No more repair bill headaches... I was finally pushed over the edge by my car these last couple weeks. I was dumping too much money into it for repairs and could not see an end to the madness. Over the last 4 months, I have been looking for new cars to replace it. I have been seeing what was out there, how much I could spend and what options I was looking for.... but I wasn't really seriously looking until a couple weeks ago. I looked very closely at some newer and brand new Subarus. I started to shy away from the Subies due to the prices and was looking at the Mazda 3s. I decided that I could live without the AWD due to the fact that up until the Outback, I had always driven FWD cars and most of the time, without snow tires in the winter. So... I ended up stumbling across this beauty last week at Morrie's Mazda: It's a 2011 Mazda 3 S Grand Touring (color is pearl). One previous owner, 12k miles. It has the same 6MT as the Speed3 but sits around 170hp stock. I would have like the Speed but it was too much $$$. The GT is still a very zippy car. The nice thing is that it is loaded (full leather, Bose sound system, keyless ignition, etc.) and I got an amazing deal on it. The original owner special ordered it and took excellent care of it when she owned it. Apparently she wanted something more luxurious so she opted for a Lexus of some sort upon trading it in. Don't get me wrong, I still really like the Subarus and will probably have another one sometime down the road but for now, this is my new ride and I am enjoying it. The car will be receiving tint and possibly some blacked out wheels. Thanks for all of you that helped me with maintenance tips and suggestions when I was dealing with my Outback. I was really impressed with your willingness to help and the amount of knowledge you shared! I'll still be lurking around the forums from time to time and I am hoping that there is a WRX somewhere in my future. Thanks again!
Yeah it does look a bit like the WRX hatch. I would have liked one of those but they were out of my price range and I am not sure I would have been able to afford the insurance too! HA!
Mice looking Mazda! If you don't mind sharing...what did you end up paying for it? My friend is looking to get one. He is looking for a dark grey one in the same model line. Also...MPG?
Well, it is slightly used (12k miles). Sticker price was a little over $19,000. The woman paid somewhere around $29000 with all the options/accessories she chose... and after tax/title/license. I would never have paid that much for the car. I was glad I was in the right place at the right time. The car was only on the lot for a day and wasn't even really in their system yet! It was known as "Aaron's Mom's Car". LOL SO far I have been averaging 27-28mpg... mix of highway and city driving on my way to work. I am guessing I will be in the low 30s on longer road trips if I am locked in around 70mph. Although the suggested MPG tops out around 29avg highway. Either way, it is much better than what my Outback was pulling!
For sure! I think that my buddy is looking at a 2012. Something about a new motor design and around 40 mpg's, plus the warranty factor. I warned him about new motor designs and how sometimes it can be a bad idea to buy something with that sort of situation until the bugs are worked out a few years after the "new motor design". He's pretty set on a 2012 Mazda 3 tho. Hope all goes well with your new purchase and you no longer have to deal with a "money pit" type of situation. You'll have another Subie eventually!
