it more like, the Focus is literally a Mazda 3 underneath? ;)
 
Well, Mazda is owned by Ford.

Which was good for me, because my company has an arrangement with Ford.. I get the employee discount. Which also covers most of Ford's subsidiaries, including Mazda. :)
 
Congrats on a great car--everytime I'm sitting next to a Mazda3 at a red light I think "damn why did I buy my Focuses".
 
I don't know why, but I've always though the Mazda 3 was perfect for you. :confused: Great car - congrats, Sage! :)
 
My mom is interested in getting a Mazda 3, nice car, good buy 👍.
 

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