[maxspeed]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum; I have a nissan now and it has been great to me. My car has been very reliable for me. I have put in very little money, but the time has come to look for a new car.

I plan on trading my maxima in for a mazda 3s. I was suprised how great they looked. I probably wont do this until may or june within 1-3 months of graduation (college grad rebates would help out).

Options/packages I would buy: sunroof/6 cd, abs. I dont need the xenon/tire pressure package or the sport package. The side walls on the 16" tires would give me a smoother ride than the 17" tires... and especially driving in new england with the crappy roads.
well that price came to around $19K.. and invoice and whatever the dealer actually paid is probably between $16K -$17K. with a graduate rebate -$500. And.. with a trade in it would drop it down even more. So i know the car is in reach financially. and its a great lookign car.

The standard warranty is 48mo/50K miles...(bumper to bumper).. now is there and extended warranty that mazda offers and how much would that be?

Also my engine and transmission have well over 100K miles.. all original.
They still run great and i can smoke a lot of new cars too.. but my car has a v6 compared to this 4cyl... well i wouldnt mind getting 4-8mpg improvement I plan to get the Sport AT trans.
Has anyone experienced engine or transmission problems yet and what have they been?

Also is the exhaust system stainless steel?
What does mazda cover against rust?

I didnt see any power doors... is this option available... but then again as long as the seat is comfortable for me thats all i care about.

Also.. If any of you have a mazda 3 and live in cold areas... how long does it take to heat up?

How are the original 16" tires in wet, snowy, or icy conditions?


I think thats all..

Thanks

 

[lmp180psu]

I didnt see any power doors... is this option available... but then again as long as the seat is comfortable for me thats all i care about.

I'm not sure if you are asking about power door locks or power seats, but the "i" trim comes with power locks as a part of the "power package", and the "s" trim comes with the power items standard. No Mazda3 comes with power seats, even as an option.

 

[maxspeed]

I didnt see any power doors... is this option available... but then again as long as the seat is comfortable for me thats all i care about.

I'm not sure if you are asking about power door locks or power seats, but the "i" trim comes with power locks as a part of the "power package", and the "s" trim comes with the power items standard. No Mazda3 comes with power seats, even as an option.

My mistake... little type there...

i meant power seats not power doors

 

[n1smo]

I didnt see any power doors... is this option available... but then again as long as the seat is comfortable for me thats all i care about.

I'm not sure if you are asking about power door locks or power seats, but the "i" trim comes with power locks as a part of the "power package", and the "s" trim comes with the power items standard. No Mazda3 comes with power seats, even as an option.

My mistake... little type there...

i meant power seats not power doors

No power seats... what year is your Max? I totaled my 96', traded in my 00' for the MZ3 and still owns a 03' Max.

 

[maxspeed]

i have a 96 se

i am really debating between a 2002-2003 max or a mazda3

like i love the room i have with my max.. and the power

i dont mind the compact size... easier to park and find spaces for LOL

2003 max.. ~225hp?



how did your max compare to your mazda3... i havnt driven a mazda3 yet... probably go within a month or so.

thx

 

[DJ Spencer]

The standard warranty is 48mo/50K miles...(bumper to bumper).. now is there and extended warranty that mazda offers and how much would that be?

Most people here will answer the rest of your questions, but I'll give you the heads up on the warranty. I didn't buy one on this car, but two years ago I bought one for the Protege and it ran about $1500 I think. They have a few different ones, but that was the max warranty - extended EVERYTHING on the car to seven years, 100k miles. Probably well worth it, but I was cutting costs this time around.

Also, you can apply for the college grad discount from 6 months before you graduate until 12 months after you graduate. So if you graduate in May or June - go for it!

You would have to get the sedan to have 16" tires. The 17" is standard on the 5-door models.

Some (very few, but me included) have experiece a few issues with the engines. The biggest problem has been ignition, and seems to be caused by bad battery or high octane gas (stick with 87). I don't want to open that in this thread, so please look at the other topics/threads to dig deep - you will see them pretty obvious.

Dispite any problems I've encountered, I'm going on week 4, at 1045 miles, and I'm very glad I bought the car.

You should enjoy it too.

 

[n1smo]

i have a 96 se

i am really debating between a 2002-2003 max or a mazda3

like i love the room i have with my max.. and the power

i dont mind the compact size... easier to park and find spaces for LOL

2003 max.. ~225hp?



how did your max compare to your mazda3... i havnt driven a mazda3 yet... probably go within a month or so.

thx

2000 Max = 222hp (3.0L V6), 2003 Max = 255hp (3.5L V6)...

The Mazda3 compares favorably with the Max... I like the ride a lot better in the MZ3 because as you might know, the 95-03 Maxima does not have independent rear suspension.... The interior room is excellent for a compact car, you don't get the rear leg room like in the Maxima but who cares? I'm driving 100% of the time anyway. The build quality is excellent, the material is not quite as nice as the 03 Max but much better than the 03-04 Altima. Finally, the power... There is no comparison between the Maxima's VQ35.. Its been voted the best 10 engines in the world for the past 10 yrs. The Max pulls your head back when accelerating... The MZ3 puts you to sleep... but I'll get it turbo'ed as soon as a kit comes out. I mean it is silly to compare a $30k car to a $20k car... but this little MZ3 is something special... I don't even think you can get Xenon headlights with the Mazda6 from the factory.

 

[maxspeed]

Yeah compared to a 5th or 6th gen max there is no comparison.. yours absolutly right about comparing a 30K car to a 20K car.. (you have the 6 speed max?)... (i saw a 04 max for 22K new!)

but the 95-99 maxima have 190hp

thats only a 30hp difference..


Also...

If anyone has driven an impreza.. they have 165hp... i wonder how close the mz3 rates to the subaru impreza.

in regards to the suspension.. that will be nice to have ind. rear suspension and not just ind front suspension.


New Altima interior def does not feel like a nissan... really cheap

 

[vaBooM]

The 2.5RS Impreza is quite a performer. Its not very fast, but its torquey. Once modded though, they kick ass.

 

[DJ Spencer]

But the impreza is just so ugly....

 

[dugrant153]

The 2.5RS Impreza is quite a performer. Its not very fast, but its torquey. Once modded though, they kick ass.

Torquey is correct. The Boxer engine from Subaru really kicks you in the pants.