I got a new car!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

My old jalopy, a 1993 base-model Nissan Sentra, finally gave up the ghost. After 225,353 miles, I was driving up the Sand Mountain escarpment from my home, and the fifth gear stripped completely out. Having already replaced the front and rear main seals at a large expense fairly recently, I had to make a decision whether to sink the repair money into a car as far along Entropy Road as my poor old car.

I had been reseaching cars for some time, knowing that this day would come soon, so with a great deal of regret, I made the last drive (in 4th gear) to my nearest Mazda dealership and picked up a brand new 2004 Mazda 3 5-door.

I hate the idea of a payment, but so far, I gotta say I love this car. Plenty of power, smooth ride, stiff as hell in turns. 4-wheel disc brakes are standard, as are fog lights (no trivial feature here…most mornings, it’s like driving inside a ping-pong ball.) I didn’t get leather. As far as I’m concerned, leather is just something else to take care of. I did, however, get a 6-disc in-dash CD changer and a moon roof.

It feels so strange not to have to downshift and turn off the AC when I’m going up a steep hill now. :slight_smile:

2

That’s great, Kid!

Don’t get cocky…

3

From one happy Mazda owner to another, congrats! I really like the looks of that vehicle. What color did you get? I love my Mazdas (2002 Mazda MX-5 Miata Convertable and 1988 B2000 pick-up). The pick-up has close to 160,000 miles on it, and it still runs great. Both are fun to drive, but, yeah, the Miata is my favorite. :cool:

4

Um, perhaps you misunderstood. I didn’t shoot down a Tie Fighter…I just got a new car.

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Sorry. :slight_smile: That last post was for NoClueBoy.

I’m pretty excited about this new car. I’d heard that Mazda was changing their entire lineup to appeal to the “practical enthusiast” demographic - people who like performance and like to feel connected to the road, but who don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for the privilege.

I tested the Mazda 6 and the RX-8 as well (the latter just for grins.) Both cars impressed the hell out of me. The 6 turns out just 18 less HP than the RX-8, and feels like a speed demon in its own right. Handles like a sports car too, to be honest. It was a serious contender for my business. Loved it. Sharp looks, lots of standard features, and a very competitive price.

The RX-8 was a monster, of course. I was drooling over it. What a lovely vehicle, and what performance. For a car of its caliber, it’s pretty dirt cheap too. Base model starts at $26,000. Not bad at all.

I had nearly convinced myself to go with the 6, and then drove the 3. I got the higher-end engine, and while the performance isn’t blistering, it’s certainly a step or three above merely “peppy.” It feels extremely controlled even through tight turns, and has virtually no body lean. The clutch has a surprisingly short arc, and the shifter feels tight and precise. Very nice. Plus, I’d save a bunch of money, and who doesn’t like that?

Thanks, Lady Kate! The vehicle I linked to is pretty much precisely what I got. They offer it in either a 4-door sedan or a 5-door hatchback. I went with the hatchback, and the Sunlight Silver paint.

It has biiiig shoes to fill, though. I loved my old Sentra to distraction. I put all but 200 of the 225,000 on that car, and for 11 years, it cranked up the first time every single morning. Didn’t matter if it was 0 degrees or 95. First time every time. It carried me all over the country. I was very close to getting another one, but the Mazda felt better on the test-drive.