you forgot more fun and more control. also to convince parents for a manual say "If I learn to drive a manual early, I can prett ymuch drive any car the rest of my liffe and not worry about compromising for what I like reguardless of the transmission."

 

Yeah, i'm pretty sure i can convince my parents now. thanks everyone

 

haha damn i should have said that when i was getting my car [:@] too late now haha.

 

Thanks again everyone, but seeing as how this is my first car, what are the faults or cons? i hope it's nothing too bad otherwise the parents might flip out... [:'(]

 

I wish my first car was a brand new Mazda3. I can't see any cons to be honest with you. The car is small (but that is the vehicle segment you are looking at, and hauling kids around probably isn't anything you need to worry about)

It's reliable, good looking and fairly inexpensive. As stated before, in the magazine shootouts, it seems that the Mazda always comes in near the top (or on top)

 

The Mazda 3 series is a great car! Whether you get the i, s or SP23, its a great and reliable car. I am a senior in high school now and just got my SP23 2 weeks ago and love it! Couldn't of asked for anything else. No matter what kind of car you get you will enjoy driving and look for all the people looking at your car...its great! Of course the s has more power than the i so if your looking for just that little more power increase than of course get the s. The SP23 is an s except with a lot of interor and exterior upgrades but still has the same features. So if your parents will let you, definetly go with the s, just for the better performance, but if you can't the i is just as good and reliable....also just as fun to drive!

 

I have had my Mazda 3S sedan manual for a little over a month. Went from big SUV back into a little sports car like I had in my college days. To say it is fun to drive is no kidding. My husband owns a '04 mustang Mach 1, and I don't like driving it as much as the Mazda. I think secretly he doesn't either but he'd never admit it. The only complaint I have so far, at 2500 miles, is that the paint seems atypically soft - easy to chip. I just bought the front vinyl mask for it hoping to preserve it against severe chipping. We want to pass this vehicle down to our son in 4 years and don't want it looking like hell by then. Other than that, it is a great car with alot of features for the price. I'm averaging right around 28mpg - no highway, mostly back country roads and small town driving with some granny driving and some hot rodding mixed in. It handles very well indeed.

Hope you get the car you want. I can relate because at 16 I wanted a Pontiac Fiero so bad I couldn't stand it. Finally got it and loved sporting around all over in it. It wasn't as peppy as this Mazda is though. The engine is broken in now and it is quick in 2 & 3 gears. Off the line not so hot but it can grab a little rubber. Be careful though, pushing hard off the line does cause wheel hop. My husband did that once - and only once!
Good luck to you.

 

Spartan; as the car makers play leap frog with new models (or significant redesigns to current models) you can either buy an outgoing model, with it's older technology, to maybe save a few bucks, or go new. Since the Mazda 3 bowed the automotive press have absolutely raved about the car. I have had mine for almost 2 years and have loved every minute of it. With the "3" you are getting a very highly regarded platform that is only 2-3 years into it's run. Get one & join the party. Tondemonai!