oooh... I'm getting excited over the Mazda 3

The thing is... I COULD get a 2.2L Impreza TS or Impreza L (Brighton, in Canada) for a lot cheaper than a base Mazda 3

or a used 2.5RS for the same price as a base Mazda 3.

 

The five door is cute and price is decent

 

Longish post here but here goes

I really like the Mazda 3 but there are two things about it that don't really sit well with me.
First, the dash is weird. Not as bad as the 6, but it looks like you'd need to do some custom work to put an aftermarket headunit in there. The 6 is near impossible to do it in without heavy modification.
Second, AWD versus FWD. Say what you will but after driving AWD I can say there are instances in which I've done things in my car that would get an FWD car nice and stuck.
The only other thing is that the Mazda dealrs near me are kind of sketchy. My friend bought a Protege5 (after totalling his Elantra. talk about a step up ) and the salesman at this one dealership was kind of an ***. My friend just went into hardass mode and was able to get a really good deal (14250 since they were trying to clear them out for the 3). He loves the car but said that had he not have needed a car immediately he would have probably not purchased the car from that dealer.
Another experience at a different local Mazda dealer was similar. Myself and two friends from work went to test drive a Mazda 6 S (which both of them were interested in). The salesman gave us a test drive and all but then immediately went in on the whole "i can give it to you for this price today only" to which i replied "well gee, we didn't exactly come on OUR LUNCH HOUR TO BUY THE CAR". Plus he had a sign in at his desk that said "Remember the car you drive today and decide to think about might be the car someone test drives tomorrow and buys" or some garbage like that.
My friend did end up buying a 6 at another dealership and had a good experience so perhaps it's just those two that were sketchy, but low and behold those are the closest dealers to me(she ended up driving an hour away because she found a place that gave her a great price).
As for Mazda itself, I like there cars(with the excpetion of the dash issue). I've been in my friend's 6 a few times and it's really a well built car that has a great interior(her's is leather which is very very nice). Her's doesn't have the rust issue and it seems like a great car for the money (I think she paid under 23k).
My brother had an old 1993 MX-3 that he beat the hell out of and it still drove pretty well up until the end when things just started going wrong (and the engine started to sound like a helicopter). It was fun to drive and seemed pretty well built(and had a decent interior too believe it or not). I really would like to see Mazda climb in the ranks and hopefully that'll happen. Mazda is a great alternative(like Subaru) to the Toyotas and Hondas. My friend wanted a midsize sedan with a V6 (which ruled out the Legacy) but was not crazy about the look of the Accord or Camry(too boring). I reccomended she look into the 6 and low and behold that's what she got. So far she has loved it. The other thing I like about Mazdas is that I don't see too many of them(just like i don't see many Imprezas near me) so they definiately stand out from the crowd.

 

From what I've heard, the Mazda 3 is made in Japan (some of the parts are taken from other places).

so far, there have been a few of the odd rattles and this and that, but I guess nothing to bad for 20k car.

 

Yep, the 3 is made in Japan unlike the 6 which is made in Flat Rock, MI (which explains why the rust problems have only been happening to USDM Mazda6's and not Euro or Japanese 6's).
My buddy's Protege5 was also made in Japan and it's solidly built. A rattle or two here and there (much like my Impreza, hey no car is perfect) but nothing too noticeable or major.
The one other design aspect of the 3 I don't care for is the Acura style gauges, meaning that when at 0, the speedometer points straight down. It's a bit odd and I've never liked that about the RSX (it freaked me out when i test drove it). That and that the speedometer is numbered in 20mph increments instead of 10mph increments, but I'll be the first to admit that's just being extremely nitpicky

 

I'm really interested in the performance aspect of it, in terms of how it compares to the 2.5RS and the Impreza TS (or L in the USA). Obviously, it'd be blown out of the water in snow and against the WRX... but... hmm...

 

I also wonder how the 3 compares performance-wise to the 2.5RS. I would have to imagine though that it puts much more power to the wheels than the RS though, which gives it the advantage.

AWD does suck a lot of power through the drivetrain, correct? I remember seeing dynos of nearly stock 2000 RS's putting like 94 and 98 hp to the wheels.

I haven't seen any dynos of a 3, but I have seen integra GS-R dynos on nearly stock cars putting between 135-145 hp to the wheels, which is a lot considering it only has 4 more HP than an RS.

Anyone have any insight into this for me? I'm not sure, I'm just speculating.