Author Topic: Got an 06 Mazda 3  (Read 5946 times)

Offline Careener

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Got an 06 Mazda 3
« on: December 16, 2005, 09:27:31 pm »
As some may remember as part of a weekend from hell my wife's 626 bit the dust. Looking for a replacement daily commuter for sitting in jams on the 401 and the occasional trip I took a look at the three small sedan contenders..Maz 3, Corolla and new Civic. It quickly became a contest between the new Civic and the 3. I ended up choosing the 3 for the following reasons.
 
-3rd year of production vs 1st yr for the Civic. While I'm well aware of Honda's rep for durability and proved it with an Accord SEI I had until 370000kms, I didn't want to have to go back to the dealership so they could work out initial production glitches.

-interior room in the 3 is almost the same as the 6. At 6'4" the headroom is amazing.. on the down side the console is a bit too wide (was the same in the 626) and the driver's side mirror sucks..I literally see 50% car in it and am used to driving with the mirrors whacked way out. The interior layout,plastics etc are impressive in the 3.

-I didn't warm up to the two tier dash in the Civic with the massive tach and the windshield slope + seating position made it so that I could barely see down the hood of the car..reminded me of a first gen Pontiac Transport...park by ear.

-price. Mazda doesn't make you buy a whole upgrade package just to get a/c etc..you can pick alot of components individually. A similarly equipped Civic would have been thousands more on the road than the price I managed to negotiate. I really has to fight with myself to stay on budget and not walk out with a speed 6 or RX-8  >:( . I guess I'll stick to driving other people's nice cars for the time being  ;D

The car has been fine so far. The dealership is a different story. That's the last time I am loyal to the local dealer. I suppose this is where Honda can really outshine Mazda. This is our 5th Mazda..and we have yet to find an excellent dealer. This current dealership has given me the runaround and as soon as I have sorted out the remaining issues I will not be setting foot in there again.

Some pics. It's a 5sp..I'm quite impressed with the engine / tranny / handling..it feels lightyears ahead of the Protege.

My previous Mazdas are/were
2001 Protege
1994 626
1991 323
1980 GLC --yeah..a hand-me-down rustbucket..my first car.
 
« Last Edit: December 16, 2005, 09:31:58 pm by careener »
Former Rust Enthusiast

Offline Snowman

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2005, 09:47:51 pm »
 :thumbup: :thumbup: Very nice Careener. Congratulations on the new 3 and the color. It is a brave man who chooses black.

Offline Careener

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2005, 10:40:11 pm »
Thanks. Third black car..i forget what this shade is called..Black Mica or something like that. I like the gunmetal colour on the RX-8 but it doesn't work on the 3 for me.

Offline initial_D

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2005, 03:09:10 am »
Hey, I see snow!  ;)

Very nice. Love Mazda cars, how is the mileage so far compare to the 626?

Offline Driver

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2005, 04:46:47 am »
Congrats!  Nice car! :thumbup:


Offline The Fuzz

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2005, 08:03:16 am »
Nice choice!  :banana: It's sad to see that poor dealerships seem to be the rule rather than the exception with Mazda though.....  >:(
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Offline quadzilla

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2005, 08:26:55 am »
Congrats on the new car and choosing Mazda.  Where are you winter tires though?  When is the CD-Mazda meet.  ;D

I found the dealers shitty in TO also, so much that we actually bought in Stratford where I use to get my car serviced.  Still looking for a half decent place for oil changes as we still take our car back to Stratford more major service intervals.
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Offline safristi

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2005, 09:48:24 am »
Careener congrats on ANOTHER MAZOOM....find a decent independent mechanic nearby and stay with them if the dealerships P'eed ya off...May we ask WHY & WHAT they did or didn't do..NOSEY BASTARDS...enquiring MINDS!! want to KNOW.... ???
THERE IS NO CURE FOR "LOTUS"......ONLY TREATMENT.....

Offline wing

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2005, 10:44:57 am »
Congrats, really a nice car.  You can pretend you have an RX8 as the interior is very similar!  I'm not sure what is up with Mazda dealers they all seem to be sub-par :(


Offline Snowman

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2005, 12:46:47 pm »
Geee….the Mazda dealer in Sudbury has a good reputation…..and they have let me test any car alone.

Offline AVToller

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #10 on: December 17, 2005, 02:44:21 pm »
Geee….the Mazda dealer in Sudbury has a good reputation…..and they have let me test any car alone.

That's only because they know you ... and everyone is afraid to ride with you.  >:D :drive2: :run: ;D
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Offline sirAQUAMAN64

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #11 on: December 17, 2005, 03:04:53 pm »
I'm surprised you guys have found poor Mazda dealers. I've had mostly good experiences with those in the GTA and the one in S Montreal I've been to which my aunt has used for years.

Where'd you buy yours Careener?

That colour looked like the Carbon Grey to me which looks sharp when washed. But if it's Black that's cool too. ANYTHING but that pewter/Titanium Grey - looks terrible to me. I wish the 2.0i cars were available with the tail lights from the GT which are slicker and more detailed than the all-red jobbers.

The 2.0i has better fuel economy and is supposedly a smoother operator than the 2.3. Close in power too, so it'd be the engine I would prefer in the GT.

The 3 fits me more comfortably than the new Civic too - I'm 6-4 as well. I do LOVE the new Civic tho - it'd be a tough choice for me. I'd have to stick with the 3 Sport though between them. For a sedan... depends on the options and pricing I think. 

Congrats on the new car!  :bow2:
AQUAMAN64 also posts on BDFD.com!

Offline Careener

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #12 on: December 17, 2005, 09:39:14 pm »
Thanks for all the kind comments..here are some responses to the questions asked

Quote
Very nice. Love Mazda cars, how is the mileage so far compare to the 626?

I've only been through one tank so far and did about 500kms pretty much all stop and go. The 626 was a 4cyl and was incredible on gas..I remember doing Toronto - Ottawa - Montreal on one tank at about *cough*125kph avg *cough*. The 3 is geared alot better than the Protege so should do pretty well except for the fact that it's about 10% heavier.

Quote
Congrats on the new car and choosing Mazda.  Where are you winter tires though?  When is the CD-Mazda meet. 


Winters for the 3 are on their way. I have Graspics on the Protege and they're fine. The 3 will have the Hankoon Ice Bear. In the GTA I don't really sweat having winters but often take trips to Quebec city and the eastern townships where they're definitely needed.

Quote
Might we ask WHY & WHAT they did or didn't do..NOSEY BASTARDS...enquiring MINDS!! want to KNOW....

SHORT VERSION: They jerked me around about the delivery date while I was paying for a daily rental and watching the bill rise + flubbed the pdi.

______________________________________________

LONG VERSION -- (Get a coffee)..

As our second car had died suddenly, we were renting a daily driver until the new car would arrive. I made it clear when negotiating that the deal depended on quick delivery as every day was costing us money. I had them check GTA inventory and they said 3 were available with the colour/options I wanted and that they would call me the next day to tell me when I could pick it up. As a safeguard I put a clause in the contract stipulating delivery within 7 days.
They never called the next day. They called several days later to tell me to choose another colour... I declined and they called back a few hours later to say one was available out of town and how nice they were being to absorb the shipping cost. I responded that if they were losing money on the deal we might as well just kill it and I'd go buy a car off another dealer's lot (this dealership had no manual trannies at all). The manager then mentioned that the shipping cost was only $150. They assured me that the car would be delivered on time.
I got a call back the next day saying they had no clue when the car would arrive..(remember that I'm paying for a daily rental for each day they delay delivery..cost already over $300 at this point) so the manager and I agree to kill the deal. He calls me back the next morning and I ask to get my deposit back..he denies that we had agreed to kill the deal and assures me the car will arrive on time even though it hasn't been picked up yet by the carrier (by the way, the name of the carrier has has quoted has changed twice already in the same conversation). This promise was pretty much physically impossible given the distance.

I get a msg on my phone the next day from another manager asking me to call him back. I phone and get voicemail so I make sure to leave a detailed description of everything that has transpired so far and that it is costing me $$ out of pocket to wait for the car. He calls back and explains that he has no clue when the car will arrive and that the other manager hadn't explained any of this to him. At that point I'd had enough and gave him an earful (totally out of character for me). This second manager called back later to say that he would arrange a loaner until the car arrived. I found this to be fair as it was the out of pocket expenses that were bothering me..well that other sales manager was bothering me too  ;D but all I wanted was the car at this point.

The car arrived 9 days after I picked up the loaner. I went to the dealership to pick up the car which I was told was ready to go. I arrived to find that one option I had take hadn't been added to the car + there was a dent and paint scratch on the door that the guy who did the $500 (??) PDI inspection had missed. There was also a round patch on the roof full of small grey streaks that looked like hairs. The pdi guy claimed this was a problem with the wax and didn't add it to the pdi inspection form. He rubbed the #$% out of that section with his cloth to no avail. I told him I wouldn't take the car unless it was on the form so he added it. I probably should had left the car to have it worked on but had returned the rental... As an aside, the guy's English was pretty sketchy and he regularily interchanged the word "gas" with "fluid" when explianing basic maintenance procedures.
I get home and take a quick look through the TSBs on the 3 and find one that describes paint etching caused by industrial pollution that looks like small grey streaks on dark paint and details how to work on it..valid during pdi only.
I'm really looking forward to working with them to get this resolved given what has already transpired.

__________________________________________________



« Last Edit: December 17, 2005, 09:45:37 pm by careener »

Offline vroom124

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #13 on: December 17, 2005, 10:53:40 pm »
Which dealership did you deal with?

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #14 on: December 17, 2005, 11:36:53 pm »
Good buy.  Them 3's are a very good car...popular for a reason.  Enjoy it.

Offline Bullet Blue

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #15 on: December 18, 2005, 10:33:15 am »
Very nice choice. You will enjoy the driving dynamics. I'm impressed with my buddies 3, and the interior is pretty sporty. Enjoy.

Offline Careener

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #16 on: December 18, 2005, 01:06:47 pm »
Which dealership did you deal with?

I'm giving them a chance to work the remaining stuff out. If it doesn't go well, I'll write it up. I've had subpar experiences with 3 Mazda dealerships which ranged from refusing to honour the warranty on a distributor ($900) to trying to sell me a one owner vehicle that had a very strange history when I looked up the VIN at the MOT..but at least they agreed to cancel that deal. 

Offline sirAQUAMAN64

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #17 on: December 18, 2005, 05:46:26 pm »
Not Westowne or Avante tho, is it?  :-\

That does sound like an unnecessary headache!

Offline Careener

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #18 on: December 18, 2005, 07:20:16 pm »
Not Westowne or Avante tho, is it?  :-\

That does sound like an unnecessary headache!


Why? Are those known as good dealerships? I've heard ok things about Avante from a sales experience perspective but have never been there.

Offline sirAQUAMAN64

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Re: Got an 06 Mazda 3
« Reply #19 on: December 18, 2005, 09:42:42 pm »
I think they're great dealerships.

I mentioned them on here before as dealerships I've had good experiences with (we bought and had our MPV serviced at Westowne for years, but that was admittedly years ago. Still, think they're a lessor known but good dealer) and in fact one of the salespeople at Avante showed the sales manager a thread from here where I mentioned him specifically (I had good dealings with Greg as a salesperson, but he had since become the sales manager) and he even took the time to send an eMail to thank-me for mentioning them as a good place to do business.

At one time Avante was an APA dealer, although I'm not sure if they still are. Still, visited them a few times and would recommend them for a Mazda in TO.