Okay, sat in the car (CB Sport) today at the dealer and fired it up. Haven't paid for it yet and had the kids with me so no test drive, yet. Sounds good, rumbly just like in the vids, but by no means loud. Interior room is fine. Fit and finish is the same as the MS6. No one-touch up/down windows, which I've gotten used to but can live without. Stereo sounds a little thin, but again, I can live without the Bose. I'll use it for awhile and maybe upgrade at some point. I was gonna take pix but the damn thing was apparently parked right off the truck and hadn't been detailed yet. 9 miles on the odometer, which is exactly what my MS6 had on it. It has a sign saying "Sold, do not drive!" The salesman says only tech has driven it and had mud on the turned over floor mat to prove it. CB looks good, definitely blue and not gray in sunlight. Fair amount of flake, enough so it could have been called CB Mica. A good change of pace from grey/silver/red/black and adds to sleeper status.
I got to tell you, though, sitting there undetailed among other cars of various sizes, I think the market for this car will be limited to people looking for an inexpensive performance car. It's a sleeper with almost no cues that it is more than a regular 3. If I were a dealer, I'd forget about "market adjustments". This is not a car that will sell on sales sizzle, IMHO. If you can bide your time and wait for possible discounts or S-Plan, I'd do that. And get the GT if you want those extra touches and can afford them. But, if it performs as well as everybody is saying and has the aftermarket (Corky Bell is on the case!) to turn it into a true FWD badass (which I fully expect), then it is a gift from Mazda to us as enthusiasts. I plan to enjoy it to the fullest extent possible and for many years. Maybe I'll even pass it on to my son if it lasts that long.
Initial driving impressions and pix of a shiny, pristine-looking car to follow in 1-2 days!
I got to tell you, though, sitting there undetailed among other cars of various sizes, I think the market for this car will be limited to people looking for an inexpensive performance car. It's a sleeper with almost no cues that it is more than a regular 3. If I were a dealer, I'd forget about "market adjustments". This is not a car that will sell on sales sizzle, IMHO. If you can bide your time and wait for possible discounts or S-Plan, I'd do that. And get the GT if you want those extra touches and can afford them. But, if it performs as well as everybody is saying and has the aftermarket (Corky Bell is on the case!) to turn it into a true FWD badass (which I fully expect), then it is a gift from Mazda to us as enthusiasts. I plan to enjoy it to the fullest extent possible and for many years. Maybe I'll even pass it on to my son if it lasts that long.
Initial driving impressions and pix of a shiny, pristine-looking car to follow in 1-2 days!
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