Mazda3 Replacement

Non-repair car talk
bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by bill25 »

At this price, this could be interesting...

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing
bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by bill25 »

Wow... Looking at Lightning Lap, the MazdaSpeed3 was 1.5 seconds quicker than the Infinity G37S - 2008.

The Lexus IS F 2008 was 2 seconds faster than the MazdaSpeed3.

The Cobalt SS was a second faster than that...

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a ... ical-data/

I was hoping this would give me more ideas. Still looking at the list. I may need to just go RWD and forget AWD...
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by kevm14 »

I recommend the Cobalt SS. Thing is one hell of a sleeper and great to drive.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by kevm14 »

I might also suggest that the Lightning Lap may not be the best tool to measure daily driver enjoyment. Neither my STS nor E55 would put up very good LL numbers but they are enjoyable as daily drivers.
bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by bill25 »

Not sure about the sleeper status with that ridiculous wing on it... Maybe if it were removed. The car is on the small side though. Not sure that would really work.

I was adding Lightning Lap to see what else was out there, and to have another data point besides 0-60 and 1/4 mile because that was all we were really talking before.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by kevm14 »

Also you can see that literally every choice has a compromise. Objectively the solution would be to minimize the compromises. For example:

Ford Fusion Sport and Taurus SHO: Fairly quick, but chassis tuning is sub-par. Packaging of the Taurus is awful (fullsize car outside, midsize car inside) and it's heavy. The Fusion is not a bad FWD platform but they did not tune for performance with the Sport. It's quick and that's it. Also both are twin turbo V6s and FWD-based.

G37X: Just as quick but with a naturally aspirated V6. Better chassis. I honestly couldn't see picking either of the Fords over this unless the price was better, but it's not and it's much, much easier to find a G37X anyway.

MS3: Not quite as quick. FWD only. Hatchback. Maybe the most playful chassis though, as it's the lightest option of these. Not sure about pricing and not sure if they are getting old or if there was a 2nd gen...

Various random Lexuses: Some have AWD, some RWD. Not sure about performance, and performance per dollar is likely not very good. Most reliable choice?

Converting your car: Do I need to list the compromises with this one? The list is long, beginning with the time and money invested in a $2k economy car. Solid rear axle will ruin the chassis.

Again my gut (and some specs, plus actual reviews from the professionals) tells me the G37X is still the best daily driver pick when you factor in all the things. However, I will still suggest that you look into the MS3 and not give up on it because it's a hatch.

Going back to RWD, I guess there is still an 05-06 GTO I guess. I forgot what the other options are. I'm not sure you can just decide you don't actually need AWD after insisting on it so hard (because it turns out an Infiniti is actually the best option in this price range).
bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by bill25 »

bill25
Posts: 2583
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 2:20 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by bill25 »

I think I found the next car:

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/ctd/ ... 93866.html

What a deal!
Bob
Posts: 2440
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:36 am

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by Bob »

These are considered the holy grail of TLs, but this is older and higher mileage than a comparably priced G37.

https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/d/ ... 47794.html
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: Mazda3 Replacement

Post by kevm14 »

I think at the $10k price point the G37X is a very strong contender.

At $5k, you may be able to get into a first gen MS3.

Joliet. That's awesome (Blues Brothers).
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

Or maybe a bit more, so "$5k range." Realistically $5k range is an older/higher mileage version of the $10k cars. Or you are just ratcheting down the performance.

Here's the $10k version of the MS3. 2nd gen.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

Personally I'd do the G37X over this. But maybe you'd prefer this type of thing so here you go.

2010 test:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a1 ... road-test/

14.5 @ 98? Eh. Screw up one shift and you're going to lose to my STS...not great when you can buy more performance for the dollar. But again I think the chassis is decent.

Also this:
The above descriptor appears more than once in the Speed 3’s logbook, alluding to the heavy spring action and minute pedal movement between partial and full clutch engagement. Most drivers are able to finesse this trait with a little practice, but newcomers are likely to experience lurching launches, and almost everyone who spends time in the car comments on it.

Once the clutch is transmitting power—especially anything close to full power—to the front wheels, another undesirable trait appears: torque steer. This is a common problem in front-drive cars with lots of power and relatively low curb weight, a problem Mazda attempted to address in its 2010 update of the Mazdaspeed 3 with, among other tweaks, heavier-duty half-shafts. Nevertheless, when the driver tramps on the throttle in any of the first three gears he’ll find himself in a wrestling match with the steering wheel as the car tries to go somewhere—anywhere—other than the desired direction.
Apparently the clutch action in like 50% of the manual transmission vehicles actually sucks to drive but people just put up with it.

For $15k, I guess you're looking at newer and lower mileage versions of everything we're talking about. The question would be does it enable anything new? Not sure. Maybe the V1.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... pe=listing

I think you need to decide if AWD is a requirement or just a nice to have. Or if you don't care at all.
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