I'll probably look at the Si, dealer up the road shows 2 in stock. But in addition to the 1.5 turbo motor which has had its share of problems and requires premium, I also would prefer leather seats. The cloth ones look like they'll be hair magnets (dog).

Integra A spec w/Tech gets me leather but it's also $39,000 and essentially the same car as an Si isn't it?
I'd consider a nice low mileage used one IF there was one nearby.

My boss just bought a new M3, not sure of the trim level. He's 6'3" tall and finds it a bit much to get in and out of multiple times per day. Other than that he loves the build quality and the AWD. We're getting to that AWD season in Utah. Not sure on your height but in and out comfort is a big deal to this old man

Bytes BMW M3 or Mazda 3?
I'm 5-11 so I fit in cars with room to spare. I know what you mean as far as getting in and out given lowness of the seat but I find these compact cars OK. Not as easy as my Ridgeline but not nearly as low as something like a Miata, Corvette, etc.

We're on our 3rd M3, 2015 with MT as were the other 2. Love it. We prefer the sedan, better visibility and overall better looking IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by RogB:
We're on our 3rd M3, 2015 with MT as were the other 2. Love it. We prefer the sedan, better visibility and overall better looking IMO.

BMW M3 or Mazda 3 sedan? Regardless I don't believe either are available with a manual transmission anymore.

I have a 2024 Mazda 3 Select Sport Sedan and I'm pretty happy with it so far, other than the cruise control (both active and normal) and the placement of the cup holders as they are too far forward and cannot accommodate taller bottles. Ride quality is just fine with 18" wheels and the naturally aspirated 2.5L is enough power for what I need out of the car. I test drove both the sedan and the hatchback and preferred the sedan both for looks and rear visibility.

quote:

Originally posted by Spiff_P239:
I have a 2024 Mazda 3 Select Sport Sedan and I'm pretty happy with it so far.... I test drove both the sedan and the hatchback and preferred the sedan both for looks and rear visibility.

Good to hear. I too prefer the sedan's better visibility but unfortunately they only are available with automatic transmission.

I have this exact car ridevw. Mazda 3 2.5 Premium with manual transmission.

The window sticker on 2023 Mazda 3 shows EPA fuel estimates of 26/36. I log each fill up and the mileage and our real world MPG is running 28-30 city and 38 hwy, so it's actually beating the sticker most of the time. My last long trip in Oct I went 406.8 miles on 10.9 gal and 400.7 on 10.4 gal.

The sticker price for the car in 2023 was 30,810 including delivery/trans fee. As I said before though, it's got a lot of features for the money. The manual transmission is super easy and smooth, the clutch effort is very light. The 2.5L has 191 HP and 186 lb-ft torque which is plenty for this car.

I bought a Mazda 626 with manual trans in 1985 and a Mazda MX6 manual trans in 1989 so this is my third Mazda with a manual transmission. They all were very reliable and I eventually sold the old ones to family members. We almost bought the Mazda CX-5 in 2016 when you could still get it with a manual but went with a Mustang V6 for my son.

I recommend the Mazda 3 with the manual, it's been a very nice efficient runabout for us.

I came pretty close to picking up a prior gen 3 sedan with the 6MT & 2.0 4 cyl.
Also drove quite a few of the prior gen HB with the 2.5 & 6MT.
The 2.0 was surprisingly peppy & the MPG is amazing on it. Deal just didn't work out. But, I'd have no qualms with either, but those were both the prior gen model.

On the current gen, I prefer the looks of the sedan, but sucks that it's not available with the manual.

My favorite local used car dealer has a 2015 Mazda3 mt HB w/126k miles for $9600 ask.

https://www.isaacspreownedauto...IN-47130?mode=photos

Thank you for sharing your ownership experience Roy! Your mileage is about the same as I'm currently getting in my Corolla 6- speed 2.0 which is 30-32 normal driving and 36-38 highway.
With 22 more hp the performance of the 3 should be a bit better than my Corolla as they weigh about the same.

I think a 3 HB fits my needs/wants better than the Civic SI. The Mazda and Cicic have the same wheelbase and width, but the Mazda is 10" shorter overall and 1" taller. Compared to my Corolla HB (which size works well for me) the Mazda is 3.5" longer both overall and wheelbase.

Plus's for the Civic are independent rear suspension and dealer is close by.

Plus's for the 3 include leather/vinyl seats, larger non-turbo motor w/o fuel dilution issues of the Honda 1.5.

Minus's for both are 18" low profile tires; 215/45 series on the Mazda and 235/40 series on the Civic.

I'd give the stock 18" tires a try, they *might* be ok. A set of 16" alloy wheels with 205/60 tires (same circumference as the 215/45) will cost around $1,300-$1,500 but probably $700 after factoring selling the take-offs.

Next is the worst part that being visiting a dealer to price, both outright and trading my 2019 Corolla SE.

Thanks doublesharp, but I wouldn't want to trade a 2019 Corolla with 33,000 miles for a 4 year older Mazda with 126,000 miles.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Next is the worst part that being visiting a dealer to price, both outright and trading my 2019 Corolla SE.

A friend at work had that very same dread a week or so ago, looking to sell his mother-in-law's car. He went to the local dealer (where a friend of his works) and had it appraised. Then he contacted Carvana. Carvana offered him $2k more for it, and came to pick it up. The pickup cost him $780, but still he came out ahead of working with the dealer. Something you may want to consider.

I did look up Mazda's web site and tried to build an AWD/manual hatchback. I failed. I can't seem to get the right combination. Dangit.

There are 2 dealers in the DC area and I have family in northern VA, so next time I'm there I'll pay them a visit. My family there have sold 2 vehicles to CarMax when they offered more than the dealers they were buying the new vehicles from.
But, unlike VA, WV charges 6% tax only on the difference when you trade so CarMax, Carvana, would need to offer around $1,000 more than a dealer to be even.

Yep manual is only available in the S Premium (FWD).

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:

My family there have sold 2 vehicles to CarMax when they offered more than the dealers they were buying the new vehicles from.

Twice now, we have had a CarMax offer for the old car when we went to a dealer for a new car. Both times, the dealers tried to low-ball us. Each time, I laughed at the dealer and showed them the CarMax offer. Both times, the dealer immediately matched the CarMax offer, so we saved another 6% (sales tax) on the amount of the trade-in.

If you aren't looking for brand new, you could always try and find a used Mazdaspeed 3. Those were hatch and manual only from what I remember.

I'm basically looking new although I would consider a something like a 2023 with under 10K. But most used cars for sale anymore seem to have a lot of miles on them.

No, that would be much older. You're probably looking at a GTI as the only car that fits except for maybe the Gazoo Corolla, but I'm not sure if they're still scalping or not.

The 2025 GTI doesn’t have a manual transmission. If a sedan is ok, the. The GLI can still be had with a manual. In October, we paid just under $28k out the door for my son’s 2023 with less than 7,000 miles. I don’t like the dash on the 2025 GLI, the screen sticks up, which annoys me. Also there’s no more knobs for the AC.

There’s 972 new/used, 2023-2025, less than 15,000 miles for sale within 500 miles of my zip code. 48 of them are stick shift.

There should be 2024s around, and VW isn't promoting the 2025 on their website yet. In my neck of the woods, dealer inventory seems to be equal between DSG and Manual (10 v. 9).

Local dealer has a 2024 GTI manual that lists at $40,000 for $36,000. But it has 19" wheels with "performance tires". It's just too hot hatch / track car for me. I want a more livable car with tallish gearing that's fairly quiet, with a decent ride on poor roads.
They also show a 2025 Jetta GLI manual Autobahn for $35K with 18" wheels. Maybe I should look at that one but my gut feeling has been to avoid German cars. My friend had an Audi with the same 2.0 turbo engine that started using oil, I think around 60,000 miles. Fortunately he had purchased the expensive extended warranty and Audi covered new rings, pistons, connecting rods, gaskets, and the labor. But still worn rings at 60K?