Mazda Protege Replacement...

[PiCASSO]

Hey Guys,

My sister in the market for a lease replacement of her 2002 Mazda Protege ES GT (loaded), which the lease expires on September 5, 2005. I have added some 1,200 last weekend on it to put it up to approximately 56,000 of the 72,000 allowed. So we are still shy 14,000 km. Buy-back is a relatively high $12,858 which I\'m sure we don\'t want to bother with. My sister and I will probably rack-up another 5,000 km in the next 4-weeks (including a trip to the east coast) just to get as much out of that car as possible.

Anyways, so she\'s on the market for a replacement, and she\'s got her eyes on many vehicles. I don\'t want to get into a complete discussion on non-Mazda brands (Acura TSX, Acura 1.7EL) that she\'s looking at, but focus on what Mazda can offer. So here\'s what she has:

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/getin/mazdamaker/Mazda3/2005_Mazda3/Mazda3_GT_A4D.jpg
2005 Mazda 3 Sport GT-GFX (loaded with leather, sun-roof, and 4-speed automatic)

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/getin/mazdamaker/mazda6S/2005_mazda6S/mazda6S_GT_A2N.jpg
2005 Mazda 6 Sport GT (loaded with 6-speed automatic automatic)

http://www.mazda.ca/eng/getin/mazdamaker/Mazda3/2005_Mazda3/Mazda3_GT_A4D.jpg
2006 Mazda 3 Sport GT-GFX (loaded with leather, all the \'06 features, and a 5-speed automatic)

Without going into the discounts, all the additional fees embedded into the monthly payment, and her 0.5%-reduction in lease price, these vehicles appear to cost the following for 36-months with zero down and the 20k per year:

$469.63 2005 Mazda 3 Sport GT-GFX
$566.51 2005 Mazda 6 Sport GT
$485.00 2006 Mazda 3 Sport GT Leather

So there is approximately $100 a month difference between the 220-hp 6 and the 160-hp 3. I will admit that after the \'discounts\' are in place, the 6-will look much more attractive vehicle. My only beef with it is its size, but my sister thinks its just right. The 2006 M3 is more comparable to the 2005 M6 in terms of features, but in the lease figures it will be much closer to the 6 than I\'d like (because of the high lease rate, higher MSPR, and extremely low discounts).

The other issue with waiting for the 2006 M3 is that it will come in late September/early October. So what does my sister do for the next 4-6 weeks??? Would the dealer provide her with a demo model to drive for the first month and then take delivery of her actual vehicle? Has anyone been in that situation?

Any thoughts on the above? Or should we open up the forums for discussing alternative vehicles to the Mazda 3? Just remember that 70% of the vehicles out there we\'ve gone through she thinks they are \"ugly\" and \"blend in\" with the rest of the cars.

Cheers,

PiCASSO

[Fuman]

if she does alot of highway driving get the 06 mazda 3.
if not then the 05 mz3 or mz6.

or flip a coin to decide

[lonewolf]

Originally posted by Fuman


if she does alot of highway driving get the 06 mazda 3.
if not then the 05 mz3 or mz6.

or flip a coin to decide

why would you wait for the 06 mz3 if you did more highway driving?

[Fuman]

since i have to get an auto, 06 mz3 are 5spd auto.
I only pay for gas, maintance, snow tires + rims, 2000 down.

[TheProfessor]

The 6 and the 3 drive quite differently, and while I admit to loving both, I would still likely be able to pick one over the other. Have you taken a look at other factors like insurance, gas, etc. in your decision? With respect to the size issue, that is a personal preference....I love the size of the 6 and find the 3 to be a bit too small for me (6\'2\", 200lbs). Having said that, I am seriously considering selling my 6 in favor of a 3. It just offers me everything I need in a car in a much more fun to drive package. Also, the 6 is American made which does make a difference. The fit and finish on my 6 is not as good as the 3, and I have had more issues with it in the two years that I\'ve owned it than we had with out P5 in the three years we had it (it was also Japan built).

Just some food for thought.

[BangHatch]

get the mazda6!!!!!!!!:D

(ultra super duper major highly biased opinion :P )

[DeLaY_NoMoRe]

I would rather go for a 05 MZ3 or else go for a MZ6, since the new 06 MZ3 has added new featuress as well as a raised MSRP for $1500+TAX, and the new interest rate plus lesser discounts. That would roughly cost u $2500 additionally to the current 05 models.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by DeLaY_NoMoRe


I would rather go for a 05 MZ3 or else go for a MZ6, since the new 06 MZ3 has added new featuress as well as a raised MSRP for $1500+TAX, and the new interest rate plus lesser discounts. That would roughly cost u $2500 additionally to the current 05 models.

If he/she is intending on buying/financing the vehicle than I would go for the 2006. When it comes time to sell the car, you\'ll get more since it\'s more recent, has the added features, etc. Plus, some of the \"bugs\" with the 2005\'s may have been resolved for the 06\'s.

[PiCASSO]

Originally posted by PSIVIC



Originally posted by DeLaY_NoMoRe


I would rather go for a 05 MZ3 or else go for a MZ6, since the new 06 MZ3 has added new featuress as well as a raised MSRP for $1500+TAX, and the new interest rate plus lesser discounts. That would roughly cost u $2500 additionally to the current 05 models.

If he/she is intending on buying/financing the vehicle than I would go for the 2006. When it comes time to sell the car, you\'ll get more since it\'s more recent, has the added features, etc. Plus, some of the \"bugs\" with the 2005\'s may have been resolved for the 06\'s.

As mentioned above, it\'s a lease that she\'s interested in.

[bman]

Go with the 06, more features + bugs from 04-05 should be resolved.