ok car guys chime in please

[Screwed and Tattooed]

signing the papers on a mazda3 hatch back tonight , test drove it seemed to be the nicest out of the cars i drove in its class , i test drove a 4 door civic ex , subabru impreza , and legacy. with having a child on the way a 4 door will be needed
and my lifted wrangler rubicon is eating up alot of gas money on my 60 mile commute . i love my jeep to death but with buying a brand new car with a small increase in payment im saving several thousands of dollars in gas alone and off road tires are expensive and only get about a year out of a set so 1000 a pop every year for tires saved can buy alot of diapers and food . and 100thousand mile warranty . my wife has a 4 door wrangler so i wont be jeepless . the car has to be automatic , my wife refuses to learn to drive a stick if it wasnt for that we would go with the turboed speed3 , i prefer manual transmissions and usually hate automatics but this mazda seems to pretty awesome for an auto and also has a sportshift mode so its a good compromise

anyone have any negatives to say , im getting a great trade as well a few thousand below msrp

this is what it looks like but we are getting a black one

 

[hurley209]

i dig it

 

[jay_kent]

We looked at that model but it didnt' have enough space for us. Seemed cramped in the back for 2 kids and not enough truck space for stroller (double) or dog.

That being said, during the test drive, my wife squealed the hell out of the tires. We both drive standard. Very peppy and would have been our choice if we didn't think it would be our replacement car down the road. We currently have a Saturn wagon.

We went with the Hyundai Elantra Touring, happy with it.

except in Red

 

[mysta2]

I'm surprised to hear your comment about the Impreza. I'm not as well versed on the newest ones, but if history and impression hold that would be my choice. I think the Mazda will treat you well, but I've been in the back of them and as Jay_kent said, I'd prefer something with a little more space for ease of kiddo loading and unloading.

 

[Fix]

It's smiling.
It's happy to see me.
I like a car that's happy to see me.

 

[hurley209]

this is true.
fix makes an excellent point.
a car should be happy to see you.

 

[Aetsh]

Couldn't have picked a better car for the price! Great decision on your part..

I've been kicking around the idea of a Madza wagon for a while now myself!

 

[Screwed and Tattooed]

we do have a larger suv to serve the purpose for the dogs and child , we have one of the new 4 door wranglers and it will be the car we take when we all travel together but as for daily driver used for a family hauler on smaller trips it seems like it will be big enough , main reason for the trade , my jeep is out of warranty , 12-13mpg 60 mile round trip daily , mazda avg of 28mpg and has a 100,000 mile warranty the dealer threw in as a bonus . so it will save me quite a few dollars a month . dont get me wrong the subarus were nice , mpg were lower being awd , and the options on the subaru werent as nice as the mazda , the wrx had nice seats and options but it was considerablly more expensive . in the winter months i will be wishing i chose the subaru however my wifes a teacher and if the roads are bad enough they cancel school so i will take the jeep on those days

 

[mysta2]

I see, yes I suppose I kinda glossed over the Jeep you mentioned earlier.

Out of curiosity, have you considered the Honda Insight? I tried to get my wife to consider one, but she wanted a Murano... we ended up with a Rouge.

 

[Screwed and Tattooed]

I see, yes I suppose I kinda glossed over the Jeep you mentioned earlier.

Out of curiosity, have you considered the Honda Insight? I tried to get my wife to consider one, but she wanted a Murano... we ended up with a Rouge.

I looked at the insight and well it just wasnt doing it for me . i know when buying a practical car looks should be the least of importance but its hard to spend money on something that looks ugly

 

[Screwed and Tattooed]

plus im getting 0% apr

 

[jay_kent]

Can't beat that. I really like them alot. Not as a big fan of the pixar face of them but they really are Zoom Zoom.

 

[Tim]

It was one of the cars (and has been for a long time) that I was considering when I ditched (read killed the engine) my 1999 Honda Civic hatchback.

I ended up with a Cooper Clubman because the wife liked it and I scored a great deal on a 1 year old car (5000 miles on it, $15,000 less than new).

You don't really need 4 doors for kids though. My daughter was born in 2001 and I just replaced my 2 door Civic in 2009. Lifting her car seat in when she was tiny was easy enough and she clambers in and out of the backseat no problem. That being said, 4 doors would have made things easier, to be sure.

Enjoy the new car! I like the looks of the new smaller Mazda 2 or whatever they call it, but I live in the city with tiny garages etc. The Clubman is as much car as will fit in my garage and still let me have 2 motorcyles, a scooter and bicycles / toolchests etc. in there too.

 

[mysta2]

Check and mate ;D

I don't hate the looks of the Insight but I suppose that's how my wife felt about it... to me it just looked like 40mpg and Honda. Then again if you really want to be a robot about it the Prius2 is like 50mpg, but the Prius makes the Insight look like Sienna Miller, and you've got to draw the line somewhere

Anyway, the 3 is a great car, and I think you will love it.

 

[muzak]

It was one of the cars (and has been for a long time) that I was considering when I ditched (read killed the engine) my 1999 Honda Civic hatchback.

I ended up with a Cooper Clubman because the wife liked it and I scored a great deal on a 1 year old car (5000 miles on it, $15,000 less than new).

You don't really need 4 doors for kids though. My daughter was born in 2001 and I just replaced my 2 door Civic in 2009. Lifting her car seat in when she was tiny was easy enough and she clambers in and out of the backseat no problem. That being said, 4 doors would have made things easier, to be sure.

Enjoy the new car! I like the looks of the new smaller Mazda 2 or whatever they call it, but I live in the city with tiny garages etc. The Clubman is as much car as will fit in my garage and still let me have 2 motorcyles, a scooter and bicycles / toolchests etc. in there too.

I recently bought a Mini Cooper S. LOVE. IT. It's so tiny I find myself weaving in and out like if I was on a motorcycle. Probably the closest thing to it on 4 wheels. What a fun little car to drive, the supercharger really makes it quick.

 

[Basement rat]

Looks cool.

I picked up a 10 Liberty Sport with the 3.7 a few months ago, its fine. Around the parts I live AWD wont cut it, needs a good 4x4 for the winter. The Jeep rides great on the highway, good mialage, TONS of visibality through the fornt window, I can sit in the back and fit (I'm 6'2") and there is space for stuff and our dog in the back. Its not a mega SUV like a Durango or Escelade but its not a micro dealy like a Mazda 3 which is important when 80% of the vehicles on the road here that could hit you are lifted 2500+ series trucks. Again its not a "true" solid axle Jeep, it had IFS but thats fine, I'm not aloud to take it "off road"... (we will see about that)

That being said, it wont get the mialage your car will.

 

[Redbird]

What? It ain't got no Hamsters in it?


Nice score man ;D

 

[4eyes]

We bought my daughter one two years ago when she started college, great car, we love it. She drives 4hrs to school and back, when she visits, and it has been flawless. 8)
Having a top saftey rating makes daddy worry slightly less. ;D

 

[hocbj23]

Bought Mazda for years.Still have a 98 626 with 200K and a 92 truck with 134k on the clocks.Stone cold dependable and the new 3 is a super car.Congrats.U will enjoy it now and will still be enjoying it when the warranty expires.bj

 

[Screwed and Tattooed]

well the jeep is gone and the mazda is now in the driveway . i do miss my jeep I cannot lie but this car is pretty sweet i will probably soon forget about the jeep. its been along time since ive had any luxury features in a car and all i can say is wow . the blue tooth for my cell phone is super convienient. power windows still amaze me , hahaha . and the bose stereo system makes my music sound so good . it will be a very pleasant drive to and from work from now on