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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 Hatchback
2744 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2008 at 9:48 AM
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Replying to: ostiaantic (Jun 25, 2006 8:32 am) |
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A national personal finance magazine is looking to interview consumers who have recently purchased (within the past year) a new Mazda 3 and would like to talk about your new car. Please send an e-mail to ctalati edmunds.com no later than Wednesday, June 28, 2006 by 2:00 PM PST/5:00 EST containing your daytime contact information. Thanks, Chintan Talati Corporate Communications Edmunds.com |
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I asked the question earlier about these and then found a supplier on the Net. This is really cool for Mazda3 and other 5-door owners. Great for tailgating and weekends introducimg your kids to the Great Outdoors. Especially those Mazda meets with other owners. http://www.napierenterprises.com It can be used alone without the "sleeve" which attaches over the liftgate. Sleeping bags, an ice cooler w/food, a Coleman stove and pan and you are good to go. Only $189.95 Don't forget your digital camera --we want to see pics. fowler3 |
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Well, I can finally say that I'm a proud papa. June 30th I picked up a 2006 Copper Red S Hatch, 5spd. It just happened to be on the truck to the dealership and I put my money on it. I wanted to get a few weeks of driving before I added my thoughts. I've had some good and bad experiences. I put my first scratch on her pulling into my garage. Nothing too deep, just a light 1" scratch from hitting dragging the recycling box. Then yesterday I picked up a screw in the right rear. Props to Discount Tire for helping out a long time customer with the no charge fix. Now to the good. I have to say that the A/C is acceptable. That's it. I'm pretty tolerant to hot and cold so I, and my wife for that fact, accept it for what it is. West Michigan is in for some heat indexes of 100F coming up this weekend. That'll be the real test, but I'm not expecting greatness. There are too many positives that outweigh a moderately acceptable A/C. Driving this car is amazing. It's so smooth on the highway. I babied the throttle for the first 600 or so miles and I'm just now starting to accelerate a little harder (3-4k shifts) with the odd trip to 5k. First tank was 27mpg, about half the tank was loaded with four people and A/C on. Second tank was about 50% highway, just me and my wife, A/C on, doing about 70-75mph. The other 50% was with four in the car, mix of highway/backroads, A/C on and I got 29mpg. People love the color, obviously I do too. I couldn't be happier. My sales experience was borderline effortless. Thanks to East Imports here in Grand Rapids and the awesome sales staff. I won't lay down any numbers here because a "good deal" is all relative to the buyer. I paid what I thought was very fair and respectful for the relationship I have with the dealership. Thanks to them again. Well, back to the grind. Zoom-Zoom! Dave |
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I was wondering if anyone could give me their opinion. We are thinking of buying a Mazda 3 Hatchback, automatic, 2004 with 34K on it. Its got all the options, AC, cdplayer, etc. and it is through a private seller. they are asking 14K for it. Is this a good deal. Also, we live in the midwest with back winters and wondering how it drives in the snow. Can anyone tell me any mechanical problems they have had with theirs? We bought an Audi a few years ago (sold it now), it was a 97 so that may have been the problem too, and had so many problems with it. So we just dont want to make the same mistake when buying another car. Thanks |
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Replying to: mfgreendeer (Jul 19, 2006 11:25 am) I have a 2004 Mazda 3 Hatchback and I actually bought mine used with the exact milage of 34K from carmax. They had it listed at 13.5K, so I would say depending on the overall condition of the car and maintenance history it sounds like you are getting a fair deal (really look the car over). I like my car and you can cram all kinds of stuff in the hatchback with the rear seats folded down. Here are the problems I have had in my car. First off the rear brakes on these cars wear down fast, there is no type of tattle tale on the pads so you have to keep a close eye on them or else they will trash your rotors. Don't depend on mazda service to do this for you, they said my brakes were fine and I was too busy to double check them, long story short I had to fight them to replace my rear rotors. Second, the window regulator / motor has come loose on two of my windows making a knock sound when rolling it up. I had to take it back to mazda to have them tighten them back up, not a huge deal. And last my A/C was not performing as well as I had hoped (I live in Texas so it is a must to have a strong a/c) and turns out there was an o-ring on the high side line of my compressor that needed replacing, after that it was great. So really only ONE Major problem so far. The gas milage is great and I get between 26 - 31 MPG depending how agressive I feel like driving. It handles great, quick for a 4 banger, and stops quickly, fun little car to drive. I am a former mustang and Dodge RAM HEMI owner, so this car was a change for me. It took some time to get used to but I really like this car, it gets the job done efficently. One last complaint though, the seats are kind of hard. This car is built around sport, so the suspension is a little stiff along with the seats; but it is tight feeling and fun. If you want a more luxury ride in the same range I would look at a Sonata or Toyota. |
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Replying to: mfgreendeer (Jul 19, 2006 11:25 am) |
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You can buy a NEW Mazda3s Touring 4dr Wagon with auto for under $18K. Is $4,000 less enough of a discount? Hard to say - but I would adjust the $4,000 to try and get your real savings. Some things to consider - Wear items - tires and brakes - for sure need to be looked at - if the used car needs these soon you should add them into the cost. If you finance you will be able to get a lower interest rate on a new car loan VS a used car loan - you may also get a lower rate even if you finance over 60 months VS 48 months - the new car payment may still be higher but it is something you should look at. Warranty? The 2004 only has 16K miles left - a new 2006 will have 50K - not saying if you buy used you must buy an extended warranty (I never do and never will) but you could find out how much an extended warranty would cost - if its $1,500 (I have no idea what is should be) then in a way you are only "saving" $2,500 buying used. I am using the cost of the extended warranty as a way to estimate the EXTRA costs of repairs you will have if you buy used - of course you may get lucky and pay no repairs - you may be unlucky and replace the engine and tranny. Insurance may cost more on a new car. But that depends on many factors - so you just need to check it out. Will you keep the car for 10 years? Then resale is not that big of a deal - but if you trade every 3-4 years the 2006 will be worth a few thousand more when you trade it in. I have look at these factors a few times and always end up buying a new car - |
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Replying to: mfgreendeer (Jul 19, 2006 11:25 am) Prepare yourself for sticker shock if you buy low-profile winter tires. |
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Replying to: mfgreendeer (Jul 19, 2006 11:25 am) |
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