Mazda3 owner here... I have driven mazda6 and rx-8, but not the speed protege. But as far as 3 goes... it is a very good drive for the price... you can get one less than 20k easy. It handles amazingly well for fwd and steering is very responsive too. Everything about the car is well thought out and refined for the price. I get great mileage (avg. 28-30 mpg 50city/50highway). So far, no problems with the car.. its an 04. So I figure 05 should be fine as well.

That being said, if I had more money, I would definately own rx-8 over 3. However, 3 is a more economical, reasonable choice for me right now. I own 5 speed hatch, been driving for close to a year, and driving/style still bring smile to my face. Which is a good thing obviously

 

i plan on keeping the car for quite a while. the 3 seems like theres very little after market parts (maybe because its new?), and i would like to mod the car. rx8 seems to be the right choice for me though since i dont drive it often (lots of public transportatin here in NYC) and i would like to mess around witht he car internally. with the 3 there isnt much to do performance wise.

 

if you like the 3, vai not get a mazdaspeed 3 in september? (edit) it should be cheaper than bolting your own hiboost turbo (although hiboost does make 280HP when mounted on a 2.3l, and the mazdaspeed will be a 2.0 with about 250hp)

 

i think you should go with a Mazda3. you can get one for less than 20k and then you have a brand new car with awarranty instead of a used car with a questionable past.