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Comments
Seeing a Camry doing that looks really odd.
fowler3
Like stretchsje says, with standard audio the first upgrade should be changing the speakers.
For those who play the radio only the new speakers would be fine. I have the single CD player in my Protegé, have never tried it. Had a cassette deck installed, used it once on a trip. I have both, just too much of a hassle changing tapes and/or discs while driving.
fowler3
If I am going to buy brand new - probably the only time in my life! - then I want to get EXACTLY what I want. I don't want to pay for extra stuff that I don't want. I don't want to sacrifice others (i.e. safety features) due to stupid combo packages.
chikoo....GM actually dropped the ABS feature as standard this year on many models. The reason given by GM was it did not sell cars and was no benefit to the company..It was more profitable to sell the item instead of throwing it in... Remember, Edmunds posters are not the "typical" car buyer and the typical car buyer is the one that everyone is interested in selling to...
That way dealers, and people too lemming-like to make decisions, are happy by having fewer "stock" choices. But customers who want a car that's really configured the way THEY want it can order what they want instead of having to buy the configuration that makes life easy for car dealers.
Mike
This is the 21st Century. We're spoiled. We want CHOICE.
eg.
show a man willing to go out at the drop of a pin, only because it gives him a chance to drive his MAzda & will give him a break from his otherwise boring life
Of course, they only showed the Focus driving down straight highways, perhaps to keep the steering wheel from coming off the column from too much driver input.
does anyone know why the 4 cyl is made in Mexico? this is of much concern to me as my Jetta is made in Mexico and i've experienced a lot of trouble with it.
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I wouldn't choose one car over another on the basis of airbag or ABS availabilty.
leather seats, Grey
comfort package (if that includes heated seats)
NO moonroof (I'm 6'1" and I almost scrape the roof. Darn. I really wanted the moonroof too!)
wing spoiler
GFX??.. I can go either way.. leaning against right now.
side airbags/curtains
16" wheels
ok, given this list of desires.. will I be able to order a car from the factory exactly this way? Or, will there still be some limitations, even when ordering from the factory???
Also, noticed '03 Camry seemed to not stay on road as nice as my 6 on same highway and similar wind.
For some reason, you can get ABS and SAB on the 6i as of April as seemingly stand-alone options. However, if you try to add on the comfort package and leather seats (required for comfort package), then you have to add everything to get the other saftey options. As far as the 6s goes, it appears that the same thing happens when you try to add the comfort package. SAB can be added as stand alone (as of April), but if you want the comfort package you have to add everything for SAB.
I saw someone post earlier (mazdamarla... couple pages back) that their dealer said they could add leather and heated seats through the dealership, as opposed to manufacturer's options. This way you could get your stand alone items, and still get the leather and heated seats. Just a thought.
Gee: Audia8q knows what sells. There's lots of data to back him up that safety really doesn't sell as much as we think. GM didn't keep ABS standard on all their cars for the same reason.
A lot of the stuff we think would sell probably would sell, but it wouldn't be more profitable. Argue it all you want- we're not the beancounters with all the statistics of what each part costs.
Personally, I'd rather all these options than just three trims. I mean, drop these thirty packages to six and say that we're better off? No way!
Three trims might sell better because people are lazy and don't feel like sorting through confusion. The solution (to this non-marketer) is to make the packages more linear- give me a few base configurations with certain options stand-alone.
Just don't reduce it to three trims.
BTW, why not ORDER the car?! Problem solved!!!
Rich
Start?
Sigh.
I wonder if the UAW knows anything about Sirius!
is the MP3 player! (Sorry to change the rules at the last second.) I've had a Nomad II MP3 player and I love the thing, probably the best piece of consumer electronics that I've bought in the last 10 years. Got a little bit of a system going here with all my CDs saved on my PC and I have a couple of 128M Smartmedia cards to move things around (Well, one's for my camera.) Incidentally, how does that work for a car? Insert CD and save it to car jukebox? Move Smartmedia (or other) memory cards around? How large a memory would a car MP3 player have? 128M is two hours of music, so that's plenty and I'm sure that bigger cards and cheaper prices are a'coming.
So, what I want is a speed yellow (yeah, speed yellow) 6i MANUAL w/rear spoiler wing, premium package, 16" alloy wheels, leather seats, mp3 player and various other sundries: fog lights, cargo stuff etc. I noticed when I priced out on Edmunds I included the safty stuff, both the air bags and side air currents. I'm willing to pay, say $500 over invoice for all of this ;^) Yikes, that's doable in April (leather + premium package) upgrading to the MP3 when that arrives.
Oh darn, I've got to work tomorrow.
jht
Also, saw my first Mazda6 on the road yesterday (actually parked outside Longos), Silver GT v6 with black leather.. Looked sweet!
First impression, very quick, drives smooth and shifts smooth. More later with pics.
Are you saying that by ordering direct from Mazda does not require paying MSRP?
The only Bose I have ever heard that didn't suck was in the Catera. Bose is marketing hype and crap most of the time.
Dealers avoid a lot of their hassles--floorplanning (which is interest on inventory), uncertainty of sales, etc--on an ordered car. One can usually order a car for slightly less money (and in some cases a lot lesss but in others MORE money) than buying one off the lot, BUT:
*incentives often do not apply to cars not already in stock. If the incentive expires while you wait for delivery, you are out of luck.
*If the car is a hot seller, you will pay as much or even more to order. You also may not be able to order it at all, especially if the car you want is not fully equipped with all options, as dealerships in those cases can already sell their allocation without dealing with you.
Sometimes, a dealer trade is a far better option than ordering. That assumes the configuration you want is even available.
And ordering sometimes requires you wait until the factory gears up to build cars like the one you ordered.
Quite frankly, I understand the car business pretty well. I doubt sincerely the factory will build configurations that are not standard for quite some time. Just because Mazda takes your order does not mean the car will ever be built.
Trust me. I know.
Otherwise I would have been the proud owner of a 1995 Mazda 626 with ABS but without a sunroof. I waited six months for that car, which was always going to be built next week.
It never was.
And when you have some pics, please post some.
Dinu
Dinu
Ordering is less costly for the dealership because the car isn't depreciating on their lot. They keep all the holdback without needing it. My local no-haggle place sells for $250 over invoice now. That's an extremely friendly no-haggle place in a metro area- it shouldn't get any 'hotter' that that, so if you order at a rural dealership you might be able to get invoice.
Actually, I just made it up for you....
Sometimes folks can misunderstand...
Went on a long test drive yesterday. city, highway, etc. Anyone seeing a yellow blur around Ottawa around 7pm, that was me. Several people honked at lights, obviously commenting on the car's looks.
I was extremely disappointed with the "premium" stereo. I would never buy BOSE if I had a choice.
I also didn't care for the interior. There's some plasticky strip that goes the length of the dash and looks cheap. Also, I drove my wife's 01 civic DX-G after I got home and the interior in the civic is nicer than the 6. The plasticanium console is one thing but the actual dash materials themselves (black) did not look up to par. And then, the dealer started nitpicking about the materials on the interior of my ML 320!!
I've already seen the leather in the 6 and didn't care for it either.
I really like the car's drive and feel and exterior look but don't think the level of luxury (especially interior appointments) is up to scratch. It doesn't even have a dimmer switch- just an on-off button for the dash lights.
I'm going to wait til April and see if the TSX is more to my liking.
I really wanted to like this car and had every intention of buying one, but I can't seem to bring myself to make the commitment.
Sigh.
Manual does help in handling the snow, so does the autostick option. Very useful. Traction control would be another good thing, for ice and slush anyway. Doesn't help in deep snow.
I live in Baltimore, and didn't even TRY to get my car out until yesterday. Still no plows to be seen, because we live on too small a street for them to fit.
Mazda6's assembled in Michigan, USA:
4-cylinder: Chihuahua, Mexico
6-cylinder: Cleveland, Ohio
Mazda6's assembled in Japan:
4-cylinder: Hiroshima, Japan
The I4 is made in Mexico because that's the North American plant for that family of engines. This family of engines is global, and the other plants around the world that make this family of engines are Valencia, Spain and Hiroshima, Japan.
As for the reliability of the engines coming out of Chihuahua, I do not know.
Similar logic applies to why the V6 is assembled in Cleveland.
Sure there is! It's right next to the traction-control on/off button (which I don't have). There's a different dimmer button for the top LCD display- that's probably what you saw.