dirk

i guess this car is really new so no one's talking about it yet. i did a search for cars on edmunds that were comparable to the tsx and saw the mazda 3 but forgot to reasearch it and didn't think anything of it... today a friend of mine sends me a link from an is300 messageboard where they're talking about it.. so i did some research it's very close in size and styling to the tsx and when comparibly equipped it's about $7,000 less, unlike the 6, it has options for xenon headlights, as well as a navigation system. aside from a few perks that the tsx has that are unavailable for the 3, and having a considerably less amount of horsepower, it's not too bad on a paper comparison, i'm going to teh dealer tonight to check it out in person and maybe get my test drive on. if anyone has already test driven it, owns, or knows someone that owns it, or has heard anything about it. let me know. thanks

dom

I think the interior is horrid and the front grill looks like ass, but its nice looking overall. Hav'nt driven one yet so I can't give a valid opinion but I would definently shop one against a Civic, Corolla etc, not a TSX. I think they're a tad expensive especially considering A/C is an option.

I'd go for the Sport. more pratical.

zircon

It's a really nice looking car, expecially the sedan. The hatch is also cool, but a bit to boy racer for me. Price wise, it is going to kill the Civic SI-R or whatever the poor-selling British made hatchback is called.

The guage colours is also a bit too garish for me, but to each his own. BTW, the TSX has more interior room than a 325i and a CTS. Cars.com had the latter cars as 'best of' compacts, whereas TSX was in best of midsize category.

2004_Acura_TSX

I saw quite a few Mazda 3s on the streets when I was in Toronto and I don't really like the way they look in the back. The interior isn't that great either.

The Corolla still looks the best out of the compact cars.

dirk

thanks for the feedback guys i agree the back and the interior are jacked up. i was well on my way to tsx country when i reached a major bump in the road so now i'm back to looking for something cheaper (hence the comparison to the tsx).. ah well, i'll go check it out tonight and see what i think in person. you guys really like the corrolla? i think it's kinda ugly, but that's just my opinion, why do you all like it so much?

tsxer.ca

beautiful looking car.. but price for repair, parts > high$$$$ , resale value are> low$

dirk

hey, i juyst got back from visiting 2 dealers (basically just to see what colors and options were on the lot) i have to say the car looks a lot nicer in person than i expected (pics just don't do certain cars justice, i feel the same way about the tsx too.. i guess you just can't get a sense for all the sweet-ass lines unless it's in person) anyway, it looks real nice in all the colors i've seen it in (gray, black, silver, dark blue, light blue) i'm going to have to agree that the interior is a little cramped and the color combos they offer leave something to be desired, but for the price it's a really great deal, i can see it giving the civic and the rsx a run for the money. Hopefully I'll get a chance to test drive one within the next couple days, so if any of you are intersted I'll report back.

YBA

It's a ford! Also, the price of service and parts costs a fortune. The car may look good on paper but I would consider twice before buying it. On the other hand, if you're looking to lease, it may be a good choice...

One more thing, if the 3 is like the protege (which I own), the car feels tight for the first 2-3 years. After that, the car loosens up like an american car.

One more thing, mazda tends to depreciate quite quickly after 4 years...

Best of luck.

zircon

corolla is nice, big etc but really conservative.

BlackTSX

I saw a black one, not the sedan i guess the sportwagon, it was awesome i really liked the way it looked. havent seen it in other colors except red which wasnt as nice as the black. Not sure about anything else, such as inside or anything, but from the outside it was phat.

ecsw

I would have bought it if I haven't got my TSX. Not that it's any better than my TSX, but just would save some money but yet have a fun to drive car. TSX is a lot of fun, but you pay the price. :P

sauceman

The Corolla is fugly, IMO:thumbsdn:
The new 3, well, so far it looks real nice to me.

speedzer

i just visted edmunds and the interior is gorgous. 10x better than the civic IMHO. the hatch blows the si out of the water. in fact, it blows the whole civic lineup. the cheapest 3 has 148hp and 135ft-lbs torque. the corolla and civic can't even touch that.
then there are the cons. not many people know about the 3, reliability is unknown, gas mileage is not the best in class(in return u get more ponies), and when u go all out, it reaches $23,000. alittle too much for an economy car that competes with civics and corollas.

dirk

true... but 'all out' consists of: 17" rims, sporty tires, 6 disc in-dash changer, leather seats, xenon headlights, fog lights, abs, dual front air bags and side curtains, tire pressure monitoring system, moonroof, navigation, 2.3L engine, side skirts, front and rear bottom spoilers, power everything, ashtray/lighter, cfc free ac, steering wheel stereo controls and cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, remote entry/trunk/gascap, immobilizer theft deterrent system.

not to mention it's a sedan, it's roomy, and it looks good as fuck from the outside, like i said previously i saw it in a bunch of different colors and it looked gorgeous in all of them (i can't say the same for the majority of other cars i've seen on the road)

i appreciate all the positive and negative feedback, and anything you guys have offered, understand i'm not trying to stir up any kind of "buy this car it's better than the tsx" crap... I still love the tsx and if i was in a better position financially i would've gotten one MONTHS ago (rattles and all) it's just nice to see what else is out there anbd get some opinions. I hope to go abck and test drive tonight, so I'll let you guys know how it feels.. but for the price, the style, and the options, it's really in a class of it's own, especially compared to the styling of the new corolla and civic which IMHO are pretty busted.

thanks for listening
- dirk

Whatchamacallit

I too have been impressed with Mazda recently.

It's true that Mazda is not up to Hondas and Toyota just yet but they are headed in the right direction (M6, M3, RX-8, plus various Canadian and European awards).

I see drastic improvements in all facets of operations. Fairly recently, I purchased a Mazda and have been very happy with the car, customer service, dealership, and maintenance service. (I can't tell you many phone calls, letters, post cards from MazdaUSA and the dealership I received thanking me for my business).

Acura/Honda really needs to improve on this. All I got for my TSX purchase was a single phone call from Acura asking about the dealership.

Mazda today isn't what Mazda used to be. Mazda3 is definitely worth a look if you are in the market for Civics and Corollas.

I love my TSX but Acura/Honda needs to take a PR lesson from Mazda if they want to stay ahead.

sauceman

Wow, with the xenons, it looks like it's better equipped than the 6. Either one of those 2 is gonna get killed by the other, and I suspect it's gonna be the 6.

dirk

i don't know.. i see them both appealing to different kinds of people.. the 6 is a midsize and has a lot more power, the 3 is a compact with some fancy-shmancy options. it will be interesting to see what the sales figures look like come next year though.

beldredge_RENAMED

I was just looking at the 3's on the lot this past Sunday. I think it's a great looking car, especially the sedan. The tail-end has RX-8 hints to it. For a small car, that 160 (or is it 170?) hp should be pretty good. And, unlike some others, I actually think they did a great job with the interior.

It seems to me that there are those (like myself) who bought the TSX over choices such as a BMW 325, Audi A4 or Infiniti G35, in which case the TSX was a relative bargain. On the other hand, there are some, generally younger, folks who are stretching to buy the TSX. After seeing the Mazda3, I was thinking it would be a great alternative for those looking to save $7-$10k.

And, while reliability may be a concern since its a first year car, Mazdas have a 4yr/50k mile warranty.

So, if you drive it and like it, I'd go for it. Get the titanium gray!

Junkster

I just also heard that the 3 will have a Mazdaspeed model that will boast 200 hp.

I'm impressed at how far Mazda has come along in the last few years. With the demise of the brand due to poor business strategies, it went belly-up in the mid to late 90's, even with such great products like the miata and millenia (oh and the RX-7). But now it seems like they have some of their key cars in order. The 6 receives praises, the rx-8 should be an alright car and the 3 seems like it will probably live up to it's protoge heritage. Hopefully, with new models, as well as a good miata replacement, Mazda should be a decent choice for many.

Junkster, who sees that we have another Colorado person.