hard_charger

heya,

gotta question for those who care to add their two cents. my fiance was in an accident recently and it was bad enough to leave her tired dodge neon totalled. thankfully, she was not hurt ... just the usual soreness that comes with being violently spun sideways when another driver nearly t-bones you for lack of paying attention to the signal change. anyhow, on to the question.

we've been looking at new cars even before the accident and we were very impressed with mazda's replacement for the protege, the mazda3. however, as a certified nissan nut, i'd like her to consider the new se-r, too. keep in mind that she refuses to learn how to drive a stick, so it's gonna be an auto no matter what. the mazda comes in a four and five door arrangement and is available with either a 140 or 160 hp engine.

i know this is a biased forum, but do any of you have thoughts on the new mazda? and, for those who own newer auto se-r's, has the car lived up to expectations? she wants something that is punchier than her old neon (not hard, i know), sips gas and has at least four doors. between these two cars, what's the better bet?

__________________
This message brought to you by the Lunatic Fringe Department.