update
I finished my university education last Thursday, so since then I've been doing a few test drives (some of them pretty lenghty) on 2009 Lancer GT's, SE's, and GTS's, 2009 Toyota Corolla XRS's, 2008.5 Mazda 3 GT's sedan & sport models, and a 2008 Impreza Sedan Sport. I did a few other used cars, but nothing I was too serious about. I also sat in a 2003 Ferrari 360 Modena that the Mitsubishi dealership had on consignment, but lacked the $20000 deposit the salesman wanted to allow me to take it for a spin
My opinions so far:
The Subaru is out. It was one of the first cars I tested because it was nice and close to the university. I've forgotten a lot of what I felt about the handling, all I remember is that there was a lot of engine and road noise. The interior treatment looked pretty cheap compared to everything else I sat in (particularly the Ferrari
), and the mileage is estimated to be the worst of the bunch. That, coupled with styling that I don't think I could ever learn to love, plus the 3 flocks of seniors that were simultaneously checking out clones of the car I tested for themselves lead me to think that this just isn't the car for me.
All of the Lancer's felt very sluggish on the highway. In town the steering is very sharp - it caught me buy surprise actually, the first time I went down an off-ramp. But some combination of the weight and gearing make the throttle pretty unresponsive. I felt that my current B13 Sentra with its wimpy GA16DE had more pull in 4th gear between 80 and 120km/h for passing than the Mitsubishi's did. The GTS with the 2.4 was somewhat peppier, probably a bit quicker than my Sentra (but only just, and that's nothing for it to be bragging about), but the notion of paying a few thousand more upfront to buy into the 'privelege' of having to pay a few hundred more on gas over the next couple years doesn't make sense to me.
They look sharp though. I suppose that counts for something.
Corollas.... where to begin.
After walking around the lot for 20mins in plain sight of the showroom without a single sales rep coming out to greet me, I decided I'd have to try to hunt one down. My complaints about this particular dealership and the sales rep I got stuck with go farther than that, but no point in elaborating further because it really means nothing about the car. The drive itself was comfortable,
not exactly definitely not fun or exciting, but comfortable, and pretty rolly. Accurate feedback from the steering was pretty much absent on the demo car I drove... but I think something may not have been functioning properly there... something was definitely bugged as the resistance to turning the wheel seemed to pulsate on and off. I mentioned it to the tool of a sales rep in the passenger seat and he said, "yes, that's the electronic assisted steering system" ...what a winner
. I basically ruled the corrolla out for good then and there. Although this may have been an isolated incident with the steering, it left me thinking that Toyota still has a few wrinkles to iron out. Also, the interior was feeling a little dated after having just been in a Lancer earlier in the day.
Today I drove three Mazda 3's.
One was a used one (2005 GT sedan I think) that I absolutely hated - based on tire wear it was probably in dire need of a front end alignment, it pulled hard right at highway speed, had a noticeable vibration through the steering at all speeds, and the clutch was slipping quite a bit (all the way through 4th gear leaving an off-ramp). When I got it back to the dealership (about 3 mins after taking it out), I noticed some more flaws in the paint on the front presumably from salt accumulation in the winter, and some heavy heavy scratches that actually gouged the plastic on the rear bumper. I think the problems with this car were entirely the product of the previous owner not looking after it, and not an indication of Mazda's quality.
So after that I tested two 2008.5 GT's, a sport with the cloth interior, and a sedan with the leather luxury package interior. I knew before this that I wanted the cloth, but the salesman I'm dealing with didn't have a sedan optioned the way I wanted ready to drive.
Now, I'd read all over the place that the Mazda 3 was a fun little car to drive, but it all sounded like marketing talk and I never paid much attention to it. Well... it IS fun to drive. I liked the short throw shifter. The car always felt like it just wanted to move when you hit the gas (though I think 0-60 would be a bit slower than the Lancer GTS, but I'm really not concerned with that too much). Handling, it just goes right where you point it, and felt like there was less roll and more grip than the Lancers. I liked its highway/cruising manners and passing ability. The highway fuel mileage should be in the 44mpg range (that's using British gallons). Honestly, the only thing I'd fault is that the ride got pretty bumpy inside on rough roads, but that's bound to happen with the short tire sidewalls and firm sporty suspension, and I'm willing to live with that. I wasn't really a fan of the trunk on the sedan because you have to push stuff into it, but I was thinking all along that I liked the style and utility of the hatch more anyways. Also, the salesmen at the Mazda dealership is a genuinely nice guy and seems to understand what I'm looking for and is enthusiastic about getting me into a car that is right for me as opposed to just selling me whatever I lay my sights on just so he can get his commission. He's actually encouraged me to take some time shopping around other dealerships for my own peace of mind, which I really dont think is common salesman practice. Every other guy I've dealt with so far has either been unfriendly, or uninformative to the point that I was telling them something about their cars (that Toyota guy was a real piece of work... I just can't get over it), or just looking to make a quick buck on a quick sale.
Anyways, despite what I said earlier about wanting to avoid the 3 because everyone has one, I think I may be purchasing one as soon as tomorrow.
I've still got to settle on a price and payment schedule with the dealership but I'm feeling very very good about ordering a 2008.5 Mazda 3 Sport GT.
If I act tomorrow I can still get 0% financing on a 60 month term, on May 1st that special expires... There's just this little nagging thing in the back of my head that's saying I should hold out longer and see if a used one (06 or 07) shows up somewhere optioned as I want. Financing would be at/around 7.5%, but even with that figured in the sum off all the payments could be $3000+ less than new. The difference in price could buy a lot of gas.
I don't imagine I'm going to get much sleep tonight as I debate this...
