Hello all!!!

I'm new to the forums and as a 16 year old looking into buying his first car, I have decided on getting the Mazda 3. it has gotten rave reviews and my friends love it. It's also a beautiful looking car and has everything I need.

So selecting this car, I really need help on whether or not to get the hatchback or sedan. I love the shapes of both, so the real comparison comes down to the specs. Apparently the hatchback is much sportier than the sedan and maybe more fun to drive. But they both are equally fun to drive, in my opinion. So hatchback or sedan? What trim should I get (Sport, Touring, Grand Touring), and should i wait for the 2009 model (if so, when is it coming to U.S. markets?"

Also, can you please give me some tips in proving to my dad that I should get a manual transmission? I really want a stick shift.

Thanking you,

hsaleem101

 

I think I might be the most qualified guy here to answer this one - I was in a similar situation about half a year back.

The main difference between the sedan and HB is the engine choice - the sedan comes with the 2.0 standard, but the 2.3 is available; the HB only comes with the more powerful, less economical 2.3L. You'll get good mileage in either case, but the 2.0 with give you a few more miles to the gallon.

Trim levels are always pretty subjective (e.g. I'd never get GT...hate leather and power seats). Touring is a good compromise if you're not sure.

I wanted a stick as well, but I discarded that idea quickly (I live in NYC). Do you live in an area when it's mostly city (stop-'n-go, bumper-to-bumper) driving? You'll lament a manual soon after you buy it in that case. If you've got country roads and highways, then go for it. Just remember to try to be careful and gentle when you're learning.

Oh, and get a model that's 2 or 3 years old - new drivers shouldn't get new cars, because they don't have experience. That, and new cars often beget paranoia...buy used the first time around.

 

well i live in a pretty suburb area (Sugar Land which is near Houston, TX) so there is a lot of highways and open roads and such. Im not in a true big city, so either way, i can do manual or automatic. And I agree about the used car, i may do just that. So which one did you end up going with? Hatchback or Sedan?

 

If there were any around at the time, I would've gone with the HB simply because of its versatility. I don't own a Mazda 3 though, I speak on this forum as more of an admirer than anything else.

 

I went with the HB, to me it looks better than the Sedan (JMO so don't be hating), plus it already has the power windows, door locks and the 2.3 motor.
I also have the bone stock S, no T or GT for me, the sport came with just about everything you could want for a Daily Driver.
Also I have the Automatic, who needs to worry about clutches when you have the manual shift mod [8D]

 

The HB is good from a moving standpoint (thinking about college?). I had the 3i sedan 2.0L with the stick and loved it. You'll get better mileage with the stick. I averaged 28/29 and got up to 35 mpg out of mine.

 

Mazda advertises the 5-door as the sportier model, but realistically if you were to get a sedan with the same engine then it would be just as sporty so don't give in to their marketing and buy the car you actually want. Try to think of what's going to be the most practical for you. I was replacing a pickup with an enclosed bed so I wanted something that could still carry larger items (the other car is a sedan) and so I went with the 5-door. Still neither one is bad. Also as sstlaure said if you're thinking about college then the 5-door may end up being very useful for you when moving. The difference in power between the 2.0 and the 2.3 is negligible so don't feel like you're being robbed if you end up with the 2.0..... if I had the sedan that's what I would have. If you want the 5-door get it because it's what you want and not just because of the engine. Plus you'll be getting more out of your gas tank.

New car or used car? I completely agree that your first car shouldn't be brand new. At the very least if you make some mistakes while learning to drive (either a fender bender or totalling it) at least it wasn't brand new with a big price tag. I don't like to knock young drivers as I've met some very good ones... however there are many more terrible ones out there. Even if you went with a 1-3 year old 3 you're still getting a nice car, and the changes between years haven't been that extreme so it's not like you're missing anything really big. Beyond that if you settled for a several year old car for a while and show that you can be responsible and take care of it (and not get yourself killed) then it would probably go a long way to you getting a better/newer car from your parents in a few years. My car is 3 years old with 40k+ miles on it and still drives like new.

Trim level. That's entirely up to you and your parents. Personally the only option I wish my car had was the HIDs. In '05 that was a separate package but at this point you have to get everything in the GT package to get them. At the very least get a 3 that has the side airbags as the crash tests without them were very poor. I'm not up with what the new trim livels have but the airbags are a must. If your parents are paying for the car then they basically get to choose your options and you should be happy with what they give you. That doesn't mean you can't push for something particular but make sure your arguements are reasonable and backed up.

Transmission. Well I'm biased as I'm a die hard MTX driver. My parents made me learn how to drive on a MTX before they'd let me drive the ATX car and I'm grateful for it. First off the manumatic mode on the ATX is nothing like a real manual. You can say what you want about it but they drive completely differently. The only manumatic transmission I've ever thought was even close to a MTX was that of a '07 BMW 330i. My opinion is that a MTX keeps you much more in touch with the car and aware of how it's driving..... you're much more connected to it. Also it's lighter than the auto and gets (potentially depending on your driving style) better gas mileage. Add into that that after you learn you can basically drive anything and it's a pretty good decision. Also this 5-speed is really really easy to learn how to drive... nothing like my old '80 Chevette. lol Some people just don't like manuals and won't let their kids drive them and if that's how your parents are then that's pretty much it. This would be one of those things that you could gently push for but the final say still comes down to them. IIRC the ATX in this car has had mutliple problems. Not with the mechanics, but with the ECU software that governs the shifts. I know mazda has come out with multiple reflashes to try and improve on them. Also Mazda's MTX's are fantastic and shift like a dream.

Hope some of that helped.

 

FYI...as far as the side crash ratings are concerned....any car without side airbags scores poorly on the new testing methods of side impact. NHTSA did that specifically to drive OEMs to add side airbags as standard to avoid "Poor" ratings on any kind of test (which makes for bad press). It's the same tact NHTSA used when working on implementing the first frontal airbags.

I didn't have the side airbags and felt perfectly safe in the car. It's just as safe in a side impact as any other car that doesn't have side airbags.

 

i am 18 and i bought a 4 dr 2008 mazda3.. i love it.. it looks beautiful.. although mine is the GS (or I touring basically). i mean i like the sedan but the hatch back is pretty awesome looking. but the mazda3 sedan is great. you will not be dissapointed either. considering i was looking at the mazda3, corolla, civic, fit, yaris and all in all its the best car out of them all. the civic was a close 2nd but i dont like the futureistic look!

 

I personally love the 4dr looks, but I guess it's because all the hatchbacks these days remind me of the '73 Gremlin. [sm=joke.gif]

Seriously, my preference for the MTX is threefold: (1) better gas mileage, (2) more control over the car, (3) better reliability. If you take care not to slip the clutch, there's almost nothing to break on a MTX. As of this year, 32 years and 700,000 miles driving manual transmissions, and ZERO problems. No clutch replacements, no breakdowns, nada. That's two Audis, a Chevy, and a Saturn. I hope to continue that string with my 3i. Aside: can you believe Pontiac sells "performance cars" but no manual transmissions? WTF?

Oh, and the first two tanks with my 2.0L landed dead on 30 MPG. I'm not being especially timid with the throttle, just careful not to beat the car up till it's been well broken in. I expect it'll improve after a couple of thousand miles, that's the way they seem to work. I don't notice any lack of acceleration compared to the Honda or Toyota counterparts, and the handling is sweet.