dxman92 said:
I'm not crazy about the fact that you have to pay almost $30k to get the manual box in the new 3 sedan. That said, I've owned a 6 speed manual CX-5 and I'd own another in a heartbeat.
Same here. When I was searching for a new sporty DD I had to immediately throw out the Mazda 3 hatch w/ manual because of the price. I can get a similarly equipped Honda Civic Hatchback Sport with 3 pedals for nearly $6-7k less. For the price of a Mazda 3 Hatchback with a stick shift you can also have yourself a Veloster N.
The interior is a great place to be and it drvies well but paying an upmarket price for an entry level car isn't going to happen. I hate that Mazda is doing this because I do enjoy their cars, I used to always shoot for a Mazda 6 rental car when on work travel--which you also don't see anymore in rental car lots. I feel like their upmarket push is a bit long in the tooth and they are losing some of their longtime core customers, I fear they will even lose their depressed millennial crowd who are currently driving clapped out NAs and NBs.
we've had our 2019 for 5300 miles so far.... it is an auto awd, with the preferred pkg - we chose not to spend an extra $5 grand on the premium. As far as sporty... it may not be the earlier car... but that is perfectly fine with me, and swmbo. It goes where it is pointed, and it does it moderately drama-free. Yes rear visibility is poor, but the car is equipped with nannies... that can be "tuned" to some degree. Back up cam, side warning, lane warning, along with mirrors..... my wife calls it "Zen".
Power is good, trans is ok (someone said it rushes to be in top gear - that is true) it also is unlike(for me) other autos as coasting seems to be one of its high mileage traits..??? "SPORT" is just trans shift points... I'll occasionally use it, but for the most part it says in normal. MPG - yeah... not 27... more like 25.
Brakes - like them.
Suspension - still unsure... car does "feel" tight most of the time... but going over bad, broken roads it almost feels like the suspension bushings are "soft".
We have had the one recall - false braking issue - software update. We are lucky on this, as early 2019 models required cluster upgrades as well - which means you carry a modified odometer
As to its looks... One of the negatives about the Mazda3 line up in my eyes was it always ugly... too many different lines all competing for attention. With the 2019 model, the lines are all smooth, the front and rear end treatments look very good.......
Nutsid said:
In reply to RustBeltSherpa :
I have owned at least one Mazda since I was 17 - I am 35 now - until now. I traveled the country in an NB Miata and when I was done had decided I was moving across the country. I was trading the Miata in on something with space. The problem was, I needed something that would fill the itch the Miata filled. The only cars that fit the bill was a GTI and a Velostar. I went with the GTI because of the styling. I really wasn't ready to leave Mazda behind so I drove a 3 hatch, but before I even got out of the parking lot of the dealership I was over it. It wasn't going to be sporty enough. While the GTI doesn't fit the Miata's shoes entirely, it fits exactly what I needed my car to be. Currently, the only car Mazda has to offer that appeals to me is the ND, and that obviously can't haul anything around anywhere.
List of previously owned Mazdas:
2017 CX5
2012 3 hatch
2010 3 hatch
2004 Rx8
2004 Miata
1992 Miata
1989 Rx7
1985 Rx7
1984 Rx7
1983 Rx7
Now I find myself looking at other brands for what I need out of a car.
Why would you not just buy different vehicles for different purposes? Daily commute/fun where you are only hauling yourself a Miata is just fine....a beat up old pickup to haul things...and a minivan to haul people. I don't understand people trying to make 1 vehicle to everything....all you get when you try that is a vehicle that does nothing well. 3 vehicles with different purposes can be had for the cost of one new SUV.
Tony Sestito said:
-Price. To get one the way I want it (that means with a manual transmission), Cost of entry is $9000 more than what I paid for mine new. Yes, I bought that nearly 9 years ago, but a similarly equipped Corolla Hatch with a stick and the XSE package is about $22k, not $29k like the 3 is now. And you can't even get AWD with the stick. For shame!
I bought my 2018 Mazda 3 in August of 2018 brand new, and after some haggling got the dealer down to $16,000....for the Sport model with the 6MT. So the 2019 in the only trim you can get with a manual is almost double the price. Granted, it also comes with the larger engine and bunch of other goodies, but for me the 6MT was the raison d'etre.
The Corolla has a CVT and the rental-spec one I drove a few months back was buzzy, slow, and unhappy. This is likely why the Mazda automatic is superior, if you're into that whole car-shifting-for-you thing.
In reply to Wicked93gs :
Except then you have to register, title, insure, park, and maintain 3 clunkers. Which is not a big deal for some, but I wager it is for most.
I just spotted a manual 3 (in white, just like mine) for $25k with some incentives in a local search. That's better; even at the high end of what it should be, it's at least competitive. The manual 3 used to match up well on paper with other performance-minded compacts like the Civic Si, giving up a little performance for creature comforts.
I bought mine mainly because of this. I actually wanted a Civic Si, but the Japanese tsunami shut the factories down at the time (late 2011) and they weren't making them. I bought my 3 new for the same money as a used Si was going for, and traded the availability and extra cargo space for a few 10ths of a second less in the 0-60 times.
