coltsneckbob

I gave into wife. Lease on on CTS is up and wife needed a new car.

I gave into insurmountable pressure and got her a rice burner. For some odd reason she likes little "zippy" cars like that. It pains me to write it......but it is a Mazda 3. There I said it.

Another thing too..........these Japanese car dealers are actually worse wheeler dealers then any American or German car dealership I have ever bought from. Liars, cheats, falsifiers.....!!!!!!

I felt like I had to concentrate harder on the deal's points/facts then I did in calculus 4 !!!!

Anyway, 12% off MSRP and free oil changes.

cutlassgal

Well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. It's ok.... we understand pressure, lol!

Allan R

The Mazda 3 is one very highly rated car with impressive hp/torque and handling ratings. So, insurmountable pressure from whom? If it was from her, you made the right choice. You know the old adage: "Happy wife, Happy life". eeeeyeeewww!

So it's a ricer. Free oil changes for life? Sounds good. Too bad they don't have free service for life. One thing you won't miss: Filling the Caddy. Premium fuel vs reg. 20 gallons vs 13? 22 mpg vs 38 mpg....Insurance?

Don't know what it is about the Mazda 3, but every time I see one head I start laughing. Maybe cause the grille looks like the car is laughing too? Or laughing cause someone bought it......

Col Wickham

They're nice little cars mate so don't beat yourself up too much
My daily driver is a diesel VW Golf. My next dd will probably be a Kia i30. Every second car here seems to be one so they're obviously doing something right. Monday to Friday I want economy, reliability and easy access to service outlets, parts etc. Saturday and Sunday are 442 days,...and ain't they the ones that matter?

Rickman48

My son bought one a couple years ago - custom installed a K+N cold air system, and brought it by me, as I was managing an exhaust shop.
I ordered a couple mandrel bent elbows, and made everything flow smoother from the cat-back, with a SS Evacuator muffer.
With those 2 mods, gas mieage increased 6 mpg, and a great 'seat-of-the-pants' feel.
And it doesn't sound like a 'P.O.'d bumblebee in a tin can' as most modified rice burners do!

olds style

just a Ford.....

Lady72nRob71

I have noticed the same thing. I think other mazdas have them too.
The "happy, smiley cars"...

cutlassjoe

The times are sure changing. My Father who ran a company that supplied chemicals to the big three for plastics and chrome plating would go nuts in the 80's whenever he saw a Datsun, Toyota, whatever. Because they were stealing our jobs, livings etc. He always preached there would be no foreign cars parked in his driveway...he has been retired almost twenty years. He now drives a 2008 Camry, and is going to lease a Rav 4 for my Mother. Go figure. My job is closely tied to the domestic autos, big three. I do whatever I can to support them.

Folks are free to drive what they want. I don't criticize or pass judgement. We would have a problem though if my wife wanted a Toyota though....

Mazdas are good cars, and partially owned by Ford. Sorry for the rant.

rocketraider

It's a DD. Big deal. I have several friends with 3 and 6 and they love them. A little cramped for my 6'3" self though.

My first choice for a modern DD would probably be a Ford, but I'd look at a Hyundai. Cousin is on her fourth one and loves them. She puts 100k on them and trades them, and spends little other than routine maintenance on them.

Word. The Toyota dealer here is notorious for it. I heard them described once as "oily". You buy a Honda here, you are going to pay sticker plus whatever other BS fees the state will allow them to charge you. They even try to add an "advertising" fee to the deal.

'Scuse me, but advertising is YOUR cost of doing business, not mine.

Insom

If Americans don't support America then who will? I don't think there will be a line of other countries wanting to support us when it all crumbles and its starting to crumble.

coltsneckbob

Well thanks for not me kicking off the site guys!!! Yea, I did feel that the Mazda was the best choice if I had to get one of "those".

I drove it yesterday and was surprised that I was reasonably comfortable. At 6'1" it worked for me with the tilt and telescope steering wheel.

I understand that the market for these particular types of cars is one of the most competitive. Which I suppose explains, but doesn't excuse, the hard sell and the out and out lies from each of the dealers (Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsu).

One thing that I found interesting was that I think all the salesmen sensed I was not gung-ho on these type cars. So, whenever wife asked a question they addressed the answer to me. Even when she asked the Honda guy about lighted vanity mirrors!!

And yea I really didn't look at the car's appearance too much until we got home, but it does have a big smiley face on it. But, as u might guess wife thinks it is "so cute".

I will give it props for very tight handling and some fairly good acceleration. Wife didn't do any research on the cars.......just wanted something smaller then the CTS (which even though it had a 305HP 6 still got 15.8 mpg). I really liked the CTS it handled better then a BMW 5 series in my opinion. I tried to sell her on Focus or Chevy Cruze - but no sell and I have to say for the money they were not great deals.

Well next year I will try and atone for my sins and perhaps go Escalade or GMC Yukon/Denali. I still like heavy metal !!!

Allan R

Yup, that's what I did. Checked out the whole field of available cars, what felt good, what aesthetics I liked best, warranty, reliability, insurance costs, performance etc and ended up buying a Hyundai Sonata (2007) Limited (top of the line - leather etc, fully loaded). Got a heck of a good buy on a 'used car' from a Chrysler dealer. 2 months after I got it, the front valve cover started leaking. Took it to the local Hyundai dealer. They were very courteous, covered the repair under warranty, and cleaned the engine to an incredible polished metal look I have never seen from any other dealer.

I recently had my Olds scanned at a local Chev Olds dealer (believe it or not they still have a sign up that says "Chevrolet Oldsmobile". They didn't do what they said they would do. So when they sent me an on line survey about how their service was, they got an earful. While I was there I looked at the new Chevy Cruze. Told the salesman I'm not buying today, but talk about snake oil, smoke and mirrors!! The BS he was slinging made me laugh. So I told him what a 'great guy' he was and the next time I'm looking for a Chevy I'll remember him. (I'll remember to stay away from him). There's a lot of improvement in the new GM's, I'll give them that. But they still don't match today what my Sonata had back in 07.

I'm really happy with the Sonata, so much that I'd seriously consider buying Hyundai for my wife and son when the need arises. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. I do know that since 2005 Hyundai has been literally pouring tons of money into quality and styling. Unfortunately, they still have a major hurdle to cross with depreciation. That's also a great incentive to buy one used...

Lady72nRob71

I was just looking at the Dodge Challenger - the closest size, look and performance I could get compared to my 72 Supreme. After I got the price of 37K, I turned away.

I like the Charger, too - drove one on my past vacation. Do not want 4 doors though.

It seems like only Dodge has been filling that missing niche of the GM A body (size, V8, RWD, etc). Sure the Stang and Camaro are nice, but way too small and probably have a harsh ride.

I may opt for a used Challenger later when the Caddy gives its first major problem...

Aceshigh

My daily driver is a Lexus. No hatin.

Today's "American" manufacturers aren't quite "American" anymore.
Parts made in Mexico, China, Taiwan, etc.
They're now trying to call North American "American Made" to lie to consumers.


Every car has a % of being American made regardless of manufacturers.
It's not like the old 60's when Detroit Iron was 100% American made.

My wife wants us to get an SRT8 Challenger next.
I personally want a big diesel SuperDuty truck with a lift kit.

Allan R

Interestingly enough, my Hyundai Sonata was built in America (Montgomery Alabama) by American workers. I'm sure most of the parts are imported but at least this is one company that is actually contibuting to North American employment and productivity, IMO. And the folks selling them and servicing them aren't imported either, they're citizens.

No bout adout it, the worlds changing. Sometimes it's just so hard to keep up.

Get in line. I just can't afford a new one. BTW have you checked Diesel prices at the pumps? They're nuts! It costs way less to frac the product and refine to new ENVISO legislation, but they're still charging way more than premium gas. (diesel 3.00+/gal vs prem 2.75/gal in Illinois). Here where I am a comparable gallon of gas (reg costs 3.36/gal and diesel is 4.12/gal) You need to be able to write it off as a business expense if you want one now. Either that or have money falling out of your wallet.

oldcutlass

I'll just sit here and be quiet!!!!!!!

1969w3155

I'll be looking at the Malibu for my next car, build quality, and fit and finish are greatly improved, along with the materials used. If I did not need to store a Camaro for the winter, I would consider a used one (still a bit pricey), but I have been in a '10 SS, and it rides real well, and was rattle free, nothing like the last generation of F bodies.

coltsneckbob

My second choice after the Mazda was the Sonata. The price was definitely right and ride and overall quality really seemed to be very good. It was not a MB, but far and away very nice. Wife just found it too big.

It is true that cars are really an amalgam of parts and labor from all over. However, the key is where do the profits go. Do they stay in America or go overseas?

The Mazda we got appears to be all Japan.

stranger

not exactly... Ford reduced their ownership in Mazda the week before Thanksgiving from 11% to 3.5%.... that makes your statement almost "null and void"....

Aceshigh

Keep in mind though......
Buying used, you don't have to worry about what country you're supporting.
It's mainly for those buying NEW that have that dilemma. I don't buy new.
Depreciation on new vehicles is astronomical and a totally bad investment.
Someone ELSE already bought the NEW vehicle that I'm buying used.

If they are BUILT in the USA using a large % of USA made parts.
Then I consider that a safe bet in supporting my country.
GM and Ford are producing more and more in Canada and Mexico
and shipping them here for sale. That doesn't help our job market.

I give a rats *** about where the profits go because in the end, they're all
publicly traded companies that I can buy stock in. The Big 3 get so many tax subsidies,
and loopholes it's ridiculous. I'm buying what I believe in as a good product.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/auto-busine...as-old-gm/1806
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/business/07auto.html

Chrysler being owned by Daimler Benz for so long wasn't any better either.
Daimler lost their *** selling Chrysler too. It's a floating heap of crap corporation.
So for me, I shop where they hire United States of America Labor if I'm buying a new vehicle ever.

That pretty much precludes a Chevy Avalanche from my future purchases being made in Silao Mexico.

stranger

i've never been a fan of the avalanche or the escalade ext... always figured if you're going to get a 4-door truck get a crew cab.....though mine was built in canada...

So much for being good ole' Detroit Iron...

mike's88

Zoom, zoom, zoom. A couple of guys mentioned the "smiley face" front end. That is exactly what it is supposed to be. All about how much fun it is to drive a mazda.

Redog

I do like the Korean cars, but I'm still anti Japanese cars.

Not only does bying an American car help out the Americans, but it pisses off my ex wife, so now there's 2 reasons to buy one

BTW she don't like the Korean cars either

rcdynamic88

Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, brought to you by the same a-holes that bombed Pearl harbor and chopped and hacked Americans to death on the Bataan death march. My father was a marine that managed to live through that march, had to endure seeing his friends get their fricking heads chopped off if they stumbled or couldn't go on. I will NEVER buy a jap car even if its made by a bunch of traitors here in the US!

Col Wickham

How about a VW, Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Fiat, Ferrari, Lamborgini, Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, ....
I'm feeling really bad right now. My Great Grandparents were German Jews and I'm driving a Volkswagen. And hell, the Japs bombed Darwin and shelled Sydney and killed thousands of Aussies in the Pacific and my wife drives an Isuzu powered GM Holden "Colorado". How can I live with myself
Probably the same way the good people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can buy US goods and live with themselves.

stranger

^^^
all those stories make me a little feel better about buying my Canadian Chevrolet Silverado... haha...

TK-65

You dont think the Jap automakers are getting heavy gov support too?

Those Jap and German plants down south, dont they get state tax breaks and goverment loans to build down there? Mississippi built all the infrastructure for the new Blue Springs Toyota plant with state tax dollars.

Where was your Lexus built? Not in America because there isnt a single one made here. By the way, Toyota builds cars in Canada and Mexico too and inports the majority of their cars INTO America.

I buy Ford. I work for Ford. Ford supports my city and state. Ford built vehicles for the Arsenal of Democracy. Ford is an American company. Ford employs my neighbors, which keeps my community employed.

I care about others too, not just myself.

76 Regency

Hey guys,

Wow, this thread has gotten a bit personal and borderline political. I think we all drive cars that suit us. If it was up to us, we would all have a fuel efficient classic American car that would be completely reliable and wouldn't rust and would also have an arsenal of readily available parts. Since that is not going to happen, we have to preserve the classics and drive a practical car. I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I've been driving Honda Accords for about 11 years and never once had a problem. I would obviously like to drive a domestic car as my roots are purely GM, but for a very long time the quality just hasn't been there.

If you guys can remember back to the introduction of the Olds Achieva, where they compared it to the '92 Accord and Camry. Well, I owned a '92 Achieva for a couple of years and although I loved the car, the '92 Accord I bought years later, with many more miles on it was a million times better car. There was really no comparison in the quality of these two cars. My wife drives an '08 Saturn Vue. We both love the car and it is way better made than previous models but it has 56K on it and has already been through a power steering pump and TWO steering racks. We're hoping to keep the car as long as possible and hoping those problems are the last for a while to come. In my opinion, the newer GM vehicles are way better than in days past but still cannot match the quality of the cars that we are all so proud of. I am hopeful that GM will get to the point where they are a triumphant company making top quality, competitive cars again. I think the last few years have shown significant progress in that direction.

stranger

Overall the last few years, when it comes to domestic "brands", Ford has build better quality products than the other two... We saw GM and Chrysler almost slip away from the marketplace completely, and the rise of the JDM vehicles take top sales in this country.

GM quality bagan to slip in the mid-80s, and Ford continued to pump dollars into R&D to bring newer cars to the market. GM lost billions of dollars on the W-body cars (or GM-10 project), which today is still offered in one model - the Impala (aka, Lumina). GM should have realized the onslaught of competition and completely replaced its R&D team before the slide became a near disaster.

Though GM is slowly recovering, the lost marketshare to others is gone... When a customers walks into a showroom and sees 2 or 3 look-alike models (and same with Ford), they don't wish to pay $3000-$5000 more for a unique grille or tail lights, and a few accessories... the buyers today aren't "brand loyal" as they were in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. These consumers are looking for longevity and durability for the buck. They also aren't as concerned with where the car was built, as they were 25 years ago.

If the dollar is right, they'll buy.... Once loyal GM fans left for Ford in the 90s for the large sedans such as the Town Car, Marquis and Crown Vic. The small car buyers left GM and Chysler for the foreign cars such as the Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, and later the Hyundai... Fuel mileage and quality with long warranties... 36/36 didn't get it anymore either...

Then when GM and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, the buying public were spooked, and decided "we don't want GM or Chyrsler" we want brand X or brand Y"....

Younger buyers don't want "land yachts", they want cost effective, fuel efficient, fast performance cars... A 150 hp I-4 or V6 domestic plain vanilla sedan doesn't cut it... A Subaru Impreza is much more impressive than a Cobalt or a Focus...

just my 2-cents

TK-65

Really? Subaru barely registers on the sales chart. The Focus and Cobalt sales blew Imprezza sales out of the water.

A vanilla, mediocre quality Corrolla has led sales for years. Its the best selling car ever. People seem to like low power, vanilla, 4 doors.

Texas Jim

Had to laugh when I read this. It's true, times are changing and we're no longer a mfg. country, we're a service based country now and the same views don't always apply anymore. In the late '60s and early '70s, my father died in '72, 5 days after he turned 60, my father would get terribly pissed when a VW or, at that time, a Renault would try to pass his American car on the highway or at that time, on the two-lane roads w/ the dotted (passing) lines in the middle. He'd put the pedal to the floor and the 4-bbl would kick in and the trans would down shirft into 2nd. gear, and away we'd go, leaving the foreign car in the dust. My brother and I would smile, my mother would frown, and my sisters would continue to play their games. My father was a WWII vet, and even the Christmas lights had to be made in the USA, he'd regularly warn all of us not to bring anything in the house that wasn't made in the USA. Although my mother was only 4 years younger than my father, she didn't enforce that idea, she recommended it, but didn't enforce it. My mother always seemed to understand things as they changed over years. Times change and people also need to change w/ the times. I called my mother yesterday, she's doing really well, takes only vitamins, no meds f/ any reason, she still lives by herself, and she'll be 95 years old this coming July. Like I said, my father died in '72, 5 days after he turned 60. Changing w/ the times keeps stress away, it encourages us to learn new things, to understand the younger people/the new generations. I LOVE my "hot rods" that suck big gas and spin the tires, both at the same time , but there's nothing wrong w/ that Mazda either. We should all change w/ the times, atleast to some extent, we'll be happier and live longer.

Danny Boy

You bought a good car…even though it is not an Oldsmobile. Don’t have buyer’s remorse.


You work hard for your money (or at least what the government lets you keep)…you spend it the way you want…kind of like people putting Chevy engines in their Olds.


Don’t let other people’s prejudices determine your decisions. If the Japanese, Korean or German auto manufacturers make a better product at a price you are willing to pay, then buy it. If the “Big Three” don’t like their sales falling, then they need to make a better product at a price you are willing to pay…a car that will win you over.


As for those that would never buy a “Jap” car because of what happened in war (by people two generations ago), those people lost the war, and are not running the country or companies. They are not our enemies any more. If you still think they are the enemy, then you should not be speaking English as we fought the British for our freedom. How many generations have to pass before people get over it and move on? Just like reparations for slavery - time to move on and get over the hate and envy.

Indy_68_S

Welcome to globalization......

We have a 'Merican truck (Avalanche) & a German sedan (VW). Both were built ~100 miles apart in central Mehico. We're looking at a Subie Outback for a replacement for her VW. The Outback is built 30 miles north of me in Lafayette, IN by Americans (some I know!) Engines/trans come from Japan, but frame/body/chassis/etc are mfg here.

Which of the 3 is more American ?

Sadly, the days of cars actually being built in the US by US companies using US sourced parts & labor are over...

stranger

The "Impreza" doesn't sell that good in certain areas of the country, but the Cobalt has one of the worse reputations on the market... As a rebadged Cavalier (basically), its still one of GM's 1980s mistakes that was carried over into the 2000's just like the GM W-body cars were...

I'm not sure where you live, but in my part of the world, "plain vanilla" doesn't get it... They want performance, and a basic 4-cylinder from the Big 3 (especially some of GM's offerings) isn't excactly "excitment"... Maybe you should drive a SLOW-Balt and feel its "excitment"...

TK-65

Again, the Toyota Corrolla is the best selling car in history. It has sold more than the Model T Ford. I live in America, where the Corrolla, Camry, Accord, Focus, Fusion, Impala, and Civic are top 20 sellers. Are those cars "performance" based? Hell no, they are rental car vanillia.

America doesnt give a rats *** about performance. Uber luxury buyers do. Regular joes do not.

Imprezza dont sell well period.

stranger

do you know what an Impala is? Its a GM-10 car.... the "W-body", one of General Motors "worse mistakes" in history... Perhaps you aren't that up to date on General Motors, but in 1982 under the Smith Admin at GM was launched to eventually combine the X and A body FWD cars. GM spent nearly 10-billion dollars developing what turned out to be known in the auto world as "GM's BIGGEST mistake".... General Motors lost roughly $2500 per vehicle produced. I don't consider that what you would call an "award winning" vehicle. The 2011 Chevrolet Impala has carried over basically unchanged since 1987 when the W-body cars were introduced... Those cars carried the names of: Lumina, Impala, Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Cutlass Supreme, Intrigue, Regal, Century, and Lacrosse. I don't have the numbers at hand, but considering between $2k and $2.5k on each vehicle from 1987 to 2011, this has been one huge loss, not something that GM can be proud of...

As for the Impreza, no they don't sell like hotcakes, but the Impreza WRX and Impreza WRX STi series have shown some imperssive numbers at the track. The best selling areas of the country for those cars are in New England, the west coast, and the 4-corners area of the US...

And if performance doesn't matter, why did you rebuild an old school Oldsmobile 4-4-2? Those weren't exactly "Grocery Getters for Grandma's" now where they?? Oh, but I guess you're not a regular Joe...

TK-65

Yes I know what it is, its the 15 best selling car in the US for 2010. For the second time you bring up the 1980s. That crap box Cavalier out sold the competition back then. Yes it wasnt the best, but people bought it over the foreign makes. Try responding to my answers and my questions instead of talking about the 1980s and a small enclave where the Suby is popular. Or track numbers that normal buyers could give a crap about.

People want performance, according to you, but the "worst mistake" GM ever had out sells your performance vehicle.

You dont have the numbers at hand, so dont post an opinion that is not true. GM is not going to make a car for 23 years and not make money on it. No car maker does. Thus the reason why the EV1 is dead.

Top 10 cars so far. Not a performance car in the bunch. Nor is there a Subaru on the list.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...ober-2010.html

Look at number 6, cant get more rental car bland than that.

The reason I built a 442 is because I like it. Its not a performance car in todays sense. It handles like crap, stops like crap, and is not that fast. Back in the day, when young people actually gave a crap about cars, it catered to them. Cheap, relatively fast, and looked great.

Know who todays kids are?? These..

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/6882164/

Think they are going to look for a performance sedan when they decide to get a license? They couldnt care less about a cars features, or brand, or color.

Sales of the Corvette, at 50 year LOWS.

http://www.autoobserver.com/2010/01/...s-sputter.html

56Super88

The Ford Focus is just a Mazda 3 with Ford sheet metal.

stranger

Lord, deliver me... please.....

1969w3155

The current Impala is not a W car, It started using the Aurora platform in 2000, along with the STS and Bonneville. Having said that, I still would not buy a current Impala, just because the interiors seem so cheap. The door panels are a one piece vaccum formed chunk of plastic, that just doesn't cut it. Taxicab interior.