Hello all. I just joined the ranks of the Mazda Owners. I was on my 10th year with my Cavalier, but it was recently hit from behind so had a crunched trunk, had the exhaust replaced for the 2nd time (3 days before the trunk accident), was on it's second gas tank, and was in need of new gas lines. The 96 Sunfire that was the backup needed a gas tank, brakes, and A/C work, so I decided to try and unload them and somone above must be favoring me because I somehow got financing

I went to the dealership with a 15K limit in mind, and before even driving the first used car they brought for me, I saw this sporty Shimmering Sand 3i Touring that just screamed BUY ME. Needless to say, the 15K limit was not adhered to.

I totally love this car - but I have a few questions:

1) The CARPET in the car is not attached to the floor like it was in my Cavalier or Sunfire, or any other car that I've been in in fact... it's really spongy - as though the factory put the carpet mold down in the car and tacked it around the edges and didn't use any adhesive underneath. Is this something specific to my 3, or is this the standard?

2) The alignment pulls to the right on it... not horribly, but it is noticable after about 3 or 4 seconds after letting go of the wheel. Is this normal with these cars, or should I have it addressed?

3) The one thing that reallly causes distress to me - because when you buy a new car, you want it to be perfect - is an apparent factory defect. This may sound really petty because of where the issue lies... has anyone looked into their glove compartment (you need to get right down there and look dead straight into it - and found that where it merges into the smaller rear area, the mold of the dash was somehow damaged and the plastic did not form properly? The dealership has not gotten back to me on it yet. Picture included.

4) Is there an easy and good looking aftermarket kit that will allow me to connect an MP3 player to the system, without using a wireless solution? I hear the wireless are no good.

Thanks!

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to address things by their number:

1. I'll have to check my car...my carpet seems durable, never have had any problems with it making me wonder how it's attached to the car.

2. The pulling to the right could just be the crowning of the roads where you live. As you probably know, you need to have roads that are high in the middle and taper off to the sides so there can be some kind of drainage to prevent puddling. If the pulling really bad I'd get it looked at, use your judgement...but it is kind of normal if you let go of the wheel on a properly paved road, that your car will gradually move to the right.

3. Yeah that looks like a defect. If you can't get your dealership to budge, try another one, and if that fails contact Mazda to complain. If you're spending over 15k on a brand new car it should not have any defects.

4. I think if you search these forums a little bit (no need to go really far back) you will find the answer to this question...There has been much discussion on it in the recent past. I'd link you to it but I'm tired and I need to go to sleep = )

Enjoy the Mazda buddy-

Mike