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?
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Last edited by hard_charger : Mar 26th, 2004 at 05:46 PM.
i like the mazda better at least visually. I have no clue performance wise but I have not seen one mazda 3 on the road and i see like 30 sentras on the way to work each day if that matters either.
If you must have performance i'd probably wait for the performance version of the 3 to come out.
performance, eh? well, it's gonna be an automatic anyway so top of the line performance isn't the biggest concern. and we've got to get another car as of yesterday. can't wait around for the performance version of the 3.
perfomance wise, the SE-R is rated at the crank from the factory at 165 hp, so there's not a huge difference between the two. the top of the line engine in the 3 is rated at 160 hp.
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performance, eh? well, it's gonna be an automatic anyway so top of the line performance isn't the biggest concern. and we've got to get another car as of yesterday. can't wait around for the performance version of the 3.
perfomance wise, the SE-R is rated at the crank from the factory at 165 hp, so there's not a huge difference between the two. the top of the line engine in the 3 is rated at 160 hp.
the 5 door mazda only comes with the 2.3 ltr 160 hp engine, it is tight, fun to drive with good power. i also like the looks a lot... nice tnterior job, better then the sentras by far... you should got test frive them back 2 back... let us know what you think...
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Originally Posted by apachewoolf
pssst yo token . your not black any more...there is no man
ill tell you what, i love my spec, and got a hell of a deal... but if i was buying a new car for wharthe public was buying them for... i think a 3 would be in my driveway right now... leather, sunroof, 5 spd... blue 5 door... mmmmm
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Originally Posted by apachewoolf
pssst yo token . your not black any more...there is no man
i've ridden in a non-spec SE-R. its ok, but not the greatest. and the newer ones have that funny looking bucktooth front. i say go with the Mazda. those are damn fine looking. i wouldnt mind seeing a mazdaspeed version of them.
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The Mazda seems to be the more well equipped, so if you aren't go for performance, it may be a better deal. However, this is the first year for the 3 and it's PZEV Ford enigine, they may not have worked out all the bugs yet.
The Mazda seems to be the more well equipped, so if you aren't go for performance, it may be a better deal. However, this is the first year for the 3 and it's PZEV Ford enigine, they may not have worked out all the bugs yet.
If it were me though, I'd probably get the 3.
the Pzev engine in the mazda got steller reviews( i know can you believe it?) in consumer reports because it is the sam e engine used for half the 03 model year in CA focus wagons...
and how great is the QR??? really?
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Originally Posted by apachewoolf
pssst yo token . your not black any more...there is no man
You're comparing apples and oranges.
Its like a BMW 318i or SE-R.
Sure the Beemer only has a 1.8L engine to the SE-R's 2.5 but they are in a different class.
The Mazda3 is a more sopisticated machine.
depends on what your wife wants, the SE-R is a barer sports sedan focused more on the sporty aspect. the mazda 3 is a more luxurious car while retaining much of the SE-R's sporty characteristics. i could forgive my wife for wanting one of these
the Pzev engine in the mazda got steller reviews( i know can you believe it?) in consumer reports because it is the sam e engine used for half the 03 model year in CA focus wagons...
and how great is the QR??? really?
consumer reports also put the 4door focus ahead of the sti and the 2 door svt ahead of a 350z. after that, they lost all credibility
test drove the mazda3 yesterday. pretty nice machine. it won't blow any doors off, but the 160 hp iteration has some grunt. the automatic comes equipped with a manual mode -- a manu-matic, if you will. it allows you to pick and stay in any gear of your choosing. it's fairly nifty and a feature you usually find on more expensive cars. the turning radius is good. you lock the wheel into place and the 3 all but stays in the same place as you rotate. the 3's handling is fairly nimble and the ride, while sporty, is never punishing.
as for the interior, the seats are firm and supportive. there's more of a back seat than in some sentras i have ridden in (including my own). the hatchback, while not offering a tremendous amount of cargo space is perfect for what my fiancee does for a living (she is a school psychologist and hauls around several bulky test kits). everything in the cargo bay is easily accessible and it even has a shelf unit. the stock stereo is serviceable (there are controls for it on the steering wheel) and the HVAC controls are laid out intelligently. it is pleasant enough for the 60 or so miles she drives evey day.
there's much more to tell, but it i think the mazda3 is a healthy contender for that empty spot in our driveway.
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Last edited by hard_charger : Mar 28th, 2004 at 05:05 PM.
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