Drove a Mazda 3-5 door
Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 9:18 am
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.