[FatMorbo]

One of the things I love about this car, especially with the Lava Orange job, is the head-turns I get from pedestrians and drivers as I'm driving around... or even while the car is parked.

But today as I was pulling into a 7-11 to get a drink, a guy who had just gotten out of his car watched me pull up with a smile. As soon as I got out he asked if it was the 3, then checked it out, even asked if he could poke his head inside since the drivers door was still open. He asked me some questions about how it feels/handles and how cheap it is... seemed pretty pumped about the car. We chatted a bit more about the car, and I couldn't help but smile as I drove away... coming from a older beater that I had before, it's nice to have a car you can feel nice about

Anyone else had interesting reactions for the public at large?

 

[2k1_bug]

it's always nice to drive a brand new model.. people will start looking.. wondering.. and such.. but maybe by summer time Mazda3 will be everywhere.. so it'll be all blended in..

In vancouver number of 3's are growing.. so it's not as special anymore. maybe all the cars look the same nowadays anyways.. you see lines and shadows of other cars here and there on the 3.

 

[lmp180psu]

it's always nice to drive a brand new model.. people will start looking.. wondering.. and such.. but maybe by summer time Mazda3 will be everywhere.. so it'll be all blended in..

That will probably be true in Canada, but not in the U.S. Just reference the "Spotted..." topics in the Canada section. The spotted section for the U.S. is considerably smaller

 

[2k1_bug]

That will probably be true in Canada, but not in the U.S. Just reference the "Spotted..." topics in the Canada section. The spotted section for the U.S. is considerably smaller

I wonder why.. do you have more choices on cars in the US? or people tends to buy American cars like Cav.. or Neons..?

 

[lmp180psu]

That will probably be true in Canada, but not in the U.S. Just reference the "Spotted..." topics in the Canada section. The spotted section for the U.S. is considerably smaller

I wonder why.. do you have more choices on cars in the US? or people tends to buy American cars like Cav.. or Neons..?

Larger cars such as the Camry & Accord are the top 2 selling cars in the U.S., plus the F-150 pickup has been the top selling car or truck in the U.S. for the past 10 or so years :shock: Also we have an SUV craze here :roll:.

Plus "American" car brands offer large rebates/incentives, so that might explain why Cavaliers/Neons are fairly good sellers here, despite their sub-par quality.

It will be nice driving a car that I might see 2 or 3 times driving around.

 

[Vasculio]

I think poeple in US love to drive huge car ehhe .... I saw 3 mazda 3s HB in Irvine ... one day we all parked together when going to UCI heheh its reallie rare to find them

 

[valloq]

Hmm, are you the strato blue 3 that parked in the lot next to middle earth a couple of times this week? I've had my tit gray (hehe, I said tit) 3 since Jan and just recently noticed a strato blue and black 3 parking in the same lots I do.

I think poeple in US love to drive huge car ehhe .... I saw 3 mazda 3s HB in Irvine ... one day we all parked together when going to UCI heheh its reallie rare to find them

 

[Vasculio]

mine is winning blue ... but yea ... thats probably me hehe ..... I never notice a tit one .... is yours sedan? ?? I only see a black one and a red one ... >< ...... you should check out this forum ... they have cool events for mazda driver hehe

http://www.moccforums.com/

 

[M3-GT]

You also have to remember that the average US car buyer doesn't like hatchback cars, so that doesn't help also. Here people go crazy for hatchbacks....Even when Volkswagen was having their worse years towards reliability and was getting slammed by reviews for that, I remember that in Quebec one year, Volks sold more cars here then all the rest of Canada combined! Golfs, HB civics and Protege 5 has always been selling real well here.

Here the Protege 5 is seen everywhere. It's just a matter of time until the same thing happens with the 3. So mod it to be different. That's what I do.

 

[imported_Mazda03]

I think you'll see more HB in the US in the coming years. Because they don't really look like Station Wagons anymore, and face it, HB are very practical. And if they don't take off, then we get to be more unique. Chances are with gas predicted to go to $2.00+ this summer there will be a lot more people thinking about getting cars over SUVs this year.

Since this is about comments on our 3s, my favorite comment so far has been when I took 3 of my lady friends out and they asked me to go fast. Then their first comment was, "Whoa, does this thing have a V8?" Granted they knew nothing about cars, but it still felt cool.

Also, passengers are always amazed when you're messing with the radio and they can't see you touching it because of the steering controls.

 

[M3-GT]

Just the thumbs up from others at red lights are making my days

 

[MGB]

Hey Mazda03-
You got yours about 2 days before I got mine. I know because the dealer in Austin wouldn't do a trade with GS because they thought you were still in the market, heheh. It's ok, I'm glad I ended up with this one in the end, so no hard feelings. I have actually driven your car
(Don't worry, I was very nice to it.)
I think I may have seen you once around town.

Sincerely, the other tit grey HB in B/CS.

Oh oops, thread hijacking.
Back on topic...
I really don't get much reaction here, but that is probably in large part because I have the grey and it doesn't draw as much attention (and I haven't been able to wash it for 2 weeks). I've noticed a few looks at intersections but not nearly what you bright colors seem to be getting.

 

[codegirl]

I picked up my 3 yesterday, and about 20 minutes into my first spin, a guy in a Jeep rolled down his window to tell me what a sweet ride I had.

I love my 3!

 

[FR3D]

a couple of friends (who doesn't know much about cars) saw Protege's on the street and start asking me "is that the same car as yours?", seems like the 3 doesn't look that different to them :?

 

[Sean]

I still haven't seen a 3 here in Memphis since they have been out. This town is more of a Accord/Camry city but I'm sure with the cheap price and good looks of the car everyone will be driving one come summer.

 

[saltorio]

a couple of friends (who doesn't know much about cars) saw Protege's on the street and start asking me "is that the same car as yours?", seems like the 3 doesn't look that different to them :?

To be honest, I've had a bit of trouble spotting 3 HBs. They definately look different than the Protege 5, but if they're driving by, I can't spot them as well as a 3 sedan.

As far as the 3 being less popular in the US, I've read several sources that said the Protege was quite popular in Canada compared to the US where it never really took off that well. As such, it may take longer for the word to get out in the US regarding the 3.

 

[budgy]

I get a fair bit of stares, actually almost everytime I go for a drive I get em, and a lot of people in riced out Saturns, Cavaliers, and Neons wanting to race me.....

Keep in mind I live in a small town of 65, 000 people so a car like the 3 really stands out, and more often then not it is the nicest car on the road within seeing eye distance, its a great feeling.

 

[freston]

had a guy at the bank drive-through ask me 'is that a mazda3?' and comment on how nice it looked.

the guy at the printshop i go to saw me in my 3 and asked me a ton of questions ('that blue is the same as the rx-8, right?' 'does it have turbo?' 'are those 17-inch wheels?'). all with a really broad smile on his face.

and...when i called my insurance company to put the 3 on my policy, the csr was really excited and asked a bunch of questions, saying he and his wife both had protegés and they were looking to trade-up to the 3. (he was in california.)

but on the street reaction has been about what you'd expect from a new model car...some looks, but nothing too exciting. though one guy in a wrx wanted to race me...haha, i let him tear off towards the next red light while i leisurely made my way along.

 

[vaBooM]

I always get guys in WRXs wanting to race me. Especially at stop lights. Some Hondas.. and even a few Proteges. Then I crank it up and they give the thumbs up.. BS a little and I give em my card.

Lots impressed with the car. Compliments from all sorts of people.

 

[khoneyboy]

Ever since I got my 3, I've had a lot of people come up to me and ask about the car. I'm surprised that this car gets so much attention. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with it being a new model. To date, I've seen exactly 3 3's in my area.. 2 hatchbacks and another sedan. So they're pretty rare in my area. Mazda really got things right with the 3. Even my brother, who didn't really care for it, changed his tune after driving my 3 around for a bit.