From 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 to 2012 Mazda 3i Touring SKYACTIV 6MT

[GoBackToSleep]

I'm sure some performance-minded people out there will question my trade, but I just traded my 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 in cosmic blue mica (just under 84,000 miles, Mazdaspeed CAI, KONI FSD shocks/struts, 15% window tint) for a 2012 Mazda 3i Touring SKYACTIV hatch in graphite mica with the six-speed manual transmission last night. The difference is obviously night and day, but I wanted to find the perfect mix between great driving dynamics and sensibility. This is my third consecutive Mazda (2006 Mazda 6i Sport 5MT, 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 6MT, and now the new ride) and I've been on forums before including **********, 6Crew, and the notorious Mazdaspeed Forums. As a result of the trade, my monthly payment is exactly the same yet the interest is halved, my insurance fell almost $80 per month automatically, maintenance will be more affordable, and fuel economy will kick ass (the car only has 53 miles on it as of today). Driving this car instead of the Speed, I expect to save between $200 to $300 a month as a result of lower financial burdens in various areas. That's a good chunk of change, and, especially in these tough times, it was well worth it to trade in the best-performing car I ever owned. That thing, even with light mods, was a beast, but I never raced or had a lot of openings in my day-to-day driving to really get on the car anyway. I hope whoever gets it after me will at least use it for what it is capable of doing.

Anyway, I hope to learn a lot here and become a valuable contributor to the forums. Thanks, guys!