Age group of owners

[edhchoe]

How old are you? My 76 yo dad too old for a mazda3 hatchback? His current ride is a Sonata.

 

[concept]

Ask him how important to him is quietness and handling.
If quietness is most important and handling, not so important, a Camry is a great choice, as it is tomb-quiet. A used hybrid will be reasonably-priced and deliver an average of 36 MPG.
Does he tend to take long trips? Then quietness (little to no road noise) may be important.
Does he use the car for short trips on winding roads? The Mazda may be preferable.
Both are more reliable than a Sonata.

 

[concept]

Yes, but how quiet it is, now is based upon your experience with other Mazdas. The Camry is like a Lexus when it comes to quietness. You can't say that about a new 3. I've recently driven a 3 and a 6. But as I mentioned, the Mazdas hand better and are more fun. It's just that those attributes are not very important to many people, especially older folks.
The newer Sonatas are more reliable that the older ones, but they are not up to the Japanese car level of reliability. You can clearly see the differences in the Consumer Reports annual auto issue. Mazda and Toyota are still above Hyundai and Kia.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[bonsai500]

Funny how the age groups are defined here. I guess once you are 50, it no longer matters if you are 50,70 or 100. We are all the same.

 

[edhchoe]

Funny how the age groups are defined here. I guess once you are 50, it no longer matters if you are 50,70 or 100. We are all the same.

Lol. Sorry. It was my fault. I clicked on submit thread then I realized I had not changed the number of vote items. Default is 4. I decided on the above four. Two young groups and two over the hill groups.
Maybe 36-65 and over 65 would have been better? But I wasn't sure if there would be any votes for over 65.

My father's 2012 sonata 2.0T has been flawless in 20k miles. It's good on the fuel also. However, I recently had to trade cars with him for a week and I didn't like how its steering felt on the freeway. It has almost no deadspot in the middle and it felt too sensitive.

And I kind of want him to experience the new safety features before his driving days are over. Rear cam and blind spot monitoring to be specific.

 

[concept]

That's all? I guess you ARE an old timer!

I plan to install high-purity oxygen injection with digital molecular sieve bed flow monitoring, a laser-guided cruise control retrofit with integral laser-jamming capability (when cruise is off). In addition, a Subaru all wheel drive tranny swap with Haldex clutch should compliment the aforementioned modifications, nicely.

....and I just turned 22, last February.

 

[concept]

...and the electrically-activated window tint; I've always liked that.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[edhchoe]

I am surprised no one has come out with a bifocal front windshield. Or a rotating driver's seat for easy egress.


But seriously, the poll shows that there are more older people driving this car than I expected.

 

[concept]

I did see a rotating front seat in a Toyota van at the auto show, a few years ago.

One thing I forgot to mention is that while I do see many older folks driving sedans like the BMW 3 series, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry, I rarely see them driving a small hatch like the Subaru WRX or Toyota Matrix. Almost every hatch driver I see is younger (<40).

From my perspective (and no, I'm not 22, at least not for the last 34 years), a sedan looks more upscale - kinda like a 3-series BMW. The Mazda car salesman mentioned that the hatch 3 has about 4 inches more of height than does the sedan, but there really isn't lots of extra depth to that small amount of height. So you don't gain a huge amount of space by opting for the hatch.
Of course, that's why both are available; many have strong preferences of one type over the other.

 

[Calcat]

I'm one of the old guys with a hatch. If I were going the sedan route, it would have been the Mazda 6 or another brand as they get similar mpg and give a better ride. Generally, we older guys can afford cars more than younger folks so our decision is based on other factors. I didn't buy the hatch because of price, I bought it because a hatch is much more functional than a sedan for carrying stuff. When you get older, you don't like to reach down into trunks to get things out. Besides, we baby boomers like sportier options. The 60-70 year old today is different from the past in that most of us feel young. I want a sporty car with good handling and modern tech. The 80 year olds are the older generation wthat you speak about. Besides, if I wanted a sedan, I would have bought a Mercedes or Audi or if I was strapped for cash, a Sonata or Fusion. The 2014 Mazda 3 is the first Mazda I've ever considered buying because of its combination of styling (I didn't like the gen 2's), performance and economy. It's a fun car and we older citizens like to have fun...

I am also an old guy(69). I purchased my M3 iGT hatch because I liked the exterior and interior styling, handling, safety features (particularly backup camera and blind spot monitoring) and great gas mileage. It delivers on all counts and I am very pleased with the car. To me it is a gem and a great value.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

25

 

[concept]

I'm one of the old guys with a hatch. If I were going the sedan route, it would have been the Mazda 6 or another brand as they get similar mpg and give a better ride. Generally, we older guys can afford cars more than younger folks so our decision is based on other factors. I didn't buy the hatch because of price, I bought it because a hatch is much more functional than a sedan for carrying stuff. When you get older, you don't like to reach down into trunks to get things out. Besides, we baby boomers like sportier options. The 60-70 year old today is different from the past in that most of us feel young. I want a sporty car with good handling and modern tech. The 80 year olds are the older generation that you speak about. Besides, if I wanted a sedan, I would have bought a Mercedes or Audi or if I was strapped for cash, a Sonata or Fusion. The 2014 Mazda 3 is the first Mazda I've ever considered buying because of its combination of styling (I didn't like the gen 2's), performance and economy. It's a fun car and we older citizens like to have fun...

I understand your intention and that's precisely why I looked at both to determine if the hatch did have a substantial amount of room over the sedan. Much to my surprise, it did not. Even the salesman agreed that you're not gaining much with the hatch, which is not like the CX5 with its elevated stance. My wife has an RX400h, which is very easy to load with groceries. I'm sure the CX5 is, as well. However, if you buy the Mazda 3 hatch to have a high-loading platform, you will not be gaining a large advantage, compared to the sedan. At least, that is my impression after studying both at the auto show and the dealership.

 

[edhchoe]

In my Mini Cooper I was able to carry a dishwasher. A large crown Victoria sedan with more cargo space than a Mini Cooper would not. So number doesn't always tell the whole story. (I haven't checked actual cargo space volume spec on either crown Victoria or Mini Cooper.)

 

[concept]

How often did you need to do that?
You can fit 4 bodies in a Crown Vic, just not upright!

 

[concept]

My daughter occasionally has to move her stuff from her college dorm and all tall items get placed in the backseat of her Protg. It really isn't that hard to do with a 4-door vehicle and yes, the Mazda 3 hatch area is 4" taller than the sedans, but that's not much in my book. Our Lexus can fit far more tall stuff in it, so I have no need for another hatch. But hey, if a hatch is what you want, no measurements or workarounds will convince you, otherwise, so enjoy your new car. Both are great cars, that's for certain.
I will most likely go with the GT sedan with 2.5. Dropping it an inch or so and tinting the windows will make it look somewhat like a BMW 3-series, as long as the color isn't too crazy.

 

[concept]

The slope of the hatch door severely limits the height of objects in the back. That was fairly obvious when looking at the opened hatch from the side. As far as the 3 and 6 comparison, that's like comparing a Lexus IS 350 F-Sport with a GS 450 F-sport if both had identical engines. Well, no surprise that that the smaller, lighter car will handle better and be faster. The same holds true with the Mazda 3 vs the 6. The 3 weighs over 200 lbs less and therefore is more "flingable" with faster acceleration. I really don't need to fit 6'4" people in the back.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[concept]

Actually, the 2014 Mazda 3 IS the best handling car in its class, so no, there are no better choices. And yes, I did drive both the 3 and the 6. The 3 with the 2.5 is faster. I'd guess 0-60 is in the mid to high 6 second range, whereas the 6 is in the mid 7 sec range.
Also remember that when it comes to sporty, smaller cars, the BMW 3-series are almost always at the top of their size class in handling and ride prowess. I've never seem an M3 hatch; they have always been sedans or coupes. In fact, the new Subaru STi and WRX are both sedans, only. I do like the WRX and STi, but can't justify the cost or gas mileage at this time.

 

[Chibana]

The acceleration numbers for both cars are well documented in the car magazines, and the 3s is significantly quicker than the 6. I love both cars, but I needed hatchback functionality because I prefer to put my bike in the back of the car rather than using a bike rack, and I like small cars. I also like the interior of the 3 significantly more than the 6 (which is nice inside, just not as "stylish"). I absolutely *love* the interior of my 3s GT with the almond leather.

 

[concept]

We have an Allen 4-bike rack that goes into the dealer-installed trailer hitch in our RX400h, so at this point, there is no need for another hatch. In your case, it makes sense. You can always add a hitch, later if you decide to have a couple of kids.

Sent from my Windows Phone 8X by HTC using Tapatalk

 

[rochrunner]

Another old-timer here as I'm 67 and will be getting an sGT hatch later this year. I'm one that also needs a hatch to carry a bike, but we like them for general utility. This will replace our '08 3 hatch; our other car is a Subaru Outback.

Sent from my LG-V510 using Tapatalk