New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
#11
03-10-2008, 06:01 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
ORIGINAL: icspots
If you're driving in snowy conditions a good set of snow tires and careful driving will be far more usefull than traction control. I'm not saying that TC isn't good, but it won't help if the tires can't get traction anyway. I would highly discourage buying a 3 without side airbags, nuff said.
Like virgin I'm also not a big fan of leather, though I wish I had heated seats.... one of these days I'll add them to my cloth seats. I wouldn't make the deal based on the leather or the bose.... even with it being a sp23. I mean they're rare, but you can get basically all of the options and more on a newer grand touring (except for the optional saddle brown leather and the carbon gray interior). You'd just have the novelty of the limited edition car.
Depding on which method you went with you'd probably be done with opening the dash, plugging in the aux unit, and running the cable in about 20 minutes. It's super easy.
ORIGINAL: GM991
thanks for the info.
I live here in the northeast and traction control would be kind of needed...
Side air bags??...Well I do have two little girls that ride in the back....
So you think the bose and the leather plus it being a sp23 I should go for the 2005.
So how hard is it to do the aux jack mod?
thanks
thanks for the info.
I live here in the northeast and traction control would be kind of needed...
Side air bags??...Well I do have two little girls that ride in the back....
So you think the bose and the leather plus it being a sp23 I should go for the 2005.
So how hard is it to do the aux jack mod?
thanks
Like virgin I'm also not a big fan of leather, though I wish I had heated seats.... one of these days I'll add them to my cloth seats. I wouldn't make the deal based on the leather or the bose.... even with it being a sp23. I mean they're rare, but you can get basically all of the options and more on a newer grand touring (except for the optional saddle brown leather and the carbon gray interior). You'd just have the novelty of the limited edition car.
Depding on which method you went with you'd probably be done with opening the dash, plugging in the aux unit, and running the cable in about 20 minutes. It's super easy.
No worries in the winter I will be running blizzaks.
With those and traction control the 07 would be a tank in the snow...
thanks
#12
03-10-2008, 06:12 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
If it (the'05)is an SP23 it will also have BROWN leather, not black, and the standard 5-spoke 17" alloys of the day but in a brighter, almost chrome-likefinish.
And I agree that 23K doesn't indicate that it was driven hard, just a lot. Probably a lot of long distance highway driving.
Have you considered getting a CarFax sheet on these two cars?
#13
03-10-2008, 07:18 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
ORIGINAL: virgin1
If it (the'05)is an SP23 it will also have BROWN leather, not black, and the standard 5-spoke 17" alloys of the day but in a brighter, almost chrome-likefinish.
And I agree that 23K doesn't indicate that it was driven hard, just a lot. Probably a lot of long distance highway driving.
Have you considered getting a CarFax sheet on these two cars?
If it (the'05)is an SP23 it will also have BROWN leather, not black, and the standard 5-spoke 17" alloys of the day but in a brighter, almost chrome-likefinish.
And I agree that 23K doesn't indicate that it was driven hard, just a lot. Probably a lot of long distance highway driving.
Have you considered getting a CarFax sheet on these two cars?
I don't think the other one is a SP23 now that you mention the brown leather
seats they are black so it must be a "S" with the leather seats options.
Just looks more and more like I found a good deal on an 07, maybe they are having a hard time selling it because it's not a popular color????
#14
03-10-2008, 08:01 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
Hey, for what it's worth to you, several of us here have that color (one sedan, one HB that I know of) and at least a few others (in the regulars crowd, including me) think it's hot!! If it were available back in '04 when I bought mine, and I didn't live in the sweltering heat of the Texas summer, I might have considered it then!!
You don't say which body typeyou are considering though?I KNOW you want a HB'cause they're better......
#15
03-10-2008, 08:14 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
ORIGINAL: virgin1
Hey, for what it's worth to you, several of us here have that color (one sedan, one HB that I know of) and at least a few others (in the regulars crowd, including me) think it's hot!! If it were available back in '04 when I bought mine, and I didn't live in the sweltering heat of the Texas summer, I might have considered it then!!
You don't say which body typeyou are considering though?I KNOW you want a HB'cause they're better......
Hey, for what it's worth to you, several of us here have that color (one sedan, one HB that I know of) and at least a few others (in the regulars crowd, including me) think it's hot!! If it were available back in '04 when I bought mine, and I didn't live in the sweltering heat of the Texas summer, I might have considered it then!!
You don't say which body typeyou are considering though?I KNOW you want a HB'cause they're better......
HB all the way!!...
I have the dealer down to $15,500 forthe 2007 S touring Automatic,23k miles.
what do you guys think good deal??
Should I pull the trigger? It seems to be a very good deal from what I can find on KBB and Edmunds.com
I'am starting to wonder if they are having a hard time selling it because of the color??
The more I look at it the better I like it!!...
#17
03-10-2008, 09:20 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
I have the 4 speed auto, it is tiptronic (has a manual shift gate). It gets the job done, admittedly not as driveable as the 5 speed, if you are going to be really into performance, you'd probably be better served by the 5 speed.
One thing about Mazda's heated seats is that they are either on or off (there is no adjustable thermostat, as there isin manycars with heated seatsthese days), many drivers feel this is a negative. I agree with Virgin's comments about leather feeling cold when its cold, and hot when its hot.
I test drove the 07 model, after drivingan 06, the handling of the 07 was noticeably better IMO - they did tweak the suspension for 07. And I bought the 07, which tells you what I thought.
I don't like the color black.Every little spec of road dust shows. My 2 cents.
Both the cars you are looking at have the 2.3, they'll burn more gas than an M3 with a 2.0.
One thing about Mazda's heated seats is that they are either on or off (there is no adjustable thermostat, as there isin manycars with heated seatsthese days), many drivers feel this is a negative. I agree with Virgin's comments about leather feeling cold when its cold, and hot when its hot.
I test drove the 07 model, after drivingan 06, the handling of the 07 was noticeably better IMO - they did tweak the suspension for 07. And I bought the 07, which tells you what I thought.
I don't like the color black.Every little spec of road dust shows. My 2 cents.
Both the cars you are looking at have the 2.3, they'll burn more gas than an M3 with a 2.0.
#18
03-10-2008, 09:42 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
Just a note on all those features. I'm not positive that this '07 has all of the features..... I'm pretty sure traction control and ABS became standard on all 3s models in '07, but not positive. Same with side airbags.
sp23's came with a choice of either black leather or saddle brown leather, not just the brown. The wheels are indeed a "high gloss" paint, but they're far from a chrome finish. Imagine the stock wheels only with a much deeper more reflective paint..... they're sexy. Again, if you're looking at a US 2005 Mz3 with the Bose stereo then it is a sp23 and is carbon gray. It will also have a "sp23" logo on the side in silver and red. If it's a 5-door then it will have LED tail lights.
Aside from the uniqueness of the sp23, HID headlights and the possibility of using a flip key on '06 and older models I would probably aim towards the '07. Oh yeah, you can also unlock the driver info. system (fancy trip computer) on the '07 3. Also like urbanman said the heated seats are either on/off.... you'd probably be happier with buying some aftermarket heaters and installing them yourself.
If it (the'05)is an SP23 it will also have BROWN leather, not black, and the standard 5-spoke 17" alloys of the day but in a brighter, almost chrome-likefinish.
sp23's came with a choice of either black leather or saddle brown leather, not just the brown. The wheels are indeed a "high gloss" paint, but they're far from a chrome finish. Imagine the stock wheels only with a much deeper more reflective paint..... they're sexy. Again, if you're looking at a US 2005 Mz3 with the Bose stereo then it is a sp23 and is carbon gray. It will also have a "sp23" logo on the side in silver and red. If it's a 5-door then it will have LED tail lights.
Aside from the uniqueness of the sp23, HID headlights and the possibility of using a flip key on '06 and older models I would probably aim towards the '07. Oh yeah, you can also unlock the driver info. system (fancy trip computer) on the '07 3. Also like urbanman said the heated seats are either on/off.... you'd probably be happier with buying some aftermarket heaters and installing them yourself.
#19
03-10-2008, 11:26 PM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
most likely seeing as its an 07 someone leased it or something and basically drove highway alot. i do that and yea i rack up the KM's myself. go for the 07 better deal. and 1500 more hell man think about the resale value compared from an 05 to 07. thats 2 years difference. plus leather does suck. unlike cloth it is cold in mornings. and reeeeeeeeeal hot in the summer as everyone said. cloth it doesnt matter its nice anyday of the week. go for the 07. plus the phantom purple isnt bad at all. in fact a guy here has one.
#20
03-11-2008, 07:29 AM
RE: New here and need advice on which to buy please Help
ORIGINAL: jaimie08mazda3
most likely seeing as its an 07 someone leased it or something and basically drove highway alot. i do that and yea i rack up the KM's myself. go for the 07 better deal. and 1500 more hell man think about the resale value compared from an 05 to 07. thats 2 years difference. plus leather does suck. unlike cloth it is cold in mornings. and reeeeeeeeeal hot in the summer as everyone said. cloth it doesnt matter its nice anyday of the week. go for the 07. plus the phantom purple isnt bad at all. in fact a guy here has one.
most likely seeing as its an 07 someone leased it or something and basically drove highway alot. i do that and yea i rack up the KM's myself. go for the 07 better deal. and 1500 more hell man think about the resale value compared from an 05 to 07. thats 2 years difference. plus leather does suck. unlike cloth it is cold in mornings. and reeeeeeeeeal hot in the summer as everyone said. cloth it doesnt matter its nice anyday of the week. go for the 07. plus the phantom purple isnt bad at all. in fact a guy here has one.
yes that's what I was told its off lease.
You are soooo right on the resale value 2 years is big!!
So you can get after market seat heaters for cloth seats??
What does that kit run? Have any of you guys installed it?
I def want to have them install the remote starter.
What should I pay for that from the dealer?
thanks