Zoom, zoom

Rico · April 24, 2010, 06:16:47 PM

Drove one of these today. My lease is up in a couple months, so starting to shop around. Pretty cool car. But it's not a convertible. :'(

Bromptonboy · April 24, 2010, 06:23:09 PM

Looks nice - Mazda's version of the Honda FIT.

moyer777 · April 24, 2010, 07:02:27 PM

NICE!

sheldor · April 24, 2010, 07:12:42 PM

My brother mike bought one last year - they really like it.

jedijeff · April 24, 2010, 07:24:25 PM

I have a Mazda 3, I really like it a lot. For the price it came with a lot of features.

Rico · April 24, 2010, 08:06:23 PM

Quote from: jedijeff on April 24, 2010, 07:24:25 PM
I have a Mazda 3, I really like it a lot. For the price it came with a lot of features.

Cool! What year do you have Jeff? And engine? Anything you don't like about it?

billybob476 · April 24, 2010, 08:10:34 PM

The guys at me previous job swear by their Mazada3's they love them.

jedijeff · April 25, 2010, 07:50:15 AM

Quote from: Rico on April 24, 2010, 08:06:23 PM
Quote from: jedijeff on April 24, 2010, 07:24:25 PM
I have a Mazda 3, I really like it a lot. For the price it came with a lot of features.

Cool! What year do you have Jeff? And engine? Anything you don't like about it?

I have a 2006 Mazda 3 GS, I believe it has a 2.3L engine.

For the most part, I don't have any complaints about it. It has been a reliable car so far, nothing outstanding in the maintenance. I do notice the brakes squeal a bit from time to time when I backup when it is cold. Also did not really care for the tires that came with it, they were terrible in the winter, and I have already replaced them as they needed replacing. I have two sets of tires now, winter tires, and summer tires, probably best way to go these days with the Winters.

I have a 4 door sedan version, I like it, but I think if I did it over again, I would get a hatch back like you are looking at.

Rico · April 25, 2010, 08:35:42 AM

Three things I noticed when I drove the Mazda 3, 2010 version:

Seems a bit "bouncy" on the road. Not terrible, just different than my G6.
Brakes really touchy, but that might just take some getting used to.
Very tight, sensitive steering - again might just need to adjust to that.

The ride concerns me most. Maybe it's the weight distribution but for a fairly smooth road the shocks just didn't seem to handle it real well. But, I'm still looking around. This is just the early stages of my car shopping. Actually drove a GMC Terrain about a week ago. Very nice SUV and good ride. Liked it. Definitely keeping it in mind if I go the SUV route. Want to try a Chevy Equinox too.

billybob476 · April 25, 2010, 08:45:36 AM

A buddy of mine had a Chevy Equinox until recently, not a bad SUV though the inside was definitely very 'plasticky' and I know he had some issues with the brakes before he traded it in. Had it for about 5 years and recently replaced it with a Honda Pilot.

billybob476 · April 25, 2010, 08:48:07 AM

Alos, keeping on the Mazda bandwagon, I just found out my mom picked up a new Mazda Tribute, it'll be her second one. She quite likes it. If I'm not mistaken this is a joint venture between Mazda and Ford (the Ford version being the Escape).

Rico · April 25, 2010, 09:54:45 AM

Quote from: billybob476 on April 25, 2010, 08:45:36 AM
A buddy of mine had a Chevy Equinox until recently, not a bad SUV though the inside was definitely very 'plasticky' and I know he had some issues with the brakes before he traded it in. Had it for about 5 years and recently replaced it with a Honda Pilot.

I've heard that a little, but think it's a bit better now. The appealing thing about the Equinox and Terrain SUV's is they get 32 mpg on the hwy. Very impressive for an SUV.

jedijeff · April 25, 2010, 10:11:18 AM

Quote from: Rico on April 25, 2010, 08:35:42 AM
Three things I noticed when I drove the Mazda 3, 2010 version:

Seems a bit "bouncy" on the road. Not terrible, just different than my G6.
Brakes really touchy, but that might just take some getting used to.
Very tight, sensitive steering - again might just need to adjust to that.

The ride concerns me most. Maybe it's the weight distribution but for a fairly smooth road the shocks just didn't seem to handle it real well. But, I'm still looking around. This is just the early stages of my car shopping. Actually drove a GMC Terrain about a week ago. Very nice SUV and good ride. Liked it. Definitely keeping it in mind if I go the SUV route. Want to try a Chevy Equinox too.

I think when you deal with Cars this size, that you will notice things like bumps a bit more. I found the brakes to be a bit sensitive as well, but I adjusted pretty quick, and actually prefer them that way. Same with the steering, I think this is similar to a lot of cars this size, as they have smaller wheel bases then larger cars. For me, I actually prefer my steering that way, sort of used to it. I was coming from a Cavalier, so a lot of the way the Car handled seem very familiar to me.

Mazda Tribute is something I would not mind getting some day, maybe next Vehicle possibly. I believe their is a lot of similarities between the Tribute and the Ford Escape.

ChadH · April 25, 2010, 08:47:25 PM

If I may offer my unsolicited opinion, Katzekitty has a Pontiac Vibe which we both really like. The ride is pretty smooth, the cabin is relatively free of road noise and the mileage is a decent 28-30 mpg. The seats are comfy as well. It's also been trouble free for the three years that she's owned it. I'm considering selling my Scion xA and getting a Vibe for myself.

Rico · April 29, 2010, 05:31:49 AM

What I want to test drive next....

Chevy Camaro Snow Performance