Is the 2.0 good enough or is the 2.3 a fantastic deal?

[GOT]

Actually, the auto tranny *is* an option, to the tune of about $950.00

get a new wife. or teach her to drive stick. either way, get the 2.3.

Yes, the one option I must have... (rant).

Now the wife is thinking we might need to the 5-door. Well at least it comes with 2.3 and 17s (I like the looks of the sedan).

For comparison I test-drove a Honda 2006 Civic sedan the other day. Not nearly as nice as the Mazda3 (and the 1.8L motor is too small, IMHO). The dash sure looks cool though... and the sales-guy acted a lot nicer (those guys at the Ford/Mazda dealer acted like a bunch clowns).

 

[BC3I]

hey ya know what man. get the ATX i got it because of my baby. and ya know i really dont regret it. it's a nice thing to have at times

 

[tsunami]

yeah sadly car dealers are no reflection on the cars they sell, though sadly we as buyers take it that way and shun certian cars due to bad experiences/poor treatment...

 

[Puckpimp71]

Okay the Mazda salesman in me:
The 2.3 has a nicer interior. For example, leather wrapped steering wheel, shift knob. More durable seats, better gauge lighting, etc...
and better performance:
It's only 10hp, but it's also another 15tq with a nicer powerband. If you're going for an automatic, you've also got the 5spd auto for better delivery. Long term mods on the the 2.3 will be better and it's also 9.7:1 compression vs the 10:1 (not sure if I'm totally right on this one) on the "i" so I think it'll boost a little better. The extra hp is also countered by bigger brakes on the 2.3l.
And nicer exterior IMO... the grill, fogs and bumpers look much better on the 2.3 the set up the 2.0 has. Not a bad deal for $500... how many thousands would it cost to bring those mods to the 2.0? I love either one, but for the money, the 3s is a steal over the i... Also ABS is standard on the 06 s. If you're looking into the 5door, keep in mind that the 4dr's trunk is actually a little bigger with the seats up. The 5dr's easier to load and has much more room with the rear deck out and the seat down.

 

[Mazda3Rookie]

...If you're looking into the 5door, keep in mind that the 4dr's trunk is actually a little bigger with the seats up. The 5dr's easier to load and has much more room with the rear deck out and the seat down.

Puckpimp71,

you raise an interesting point about the trunk. I have a 2006 3S 5-door (manual, by the way...), which I picked over the 4-door for the added versatility while preserving the fun-factor (you got to think of that when you have three young kids).

Now, reading the official documentation, on paper the 5-door trunk is listed as about 6 cubic feet larger than the 4-door thrunk. What is the "standard" (if there is one) for measuring trunk volume in a 5-door? Or rather, how does Mazda measure it? To me it would make sense to measure the minimum volume with the rear deck in place and the maximum with the rear seat folded AND the deck removed.

I'm not losing my sleep over this question, but I'm just curious. The Mazda3 is a heck of a driver car in any shape, color and form (rockon)

 

[keleko]

... Also ABS is standard on the 06 s. ....

AND side impact airbags



(hi)

 

[keleko]

.... The Mazda3 is a heck of a driver car in any shape, color and form (rockon)

amd when the 'speed3 comes out, i'll add in those bits and you'll never know that i'll have close to 250hp under the hood (rockon)

 

[Mazda3Rookie]

amd when the 'speed3 comes out, i'll add in those bits and you'll never know that i'll have close to 250hp under the hood (rockon)

I'll save the MazdaSpeed3 for my midlife crisis. It is not too far down the road anyway...........

I love sporty but not too "on your face" cars. I hope Mazda doesn't overdo the MS3 with some ugly appearance package.

They did a decent job with the MS6, let's hope..... (nervous)

 

[Brian MP5T]

Tell your wife to worry about other things and get the 2.3 What the **** is another $500.00 when you are taking about $25,000.. Like a single PAYMENT?

 

[keleko]

I'll save the MazdaSpeed3 for my midlife crisis. It is not too far down the road anyway...........

I love sporty but not too "on your face" cars. I hope Mazda doesn't overdo the MS3 with some ugly appearance package.

They did a decent job with the MS6, let's hope..... (nervous)

exactly why i won't add the looks part of the package - just the go-fast bits

sleepers FTW!

 

[cbc]

zoom zoom, etc..

 

[Mazda3Rookie]

exactly why i won't add the looks part of the package - just the go-fast bits

sleepers FTW!

Yeah.... I can see already the look on the face of the kid driving a Civic loaded with skirts and big wing being smoked at a light.................. (shocked)

 

[rotwiler]

I bought a 2004 Mazda 3 recently for my wife, is a bare i model(actually a Canadian GS model). Has small 15 inch alloy wheels, cd, auto wipers, electric door locks, A/C and is a automatic. For a used car with 7,000 miles I paid $13,000. Overall it feels like it has plenty of power and all I have added is tint, fog lights and a spolier. May be that the 15 inch wheels help with getting the most out the the 2.0 and manual windows etc... but my wife is satisfied and I like driving the 3 too. I am really thinking about getting the Mazdaspeed 3 when it comes out though. Overall I am happy with the 2.0 and get 32mpg with driving it like I stole it.

 

[Breeegz]

Unfortunately I can't get my wife to learn the manual for anything (bang) So I'm also interested in the 5-speed-auto.

I can't get my wife to learn to drive a stick, but that doesn't bother me... it just means more fun for me (Protege 5 (lurk))

I would've TOTALLY regreted buying the Stickshift, she wanted the automatic. I politly reminded her that this was my car and would gladly teach her if she so wished... FTW!!!11!

 

[DERA]

i just got the 2.3 5dr.
i test drove the 2.0 i, but the 2.3 packs so much more of a punch

 

[MASTERNC]

Bigger isn't always better. When I was shopping for my 3, the price difference was more like $1,000 IIRC. I test drove both engines on the same stretch of crowded, high-speed parkway and found no difference. If you're getting a stick, you can easily make up for the 10 horses. If you're getting an automatic, you may want to get the bigger engine to compensate for any lag or power loss. Besides, the 2.0L now has variable valve timing which should assist with pickup (the 2004 model did not have this feature).

Also, don't forget the fuel economy.

 

[MASTERNC]

AND side impact airbags



(hi)

Really? Geez if that were the case 2 years ago, I would have probably gone with the s version. My problem was that I didn't want 17" wheels and most of the s models came with that package.

 

[Puckpimp71]

didn't want 17s?

 

[Gambino]

my 3s came with 16's

 

[Mounty]

I'm guessing he wants ride comfort?