buying first mazda
 

I want advice on buying a 2015 mazda 3 sedan. is the larger engine worth the extra money. will it run the ac better? (Jacksonville heat). ? any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

my advice is to not buy a mazda3. we have a 2013 base mazda3, and it is a lease car. that is the ONLY good thing about this pile of crap. a/c? hah. here in texas, if the ambient temps is over 90, it dont cool worth a $**t. great handling, at the expense of ride. i used to autocross a bmw 2002. bilstein sport suspension, miller and norburn springs, etc. like the mazda3, it handled great. but the suspension was so stiff, it was not a daily driver. if the roads are smooth, no ruts, you will love the ride. in reality, since roads are not smooth here, the ride sucks. the interior noise is deafening. since this is a lease car, i am maintaining it by the book. which means spark plug change every 24k. plugs are 14 bucks each. in comparison, we have 2 99 millenias. plug change is at 60k, cost is almost the same. the millenia a/c is excellent. ride is really nice, interior noise is way less than the 3. power of the 3 reminds me of the old mercedes 240d. it is always a harrowing experience merging on to the freeway. dunno what the power rating is on the 3, the millenia will suck the doors off it. i know mazda changed the placement of the cabin filters in 2014 to a way more sensible location. i am right now changing the filters in our 3, and placement is in the most idiotic place they can be. mazda kansei engineering should be translated to mazda mentally unstable engineering. oh, and if you do get a 3, i hope it dont get cold there, because the heat in this car SUCKS. so, if you like lousy a/c and heat, lots of interior noise, crappy ride, the mazda3 is for you

A 2013 Mazda 3 and a 2015 Mazda 3 are two completely different cars. Fully redesigned in 2014. Keep that in mind before taking the previous review to heart.

yah, well, wasnt the 2013 mazda3 fully redesigned in 2010? and the a/c sucked way before that. so, redesign dont mean squat. especially coming from a dealer who is in the business to what, SELL CARS.

I'd say go for it. I don't think there's anything wrong with buying the latest model.

We are in the market to sell cars. But since he is in Florida and I am in Maryland I don't think he will be in our showroom anytime soon. And if you knew the a/c "Sucked" before 2010 why did you buy your 3 in the first place? Because they are quality cars that you had good experiences with before.

i have owned 2 88 323(gt and gtx), 96 626, and 2 99 millenias. ALL of them had/have great a/c, which is a requirement here in texas. we got the 3 in january, when the ambient temp is 30 deg. since all our previous mazda's had great a/c, how was i to know the a/c sucked. it was not till much later when i found a couple forums and saw all the complaints about the a/c. all other shortcomings are acceptable, sucky a/c is not. if anyone needs a car with good a/c, it is best to test drive the car in the summer. and beware of the salesman trick to start the demo car, and leave the a/c on full recirc for several minutes before letting you test drive. another thing to consider is warranty. in order to keep our warranty current, this car needs to have service either 3 months/5k miles, or 6 mo/7500 miles(schedule 1 or 2), whichever comes first. we put like 6000 miles a YEAR on a car, but in order to keep the warranty current, i have to service the car every 6 months, which is a USELESS expense. the first 6 mo service, it didnt even have 3000 miles. and then, the dealer where we got the car bombs us with emails and phone calls to bring the car in for service. i even called mazda usa, and i was told that i had to adhere to the maintenance schedules to keep the warranty current. so make sure you add in the high maintenance costs.

Kennin: I think these sunscreen shields help alot. Also dark tinted windows keep sun out of interior but not a viable option on a leased vehicle. A light colored interior is also best for hot climates (won't catch me in Texas with a Black interior!). A smaller vehicle is also better. A hatchback has more space and is harder to cool down than a sedan----try a wagon, ugh! Rarely do I put on a/c anyway, if i'm cruising around town, i'm cranking the tunes with windows down!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...BL._SX466_.jpg

https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mem...e-amp-3208.jpg

wtf? the car IS tinted, the absolute best tint legally available, 100% uv. i have a covercraft sunshield for ALL of my cars, they are the best, and i have used them for 20 years or more. i also have vent shields that go above the windows, and allow the windows to be down about an inch or so, for better interior ventilation. some of the old 929's had an excellent option, a solar exhaust fan. it would pull the inside air out the fresh air vents. as i said, EVERY mazda i have had before the 3 had great a/c. the ride is a trade off, i used to have to do suspension upgrades to get to where the 3 is, but i was a LOT younger then, and active in autocross and solo events. i had a bmw 2002(actually several) and a lotus elan. the noise, ride, and lack of power i can live with. the poor a/c is unacceptable. when we give this car back next year, in 39 months, at the rate it is going, it will have less than 20k on it. even my wife prefers the millenias

Didn't know what you have with your car and I thought I'd put in my .02 for the rest of the world!
Hope you had a good chuckle! Crank'er up! I'm over 50 and still love my loud bass!