Might Buy A SP23 - Advice On Options Please

[nuschu]

I finally convinced myself to go ahead and buy a new car and I've narrowed it down to a SP23, but I haven't decided if I should go for the Sedan or the Hatch and I was hoping I could get some advice on comparisons between the two and which options are worth getting and which arent...

To put this in perspective, the one and only car I ever bought was an 88' Nissan Sentra hatch back in 1992 and it has held out all this time, but at 225,000 miles, it's not exactly worth fixing anymore and I wouldn't call it reliable by any stretch of the imagination. So, I've been researching cars for the past six months or so and I finally settled on a Mazda3, but I've never bought a car from a dealer and I can't quite tell from configuring a car on Mazda's site which of the options are actually worth the money...

Thanks...

 

[Crayon]

Its all real dependant on what you want outta your 3...

Personally my options are:
Manual Transmition, Security Package, Moonroof, Door edge guards, Wheel locks, 6cd indash changer. Im not a leather fan, living in the desert and all... so i have a cloth interior.

 

[tsunami]

yeah i would suggest cloth (the leather has had some quality issues) does the sp23 even have a cloth option? if you travel a lot and don't mind the xx$$ i would suggest the nav for the price its not that bad... (1800 i believe) if you look around buying a nav unit is pretty pricey still so that for a stock look is pretty good... deffinalty the moonroof and 6disk... xenon..?? thats up to $(600 i believe) and your preference... and then there is the safety package... abs, and side air bags.. again $$ (1200 i think) and pref... not sure what is standard or not on an sp23 ( i have just a reg hatch) as far as model... i like the look and the utility of the hatch... also mazda is making more parts for the hatch then the sedan but so far the aftermarket has been pretty even so its up to what you want it for... (the hatch is just so damn sexy!!)

 

[Sylent_Snyper]

sp23

I bought my SP back in March and I love it. I have the leather interior, safety pkg, xenon headlights(will never go back to halogen!!!) moonroof, tpms, heated seats, bose stereo... basically everything but the nav system. As far as that goes, aftermarket systems are definatley the way to go. They are cheaper and are loaded with complete US maps. Dealership navs need to be updated by them and just not worth the $$. The only thing I dislike, as do most other 3 owners, is the A/C. It is no where near as cold as other competitor's cars. But all in all it is a great car. (drive)

 

[Mazda3Zoomer]

I bought my SP back in March and I love it. I have the leather interior, safety pkg, xenon headlights(will never go back to halogen!!!) moonroof, tpms, heated seats, bose stereo... basically everything but the nav system. As far as that goes, aftermarket systems are definatley the way to go. They are cheaper and are loaded with complete US maps. Dealership navs need to be updated by them and just not worth the $$. The only thing I dislike, as do most other 3 owners, is the A/C. It is no where near as cold as other competitor's cars. But all in all it is a great car. (drive)

Definately love the nav!

 

[nuschu]

So far I've been looking around and every dealer I've talked to says they haven't seen many (if any) of the SP23's ... much less in a 5-door stick SP23...

So, I think I'm going to look for a regular 3 5-door ... I had the chance to test drive one and it seems like a very fun car to drive.. I just have to see if I can still find a 2005 with the options I want or wait and order a 2006... I live in Chicago currently, but I recently traveled to St Louis and to Springfield IL, and the dealer in Springfield said he is going to offer employee discounts on his Mazdas as well, so I may se what he has available... The employee discount should make up for any travel costs down there...

 

[RHAGEL]

Yeah, I don't think you are going to find may SP23's anymore. I believe the 2005 production will end in about two weeks and they start building the 06 models August 1st. They should be in dealers by mid september. That is good if you are looking for a deal.

 

[ZoomVT]

i talk to a friend of mine who works at the local dealership and he said that the sp will be discontinued and that the 1006 3 will come with the sp options as standard, all under 20k. i dont know if this is true but the guy works there so there must be some truth to that. if thats the case i would put an order for the 2006 3.

 

[nuschu]

If I can get that guy in Springfield to give me an employee discount, it might be worth it to spring for the 2005... but I'll have to talk to him again and see how much it will save me... Does everyone think that an aftermarket nav system is the way to go? I never really looked into them before so I have no idea if it's worth it or not..

 

[RHAGEL]

i talk to a friend of mine who works at the local dealership and he said that the sp will be discontinued and that the 1006 3 will come with the sp options as standard, all under 20k. i dont know if this is true but the guy works there so there must be some truth to that. if thats the case i would put an order for the 2006 3.

If thats true, it sounds pretty good. I think a new color interior and a BOSE system would be nice options.

 

[tsunami]

If I can get that guy in Springfield to give me an employee discount, it might be worth it to spring for the 2005... but I'll have to talk to him again and see how much it will save me... Does everyone think that an aftermarket nav system is the way to go? I never really looked into them before so I have no idea if it's worth it or not..

the 3's nav system is actually not bad stock from the reviews i have heard, and aftermarket ones aren't that much cheaper....(i looked about 4 months ago and the avg unit was 1500 plus installing and shiat....more $$) i believe the stock is a 2400 or so option, which for all the integrated controls is a nice deal, and as much travelin as you seem to be doin i wouldn't think it would hurt....

 

[ZoomVT]

i'd rather get a carputer. you get a lot more stuff, the install will look totally clean and stock, and it will cost you considerably less than the nav stock. i am already saving for it, i estimate its gonna cost me 1100 in parts andif i hire someone toi install prob another 600 bucks.
and this includes nav system, mp3 player, wireless internet and all other kinds of goodies

 

[nuschu]

Well, I found an SP23, hatch, stick for right around 20... It has the Security Package, the moonroof, the rear bumper step plate, but no DVD nav system, but I think I can live without that for now.. I'm waiting on a final price right now with the following addons:

-Door edge guards
-Moonroof wind deflector
-All weather floormats
-Might add the fuel door
-Wheel Locks
-Autodim Mirror w/compass and temp

Is that http://www.mp3yourcar.com/ thing the best way to integrate an iPod into your car? I just figured I wouldn't get the casette deck and I'd pick this up instead and maybe I can get the dealer to install it...

Also, what is the CarPuter thing?

 

[nuschu]

Oh, I was also looking for opinions on the 3M Clear Bra / Front Mask... I saw one at the dealership and I was thinking about getting it installed to protect the hood...

I'm not sure if it's this specific brand, but it uses the same 3M product..
http://www.invisiblemask.com/overview.html

I also decided against the fuel door cover thing... Everything I've read about the fuel cover seems like it's not really worth it, and that it clashes with the paint job on some of the darker colors..