Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler New Car Hunting

The lime green Vega?

Not really, but, I was chauffered in one once.

Went out test driving today. Only had a chance to test 3, the Pontiac Vibe, the Mazda Protege 5, and the new Mazda 3. Some fun. Aside from with the odd ignorant salesperson, most people were pretty good and allowed us to drive and feel them out without constantly trying to close. So... the clear loser was the Vibe. The engine was a bit rough and noisy, and it was pretty gutless. All sound, no fury. What it had going for it was room. Very well designed cargo area with protective hard plastic covering any surface likely to be scuffed up. The driving position wasn't bad, and the dash was logically laid out, but the side bolsters on the front seats were too narrow. I'm not a big guy, but I was pinched in the seat. Back seat room was quite good, and there was enough glass there to keep the kids from getting too claustrophobic. Had a 115 volt outlet in the dash for laptops, coolers, whatever. Not a big deal. No ABS brakes in the model I looked at, and steel wheels with covers. Not much in the way of standard features. Air, CD, tilt wheel, were about it.
My wife liked the look of it, but anything compared to our current vehicle looks great.
Next up was the 2003 Protege 5. Fun car. Nowhere near the same space as the Vibe, but much more of a driver's vehicle. Great seat, and full load minus sun roof, which I hate anyway, and leather which I also don't like in cars. Mags, PW, PL PM, Air, tilt, and cruise are all there. I was just looking at cars so I don't know how much movement there is on price with the Vibe, but the Protege 5 would probably end up being a few dollars cheaper despite all the additional equipment. So, what did I like... The handling was first rate, and the initial jump of the line was a lot of fun. The transmission can be up or downshifted, and all the controls were right to hand. You sit low and the suspension is quite stiff though, which could be a real problem with the kids.
The Mazda 3 is similar, but a more refined car. A little more room , a higher driving position, and a bit softer overall. My wife liked the styling a lot. Although the engine is up to a 2.3 from 2 liters, and there is about 20 more horsepower, it isn't as torquey low down as the 2003. It doesn't leave the line as quickly, although it catches up quite fast as the revs build. Very nice engine, good note, and very smooth. I think it sticks as well, but it has less of the boy racer feel of the Protege 5. The 2003 seemed to turn in a little quicker. The Mazda 3 is more refined and relaxed. Neither of the Mazdas have anywhere near the cargo room, but they kill the Vibe on value. They took off the power mirrors on the base model Mazda though. You have to go up $1200 to get them along with better sound, bigger mags, anti-theft alarm, cruise, a small spoiler, and a couple of other doodads like a leather covered shift knob.
The salesman said that despite the bigger engine and more power, fuel economy is better, but who knows?
Anyway, it was fun, and even my wife who cares more about colour than any other attribute, had a little fun by the end of the day.
Tomorrow we try the Ford Focus, and possibly the Suzuki Aerio, No point checking out the Toyota Matrix after the poor showing of the Vibe. The adventure continues. Just like buying speakers, except the price point is magnified 10 or 20 times.

we have the v6 which has not had coil problems,and at 40+k the windows stii work fine. i love the tiptronic transmission so much i've just started getting quotes on getting the 75 2002 back in shape. it's been sitting in the warehouse for the last 12 years. both the wife and i miss a stick shift. while it was considered somewhat fast in it's day, no so now. held off in the past as neither of us have had speeding tickets for a while.
dan

Thanks for sharing your adventure, Tinfoil.

Well Sunday has come and gone, and we learned a great deal. We didn't have a chance to drive the Suzuki because the dealer was closed, but we were able to thoroughly test out the Ford Focus lineup. Our salesman's command of English was somewhat limited, which was fine as we were trying to investigate the vehicle not the pitch. Every dealer we visited cited a different magazine touting their vehicle as best in class. Anyway...I discovered a great deal about the Focus. The wagon has a wonderful amount of space, and even the base engine has enough grunt for 95% of the situations you may encounter. The 4 door hatchback with the upgraded engine and improved suspension moves out with gusto and feels planted on the road. The engine has a nice tone, and the steering is very precise. If you closed your eyes you would not guess that this is an econobox. The problem is that you can't drive with your eyes closed for long. The A pillar interferes with your vision turning left or right, and everything inside the car screams “Cheap”. Before you fold down the back seats, you have to flip up the seat cushions, and you stare at bare painted metal. The light switch is on the left side of the dash instead of on a stalk where you can access it immediately. The interior smells like cheap plastic, and nothing appears to have been designed with any concession to style. It is functional, but mundane. There are no interesting touches anywhere. I would not have thought that I would have strong feelings about such things in a car, but obviously I do. Despite that, I could live with the Focus if it cost less than the competition, but there is no price advantage. By the time you add in most of the features that the comparable Mazda offers as standard, the Focus is as much or more money, and nothing in the Mazda gives the impression of economy. In terms of perceived quality and value, the Mazda kicks the Ford’s butt. The Ford is quick, the Mazda is quicker. The Ford corners flat, the Mazda will beat it. The Ford interior is austere and uninteresting; the Mazda is welcoming and has nice touches everywhere you look. At this point my only question is: if the Ford, Toyota, and Pontiac are fairly priced, how can Mazda sell their car for the money they do?
The adventure continues.

Thanks for the input. It's very good reading!

You likely already know this, but please make sure you know how good the service is at your local dealership. My own local Toyota/Mazda dealer is a joke. Every time I take it there they rip me off, royally. They have terrible customer service. They're a total headache. I'm mentioning this in case you decide to get an extended "service contract" (read: not warrenty) on the vehicle. I've had a terrible time with it.

I'm a huge Mazda fan, started with an MX6 (1989) now I have another MX6 (1996, newer version). I've been keeping an eye open for which vehicle would best suit me.

no interest in the Honda Element?

I thought about it, but since the car is going to be used primarily for commuting, I was looking for something that you can be comfortable in for long, slow, boring, oh God WHY AREN'T WE MOVING trips. The price really does put it out of range, but I did run it past my wife the other day. She thought it was very ugly. I don't mind it, I like things with a purposeful look, but the price is the dealbreaker.

yeah, the look is a tough one. I like the new mazdas though.