I've been driving a 2005 Mazda3 HB for just over 10 years now and I'm planning to get a new 2015 Mazda3 s Grand Touring Hatchback. Just a few questions for the crowd first...

1. The $500 incentive for Mazda owners expires end of March. I was planning to wait until June, but is it better to go now for the incentive? Is the end of March (end of quarter or even fiscal year) a better time to buy?
2. I'd like to trade in the 2005. I've done various online valuations and am trying to determine a bottom line trade-in value, to save the hassle of selling it outright. The car has 127K miles, has been well maintained, a couple small dings and minor interior wear (the floors and cargo areas are not all that durable). The shop says it needs a new front strut, but it rides great. The question... what would be a reasonable trade-in vs private sale price. The car is in SF area.
3. Any issues on the 2015 Grand Touring I should be aware of? The only other car on my radar is a VW Golf GTI, but similarly configured would be about 3 or so thousand more.

Thanks.
-Bruno

 

I'm in the market also, and have been researching both cars you mention. You might want to find out if the problems with the Mazda's infotainment system have been solved. It's been very buggy, but if that's been fixed it's better than the VW.

Two other things are steering me towards the VW. The first is road noise. I go on several long road trips every year, and quiet cruising at interstate speed is very important to me. Multiple sources report the VW is refined & quiet, while the Mazda3 has a lot of road noise by comparison.

If you're looking for performance the GTI has the edge, though the Mazda S is also great for this class. GTI costs more up front and requires premium gas. Personally, I'll be getting either the Mazda 3 i, Golf TSI, or Ford Focus. Probably not the Mazda, due to road noise.

 

I am thinking to go to the market as well. Before the $500 incentive is expired.

 

Kelly blue Book, kbb.com will give you a trade in value, adjusted for condition and location. Also a retail price, and a private sale price. Look at the price difference, say $2500, visualize that much cash, and say "is it worth that to avoid hassle"

 

Well, I went ahead and bought the new Mazda3 s GT HB two days ago, trading in the old one in the deal. I found that if I financed through Mazda, there was a $750 reduction in price before tax, so it was really about $822 discount, above the $500 loyalty discount. All in all a very attractive price.

I really like the new car, but there are two things I don't like.
1. Less storage area in the center console, the glove box, and under the mat in the back (where the spare is located) as compared with the 2005. A lot of the stuff I'd kept stored there would not fit.
2. The NAV/Entertainment system feels rather clumsy from a user interface point of view. Programming is tedious compared to the older car and using a Garmin.

On the other hand, I could easily set up my iPod through Bluetooth to play my music without need for CDs.

All in all, no regrets, and I'm sure that as I get used to the newer tech-stuff I'll become more adept.

 

Usually you lose $2000-$3000 doing trade in instead of selling yourself. Normally I sell myself, but when I got my 3 a few months ago, I did trade in my old neon because my old car had problems that made it somewhat unsafe, and I didn't want the liability of selling it personally.

The controls on the infotainment system really are laid out loony. Clearly a case of dividing the design job up between several groups who all had a different concept. Frankly you do get used to it, but I really wish that a sideways flick of the big **** would tab through your radio presets (like the button on the steering wheel does).

I'm noticing the storage issue too. There's a plus side in that you don't have 50,000 compartments that all slowly acquire objects that rattle around in the interior.. but it's pretty spartan on places to put things. You can use the door drink holders to hold non-drink stuff. I also just put a few items in the cloth pocket behind the passenger seat. I may go browse walmart, autozone, etc. and look for some sort of add-on interior storage.

You may find that the rubber on the foot pedals is quite thin and wears down quickly. Also I think that the car needs stiffer rear springs to help balance it's footing and prevent front-passenger tire spin when making a right hand turn. Well that or a limited slip..

But it's a really nice car in a LOT of ways, nitpicks aside