Hi everyone.

I'm here to thank everyone on this board.. I read excellent usefull treads in the past two years to help me with my 8 modifications and understanding of it.

I got my Mazda 3 yesterday and my first impression is "missing the high rev" :-) but the car drives good and looks great too (cheap in gas).

Here a picture taken right after my first Zaino job yesterday.

http://pages.infinit.net/myrah/Mazda3.JPG


GAME ON!! TOMORROW NIGHT..... NHL IS BACK!!! GO HABS!

Silverbullit gone to http://www.mazda3forums.com under bullit3 name.

CHEERS!

 

What is the gas milage (actual) and what does a 3 cost? I wouldn't mind having one as a second car.

 

I like the mazda 3 but I dont understand why you would go from one of Mazda's top of the line cars to their entry level car? If I was looking to down grade I would have gotten the new Civic Si. I do on the other hand understand getting one as a second car, but not replacing the 8.

 

Ugh, Honda's are boring and get uglier every year. 3 is a good choice and a good car. I sorta wish I would have gotten it when I was looking 2 years ago.

 

That was the car I was actually looking at when I ended up buying the RX-8. IMO, the car is waaaay underpowered. It's enough for daily commuting, but of course it's not like the 8. I really liked the SP23 model with the rain sensing wipers, HIDs, NAV, and heated seats. As I hear it, Mazda was using it as a test to see if they could integrate those features into their regular 3s. They're awesome cars. When I go looking for a second car, it will be on my list to test drive again. Honda's Si is really catching my eye though.

 

= Oxymoron :p

I think the 3 is sufficiently powered for what it is and comparable to everything in its class. I think it beats everything in it's class. I don't know. Maybe I am just swinging from the 3's sack.

 

I went from an RX8 to a new Corolla XRS and a 93 MR2 Turbo...fun and good gas...plus bulletproof quality...

The Mazda 3 is a really cool car. I love the way they look and drive...very nice. Hope you enjoy it!!

 

If the RX8 was a daily driver, I see this is a good trade. The RX8 is costing much more to maintain and true cost to own is out of this world compared to many cars. Sometimes we get smart. That car will give you a longer life, less worries, better gas mileage, and year round capability. Enjoy.

 

I, too, considered a Mazda 3 because it's the only compact car that is both great on fuel and looks extremely nice (exterior and interior).

I was truly impressed with the interior quality. It looked like it easily belonged on a much more expensive car, especially with the leather trim.

I love the 3.

Mazda is making Honda & Toyota look so boring by comparison.

Congratulations.

 

haha man, looks nice .... maybe I should HAve gotten a fully loaded mazada 3 and saved about 5 grand, haha

i wish i had more money

 

actually scratch that, I love my 8 I'm about to go drive it now : ) peace out - I am on my way to the dentist ...

 

hatchbacks are cooooooooool!!!! :D

 

My girlfriend wants the Mazda 3 hatch--I like em alot--especially the SP23

 

One thing I forgot to mention:

Here in Michigan, the spread between a similary equipped RX-8 and a Mazda 3 was about $5,500 because of the stout demand for the 3. The dealers were much less likely to move as far off of MSRP, and there wasn't as much rebate cash.

I do believe that the RX-8 has a higher residual value (one of the highest in its class, IIRC), so that pretty much sold me on the RX-8 given the spread in performance. :D

(Though the gas mileage sucks by comparison).

 

not all 3s are hatchbacks :p :D

 

Yeah my lease is up in about a year and I'll have to consider buying it or getting a new car. If I get a new car though it'll be a much cheaper one. I'm thinking like Scion or Mazda 3 (hatch). I do love my RX-8 but yeah gas costs + I've still got the fear that I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop in terms of maintenance costs.

 

I took it fully load.

GFX package + Luxury Package (Leather Seats).

Interiror reminds me a lot of my 8 (dashboard).

OMG, gas so far, i'm amazed. Insurance Down, cost around it way down... sad, but happy...

Cheers

 

Eeew. 3 hatches are oooglay! Sedan is the way to go.

 

I think both models are very nice...however the sedan wins my heart. Everytime I see the dark grey model I have to comment on how pretty it is.

 

i'm in the process of doing the same thing. gonna trade my rx-8 in for a fully loaded 3.

 

WOW!!! This is amazing, I wonder how many 350Z owners are trading their cars in for a Sentra SER. If you have to get an economy car the 3 is hands down the coolest.

But to me there is no comparison between the two. It would come down to emergency economics before I would trade down to a 3.

 

I love the 3 - I think it's Mazda's best looking car, and it's very well designed and drives well. But, buying, selling, and buying transactions can eat up a lot of the savings on gas over time.... I'm sure you did your homework - but, once you've bought the 8, or any other car, getting out of it to get in another car is going to be expensive, even if the next car is cheeper and gets substantially better mileage.

I tell you folks, the Base 8 and Sport Package are the best values in the 8 line... After you load up with options w/ the more expensive trim levels there are many other great cars at those price points.

 

Silver, good luck with the 3.

For those of you thinking economy, it would take a huge amount of gas to justify the loss you will take on the sale of your car. There's a radio financial adviser that gets calls every day from people looking at dumping SUVs and he even tells most of them to keep the suv after working the numbers. (and he HATES suvs) www.clarkhoward.com if you want to check things out yourself.

 

Gotta agree with the last couple of statements.

Here's my calculus: I wanted a fun car to drive, not a boring one. But even if I went with a boring one that was decent on gas and reliable, such as a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry (or Chrysler 300 or Ford 500, for that matter - yes, I think the domestics have come a long way, but I digress), it would cost me at least $21-$25 grand with the options I wanted.

Hell, even people on the Mazda 3 forums are routinely paying $20,000+ for the Mazda 3, which is in the economy class!

So, I bought the RX-8 for $24,630 out the door.

That's a raging bargain, AFAIC, for a fun, relatively fast, very unique and good looking, and great handling car like the 8.

How much more am I paying in gas with the 8 than I would with a 4 or 6 cyclinder Accord? Even if you assume the 8 gets 1/2 the gas mileage the Accord does, I'm still only paying about $1,200 more in gas each year, or about $100 a month. And that's the worst case scenario.

It's really early, but I'm averaging about 270 mile per tank. So, the Accord would not allow me to get twice the mileage per gallon in reality.

In the end, I can afford the extra gas, and enjoy driving an exciting car, that handles great, corners with aplomb, and is not like every other car on the road (they sell about 9,000 RX-8s per year, versus nearly 300,000 Accords).

Your circumstances may vary, but that's my personal take on the situation. There is a price to be paid for not being a lemming. :D

 

What is the average trade in on thr RX 8