Drove a Mazda 3-5 door

[shibaman]

I drove the only 5 door Mazda 3 on the lot. Impressions- manual tranny goes fast. great low end! It may have handled as well as my modded Vibe but I couldn't push it real hard and make the salesman sick. The ride was firm but more comfortable than mine(stiff). Great driving car! Sexy looking!!!!!!! Things I didn't like- It had the feeling of cheapness to me. The interior on the Vibe is better quality and the seats are better. The switches on the doors seamed cheap. The rear cargo area is almost as big as the Vibe but it drops down about 3". You can't slide some thing straight out. The damn lip is in the way. The rear seating area seamed smaller than the Vibe. If you are a do it your selfer you would be in trouble. Every thing in the engine compartment is covered by plastic. The bottom is covered also. They don't make is easy to do any thing yourself. Price? About 3000. less than a Vibe with the same options. If I had never owned a Vibe before I would buy the M3 because of price and performance. The only warrenty work on my car was the storage door under shifter and the replacement of the sanded side moldings. My gut tells me that I would be spending a lot of time at the Mazda dealer fixing things. I don't think that they have Toyota quality behind them. I looked at the sedan also but they don't have enough room. The Vibe, 5 door is too practical.

[noginsk]

Are you planning on getting a new car?

[shibaman]

I have been thinking about it but then reality sets in when I think about how much I will loose in depreceation. I really like the Mazda 5 door but I checked out one of their forums only to find a lot of first year problems. Much more than the Vibes ever had! It's kind of hard going from a car that is so trouble free to some thing that I may have to take to the dealer all the time to get fixed.