When I got my Mazda3 in July of last year the Speed3 wasnt even a rumor in the magazines yet...If I hold out for the next latest/greatest I would never buy a car....

 

ooops my post about the Speed3 was for the original poster and not directed to you.

:D

 

I really like the Mazda 3 GT 5 door. Lots of goodies like HID, leather, steering wheel audio controls, and so on.

 

Heres a pic of my TGM3... Note the custom painted CF hood,Mazda 18in RX-8 wheels and lowerd stance from the full MazdaSpeed suspension...

 

of course cant let a oppourtunity to show off the Fit pass by...


BTW to the OP www.mazda3forums.com is a good site for more Mazda3 info...look me up there I post as TGM3...

 

A mi me encanta esa guaguita ( yours look great!) peno no habia presupuesto y de casualidad apareció un Fir sport manual, so honda it is!!

sorry for the spanish. I just could not resist the tempt...

If I had the money, I would go for a civic si (4 door) or the mazdaspeed 3 cause I need the back doors (children)

 

For the price the MazdaSpeed3 (<$24000) is one of the best bang for the buck cars in its class...The only thing that will compete in its class will be the Caliber SRT-4 but in the end its still a Dodge so no competition.....BTW no worries on el espanol yo lo puedo leer bastante bien conciderando que no fui a escuela en Puerto Rico....
lol I just realise I started that last sentence in english and finished in spanish...

 

I am really suprised that Mazda does not offer the hatch with the 2.0 liter engine. The 2.0 is very efficient (CR got 43 mpg on the highway at 65 mph with a stick) and plenty quick with 140 hp.

If that combo were available I would be much less interested in the Fit.

 

DRum its cause Mazda wants the Hatch to be the "sporty" car in the Mazda3 family. The sedan i version is the "no frills" economy champ with the 2.0 engine....

 

I understand what Mazda plans for the 3 hatch, what I don't get is the exclusivity. Sure put a hot engine in the car, but why not also offer the base engine. Offering a smaller engine won't take anything away from those who want the larger engine. Are people really so shallow that they feel cheated if somebody else is driving the same car with a lesser engine? I can't imagine any other reason they do not offer the lesser engine (actually better in my opinion). EPA testing is not a factor because they can use the results from the sedan.

 

Zombie thread resurrection from a Zombie member. As my signature says, I'm back, well almost. After 4 years and about 95,000 miles on the Mazda3, I will be giving it to my son next month. I've already struck a deal with a Honda dealer in Ohio for a Fit Sport manual in either Polished Metal or Alabaster Silver metallic.

I'm a bit disappointed that after 3+ years of production of the latest generation, they still haven't sorted splash guards for the sport model.

The Mazda was (is) a great car. Throughout it's life it never left me stranded. I did need to replace the left half-shaft. The CV boot cracked and all the lube sprayed all over the place. A coolant passage somewhere down there failed, requiring a replacement, one of the struts blew a seal, so I was able to get a new suspension including lowering springs, and I smoked the clutch last year trying to back the extraordinarily heavy UHaul trailer I rented with my motorcycle on it up the side of a mountain in North Carolina.

Other than tinting the windows and putting a short-throw shifter on it, I really don't plan on doing anything to the Fit. All my modification money goes to the motorcycle; the car is just transportation.

It's nothing really special (like the NC30), but it's paid for. This was me last month at Deal's Gap.