hey all
i am new to this forum and hope to get some help as i make my way into the world of cars. i am planning to buy my first car and am inclined towards the mazda3 2009.
i would really like to get some advice from you guys here as to what should i prefer? which trim is good enough?
should i prefer the 2.3L engine over the 2.0 ? does the difference of 8hp really make a difference?
why the 15" wheels as compared to the 16" or 17"? i am open to any trim as of now as long as the car is under 18k...
hope to get some insight from you guys...you could direct me to other links if you find my questions too basic/boring...
thanks all
Heya.. And welcome.
Apologies for the following "book".. Take what you like and discard what you don't. I'm no expert, but I've done a fair amount of research over the past 5 years (especially the last 18 months) and what follows is some of that accumulated knowledge and opinion.
First, excellent choice. I think you'll be pleased with what you get for your money. Mazda is (or used to be) one of the most underrated car manufacturers by the general public.
Second, your preferences are just that -- yours. No one can tell you what to like or dislike. Again, take what you like and discard what you don't.
Much to the chagrin of some who bought the i Sport in the past two years, the '09 i Touring Value Edition has a nice set of features on it that used to be available only on the s series, such as the 17" "snowflake" rims and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. It definitely meets the criteria for "good enough" since it's basically an s Touring without the extra 0.3 liters/8HP, the traction/stability control or the nicer looking instrument gauges.
That being said, I think the s series (specifically the Touring) offers the best overall initial value (not taking MPG into account, anyway). And if you compare the cost of a given 3s sedan (MZ3) with a similarly equipped 3s hatchback (M3H) you'll find there's no difference in price. Not that an extra 0.3 liters cylinder displacement means very much (especially when it results in only 8 extra HP, and 1-2/1-3
fewer MPG city/hwy), but the extra features available on the s series make it worth consideration. For example, traction/stability control on the Touring (T) and Grand Touring (GT) may help keep you out of trouble in an emergency (note, however, that they won't necessarily save you from yourself if you're driving like an ass, so don't do that
) and the 5-speed Sport A/T offers a better range of shifting options (yeah, just one gear more, but..) and a somewhat smoother driving experience than the 4-speed Sport A/T. The LED taillights on the GT are somewhat more noticeable and definitely look great -- makes me sad we couldn't quite afford the GT when we bought ours. And speaking of pricing limitations...
Don't forget to add tax title and license charges into your rough calculations.. We may have gotten a sweet deal on the price of our M3H T, but with all that added on we ended up paying roughly as much as the MSRP. Know how much to pay for the car before you set foot on the car lot or they'll have you over a barrel, even in this rough selling market. E d m u n d s .com is a good place to go to get a ballpark figure of what a particular car will probably cost based on what others in your geographic area have paid. C o n s u m e r R e p o r t s.org sells a car pricing/advice service that's even closer to what a particular car
should cost based on what the
dealer paid, including holdbacks, etc.
There's something else to factor into your cost calculations. If you live in the snow belt, you're gonna want different tires (at least in the inclement months) than the OEM ones, especially if you get the 17" rims that come with Goodyear Eagle RS-A's. A quote regarding the RS-A's that I saw either here or at Tire Rack's web site went something like, "These tires don't seem to handle well on anything that isn't dry and warm."
You have a few choices, but they'll all run you between $600-800. The choices are (in no particular order):
-- Replace the OEMs outright with a set of tires that are tested as handling snow better (or, in the case of the RS-A's,
at all) -- t i r e r a c k.com has some good aggregated consumer experience survey data and test data and c o n s u m e r r e p o r t s.org has data on tires from their laboratory-style tests, though there is little overlap in terms of which tires are tested by both and some tires (specifically but not limited to Nokian brand tires) aren't tested by either. (In their defense, there are a LOT of tire manufacturers.)
-- Swap the tires for some winter tires when the snow flies, storing the "3-season" set at the tire dealer and swapping back when the snow melts (this option will cost about $100 every time you swap tire sets)
-- Buy a dedicated set of of winter tires mounted on steel rims and swap them out yourself (this actually costs only about $150 more than the first option, but you should also buy a decent jack and jack stands and a torque wrench, and while the cost of these adds up quickly, you'll save money in the long run not having haul in your alternate set and pay to have someone swap it in.
As to the differences in wheel rim sizes, larger rims generally afford a more precise steering feel and handling experience at the cost of a stiffer ride and in our case fewer choices in replacement tires and higher cost for those tires.
Anyway.. That's my $.06. (Inflation) (sad1)
Again, welcome aboard and sorry for the ramble.
