RomPirate's new car

[potownrob]

I've been taking a closer look at the Mazdaspeed3 (1st gen) or Madza3 (hatchback only). They seem to fit my needs and the bill. Not sure if the speed would be worth the premium seeing as my GO foot is ehhh... light.

Anyone have one?

i've never had one (did drive johnf's 1st gen 3i once though - not sure if you remember him; he used to be a mod here but disappeared one day...or night) but i hear the 3s models with the bigger 2.3 or 2.5 litre engine were a hoot to drive. the older 2 litre models were not as peppy as the newer 2 litre models, by the way.

as for the fit, i've heard a lot of good things about the older ones. other than highway road noise, the 2nd gen should be a solid bet. i test drove a 2015 (3rd gen) before i got my accord, and the fit didn't drive or feel like a small car with a tiny engine, and was fun.

[Squint]

I've been taking a closer look at the Mazdaspeed3 (1st gen) or Madza3 (hatchback only). They seem to fit my needs and the bill. Not sure if the speed would be worth the premium seeing as my GO foot is ehhh... light.

Anyone have one?

i've never had one (did drive johnf's 1st gen 3i once though - not sure if you remember him; he used to be a mod here but disappeared one day...or night) but i hear the 3s models with the bigger 2.3 or 2.5 litre engine were a hoot to drive. the older 2 litre models were not as peppy as the newer 2 litre models, by the way.

as for the fit, i've heard a lot of good things about the older ones. other than highway road noise, the 2nd gen should be a solid bet. i test drove a 2015 (3rd gen) before i got my accord, and the fit didn't drive or feel like a small car with a tiny engine, and was fun.

I have a 2015 Mazda 3 Hatch, read some about the previous gen before I got it. The new 2 L engine is more equivalent to the older 2.5 or whatever they had. The previous gen's small engine choice was generally considered meh as it wasn't fuel efficient enough to warrant the small engine or peppy enough to warrant the not as great MPG. Not bad, just meh. I like our vehicle, no major complaints on my end.

[bk7794]

FYI fit seats SUCK. The shifter is like butter. The second gen Mazda 3 had very nice ergonomics. I didn't drive one but spent a considerable amount of time sitting in one. You could go through all six gears without your arm leaving the arm rest. The new 3's nose is nice, but not really my cup of tea beyond that. How about the Focus? You might be able to find one.






Or a Crown Vic with a 5 speed swap.

[tankinbeans]

+1 on the Focus. The hatchbacks are slightly lighter than the sedans and the mileage is wonderful. 160horsepressures and 146 torques are dandy.

33ish combined without being overly concerned with frugality.

[Rope-Pusher]

33ish combined without being overly concerned with frugality.

Fickset

[potownrob]

FYI fit seats SUCK. The shifter is like butter.

are you basing that on experience or reviews?? i also read reviews of the older fit seats not being the best, especially the 1st gens. 2nd gens they fixed them somewhat but still got complaints (i've never sat in a 1st or 2nd gen fit btw). 3rd gen seats look and feel like real seats. either way, i think OP needs to sit in the car to see how he likes it, as everyone is different and has different expectations. can't really speak for the 1st and 2nd gen shifters, but the 3rd gen (6 speed) shifter did feel good. not as good as a civic si shifter, but good and precise enough nonetheless.

The second gen Mazda 3 had very nice ergonomics. I didn't drive one but spent a considerable amount of time sitting in one. You could go through all six gears without your arm leaving the arm rest. The new 3's nose is nice, but not really my cup of tea beyond that. How about the Focus? You might be able to find one.

i dig the looks of the new mazda 3 and liked the 2nd gen looks. never drove a 2nd or 3rd gen though. 3rd gen of course looks amazing. i found 1st gen bland looking and, of course, the 3i sedan i drove at the 1st SS meet on Long Island was not as quick as expected (granted you can only go so fast in a parking lot). My understanding is the Fit, despite being or at least looking smaller, has more usable room than the Mazda 3 hatch/wagon.

LI Meet pic thread (back when I had the 98 Maxima, Johnf had his new-at-the-time 3i and Kevin had his Mustang):
http://standardshift.com/forum/viewtopi ... sland+Meet

Or a Crown Vic with a 5 speed swap.

how'd eye know you'd mention that

[AHTOXA]

Focus is nice (the current gen), but the rear folding seats are a sham. Not much utility there, to be honest.

Unless we're talking about earlier gens, then forget all I just said.

[bk7794]

FYI fit seats SUCK. The shifter is like butter.
are you basing that on experience or reviews?? i also read reviews of the older fit seats not being the best, especially the 1st gens. 2nd gens they fixed them somewhat but still got complaints (i've never sat in a 1st or 2nd gen fit btw). 3rd gen seats look and feel like real seats. either way, i think OP needs to sit in the car to see how he likes it, as everyone is different and has different expectations. can't really speak for the 1st and 2nd gen shifters, but the 3rd gen (6 speed) shifter did feel good. not as good as a civic si shifter, but good and precise enough nonetheless.

Experience. I'm not sure if the newer ones are better. I remember when I drove one my Hamstrings didn't feel too good. Plus they're stiff as a board and pretty narrow. The typical economy seat. Think about your lawn chair...then think about something 10 times more uncomfortable. That's what the car seat feels like.

Something like this.



I sat in one and didn't mind it too much. Then again it was only for a few seconds though. The second gen shifter was like butter though. Remember I was going to buy one at one point?

[potownrob]

FYI fit seats SUCK. The shifter is like butter.
are you basing that on experience or reviews?? i also read reviews of the older fit seats not being the best, especially the 1st gens. 2nd gens they fixed them somewhat but still got complaints (i've never sat in a 1st or 2nd gen fit btw). 3rd gen seats look and feel like real seats. either way, i think OP needs to sit in the car to see how he likes it, as everyone is different and has different expectations. can't really speak for the 1st and 2nd gen shifters, but the 3rd gen (6 speed) shifter did feel good. not as good as a civic si shifter, but good and precise enough nonetheless.

Experience. I'm not sure if the newer ones are better. I remember when I drove one my Hamstrings didn't feel too good. Plus they're stiff as a board and pretty narrow. The typical economy seat. Think about your lawn chair...then think about something 10 times more uncomfortable. That's what the car seat feels like.

Something like this.



I sat in one and didn't mind it too much. Then again it was only for a few seconds though. The second gen shifter was like butter though. Remember I was going to buy one at one point?

time to move up to a cadillac man

[theholycow]

time to move up to a cadillac man

I tried suggesting that already, but bk's not into GMs...

[potownrob]

time to move up to a cadillac man

I tried suggesting that already, but bk's not into GMs...

might have to go the Saab, Volvo or Lexus route

[RomPirate]

Feels nice to be able to carry more than a loaf of bread....



Im patching a wall and adding a shop light in my garage.

Recently spent a day in San Diego. Had to drive back in the rain - the rabbit was comfy to drive. Definitely not the "feel every crease in the road" feeling from the miata.

[Rope-Pusher]

Recently spent a day in San Diego. Had to drive back in the rain - the rabbit was comfy to drive. Definitely not the "feel every crease in the road" feeling from the miata.

In Michigan, we don't have creases in our roads....more like crevasses.

[theholycow]

In Rhode Island, we don't have crevasses in our roads, we have strip mines...

[watkins]

In Rhode Island, we don't have crevasses in our roads, we have strip mines...

In Rhode Island there are not strip mines in the roads. There are roads in the strip mines.