First post here, few questions about getting a new 3.

[dcn]

Hey all! This is gonna be a long post, thanks for reading and thanks for any help/comments!

I've been sorta lurking around here for a few months since my friend bought a Mazda 3 Sport 5 Door and I was out in it. It's amazing quick, got an intake and some other stuff on the stock 2.3L. I didn't really have a reason to post here since I didn't have a Mazda but now the GF and I are in the market for a new sled to replace 'The Neon'..

She bought it a few years ago, it's a 1999 and it only had 13,000Kms on it so it seemed like an okay choice. My dad, who knows just about everything about cars said right away that we were gonna need a head gasket and he was right, we just got it replaced.

Yesterday was the first day we really went out looking for a new car, we had things narrowed down to a 3, a Civic, *maaaybe* a Sentra, and maybe a base Golf as a long-shot, I'm a Toyota fan but they make nothing that excites us in this price range.. It's a car for her since I don't need a new one, my old car kicks butt (to me at least)http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/527961 . Great in the snow and costs pennies to maintain and operate, I'd be crazy to get rid of it... So this purchase is all about her. All she wants a 4 doors and a standard <-I love her!).

Yesterday we took out a Civic first thing in the morning, it was really nice, I loved the feel of the 5 speed. The sales guy was nice, we had a long test drive, the car seemed solid, all was great. After lunch we went to the Mazda dealer which is right across the street from the Honda place.

Honestly, going in I was almost feeling sorry about how Mazda was going to top the Honda folks, even with the slight Mazda bias I have after being in my friend's 3. That went away pretty quick once the ball started rolling. We had the car out, a GT 2.0 (I dunno how the Canadian models compare to the US ones, hope they're the same so you know what I'm talking about..) and it rocked. I felt like I was in a 6, not a 3, really nice interior, and 148HP vs 115 or so for the Civic was no comparison. The 3 actually felt fun to drive, and I had to tell my GF to slow down from 140Km/H a couple times on the highway. She was obviously having a blast compared to the Honda.

So it looks like we're getting a 3, she wants the base one, GX, which unlike the tester won't have cruise, etc., but she's going to add the Convenience Package: (Includes CD Player +2 Speakers, Power Locks, Remote Keyless Entry, Steering Wheel Audio Controls, Illuminated Entry.) We/She decided on Winning Blue since it's less purple looking.

We're still going back to Honda on Sat to talk a bit, but it looks like our mind is made up. I'd prefer a 2.3 Sport but it's her money.

Is there anything we should know once we get the car? Are there any things you folks would recommend or that we should consider before purchasing it? I think we should get rid of the Neon now while it's still got no issues, she'll still be eligable for the Grad discounts if we get it this early, and I figure the car won't be much different in price in the spring (it might go up with the spring demand says the dealer), and the Neon will only be worth less as it rolls over 100,000Kms. Plus we get a new car sooner...

Anyway, sorry for the long post, like I said, and thanks for any tips/help you can provide about getting a new 3!

 

[Badger Biker]

Isn't new car buying just a blast?

Before you put down the money for the 2.0L, I would have her drive the S model 2.3L and see if she considered the extra money worth the jump in performance.

Since you've been lurking for a while, I can guess that you've read a lot of the stuff posted here, and you definitely know what you are doing. There isn't a whole lot that I can really give you, as you've done your homework. I would say get rid of the neon and get the 3 sooner. Good luck and keep us posted!

Also, if you can, put your location in your profile so we can see where you are posting from!

Welcome to the forums!

 

[wongpres]

I'll second Badger's request that you put your location in your profile. And here's why, there is no such thing as a Canadian-spec Mazda3 GT model with the 2.0l engine - all the GT's (both sedan and Sport) have the 2.3l. If you are sure the vehicle you took out for the testdrive was a 2.0l then it was probably a GS sedan.

Secondly, and sorry to dissapoint you, but you can't get a Winning Blue Mazda3 sedan in Canada in the GX or GS trims (Winning Blue only available on GT sedan trims). So to get this color, you will have to purchase a Sport, or a GT sedan (and both these options will also get you the 2.3l)

 

[dcn]

There you go, should work now. Thanks for the tips so far by the way.. I haven't read EVERY post on here or anything, but I do know a fair amount thanks to this place.. She also came up with the idea of looking at a Golf, we might take one out on Sat, but it's only rated at either 100 or 115HP. Yikes... The Civc actually felt a lot like my current car (see below) as far as power.. I love my car and am happy with it, but I would never buy a new car that had as much get up and go as it.

 

[dcn]

Badger Biker:

Yeah, we ad a lot of fun, sorta a non-traditional way to spend a Valentine's Day..

wongpres:

Oh crap, you're right! I see that the interior colours are greyed out on the 2.0s on Mazda.ca when you choose Winning Blue.. Does anyone else find the Indigo Blue Mica to be pretty purple-ish? My car's blue and I love the colour of it when I put the Meguiar's wax to it. But it's blue and not purple like the 2.0 3s are.

We might take a look at the Golfs after seeing the price of them vs everything else we checked out but I don't think I can let her go back to 110-ish horsepower. Also, she's at work and just called, we're looking at the GS, not the GX version, that's why we're getting alloys. I thought about so many 2-letter combinations yesterday I can't keep 'em all straight.

 

[M3 5MT]

I wanted the darker blue as well, but I agree, it does look to purplish, but, the car is for a girl, no?

That Toyota is F***in awesome man, I love those...you could easily put another 500k on it. It doesnt matter what a car is capable of if it doesnt run, so in that case, your car is just about the best out there.

 

[dcn]

Thanks M3 5MT! I really like it, and as you can see it cleans up nice. I was lucky to get a first car that was inexpensive and cheap to operate but still cleans up nice. It's the best on of em around for a few miles at least. Original paint from the mirrors up. I use Meguiars everything pretty much too, I think that helps. Their wax rocks IMHO.

The Mazda dealer just called and left a message saying to call if we had any questions about yesterday's test. The Honda guys didn't...Just an observation.

And good call about the car being for a girl, I'll just have to hope it's a colour that I look good in when I'm out for the occasional trip to the store.

Can we K&N this thing without fear of warranty hassles? Prolly I guess, just want to be sure. I also have to stop talking like it's parked in our lot, we haven't really decided what car we want yet, but I think we both feel strong about the Mazda. Her dad had a '92 Protege forever and enjoyed dealing with the same dealership, so that's another plus. My friend's mom has a black 2000 or so Protege that she says the vacuum, Armor All and clean every time she brings it in for a checkout.

 

[dcn]

Has anyone compared the 3 with a base Impreza while car searching? The pricing looks similar from what I can tell from the websites.

 

[Badger Biker]

I have a K&N Drop In filter and no problems for me after a few thousand miles.

Strato Blue does look a bit more purplish at times, depending on the light, IMO. It's not a bad color by any means, though. As far as the Impreza goes, I didn't compare them but I was looking at the WRX Sport Wagon but the 3 won out on Styling, Interior, and Price.

 

[dcn]

Yeah, I think we're gonna test drive an Impreza on the weekend but the 3's certainly cheaper, plus the Neon's going to cost her to get rid of, she still owes about 7k on it. Low Km's and higer trim level or not, I dunno if anyone wants a '99 Neon for seven grrr. I should actually be adding a couple thousand to each car we look at, since I think that's the difference we'll have to make up on the outstanding balance on the Plymouth. (argh)

 

[dcn]

Okay, one more question and I'm gonna try to wrap it up for the day.

We're looking at a GS model, manual, with the power pkg. Most likely A/C too, with its weight penalty. Is this a decent price? The dealer made us a printout of some stuff, I'll post it here rather than explaining everything:

 

[M3 5MT]

I hope she's putting money down. $400 a month....ouch.

 

[Sidulator]

Do you work for CN?

 

[dcn]

M3 5MT, those are Canadian funds though, as you probably know. The Neon's costing durn near 300$/Month though too.. A 3's certainly 100$ better than what she's got now.

Sidulator, I don't work for CN, but I'd like to if given the chance. I'm just a train nut is all. Took that photo myself, I didn't edit it, I dunno why the headlights glowed so much, but I thought it was sort of neat. I think it was foggy that night though.

400 is a lot though, would anyone here recommend a lease or is buying the way to go? She's a bit on the fence but we don't like the idea of having to pay 8,000 at the end to own the 5 year old car.

 

[M3 5MT]

Never lease unless you've got plenty of money and dont like fixing cars. At first I forgot that it's in Canadian currency, but the exchange rate has certainly changed....if 400Canadian = apprx. 300 u.s., then I suppose that isnt all that bad.