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Mazda3 Prices Paid and Buying Experience

5103 messages,  Last post on Jun 12, 2013 at 4:43 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 473 of 512

#4712 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [woodstockguy] by igozoomzoom

Jan 18, 2011 (6:31 am)

Replying to: woodstockguy (Jan 18, 2011 5:32 am)
Beside the 'Super Speeder' issue-
 
Fuel economy drops by 2mpg city and 3mpg highway
18/25mpg vs. 20/28mpg
 
PREMIUM FUEL is required on the MAZDASPEED3
 
Here are conservative estimates at the additional operating costs of the SPEED3...
 
Extra costs over 5yrs/75k miles-
Fuel- $2450
Insurance- $1700
Maintenance- 575
Repairs- $880
 
FEATURES you would lose if you went with the SPEED3-
 
Heated, leather seats
8-way Power driver's seat with memory
Bi-Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge) headlights w/ auto-leveling
Auto on/off headlight control
Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS) - swivels lights into turns
LED taillights
Heated side mirrors
Power Moonroof
Rain-sensing wipers
 
One other thing to consider is the standard tires-
 
P225/40YR18 BSW performance
Dunlop SP Sport 2050 (Ultra-High Performance Summer)
$243 per tire at Kauffman Tire
no treadlife warranty, avg. less than 30k
 
vs.
 
$120 each for P205/50VR17 Dunlop SP Sport Signature for the s GT 5-door
They are a High-Performance All-Season with 60k treadlife warranty
 
Between the larger width and diameter and the much more aggressive 'Y' speed rating paired with the 'sport' suspension upgrades...very harsh ride that would get old very fast! =)
 
Consumer Reports also shows it as having a lot more reliability issues than the regular Mazda3. The engine in particular has been problematic in the MAZDASPEED3 and the CX-7 SUV.
 
We're too old for that crap!...and I'm 'only' 36! =)

#4713 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [woodstockguy] by garv214

Jan 18, 2011 (1:21 pm)

Replying to: woodstockguy (Jan 18, 2011 5:32 am)
I purchased my 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 just before Christmas. It is black with the tech package. The dealer in Redwood City, CA had 2 on the lot and they matched the advertised price of another dealer in San Jose, CA ($21,800 ~$4K off sticker). Worked with the Internet Manager, Jessica, and it was the most pain free negotiation I have ever experienced in buying a car from a dealer.
 
I owned a Protege5 for almost 10 years, so I am very familiar with the Mazda product. Love the Mazdaspeed 3 thus far. Good power, nice handling, and good content for the price. Wasn't too sure if I would like the Smart Key, but I LOVE it now. I love being able to just climb in, hit the start button, and take off.
 
Gripes: Clutch pedal is a bit binary. Tough for me to get consistently smooth shifts (and I have been driving sticks for 25 years). Not an issue on the Mazda3 S I test drove however.... Fuel mileage is a bit disappointing so far for me (avg 22 mpg), but I suspect that will improve as the engine "breaks in". No water temp/oil pressure gauges...really???
 
All in all, a great car and a ton of bang for the buck. Very happy with it.

#4714 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [garv214] by woodstockguy

Jan 27, 2011 (11:53 am)

Replying to: garv214 (Jan 18, 2011 1:21 pm)
I purchased the 2010 Grand Touring fully loaded-had them knock ocff another $475 off the price. I looked at the cost of ownership for the Speed and decided to skip it this go around since insurance with 3 teens in the family was scary.
 
The clutch was also an issue with the Speed since I do alot of driving in metro-Atlanta. I am from Cherokee county and have a stop and go commute from Woodstock to work-the Mazda3 manual is easy to shift and actually makes the commute more interesting.
 
First week(after teaching the kids how to drive a stick) my avg mpg on the trip computer is 26mpg-makes me smile. I know it will get better after the initial "fun" of a sporty little car wears off....that may take a while
 
Great car! BTW- Did purchase at Jim Ellis in Marietta-good folks to work with and didn't play any games.

#4715 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [igozoomzoom] by woodstockguy

Jan 27, 2011 (5:00 pm)

Replying to: igozoomzoom (Jan 18, 2011 6:31 am)
I agree with everything you note...that's why I bought the loaded 3-great car with plenty of "get up and go."
 
Got another $475 on the deal-dealer net was -46$ but that doesn't include
"Mr. Ellis's" fee. Have some additional info in the thread when I replied to gary from CA. BTW-live in Woodstock-Towne Lake area...so if ya see a Red 3 in traffic on 575 could be me..with a grin!

#4716 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [woodstockguy] by garv214

Jan 30, 2011 (12:45 am)

Replying to: woodstockguy (Jan 27, 2011 11:53 am)
The Grand Touring is definitely a nice car. 3 teens in the house...yikes... I won't have to worry about that for a few years to come (mine are 5 and 4), but that is definitely food for thought when it comes time to replace the speed 3.
 
I am suspicious of my trip computer. The 1st 2 tanks have displayed 24+mpg, but I calculated closer to 22 mpg based on mileage and gallons used to fill the tank.
 
Congrats on your car!
 
Gary B

#4717 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [woodstockguy] by igozoomzoom

Jan 30, 2011 (10:18 am)

Replying to: woodstockguy (Jan 27, 2011 11:53 am)
You taught your kids how to drive on YOUR own car??? BRAVE MAN! =)
 
What part of town do you work in? When I first moved back up to the 'boondocks', I drove 108 miles round-trip every day to Windy Hill Rd. I was on the road a minimum of three hours and, quite often, closer to four hours. I realized just how supportive and comfortable the awesome seats in my '06 Mazda3 s 5-door were. But I also got so sick of shifting constantly in stop-and-go (gridlock, actually)! Thankfully, I only had to make that commute for eight months..
 
As for fuel economy, 26mpg is very good considering that the vehicle is still so new and you're probably still adjusting to it also. I average 25-27mpg overall in my 2006 MZ3 (2.3L 5MT) and highway trip mileage has never been over 29mpg. Then again, I always run 80-85mph on those highway trips, so the fuel economy would almost certainly be improved at a steady 70mph or so.
 
In stop-and-go driving, my mileage was rarely over 24mpg. But in exchange for a few mpg, you have extra power/acceleration readily available whenever you need it! As much as I loved my Hondas and Acuras, I don't miss waiting for the tach to hit 5000rpm to get any serious power!
 
Anyway, congrats on the new ride and the great deal! I haven't seen many Velocity Red MZ3s in the wild (even though they look awesome), so I'll keep an eye out for you! =)

#4718 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [garv214] by woodstockguy

Jan 30, 2011 (10:24 am)

Replying to: garv214 (Jan 30, 2011 12:45 am)
I have read a number of posts on Mazda boards mentioning the same thing w/mpg on trip comp vs actual calculated. Most from Speed3 owners. Have seen everything from 16-30. I am going to start a log to compare. Lots of variables that even the Mazda's "brain" can miss.
 
I have a 1971 Buick GS w/sb 350 and it ranges from 8mpg to 16 mpg-dictated entirely by how many traffic rules I break-so a "constant" with the Mazda makes me a little skeptical-cause I violate the rules in that too.
 
Teens(even w/o tickets)= automatic 25% increase-boys even worse. By the time yours are old enough to drive we will be plugging in our cars at night instead of filling up!
 
ZOOM ZOOM

#4719 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [igozoomzoom] by woodstockguy

Jan 30, 2011 (10:33 am)

Replying to: igozoomzoom (Jan 30, 2011 10:18 am)
I work at 75/Windy Hill. SLOOOOWWW commute. Did see a guy in Town Lake with a brand new Speed3 Velocity Red-he gave me a somewhat condescending look!
 
I'm getting the windows tinted-35% smoke-nit mirrored. I think that will really make it neat. Found a guy who does a lot of dealership work who will do the whole job w/warranty for $225. I'll let you know if the work is good-the price seems fair for a professional installation.
 
Honk if you see Velocity Red!

#4720 of 5103 2010 MZ3 s 4-door Grand Touring- been on lot for over 9mos- how low $??? by igozoomzoom

Jan 30, 2011 (10:57 am)

A dealer here in the Atlanta area has one remaining 2010 Mazda3 s Grand Touring 4-door in stock and they've had it on the lot for at least 10 months! Mazda increased the base price of this model from $21,500 to $21,645 as of 04/01/2010 and this car has the $21,500 base price. It also has the door-mounted rearview mirrors with the turn-signal flasher built-in, which was included on early production models then discontinued mid-year with no explanation....so it's definitely been there a while.
 
The color may be part of the problem, but it's actually the color I want- Celestial Blue! It's loaded with the Bose/Moonroof Pkg and the Technology Package also. The only problem (for me) is that it's a 6-speed manual 4-door sedan and I wanted 5-door with 5-speed automatic...but I still can't get this car off my mind and wonder just how low they might go on the price??? The sticker price is $24,840 and the dealer cost was $22,993. Cost minus the $1500 Mktg Support (Dealer Cash) AND $500 Owner Loyalty Cash (drive a 2006 MZ3 5-door now) brings it down to $20,993 dealer cost. But how much of a loss would they take to move it?
 
Celestial Blue was dropped from the s 4-door color options for 2011, which is a pretty good indicator that it didn't sell. Even if I could deal with the 4-door/manual, the question of resale value and would it be hard to find a buyer at all down the road!? But if the price was insanely low, under $19k OTD or so, I could get over all of my concerns....
 
What do y'all think???

#4721 of 5103 Re: Price on 2010 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Hatch [woodstockguy] by igozoomzoom

Jan 30, 2011 (6:41 pm)

Replying to: woodstockguy (Jan 30, 2011 10:33 am)
I work at 75/Windy Hill. SLOOOOWWW commute. Did see a guy in Town Lake with a brand new Speed3 Velocity Red-he gave me a somewhat condescending look!
 
I'm pretty sure that the Cherokee to Windy Hill commute is Purgatory, or one of the actual layers of Hell! =/
 
But at least Jim Ellis Mazda is near your office! If you use them for service or for any warranty repairs (hopefully not), they will shuttle you to and from work while they have your vehicle. If you ever have a warranty issue that requires them to keep your car overnight or longer, they'll even provide a loaner! They pulled a new Mazda6 off the lot for me to drive while they ordered my new engine back in 2008....and I drove it for just over three weeks until mine was fixed. That's a whole 'nother story, though....but at least it happened 800 miles BEFORE the warranty expired! =)

Messages Page 473 of 512

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