ChargerMatt Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Anyone got one? Know of anyone who has one? I'm wondering how roomy they are before I go out and waste my time checking them out. That 40 mpg with Japanese technology and American backing really keeps coming back to me as I continue to search for cars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAYBEN Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 a friend of mine has a 2010 or 2011, he loves it.. he says its decently roomy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renurbs Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Check out the VW golf too. Very comparable cars. I have one and love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlack151 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I got my wife a 2012 Subaru Impreza 5 door this spring and we love it. The first week we had it it made a camping trip up north with all of our gear (canopy, tents, grill, chairs, coolers & more) along with our 2 small/medium dogs. It was like playing tetris when loading it up. We haven't experienced the winter months in it, but so far it's a great roomy car. My wife is averaging about 32-34 mpg with mainly highway driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renurbs Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I got my wife a 2012 Subaru Impreza 5 door this spring and we love it. The first week we had it it made a camping trip up north with all of our gear (canopy, tents, grill, chairs, coolers & more) along with our 2 small/medium dogs. It was like playing tetris when loading it up. We haven't experienced the winter months in it, but so far it's a great roomy car. My wife is averaging about 32-34 mpg with mainly highway driving. Good car. If you don't mind me asking what do those run price wise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChargerMatt Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 I really don't want to buy anything completely foreign. Mazda is really a win win win for me. They are made 15 minutes away, Ford has a great invested stake in them, and the Japanese technology aspect really motivates me for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChargerMatt Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 a friend of mine has a 2010 or 2011, he loves it.. he says its decently roomy.. How tall is your friend? I'm 6'4" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chas Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I had a 2010 Mazda3 HB but it had the 2.5, not the skyactiv motor. I liked it a lot, had decent power, and the amenities you get in the inside are awesome for the price you pay. Everything is very ergonomically laid out too so its very easy to get used to. I am 6'1, touching on 6'2, and when I was driving there was no chance someone was sitting behind me unless I wanted my chest touching the steering wheel. Room is nice once rear seats are flattened, easily fit all my detailing stuff. I will say however that I found it to be a rattle-bucket. You might find similar complaints on several forums where they discuss interior build quality, but for the price you can't really expect something like Audi interior fitment. It just seemed that I was chasing rattles all over the car whether it was the hatch, the dash, or doors. That said, I do recommend the car, I traded it in on the Jeep because I wanted something bigger and needed it for getting up and down between Pittsburgh and DC in the winter since the Mazda just couldn't cut snow or ice. That, and I am on an SUV kick right now. The car can be a blast to drive and is definitely top in its class in my opinion for overall package and what you get. I will say though, the paint on it is UBER UBER soft, don't even consider tailgaiting, your front bumper will look like hell afterwards and washing needs to be carefully performed since marring is easy. I know I pointed out more negatives than positives but I still loved the car to death. The car just has a personality to it. Feel free to ask questions if you have any that I didn't answer. Chas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlack151 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Good car. If you don't mind me asking what do those run price wise? Fully loaded they run about $24k here in CT. We were on the Subaru VIP program and got the car 3% under dealer cost though. We looked at a lot of other similar cars but we felt the Subaru AWD would be the best option here in the winter months. I wanted a Focus but they were FWD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAYBEN Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 How tall is your friend? I'm 6'4" IIRC he's 5'11" - 6'0", but I am 6'2"-6'3" and bigger and sat in the driver's seat and was fine.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renurbs Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I really don't want to buy anything completely foreign. Mazda is really a win win win for me. They are made 15 minutes away, Ford has a great invested stake in them, and the Japanese technology aspect really motivates me for them. Ford only owns 3% of Mazda anymore... They sold a lot of their shares in the 2008 crisis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I know a girl with a Mazda 3. She says the interior is very small and cramped (she is about 5'6" and approximately 98 pounds) but loves the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChargerMatt Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 I had a 2010 Mazda3 HB but it had the 2.5, not the skyactiv motor. I liked it a lot, had decent power, and the amenities you get in the inside are awesome for the price you pay. Everything is very ergonomically laid out too so its very easy to get used to. I am 6'1, touching on 6'2, and when I was driving there was no chance someone was sitting behind me unless I wanted my chest touching the steering wheel. Room is nice once rear seats are flattened, easily fit all my detailing stuff. I will say however that I found it to be a rattle-bucket. You might find similar complaints on several forums where they discuss interior build quality, but for the price you can't really expect something like Audi interior fitment. It just seemed that I was chasing rattles all over the car whether it was the hatch, the dash, or doors. That said, I do recommend the car, I traded it in on the Jeep because I wanted something bigger and needed it for getting up and down between Pittsburgh and DC in the winter since the Mazda just couldn't cut snow or ice. That, and I am on an SUV kick right now. The car can be a blast to drive and is definitely top in its class in my opinion for overall package and what you get. I will say though, the paint on it is UBER UBER soft, don't even consider tailgaiting, your front bumper will look like hell afterwards and washing needs to be carefully performed since marring is easy. I know I pointed out more negatives than positives but I still loved the car to death. The car just has a personality to it. Feel free to ask questions if you have any that I didn't answer. Chas Pretty much nailed all my questions. I was going to ask about the paint durability. But you say it wasn't good in the snow? Was the 2012 FWD as well? IIRC he's 5'11" - 6'0", but I am 6'2"-6'3" and bigger and sat in the driver's seat and was fine.. Oh snap. That's great news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChargerMatt Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Ford only owns 3% of Mazda anymore... They sold a lot of their shares in the 2008 crisis I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renurbs Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that. Hahaha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveVY Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I was going to buy a Mazda3 but ended up getting the Mazda6 - 3 years ago. Mazdas are nice and I like the interior layout for the price. Like a couple others said, the clear is soft. I have the Kona Blue color and it is as much a pain to keep looking good as a black car!! But when cleaned and polished it does look awesome! Having said that... I won't get a Mazda again as a daily driver because the clear is just too soft. If you love polishing and chasing even just semi-perfection then you will love the Mazda. It will require constant attention to stay looking good. The finish will haze and swirl just too easily. If I were looking for a hatchback I would be looking at the Focus, since I am now biased towards helping US based companies create jobs here in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE Mook Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I was going to buy a Mazda3 but ended up getting the Mazda6 - 3 years ago. Mazdas are nice and I like the interior layout for the price. Like a couple others said, the clear is soft. I have the Kona Blue color and it is as much a pain to keep looking good as a black car!! But when cleaned and polished it does look awesome! Having said that... I won't get a Mazda again as a daily driver because the clear is just too soft. If you love polishing and chasing even just semi-perfection then you will love the Mazda. It will require constant attention to stay looking good. The finish will haze and swirl just too easily. If I were looking for a hatchback I would be looking at the Focus, since I am now biased towards helping US based companies create jobs here in the US. We share the same pains brother. Never again. She says she wants a Mazda next time, when I have the SS paperwork filled out, the SS comes home and she stays on the lot. I think the 3s are a little small on the inside. The Speed3 always kinda caught my eye though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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