Considering a Mazda 3

[laxbro1001]

Hi everyone, I'm new here to the mazda scene so I wanted to get some opinions from people that might have a had a similar experience.
So heres my story...
I really need to find a car that gets better gas mileage than what I have right now. Lucky for me, thats pretty much every car in the market. I'm currently driving a 2005 mustang convertible v6. I love the car and its really fun to drive but the gas is just killing me. I'm paying about $250 - $300 a month in gas. Im graduating from ASU in May and then will be continuing on with grad school so I want something to last me at least through that.
I've been looking at leasing a base model Mazda 3 hatchback to try to keep the payments as low as possible. I test drove the automatic and manual version (they actually taught me how to drive manual on it ) and I gotta say they were pretty fun to drive. Im just having a really hard time convincing myself to give up the mustang, even though I know I need to.
So I guess my question is, how do you guys like the performance of the 3? Has anyone come from a situation similar to mine or have you all been previous mazda owners?

 

[CXVille]

You have a nine year old Ford Mustang with a V-6 and are having a hard time giving it up for a new Mazda 3 that every magazine comparison I have seen ranks as the BEST car in its class. Hmmm....The ride will be better, the acceleration maybe a little worse. The handling better and the feel MUCH better. Reliability MUCH better. And gas mileage....what do you get now? 20 mpg? My mileage in an i Touring automatic has been 35 mpg on my 25 mile each way, 60% highway 40% city drive.

For "performance" do you mean track level handling or "feel"? Go read the reviews of the Mazda3 at Car&Driver, R&T, MT, and anywhere else that has them. See what they say about the handling. Remember, there are nine years of development since your solid axle Mustang was made, and the Mazda weighs 600 pounds less.

In my opinion. No comparison. Save your money for a couple of months, skip the lease and BUY one and keep it for 10 years. It will pay for itself in that time frame. The smile on your face will just be extra!

Oh yeah, I forgot, WELCOME!!

 

[GasSaver14]

In cold weather this car sucks gas. I always get above EPA with my driving style in other cars. But now I'm extremely disappointed. Current best all HWY non-stop was 32.8 driving on flat land below speed limit for a full tank nonstop. I have the 2.5 with I-loop rated at 39.

The performance is very nice in the Mazda. I could not live with base model myself they really cheeped out some areas. The Automatic in this car is dream come true.

The dealers are extremely tough to work with on the Mazda 3 currently. The worst purchase experience in my life. I was looking at a lease also, as I now want to drive A new car every couple of years. While working out the details of the lease I almost got into a fight with the salesman due to the fact they kept flipping the numbers around on me. I ended up financing through USAA because the dealer was not going to screw with me on that at least I had all my pre-approved papers ready to go. PLEASE READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE "The dealer is not your friend, he is the prosecutor and you have to win"

I helped my sister-in-law with her new car purchase recently. A new Honda Civic Coup. It was nice and I helped her get the car for $200 below invoice.
I think she got allot more for her money VS a base model Mazda 3.

 

[cmfireman]

In cold weather this car sucks gas. I always get above EPA with my driving style in other cars. But now I'm extremely disappointed. Current best all HWY non-stop was 32.8 driving on flat land below speed limit for a full tank nonstop. I have the 2.5 with I-loop rated at 39.

Man. My 6 is getting around 32.5-33mpg per tank and that's driving hilly backroads and through small towns with lots of lights. Is yours manual or auto? May need to get that checked out.

 

[GasSaver14]

Man. My 6 is getting around 32.5-33mpg per tank and that's driving hilly backroads and through small towns with lots of lights. Is yours manual or auto? May need to get that checked out.

Auto

I hope that is all the new car break-in. I have found a few people around with my same problem. Will wait until 3000 miles and then ask to get it checked out.

 

[Chibana]

My Mazda3 hasn't been all that much worse in the winter than my other cars. It takes a couple mpg off, but that's what I've experienced with other cars I've owned in the past. Might be a little worse. I think my 2005 Mazda3s might have been, too, but not by a huge amount.

And as far as performance goes, if you get the 2.5L Mazda3, it should be faster than your V6 Mustang. The 2005 still had the boat-anchor 4.0L V6. The Mustangs with that engine were not terribly fast. I don't think the 2005 V6 was better than 0-60mph in 6.9s that has been measured for the 2.5L Mazda3.