Mazda3

barry42 · January 2004

I think I'd rather have our dirt roads than that freezing rain I remember !!

Regards, barry42.

odysseus3 · January 2004

Right now it's about -45C with the windchill. Can anyone top that?

Question for all you MZ3 gurus. Is there any information on the factory roof rack for the 3? I'm thinking of a similar setup to the one the pro5 had, using the fixed position roof mounts. I saw something on a Japanese site, but I was wondering when they will be available in Canada.

fowler3 · January 2004

You are just in time -- an ice storm is expected in your former hometown tonight -- up to a half inch thick (18mm). The snow and sleet was yesterday.

fowler3

fowler3 · January 2004

What temperature do Canadians keep their houses when it gets down to -45C?

fowler3

stokkes · January 2004

When it's cold, usually between 17C-23C, depending on how warm/cool you like it.

petpad · January 2004

LOL, I just came back from a hockey game with my son and here I was.... right behind a bonafide BMW M3 Coupe... It was dark and we were together for 3 to 4 kilometers in suburban streets... I could see his xenon lights up front, and I wondered if he could see what was behind... but I doubt he cared anyway! Bottom line, it's a beautiful car, but here's the kicker: His car cost more than THREE times the cost of my loaded GT_GFX...and he has only two doors! The Mazda 3 GT experience is worth a lot more than 1/3 of a Bimmer M3... Anyway, just thought I'd mention it.... in the end if I had 70K burning a hole in my pocket I may be tempted myself...

Pet

petpad · January 2004

actually I looked up and the base MSRP for M3 Coupe is 73,950.00 CND, and you have a 4K option for "drive logic" or something like it, and the nav system for 2,900. So let say base, + prep PDI and taxes, 74 + 2 + (15% taxes: 11.4K) = approx 87K out the door...

...I need a bigger burning hole in my pocket then...

Pet

tnisace86 · January 2004

Hmm....this thread got off topic. The M3 in a totally different class from the MZ3. Not a fair comparison.

titanium3 · January 2004

It's -20C (-4F) here now. I heat my house using an Electrical Thermal Storage unit. I get 50% off electricity at night. The unit stores heat by automatically charging at night, based on the recent temperatures. At -20C it takes every joule of energy in the ETS to keep the house at +20C (68F)for the whole day. Still, with the ETS, I reduce the load on the power grid by not drawing power during the day and my total power bill is less than oil or gas plus electrical.

creakid1 · January 2004

"Hmm....this thread got off topic. The M3 in a totally different class from the MZ3. Not a fair comparison."

Yep, the M3 doesn't got enough doors compare to the Mzoom3.

Back in '98, it did!

petpad · January 2004

I wasn't comparing for the sake of comparing, I was just mentioning I followed one home... I'm the king of off-topic digressions anyway...

carkwest2922 · January 2004

Is it possible for a dealer to special order a Mazda 3 from the factory? I've been searching my area for months and haven't found the car I want:

3s Sedan, manual transmission
ABS package
Xenon package
Sport package

Nothing more, nothing less. I've heard both "yes" and "no" from various people as to whether or not a special order or factory order is possible. I'm willing to wait a couple months if a special order is possible. Any input would be appreciated.

wongpres · January 2004

Yes, as long as it's an allowable configuration then it can be done. I did this myself and my Mazda3 is coming in April.

You just need to find a dealer willing to do so because in the US they mainly want to sell what they have. In Canada, the dealers are very receptive of this (and its mainly the consumer wanting it now rather than waiting).

audia8q · January 2004

as of this moment that config can be ordered....Your order will not get picked up until the Feb allocation at the earliest. If it gets picked up your looking at a 4-5 month wait.

I have noticed the wait time on this car is getting longer with every allocation cycle.

z71bill · January 2004

These cars (see below) match what you want. So at least the car you want is being built.

You can go to the Mazda web site WWW.mazdausa.com select "build & buy" then select "search inventory". When I was looking I knew the MSRP of the car I wanted - which in your case is $18,915 - so I just select the option to sort by price - You can look up to 150 miles from your home.


This one matches - plus $30 wheel locks
2004 MAZDA3 4-Door
  JM1BK323441118113
  $18,945.00*

CHAMPION MAZDA LAPORTE
112 SOUTH 10TH STREET

LA PORTE , TEXAS 77571
Phone: 2814712424
Local Map & Directions



   MAZDA3 s 4-Door

   5-Spd Manual

   160-hp 2.3L DOHC 16-Valve I4-Cylinder

   SUNLIGHT SILVER MET

   BLACK W/RED CLOTH

   ABS/SAB/SAC PACKAGE SPORT PACKAGE XENON & TPMS PACKAGE WHEEL LOCKS

This car also matches what you want.

2004 MAZDA3 4-Door
  JM1BK323341136439
  $18,915.00*

GARLYN SHELTON MAZDA OF BRYAN
3100 BRIARCREST DRIVE
BRYAN , TEXAS 77802
Phone: 9797767600
Local Map & Directions

   MAZDA3 s 4-Door
  5-Spd Manual
   160-hp 2.3L DOHC 16-Valve I4-Cylinder
   TITANIUM GRAY
   BLACK W/RED CLOTH
   ABS/SAB/SAC PACKAGE SPORT PACKAGE XENON & TPMS PACKAGE

sftony · January 2004

I own a Mazda3 S 4 door. My license plates came last week and when I went to put the plate on the rear bumper I was surprised to see the there isn't really an indendation or nice place for the plate to go. Instead, there are just two holes drilled into the face of the bumper cover to affix the plate. It's not very clean looking and I didn't notice it before. Looking at every picture on the net, all the cars shown do have a place for the plate. I'm wondering if it's just the U.S. version of the car that lost this, or if it's actually part of an option package. I don't have the sport package, but the "sport bumper" is shown as standard on the S-type regardless, according to the M3 pamphlet...

Any other M3 owners notice this?

4 Door S
ABS/Airbags
6CD/Moonroof

odysseus3 · January 2004

Either no one has details, or my question got lost in the shuffle. Has anyone heard about availability of a factory roofrack for the 3? Hopefully, something similar to the one on the P5.

bluong1 · January 2004

It's available in US.

howho · January 2004

i have a Canadian hatch, but if the "sport" is the same, then:

1. there are no clear holes in the back, just two sets of small depressions. apparently, one set fits a north american plate, and the other a european plate.
2. you will have to puncture holes yourself using self tapping, galvanized bolts. the depressions help you get started.
3. can't really speak to the actual installation as it was done for me. my mazda dealer had nothing but cheap, self tapping screws to offer (about 5 cents each) and said that i could do it myself. the acura dealer near my work used some high quality galvanized bolts (look to be about 75 cents to a dollar each) and charged me nothing to do the install. it took the acura dealer about 5 minutes, and they got me in right away during the lunch hour.

i haven't noticed a special indentation for the plate on any of the mazda 3's i have seen.

hope this helps

howho · January 2004

just noticed that, in the bitter cold (-45C), when you have the lights on auto and it is daytime, the instruments do not go to full brightness (and thus are unreadable). they continue to display in the brightness setting for "lights on / evening". the headlights have turned themselves off though.

when you switch the headlights to "off", the full brightness returns.

didn't have this a few weeks ago (but it was warmer then). perhaps the light sensor doesn't like the cold anymore than we do???

fowler3 · January 2004

When it's cold, usually between 17C-23C, depending on how warm/cool you like it.

titanium3, I think I need your ETS heating system.

I keep my heating at 20C at night and it's too cold for me, but I don't like high gas bills either. And the outside temp last night was -4C. It never gets to -45C here.

People in Alaska keep their houses between +14C to +18C so there isn't a big difference when they have to go outside. Brrr. Their winter sport is throwing a pan of boiling water in the air and watching it turn to snow before hitting the ground.

fowler3

carkwest2922 · January 2004

wongpres: You say yours is coming in April? When did you order it?

audia8q: I take it you work for Mazda? So factory orders are a reality/possibility? Also, how far into the future can you see your allocations? That is, as of right now do you know what cars will be in your allocation in April or May?

z71bill: Thanks for posting all that. I live in South Carolina, so I guess I'm close enough regionally to have hope that maybe some like those will show up here. But it's good to know those combinations are being made in some quantity.

Thanks again for everyone's help. If you can think of anything else, please post. Oh, I don't need/want to take delivery until at least May. Should I go ahead and order? I just don't want the dealer to find my car in a month and then be stuck having to pay for it in March.

ohsoribby · January 2004

Any idea how much one costs? installation?

x_typer_pilot · January 2004

There's a button above the tach (I think) I'm away from the car right now. But it looks just like the odometer select/reset button on the other side of the gauge cluster.

In daylight, with the lights on, the red illumination gets darker (the system assumes it's nighttime), if you press that button I referred to earlier - the red illumination will go lighter, then with each successive press, get a little dimmer until you cycle back to the brightest setting. (I may have that backwards - again, I'm not near my car)

stevefl · January 2004

I signed up with MazdaUSA over the weekend. Today I got an e-mail stating, "Watch your mailbox. In a few days youll get a special private offer to test drive the all new 2004 MAZDA3 that includes a $35 Gift Card offer from The Sharper Image." Not bad...

wongpres · January 2004

I ordered my car on Nov 22. But don't let that scare you - I told my dealer to order it as late as possible but still have it ready for April. In fact, my dealer called me a week and a half ago to tell me my order just got submitted to Mazda Canada (along with their other Jan allocations). As an aside, the reason I ordered so early is that I knew I'd have no time for this stuff in Dec/Jan and I was on a price plan anyways.

So from both my factory order and what audia8q says, expect a 4-5 month wait. So if you're going that route, plan for it accordingly.

lmp180psu · January 2004

I also got the email today about the "The Sharper Image" certificate when taking a test drive. I have already taken one test drive, but I am going back in the middle of Feb. to test drive the car on the roads I drive on to work each weekday.

guskim · January 2004

Hey Wongpres,

I ordered my car Dec.1, and got it Dec.16. But I had my dealer do a "trade" with another dealer, whose specs matched mine to a tee. This incurred no cost to me or either dealer, as it's just a paperless computer inventory shuffle.

From factory order in Hiroshima to dealership arrival in North America, it could take 6-8 weeks. It all depends on where you live.

For example, folks in Vancouver or Seattle are going to get their Mazda3's about a week or so faster than owners in Newfoundland or Florida.

tnisace86 · January 2004

Anyone know of any car site that has done a car comparison/review of the 3? I know that Edmunds did one, but it's rather brief. Motortrend doesn't have one yet, and I'm pretty sure car and Driver doesn't have one either. Anyone have any luck?

the_big_h · January 2004

DID have a complete review of the 3

hey look what I found:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_- id=7566&page_number=1

6yearoldpassat · January 2004

Forget all the performance, style, and reliability stuff. Let's get down to the REAL important questions:

Can you fit 2 sets of clubs in the trunk of the sedan?

Also, I have a 10 year old who's already 5' 4" tall. Any comments about fitting good size kids in the back seat around town?

Any tall people out there want to comment about fitting in the front seats (since I plan to give my next car to my son when I'm done with it).

Too sporty, or just right, for a future 16 year old driver?

Any stories about how close it comes to meeting it's EPA gas mileage?

Thanks in advance,
BC

creakid1 · January 2004

In the back, the hatch has more than enough headroom for me, & the sedan has too little, but definitely more than enough for 5'4"s.

The driving position is good for me if the seat is raised, but only w/o the moonroof will there be enough headroom. Thigh cushion is fairly short. Lumbar support is included on all cars w/ power windows.

A 6'1" teenager could fit happily, front & back, in the hatch w/o the moonroof, or just the front in the sedan w/o moonroof.

Handling wise, take the 16"s for your teenager to explore the limit, as the 17"s can be too edgy for a car that has oversteer available & Dynamic Stability Control unavailable(at least this year).

Auto tranny's hwy fuel mileage should be significantly better on the 2.0 mainly due to the lower-revving top gear.

The hatch only comes w/ 2.3 & 17"s. 16"s will fit the 2.3, but only the 2.0 w/ smaller disc brakes can take the 15"s.

mazdafun · January 2004

I'm 6', but have only a 32in inseam, so I sit "tall". As mentioned, the rear seat of the sedan has very little headroom. My hair just about touched the headliner in the hatch (I only tried models w/o moonroofs).

In the front, I could fit in either, though my visibility outwards was poor when I had the driver's seat adjusted for a comfortable driving position (the top of the windshield and driver-door window were barely above my eye-level, and the rear-view mirror was entirely blocking my view of vehicles to my front-right).

If your son is "leggy", he will likely fit fine in the front of either when he attains driving age. If he's more torso like I am, then he might have some difficulty. In either case, he probably won't fit in the rear seat of the sedan when he gets taller due to the lack of headroom. There is surprisingly little back there. I wouldn't put anyone above 5'5" back there, unless I didn't like them. Disappointing as the Protege sedan which preceded the 3 could fit the average 6' person in the rear seat.

mbennett674 · January 2004

Depends on the size of your bags... two walking bags might fit - but cart bags might be a challenge. You will need to put down the rear seats.

gazelle2 · January 2004

I had planned to fork out the $300 or so for the upgrade mirror, but read somewhere in these discussions that the car is not wired, and installation includes removing the roofliner, etc. Can that be true? Sounds idiotic on the part of Mazda to offer an accessory and not plan for easy installation...

z71bill · January 2004

I posted the comment about the mirror - It came from a service advisor at the dealership where I bought my car.

When he told me the price was $397 plus tax - (I know the mirror without homelink is about $200) I ask him why so much for installation - I assumed the car was pre-wired - his response was the 3 is not pre-wired - part of the headliner needs to be removed to run the wire. I am not sure if this was an off the cuff comment to try and justify the $200 install charge - or if it really is a 2.5 hour job.

I do not like the stock rearview mirror - so I replaced it with one from a Ford Mustang - only $21.00 - IMO much better mirror.

xeider · January 2004

I like the idea of having a compas and outside temperature displayed on the rearview mirror... but it definetly is not worth almost $400 to me.

Any idea how difficult of an install it would be? I would strongly consider buying the Auto-Dimming w/ compass & temp mirror and install it myself. If I need to remove the headliner, and run a bunch of wires, I may need to pass.

silver_bullet · January 2004

See my message #4894. The auto dimming mirror is not a Mazda part - go right to the source and save some money, and check the website for installation instructions.

lmp180psu · January 2004

I am 5'8" with a 32" inseam, and I fit fine in the back seat of the sedan. In fact, I had about 2-3 inches left above my head, and I sat more upright to gauge the clearance above my head. I haven't sat in a hatch but the sedan is good enough for people up to 5'10-5'11" IMO.

wongpres · January 2004

guskim:

Yeah, a dealer trade was the best for your situation given that you want/need a car relatively quickly.

In my situation, I could have waited until April (when I need the car) to buy the car and the dealer could have done a dealer-trade at that time if they didn't have my colour/option combo. However, the reason I ordered so early, and specifically requested a factory order, is that I want a build date as late as possible (i.e. as close to April as possible). As it stands now, I will most likely have a Feb build date and will take delivery once it arrives at the dealership in April.

everfeb · January 2004

Apparently the "fix" for the CELPO128 problem is available in the States (see bluong1 messages 5903 and 5912). I'm curious...have you brought your 3 in or talked to your dealer about getting the "fix"? Still seems to be no "fix" yet at my dealer in Canada.
everfeb

howho · January 2004

thanks for the info, x_typer_pilot.

unfortunately, that didn't fix it (as much as i hoped that it would be one of those "ID -Ten T" errors on my part).

what i neglected to mention was that the dash lighting stayed dim, and then ten minutes later suddenly went to the correct brightness on its own. today, i had the same issue, but had to stop off somewhere. it disappears when you restart the car.

again, its not a problem in that you can set everything properly when on manual. i think that the auto mode is being fooled by all the ice fog that happens at -30C and colder.

xeider · January 2004

Saw my first 3 not being test driven or at the dealership in Virginia today. 5-door in silver.

Reafirmed in me how good looking a vehicle it is.

Next time I am out across town from where I work, I plan on stopping by a dealer that has a larger selection of 3s then my local dealer.

dinu01 · January 2004

My Maxima has a digital dash that stays off it it's colder than about -20-25C until the car warms up. Then everything turns on.

Maybe they both have some sensor that wants to keep the dash lights off/dim to save battery life on a cold start???

Dinu

waygrabow · January 2004

I have refilled the gas tank three times so far on my new Mazda3 S manual transmission sedan. It takes a while to use up a full tank, like over 400 miles. So far I have gotten 30mpg, 34mpg, and 32mpg respectively on those three tank refills. In my experience, it definitely is fulfilling its EPA mileage rating.

Quality · January 2004

Mazda3

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