Greetings!

[J0hannes]

I'm sure this is the wrong spot for this thread, but I wanted to introduce myself! I had been lurking for about a month and a half and I decided to start searching for a nice Demio. I test drove a couple and settled for a nice used 2011 sport, originally sold in Canada. Got a good price and couldn't be happier!

However I do have a few questions/observations that I have been unable to find neither in FAQs or other discussions..
1) Shifts into and out of 2nd gear seem to be a bit clunky, and the ratio seems a bit odd.. I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this? It's possible the previous owner has just crunched the gear a few too many times.
2) Things get a bit shady at higher speeds with low weight.. for instance if I'm the sole occupant and the gas tank is nearing empty. A full tank of gas or some rear seat occupants changes the entire character of the car though! (in a good way.) What's the approx weight distribution of the car?
3) I saw this many times on the forum, but the clutch is quite touchy. Not saying it's bad, just a bit different. Takes some getting used to..
4) Does anyone know any advanced programming on these cars? Since the vehicle is from Canada, the mileage/fuel consumption is in L/100km.. Not a huge concern, but since everything is digital, is there a way to switch this to mpg?

Finally, while I love the car and have spent every spare moment this past week in it, I would strongly warn ANYONE from buying metric cars...Save yourself the hassle from dealing with the DMV, insurance co., and the dealer themselves. I have never slammed my head into the wall so many times....
Anyways, I'm going to stop ranting about paperwork qualms and will instead hop back in the driver's seat..Anyone from the Wisconsin/Illinois area? PM me. Happy to finally be a Mazda owner Cheers!

 

[flatlander937]

Howdy!

Shifting into 2nd may just mean you should try changing the trans fluid. I switched to Redline MTL and made a decent improvement. And yes the ratios are terrible. Ha-ha. Shifting from 2-1 will always be awkward and clunky, just how most manuals are.


The clutch is goofy primarily because of the squishy rear motor mount. I made my own and is a night and day difference.

It's a light car so yeah it gets blown about pretty easily. Most small cars act this way. Weight dist. Is about 63/37 as per Edmund's.

You'll need to go to a Mazda dealer and have the cluster programmed to SAE units. You can have them remove the stupid window stop when it cracks open for the driver before going all the way down.

 

[J0hannes]

Good point, I should probably check the trans fluid being it has ~64000km (~39000miles)..

I wouldn't say it is goofy, just has some getting used to.. first time crossing a 4 lane highway was a bit scary, I still have been punching it in those situations to prevent any chance of stalling. That being said, the last manual car I had was an SVT contour, and that was a few years back.. maybe my manual skills just rusty. haha

It is very light (lighter than a miata i hear?). My family's civic acted the same way, however I never had the confidence or stupidity to throw it around at the limit so I guess they're all like that.

I figured dealer programming would be necessary, and what is this I hear about a window stop issue? Not sure what you mean about that..

Otherwise, it's nimble, fun, and efficient!! A smooth commute will bring mid to upper 40mpg, but driving it like a bat out of hell still gives me above 30..Cheap to insure as well! Overall quite pleased so far, nice to meet you flatlander! Used to live in Cincinnati, so I know the Dayton area well

 

[Rdrcr]

Welcome and Congrats! The 2 is worth the hassle.

Mike

 

[RobertWK]

Howdy!

Shifting into 2nd may just mean you should try changing the trans fluid. I switched to Redline MTL and made a decent improvement. And yes the ratios are terrible. Ha-ha. Shifting from 2-1 will always be awkward and clunky, just how most manuals are.


The clutch is goofy primarily because of the squishy rear motor mount. I made my own and is a night and day difference.

It's a light car so yeah it gets blown about pretty easily. Most small cars act this way. Weight dist. Is about 63/37 as per Edmund's.

You'll need to go to a Mazda dealer and have the cluster programmed to SAE units. You can have them remove the stupid window stop when it cracks open for the driver before going all the way down.

I *just* noticed that today! I can't believe that's a "feature". I thought there was something legitimately wrong with the window control.

 

[16vPete]

Welcome!

 

[brewmaster1805]

Welcome!!