Hi, just picked up a 2006 Mazda 3 i sport from my local lot - what a total impulse buy. I had done loads of research and test drove Hondas, intended to try out others, but you know, my aging 10 year old Saturn was starting to scare me and when I drove the only manual they had on the lot I was pretty much sold.

Now I'm having a little buyer's remorse (not much!) but only because I had intended to get my car through Costco's auto program, or at least to check into it first. I would have had to drive a hundred miles to get to the authorized Costco seller in my area (big area, oy) and they do not quote prices over the phone. Has anyone picked up a 3i through Costco? I heard the deal was they sold the car for a couple hundred over dealer cost; I'd like to know if that's true.

In my area (Central California) there seems to be loads of automatics and very few manuals. I noticed this at the Honda dealership too - I did not like the way the automatic felt in the Civic or the Fit - I didn't even bother with the automatic at Mazda. Part of the reason I grabbed the one manual on the lot at Mazda when I found it. I didn't care that the car doesn't have auto locks/windows or an alarm - these can be installed aftermarket, and from what I read, I think I would rather do aftermarket. I notice a thread or two here mentioning problems with the alarm the dealer would install. My question is, since I've never done aftermarket anything (my Saturn had a self-arming ignition kill and power locks/windows when I bought it) I'm not sure how to shop for alarms or know what to ask, how much I'll pay/what's a ripooff/good deal, etc. I'm hoping to do keyless entry and an alarm. I don't know if I trust the "won't start without the key" feature, though I appreciate that it puts a winking light on the dash (which totally freaked me out at first). Any suggestions on alarms, features, etc? Is there any advantage to purchasing a kit and then going to someone to have it installed? Not that I would know what kit to get without advice.

The two upgrades on my car were the pollen filter (Central California seems a logical place to do that!) and the 6 cd changer stereo (sure nicer than what I was used to!). I love the stereo design and the steering wheel controls. It's also got the satellite option and I've read here that this is mutually incompatible with iPod, which I have, and want to figure out how to connect directly (I have one of the Belkin FM transmitters but the quality is, well, just like the radio, and you have to change stations at regular intervals if you're driving long distances.) Any links to how to connect my iPod mini? I don't care about the satellite radio; it could be disabled forever and I wouldn't care. I was thinking if I knew how before taking it in for the alarm/keyless entry install, I could have them make necessary adjustments; I am handy with computer hardware but would rather not dink around with the thing that keeps me sane while commuting.

Lastly, is there an appreciable difference between, say, Costco gas and Shell/Chevron? I have a friend who swears he gets better mileage with his Eclipse when he uses Chevron. I'm interested in what others think of this. I was indiscriminate with the Saturn - I have to wonder if I had done things differently the engine would not have been burning a quart of oil every week with only 104k on the car. But then, Saturns tend to burn oil anyway as the years pass.

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions.

Lori (the latest convert )

 

congrats on the new car.

scrolled to ur last paragraph. (kinda busy to read ur "essay) lol
and i will say that Costco gasoline vs Chevron shoudnt differ in their mileage
however. they will differ in their content quality [as in the purity]. do a quick google for "toptier" gasoline
id recommend those over Costco

 

CnG,

In yourresponse to Part I of your essay, ;-) A friend of mine tried the Costco route on a 2007 3i last month and they couldn't do any better than the dealer @ $600 below MSRP.

Enjoyzoom zoom in your new car.

 

Welcome CnG and congrats on your impulse buy.

I've not heard of anyone doing an aftermarket install of power windows, however some people have done aftermarket locks. The problem with most kits is that they're designed for rod-type locks, and the 3 has cable driven locks. It can make finding a remote lock kit a little more difficult.

As for alarms I can't really help you as I have no idea.... I'm sure some of the more technical minded people could help out more, or check out some of the other forums.

The ipod stuff I can definitely help you out with. First off do you just want audio signal into the stereo, or do you want full integration so you can control the ipod from the stereo controls? All of the integration methods (and most of the regular input methods) use the same multi-pin plug on the back of the HU that's used with the sirius, and that's why they're incompatible. For more info. check out THIS thread, and let me know if you have any other questions. I personally use the AuxMod basic and it works wonderfully for what I want out of it.

 

i thought i was the only 1 in my area trying to find a manual. i found 1 at two different dealers and i went with the sport touring, it had power everything and for the price i couldnt resist. i ended up getting it for 17,335 which was a great deal but now im wondering if i wanted galaxy grey.[>:]

 

Good to hear I didn't miss much with the Costco deal. Sort of a long drive to get a little money off, for me. Sorry about the essay - I'm always torn between posting just a question or two then answering tons of other questions, or providing all the details and getting short answers.

I was more interested in the aftermarket locks. Not having power windows isn't so bad. And I thank you also for the ipod alternatives - I'm not in a big rush but I did save the link and will give it some consideration. I'm thinking I want the full integration, as I've done the juggling around the ipod bit with the Belkin setup I have, and it's a little distracting.

And yes, I very much enjoy the zoom zoom. It's sometimes hard to tell how fast I'm really going - I-5 is notorious for crazy traffic and it felt much better being able to maneuver and keep up with the flow. I came down the grapevine the other day and stayed right with the semi-speeders in the center lanes, doing about 80-90 effortlessly.

I'll be around. Maybe not always vocal, but I've already learned a lot sifting through poss. Thanks.

Lori

 

Icspots is The Man!!! Icspots, I will Sticky for you, if you'll tell me how.

 

$600 below msrp. Wow my sales man was going to go 400 over invoice. Then for some reason I asked about Ford employee discount and got my 07 4dSGT at invoice. Have a brother who works for Ford... made the wing spoiler almost free.

 

that was a lot of reading, but I'm at work so i got paid to read the essay. LOL

go to "therpmstore.com" for the ipod intragation..

try this thread to see a cable lock kit.
http://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/...ode=W02C-RF104


I bought this but have not installed it yet. Here in south Florida I cant find anyone to install a lock kit on a cable lock... I went to 3 places and no one wants to touch it. One guy said he has done a few and people keep coming back with problems so he wont do them anymore. Ishowed himmy kit thinking he may give it a try. NO Dice ... He was charging $75 bucks a door anyway plus the alarm So the install would have been around 5-6 hundred... I'm going to be moving to North Carolina in a few weeks so I hope I have time once I get settled up there to install.. let youknow if it works

 

PAC, thanks for the support. A moderator needs to do the stickying.

eastcoaster, where are you moving to in NC?