looking for suggestion(dealer free please)

[tftn]

hello everyone. i m new here and happy that i found a very useful forum.

i need some suggestion on buying a Mazda3. i love the looking of M3 and want to buy one. however, all my friend do Not recomment the Mazda. their reason is the reputation of mazda is not as good as honda and toyota, and the engine produces strange sound after few years (like 3). have you guys ever heart that or feel that??? i m really serious in the long term useage of my car ( because i m poor and gonna use it for a long time).

waiting online..............

thank you !!!:D :D

[SABIO]

Some of the engines produce strange sounds after one year.
The quality of the car is really good.You get alot for the money. Don\'t buy the 2.3L, if you are poor you will hate the gas mileage, get the 2L.
It\'s hard to find a Mazda good service dept.
You would be happy with a nice 2L sedan.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by tftn


hello everyone. i m new here and happy that i found a very useful forum.

i need some suggestion on buying a Mazda3. i love the looking of M3 and want to buy one. however, all my friend do Not recomment the Mazda. their reason is the reputation of mazda is not as good as honda and toyota, and the engine produces strange sound after few years (like 3). have you guys ever heart that or feel that??? i m really serious in the long term useage of my car ( because i m poor and gonna use it for a long time).

waiting online..............

thank you !!!:D :D

I wouldn\'t necessarily listen to your friends.....you should drive a 3, a Civic, and a Corolla and then decide which you like better, plain and simple. What\'s your budget? Mazda has made long strides in recent years in terms of build quality, resale value, etc. As for Sabio\'s comment regarding the fuel economy of the 2.3L, it\'s a mystery IMO. For whatever reason he\'s getting crappy mileage, however both of our 3\'s average no less than 575-625 per tank, and sometimes higher. Some people seem to get good mileage while others not so good. It may have to do with driving style, engine modifications, or just luck of the draw.

Good luck and let us know what happens!

[Caz]

As PSIVIC said drive them all and you decide. Don\'t forget to take into account all the other things you will have to pay for over the lifespan of the car if you plan on keeping it for years (ie. Brakes). Also look at the cost of insurance (I am paying less for an \'06 mazda3 then for my \'96 civic).

As for the gas milage issue, I was worried about that when I first started to read around this forum before buying my 3. I haven\'t found it to be an issue. I drive about 15 km to work and do lots of running around town and I get over 500 km to a tank (before the light comes on).

Hope that helps

[SW20 MR2]

I have been a Honda/Toyota guy all my life, and I always will be. The MZ3 and MZ6 are the only Mazdas I would ever consider buying, and that\'s because of the bang for the buck feature. The primary reason I chose my MZ3 was due to the value. I preferred the 06 Civic sedan, but I couldn\'t justify paying the same amount of money for less features/power. IMO, Honda/Toyota fit and finish are second to none.

Do I have any regrets? None whatsoever...so far at least. I really like the MZ3 and hope that it serves me well for at least 3-5 years.

[ds2chan]

to me Honda & Toyota have a better name just because they made a reputation for themselves already.. now it\'s Mazdas turn.. I say just test drive all 3 and then decide..

it took me some time to grow accustom to the exterior of the 2006 civic and the interior is ok.. some things bug me like the digital spedometer.. but after driving the 3 I was really impressed.. the corolla is pretty dull and boring in my opinion..

thus, go for a test drive and go with ur first instincts/reactions.. we can give you our opinions but I\'m sure most of us will tell u to buy a Mazda 3..

[Cardinal Fang]

All good points so I won\'t \"flog a dead horse.\" When I was looking for a car the most important factor my wife and I were looking for was a hatch. The practicality of the model was important to us because we already own a sports sedan in the Acura TSX. We were and have always been a Honda family so we were looking forward to the new Civic. We honestly thought the Civic was going to have a hatch but instead Honda chose do get rid of the Civc SI hatch model. Yes, I know the SI will be out soon but it requires PREMIUM UNLEADED gas and I\'m not about to add another premium-unleaded car to my stable.

This limited our selection process to the Matrix, the Impreza and the Mazda3. After lurking on three boards for the better part of 2 months I was able to see what the members had to complain about for each car. It was actually funny at times. You also get to see what the members like about the car. This is what discussion boards should be about. The good, the bad and in Broli’s case, the ugly.

Be informed, do YOUR OWN research. Your friend’s opinions can only go so far and should be taken with a grain of salt. In the end it is YOU that have to live with your decision whatever it is and it is YOU that have to pay for the vehicle. At the very least in doing your research you will learn alot about the cars themselves. Above all else TEST drive the cars and don\'t be affraid to test drive the cars more than once.

Best of luck and welcome to the board.

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by Cardinal Fang
The good, the bad and in Broli’s case, the ugly.


Zing :D

[Kevin@nextmod]

Well its my turn to give some opinion. When my dad gave me choices between the mazda 3, and a civic, I personally want the mazda 3 but my frds all or most wants me to get the civic. When they said that I suddenly slanted towards the civic. But after I test drove the mazda 3 I went back with the mazda 3 and quickly bought on the spot. One big reason for me to choose the mazda 3 is my dad. He only wanted me to get the auto and 3 gives me the tiptronic which is fun to use and the civic dont have it.

One more thing is, your frds and us might be biased to a particular brand or car. The most important thing is drive one. Maybe test driving wont let you choose? rent one and see. Rent a civic or rent any car that is in your mind for a week and then rent a mazda 3. THEN you can decide.

my 2 cents

[Broli]

Damn u Cardi and PSIVIC

Where Majic?

i have a complaint!!!

lol

honestly, get the civic, then u won\'t have to put up with psivic and cardi!

but if u can live with them, then i say get the 3 (obvious bias)
but basically everyone gave u good ideas,

here it is all summed up for ya

test it, love it, buy it, Zoom-Zoom . . .

:D

[ds2chan]

funny thing is, when I went home my family was like how come u didn\'t get a civic?? and some friends and ppl I meet asked me the same thing.. one answer is that there are so many civics on the road.. another answer is I wanted to be different.. the main reason was just how impressed I was with the mazda 3..

oh, and word of advice.. when u go test drive the mazda 3, the sales guy probably won\'t go with u.. the tiptronic part is bottom left.. auto is one below neutral (one to the right of tiptronic).. I didn\'t realize I put it into tiptronic when I went for a test drive.. I drove 60 in 1st gear for like 10-15 mins (around the block of Mazda of Toronto).. :D me and my friend kept wondering why the car was sooooooo loud.. the ppl on the streets were probably thinking that I\'m being an ass for making the car so loud..

[CAR4U]

Hello tftn,

If you have not yet made your decision yet, please test drive the Mazda 3 and see for yourself.

[RedRaptor]

Originally posted by ds2chan
oh, and word of advice.. when u go test drive the mazda 3, the sales guy probably won\'t go with u.. the tiptronic part is bottom left.. auto is one below neutral (one to the right of tiptronic).. I didn\'t realize I put it into tiptronic when I went for a test drive.. I drove 60 in 1st gear for like 10-15 mins (around the block of Mazda of Toronto).. :D me and my friend kept wondering why the car was sooooooo loud.. the ppl on the streets were probably thinking that I\'m being an ass for making the car so loud..

Wow...you probably just fried the engine oil for that demo car with your test drive. :sarc

I hope you at least told the dealership what you did so that they can change the oil on that demo car.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by RedRaptor



Originally posted by ds2chan
oh, and word of advice.. when u go test drive the mazda 3, the sales guy probably won\'t go with u.. the tiptronic part is bottom left.. auto is one below neutral (one to the right of tiptronic).. I didn\'t realize I put it into tiptronic when I went for a test drive.. I drove 60 in 1st gear for like 10-15 mins (around the block of Mazda of Toronto).. :D me and my friend kept wondering why the car was sooooooo loud.. the ppl on the streets were probably thinking that I\'m being an ass for making the car so loud..

Wow...you probably just fried the engine oil for that demo car with your test drive. :sarc

I hope you at least told the dealership what you did so that they can change the oil on that demo car.

in addition to the engine oil, the tranny fluid was probably toast. The type of heat that was generated in that condition (60km/h in 1st for 15 minutes) is enough to kill an automatic tranny.

[billyfo]

that\'s why we always tell/ being told by, others, not to buy demo car no matter how cheap it is:sarc

[MattD]

the mazda is a great car. i have a civic before and i can honestly say that my 3 is way better then my civic. gas mileage is not that bad and it is a hawt car. lots of space adn good power for the buck

[akherad]

Other members already have told it: Test drive Civic, Corolla/Echo/Yaris and then Mazda3.
I did same thing couple months ago and all by sudden, I found myself in a 2006 Mazda3 GS. Problems like Engine noises? well, you should maintain your car well to avoid those things. It doesn\'t matter if it\'s a Honda, Toyota or Mazda. I have seen people they had horrible problems with their Civic because they had not followed maintenance schedules. Also I have seen people who drive Mazda Protege for years and they are really happy with that.