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Mazda 3 vs Mazda 6 Sport?

B

BigToque

Lifer
I'm looking into getting a new car. It will be my first new car.

I saw the new Mazda 3 on the road the other day and I think it looks pretty damn good. The Mazda 6 Sport also looks like a great car.

These cars have very different price points though.

I'm leaning more towards the 3.

What are your thoughts?
 
I'd only get a 6 if I could get a V6 version for a good price.

That being said, I came from a '95 Camry, so I wanted a smaller vehicle -- so I went with an '06 Mazda 3s Grand Touring Hatch. Little less rear legroom than in my old Camry, but tons of cargo capacity behind the seats plus I can fold them down if need be.

I don't think you can go wrong with either, but be aware that the paint on Mazdas sucks big time. Be prepared for chips.
 
Is there really much price difference? When I looked at the 6 a year ago (ended up buying an '04), I wanted a pretty barebones model. The entry level 6 was only a few hundred bucks than the 3's on the lot.
 
I've been lucky... while the paint does suck, not too many bad chips, or much in general.

But yeah.. I like the 6 hatch actually.. looks very sporty. But i'd only get if you're opting for the V6... it's a bigger car. I came from the good ol 95 camry too (and would still be there if it wasn't rear ended last year) and wanted the smaller car... 05 love here. heh

 
Originally posted by: SearchMaster
Is there really much price difference? When I looked at the 6 a year ago (ended up buying an '04), I wanted a pretty barebones model. The entry level 6 was only a few hundred bucks than the 3's on the lot.
Click to expand...

I didn't really price the 6 b/c I wasn't really in the market for it. The only 6 I could see myself buying would be a V6 Wagon...but I think that the 3s Hatch looks much cooler than the 6 Wagon 😀
 
Originally posted by: SearchMaster
Is there really much price difference? When I looked at the 6 a year ago (ended up buying an '04), I wanted a pretty barebones model. The entry level 6 was only a few hundred bucks than the 3's on the lot.
Click to expand...

Looking at Mazda's website, I'm looking at around 23-25K for the 3 depending on what options I take, and ~34-35K for the 6.

(this is in Canadian currency)
 
The MZ3 has more and better options than the MZ6. HID lights are but one example. You get better fuel economy in the 3. I test drove both a 6 and a 3 back-to-back before buying the 3. I personally find the 3 to be a better-handling, zipier car. Excellent manual tranny. I am happy with my decision, but you should test them both before buying.

Edit: Also keep in mind the 6 is built in Michigan whereas the 3 is built in Japan.
 
Originally posted by: randomlinh
I've been lucky... while the paint does suck, not too many bad chips, or much in general.

But yeah.. I like the 6 hatch actually.. looks very sporty. But i'd only get if you're opting for the V6... it's a bigger car. I came from the good ol 95 camry too (and would still be there if it wasn't rear ended last year) and wanted the smaller car... 05 love here. heh
Click to expand...

I didn't think that I had many rock chips either at first, but it was just b/c I couldn't really see em (my car is black, and the front bumper is black plastic underneath) until I hand washed my car for the first time. 5 or 6 little knicks in the front bumper...good thing it's black 😀

I already have two chips (one near the leading edge of the hood that chipped the clearcoat) and one near on the driver's side door above the rub strip which went down to the white (strange place for a single chip that deep). I just put a dab of touchup paint on it and went about my merry way.
 
Originally posted by: SearchMaster
Is there really much price difference? When I looked at the 6 a year ago (ended up buying an '04), I wanted a pretty barebones model. The entry level 6 was only a few hundred bucks than the 3's on the lot.
Click to expand...

6i and 3s (well, 3s when it was a 3s, now grand touring-ish one depending on options) were almost at the same price point... they couldnt' sell the 6i, but the 3s they could ask for a premium.. it was/is hot. They're the same engine anyway. But as I said before.. the 6 is bigger, I'd rather have the v6 slapped in.

I'll add that I think the 6 is a better looking car than the 3, but I like the drive of the 3 more, and it's not bad looking, just I like the 6's styling better 🙂
 
I was looking into a 3 until I saw how many incentives came with the 6. I ended up getting a 6i for ~16K OTD, which seemed like a pretty good deal IMO.
 
There's so many accessories you can buy... are there any "must have" things that I should be looking at?

Aero Flares, Rear $226.65
Cargo Mat $108.77
Cargo Net $67.31
Cassette Player $280.00
Door Switch Panels $201.95
Engine Block Heater $42.50
Floor Mats (All Weather) $107.75
Floor Mats (Carpeted) $65.73
Fog Lights $366.65
Front Air Dam $664.97
Front Mask $212.77
Fuel-Filler Door, Aluminum $178.59
Gear Shift Knob $49.32
Gear Shift Knob (Leather-accented) $163.25
Hood Deflector $57.75
In-Dash 6-Disc CD / MP3 Changer $811.25
Instrument Panel Decorative Trim $143.50
Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel $469.45
Lower Door Mouldings $553.69
MiniDisc Player $743.75
Moonroof Wind Deflector $79.94
Mud Guards, Front $63.50
Mud Guards, Rear $73.65
Parking Brake Handle $165.75
Rear Spoiler $397.95
Roof Rack $696.94
Side Sill Extensions $549.98
Touch up paint pen $11.07
Wheel Locks (Set of 4) $34.05
 
Originally posted by: BigToque
There's so many accessories you can buy... are there any "must have" things that I should be looking at?

Aero Flares, Rear $226.65
Cargo Mat $108.77
Cargo Net $67.31
Cassette Player $280.00
Door Switch Panels $201.95
Engine Block Heater $42.50
Floor Mats (All Weather) $107.75
Floor Mats (Carpeted) $65.73
Fog Lights $366.65
Front Air Dam $664.97
Front Mask $212.77
Fuel-Filler Door, Aluminum $178.59
Gear Shift Knob $49.32
Gear Shift Knob (Leather-accented) $163.25
Hood Deflector $57.75
In-Dash 6-Disc CD / MP3 Changer $811.25
Instrument Panel Decorative Trim $143.50
Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel $469.45
Lower Door Mouldings $553.69
MiniDisc Player $743.75
Moonroof Wind Deflector $79.94
Mud Guards, Front $63.50
Mud Guards, Rear $73.65
Parking Brake Handle $165.75
Rear Spoiler $397.95
Roof Rack $696.94
Side Sill Extensions $549.98
Touch up paint pen $11.07
Wheel Locks (Set of 4) $34.05
Click to expand...

LMAO, talk about excessive pricing. :laugh:
 
Originally posted by: BigToque
There's so many accessories you can buy... are there any "must have" things that I should be looking at?

Aero Flares, Rear $226.65
Cargo Mat $108.77
Cargo Net $67.31
Cassette Player $280.00
Door Switch Panels $201.95
Engine Block Heater $42.50
Floor Mats (All Weather) $107.75
Floor Mats (Carpeted) $65.73
Fog Lights $366.65
Front Air Dam $664.97
Front Mask $212.77
Fuel-Filler Door, Aluminum $178.59
Gear Shift Knob $49.32
Gear Shift Knob (Leather-accented) $163.25
Hood Deflector $57.75
In-Dash 6-Disc CD / MP3 Changer $811.25
Instrument Panel Decorative Trim $143.50
Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel $469.45 (I think they all are??)
Lower Door Mouldings $553.69
MiniDisc Player $743.75
Moonroof Wind Deflector $79.94
Mud Guards, Front $63.50
Mud Guards, Rear $73.65 (non sport gets you these i think)
Parking Brake Handle $165.75 (?!?!)
Rear Spoiler $397.95
Roof Rack $696.94
Side Sill Extensions $549.98
Touch up paint pen $11.07
Wheel Locks (Set of 4) $34.05
Click to expand...

I got NONE of those. Base all the way. 😀

except for a few bolded ones that i think come with the car...
 
I bought my 3s last year about this time. I really like the 6s with the v6, but it was out of my price range. I could have gotten a 6i with the same engine as the 3s, but I got the 3 instead. I got way more options on the 3 than I could on the 6. So I took the smaller, more loaded car. It really is a nice car for that price.
 
I test drove both, got the 3 hatch. I wanted a smaller car, and the 3 is very space efficient. Small on the outside, roomy on the inside. Granted I don't have a family so I don't care about the back seat. But even there it has great headroom, and adequate legroom. I can park it almost anywhere and still have room for all my stuff, and turning radius is awesome.
But the main thing is the 500lb curb weight difference between the 3s 2800 lbs and the V6 Mazda6 3300 lbs. It's a huge difference. It means you get similar acceleration numbers, but 3 is much lighter on its feet in the corners and the grip is borderline insane. It gets same lateral grip as the BMW 3 series. Plus if you do go fast enough to lose grip, it's very balanced in its handling.
 
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