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Exactly - the basic rule of negotiation, from an old peddler. We test drove our 3 twice and had decided to buy it, but each time told the salesman that we were test driving the Matrix and couldn't make up our mind. On the third visit, we said lets do some initial pricing to see where we are, and the rest is history - he was a good salesman and did not want us to leave the shop without a commitment.
At the same time, we didn't beat him over the head down to the last $50 - because he was an old timer, appreciated the business, and the good ones will go to bat for you on the service side if you don't abuse the privilege. Kinda basic!
I mean at the peak of winter it was -20 in Toronto and -4 in Chicago, and yesterday it was 8 degrees in Totonto and 47 in Buffalo! The Japanese have made the right choice. And furthmore it is a little known fact that it is darker in the US than Canada - hence you guys get the Xenons we're stuck with Halogen...
LOL :0)
Maybe US drivers have poorer eyesight. Are more easily distracted
fowler3
Road noise must be just about the most subjective aspect of a car (the perception of it, and what it means to you). I personally wouldn't hear much anyway, since the radio will be on, and the moonroof open most of the time.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Unless the person can't detect low frequency noise, it's not subjective. Different surfaces such as coarse pavement or hollow concrete material makes a huge difference on these typical Mazda's.
Would you believe, in '90, R&T described the new Protege LX as so quiet you better watch out for speeding tickets? So I bought a brand-new one in S California. & what R&T said is simply not true -- especially on these concrete fwys, where I never got any speeding tickets 'cause I couldn't stand the noise as I continuously cruise at high speed. I still own this otherwise excellent car today, & the Turanza LS-H tires, additional sound insulations & aftermarket exhaust made the noise level acceptable now.
The degree of impact of road noise on individual enjoyment of the auto is subjective; the comparative degree of impact of road noise on personal enjoyment between two individuals is relative.
Whew!
X = ( ( Lead * Vol ) / ( √Win ) ) * ( π / Moon% )
Any questions?
Yes, where is the part of the equation that takes into account the "amount of volume from a mother or significant other who is complaining about the driver driving too fast" : (Vol^nagg)
I remember when my parents let me buy the '90 Pro LX 5-sp, my impression was "Wow, it even has road noise -- reminds me of our old German-built '78 Rabbit Champaign Edition II". All other cars at home were automatics that are also so numb to drive but were road-noise free! They were '79 Caprice(just broke down), '86 760 Turbo & '86 RWD Corolla SR-5.
But pretty soon I could no longer tolerate this cacophony. The Pro was never a comfortable FWY cruiser, although still absorbs deep bumps at least twice as well as all the FWD Toyota's from the 20th century, & 10 times more than the RWD Corolla!
... So therefore, IMO every econo cars become pretty comparable when you take into account all the different noises each brand makes.
He wasn't amused, nor was my 'passenger'.
Liven up your evening and join your fellow enthusiasts every Tuesday from 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for our Mazda Mania Chat!
We have another set of Mazda-related trivia questions this week, so be prepared! And I'm hoping that icvci returns to let us know how the ad campaign/incentive idea is progressing! Hope to see YOU there on Tuesday!
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My favorite car ever was a 87 Civic Wagon. It was a heap that I rescued from the junkyard. That's why I subscribed to this forum. The 3 looked like the first worthy choice since the last 323 wagon back in the 80's.
No doubt about it, in small sport hatches, the Golf TDI wins the mileage game hands down but its lack of rear seat and head room gets it crossed off of my list. Only 2 vehicles remain -- Mazda3 Hatch and Matrix.
Oh, and you get more for your money with the 3. The only trick is finding one because they're so popular.
After driving all, the driving is much better in the P5 and tons better in the 3.
Special financing might come....don't count on discounts or rebates. Prices may go UP at this rate...
What do you guys think?
My big issue with the car is that Mazda left out a seat bottom cushion knob. When you raise the seat... it tips you forward. I DON'T like that. Why did Mazda leave it out?
Everyone is taliking about how popular this car is... yet I still see them on lots here in NY and only 2 on the road.
It will come as news to everyone outside the UK that VW moves the steering wheel AT ALL from the EU to the US. This is a true LOL moment...and is the sort of thing that makes Americans seen so insular to everyone else in the world.
In any case, we have a legitimate complaint about the ridiculous delays between intro of a new VW model in EU and the availability here. Blame it on the perceived necessity to make most cars for the NA market in Mexico and Brazil; there is no real incentive to rush to convert the plants on this side of the Atlantic to the new models. Good for the competition [Mazda in this case], bad for VW. ALL of the Gen5 Golfs and Jettas will be made in North and South America...only the Passat will be imported. This is almost true now - the Jetta [Bora] wagon is the only one of the small cars that come from Germany.
Aftermarket leather doesn't do a thing for me. IMO It's like aftermarket body kits, only those done very well even look decent.
As far as incentives later on, every manufacturer has some sort of summer sale and eventually, a year end clearance (whether or not it's labeled as such is another issue). If you want a better deal wait. Like everything, prices eventually drop. I don't think Mazda builds to suit, you get what there is. I could be wrong but, that was my understanding.
And remember...this is a mass-market car; in 6 months, the discounts will be coming out your ears.
we can't keep up with the sales rate and replacing car is alot harder than selling them. If you have some magic formula to get other dealers to give up cars they can sell at MSRP to a dealer for invoice, plz fill me in. Any help would be appreciated.
I know of ONE car under $30k that currently seems to be made of Unobtainium, everywhere in the country, and that is the Toyota Prius. If East Coast Mazda dealers are in dire straits over Mazda3 supply, then more power to you...collect the $ while you can. And do check back with us at the end of the summer. If things are still that tight then, you know you've turned a corner with this franchise. Nothing like product, eh? Beats the heck out of all the marketing campaigns and hot air when you actually have something to sell that people really want. But it is hard to imagine this car being a "hot commodity" much past the first model year. We'll see...
And the MINI. I can also tell you that getting a Honda CR-V at or even near invoice in most parts of the country is unheard of. And it has been around for many years.
The issue, here, I thought, was a claim that certain models of the Mazda3 can't be had at any price in a reasonable amount of time, and thus buyers were lost to a competitive make. I suppose that is possible, but highly unlikely in the West.
Minis I wouldn't know about - I've never been in a West Coast urban dealer who didn't have cars on the ground to sell, but there are so many option combinations and other choices that you could easily claim you can't find the car you want, and be right. In any case, BMW doesn't intend the Mini to be a mass-market product like the Mazda3.
Prius, on the other hand, is a car that pretty much rolls from the moment the wheels touch pavement off the transporter, everywhere in the country, nearly always at full MSRP or more. People are doing unnatural things to try to get these cars, with no relief in sight.
If the Mazda3 can be "hot" in the sense of real product shortage, long wait times, elevated asking prices, and multiple buyers competing for the same car by Sept of 2004, anywhere in the country, then both Ford and Mazda will have something to celebrate. Wouldn't bother me [I have a few shares of Ford stock], but just not likely...
That won't happen. Especially when the new Focus rears its head.
As for the seat problem mentioned above, I noticed the same thing on my test drive. Mazda had a great seat height adjuster on the Protege, with a dual-knob setup; why they went with the single adjuster on the 3 that tilts the seat up as it moves higher, I'll never know (cost?). Fortunately it was not a dealbreaker for me, as I could set the seat to be fairly comfortable, but not nearly as nice as on the Pro or my current car (Elantra).
Anyone out there having the same problem? If so please let me know. I'm sure this is more noticable on a black car but I advise all you hatchback owners to look carefully at the rocker panel.
P.S._ I am so bummed, I LOVE THIS CAR...It drives great, looks great, but this paint problem is not so great...