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Alright! A friend of mine and I went to our concealed weapons class Saturday morning only to find that it had been rescheduled for next weekend, so we decided to go to Fairbanks Mazda (where I had an appt. at 4pm) and see if they could meet with me then. Gary the salesman was there, and we went for a test drive in the Mazda3! :D

Afterwards, we sat down and hacked out a deal. They originally wanted $17,500 @ 0% APR for 36 months. I wanted $16,000 out the door at 0.9% APR for 36 months with $2,500 down (no options on the car, by the way). He talked to the sales manager, came back, and offered $16,500 @ 0.9% APR for 36 months. I stuck to my guns and he talked to the sales manager again. This time, Paul the manager came over and we haggled. Let me be the first to say that these guys were great, and I had an absolutely fantastic time dealing and chatting with them. Seriously - we had a lot of fun. :)

Paul and I went back and forth, and I "explained" (read: bullsh!ted) that Classic Mazda offered me $16,000 @ 0.9% APR for 36 months out the door, but I was at Fairbanks because I had been "told" the customer service is much better and the atmosphere is less pressure. Oh was Paul squirming!! :wink:

Finally, we worked out a deal: $16,500 @ 0.0% APR for 36 months with $2,500 down - but I get $500 worth of free service (oil changes, tire rotations, brakes, alignments, etc.) and have 50K miles/6 years to use it. :D Awesome deal, if you ask me. :wink:

We hashed out the details and contracts with John the Finance guy - and again had a great time talking to him. My friend and I are have Finance degrees, so after about 2 minutes, we were all laughing at the crazy credit scores people have. He was actually showing us with the loan approval program!

After that we had subs (courtesy of the dealership, but I jokingly told them "put it on my loan - it's like a tab! :lol:) while the car was detailed. Then Paul (the salesman) bought me a tank of gas for the M3 and I showed him how to unlock the Driver Information System computer that is only "available" on the Mazda3s. He loved it. :P

Ok ok - I've been yacking a lot, but I just have to reiterate how great of a time we had. People were wonderful, dealing was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to going back to the dealership for service (hopefully not soon :wink: ) to say hello.

Driving impressions. I almost forgot to talk about them. :)

During a short test drive, it's hard to get a good impression on what a car is all about. The 3i seemed peppy, sporty, and fun when I first test drove it in March. When I did the same yesterday, I realized that it could also be docile, refined, and quiet - when you want it to be. It'll cruise at 35 in 5th effortlessly, yet I can break the tires loose on a 2nd-3rd shift (yup, I couldn't help myself :wink: ). I'm excited to break it in further, and I've only put 15 miles on it.

Quirks: let's start with DBW. I wouldn't say this is really a quirk, just more of something to get used to. It'll occasionally get confused if I give the throttle lots of rapid on-off inputs, and sometimes the same pressure can yield different RPMs (in neutral). I notice this most just after I start the car - it smooths out as the car is driven.

The steering! Wow is it ever responsive! The Taurus was like a big boat with a little rudder - I could shake the wheel a good inch in each direction while cruising and barely get a wiggle out of it. Not so in the M3 - tiny inputs make big differences. Exactly how I like it. Also, here's an interesting tidbit: the power steering is not run off of a pump (run by the engine); instead, a separate electric motor moves the rack as you make your steering input. You can hear the thing whirring as you park with the windows down! It surprised me at first, and then I remember this.

The key and FOB. The key is bigger than I hoped, but it has the chip in it for the immobilizer. Unfortunately, I can't carry an extra key in my wallet, but I can't really lock the car without the FOB. I could, but it'd be a conscious effort. The FOB is nice and small, and has great range. Easily over 100 ft. However, there is no trunk release (a common M3 complaint), but that shouldn't be a terrible issue.

The interior is quite comfortable. Lumbar support, nice seats, decent materials. I can already tell that the carpet will not wear well (another common M3 complaint) and there is no dead pedal to rest my foot on. I'm thinking about screwing one on - thoughts? The stereo is good - I don't listen to the radio or CDs, so the Aux In for the iPod will get a lot of the action. The tweeters really round out the high end of the sound, and the bass is deep enough to rattle the rear view mirror. Not too shabby. :)

The trunk is smaller than I remember - I'm not sure if I can fit my half-stack cab. With the 60/40 split seats, it shouldn't be an issue - I really like that feature. Not a ton of legroom in the backseat, but enough for most folks to be comfy.

**** do I love that shifter! I'll get a better picture of it for ya'll - it's not a short-throw, but it's definitely short. Shifts are smooth and easy, and the clutch is very forgiving. I haven't stalled it yet. :wink: I can't wait to put the car through it's paces and see how it reacts to some fast shifting.

That's about all for now - I haven't had enough driving time to get into the nitty-gritty. I'll keep ya posted! :D

What's that, you say? Pictures? Let's DO IT! :D

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Night pictures!

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Thanks for looking! :D If you made it this far, here's an Easter egg for ya: my future mods list.

15% tinting all around
Speaker upgrade and amp (although the factory system ain't half bad)
Debadge"3" and removing door molding
CAI/exhaust (after the warranty :wink: )
Lower 1"

Hope you enjoyed it - what do ya think? Discuss! And by the way - white was right. :D

Congratulations! I wish you many happy years with this vehicle.

You should also consider getting an engine block heater. I know lots of places around Fairbanks, as well as lots of other places in Alaska, have outlets in the parking lots for this very purpose.

Aside from Winter goodness, an EBH can be used all year long as a way to save some fuel by stopping your engine from rich mixtures and high idling when cold.

hmmmmmm...i couldn't tell......do you like yer car????

nice. what's the EPA rating?

Thanks Bailout! I'm actually in Winter Springs, FL - Fairbanks Mazda is the name of the dealership. But thank you for the suggestion! :D By the way, I love the Yaris - it looks great, and I wish they had that color for the M3. :)

Thanks Laurie! EPA is 28/35, and I'm already getting 32-33, but that's only because I'm trying to drive it "normally" to make sure the engine seats properly. I'll tell ya, not hypermiling for these first 1000 miles is going to be very difficult! ;)

Thanks Laurie! EPA is 28/35, and I'm already getting 32-33, but that's only because I'm trying to drive it "normally" to make sure the engine seats properly. I'll tell ya, not hypermiling for these first 1000 miles is going to be very difficult! ;)


Congrats on the new vehicle, John!! :thumbs_up:

I second Brian's suggestion -- I use mine every morning without fail. :)

You might be surprised during the break in period -- I pulled a 38mpg tank during mine by just driving no faster than 50mph.

Congrats on the new vehicle, John!! :thumbs_up:
I second Brian's suggestion -- I use mine every morning without fail. :)
You might be surprised during the break in period -- I pulled a 38mpg tank during mine by just driving no faster than 50mph.


Thanks! Again, I'm not in a cold climate (Winter Springs, FL) so an engine heater really won't do much good. Surprisingly, I'm finding that 32-34 MPG is very easy to obtain. I should have no problem getting 40+ MPG in the near future. :)

Thanks! Again, I'm not in a cold climate (Winter Springs, FL) so an engine heater really won't do much good.

Unless your block is heated all the way up to 150F in the morning, then you will still benefit greatly from an EBH.

Unless your block is heated all the way up to 150F in the morning, then you will still benefit greatly from an EBH.

Interesting - I didn't know this. How is it powered? I'm in an apartment complex and don't have access to power overnight. Can it run off the battery? I imagine that would drain in though . . .

The engine is definitely not at 150F, but I know within 2-3 minutes, I'm running at NOT.

It is powered from a standard 120V, 20A cord. While finding an outlet in an apartment complex might not be the easiest thing, a resourceful man will come up with something, like giving a neighbor a 12-pack of beer each month for allowing you to run a cord from their patio, or through their patio door. ;)

Hook it up onto an electronic timer ($20 at Home Depot) and have it turn on 3 hours before you need to leave for work, then turn the power feed back off. This means you'll only use about 1.5kWh of electricity per day, which at my local price would cost your neighbor about $0.20/day, but will save you at least $0.50 in gasoline per day.

Some good views. :)

Can't help but be amused at the "wet pictures" since Texas and Oklahoma is getting a double does of it! :D

yeah EBH is one of the best upgrades for the car, in ALL SEASONS. Eliminating cold stars from your trips prevents you from using more gas to heat up the block as well as prolonging your engine oil. The oil can heat up faster providing faster lubrication for your parts as well as burning any remaining contaminates without needing to use more gas for it. If you had a scangauge you can see you'll never beat your score without a EBH as opposed to without, at these electricity prices, the conversion from electricity to heat up your block isn't even an issue, your engine will thank you!


even when its as hot as 100 F out there, having to preheat up to 150F still saves you enough gas to make the effort of plugging it in worth it. Just when its a hot day, you don't need to plug it in as long as 3 hours in the winter.

Hi John:

___What a beautiful and great handling ride! The only question is what is she really worth? I suspect by tank 2 you will be pushing her a lot closer to 50 then 40 in fact ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thanks all! I will definitely look into a a EBH - sounds like a great idea.

Wayne - you are right, I could have gotten a used vehicle and saved a few grand. However, the M3 is what I wanted, and sense their value holds so well (2-3 years used is only $2-3K less) I figure I'd rather have something that I know the history on. Also, there is nothing like a new car, and this is one I will hold onto for many, many years. Finally, at 0% APR over 3 years, that's a pretty good deal - not something I'm going to get on a used vehicle.

In short, I've driven used cars for 6 years, and with my (generous) pay increase, I think a shiny new runabout is in order. :)

I'd love to see what you could do to her! I imagine 40 MPG should be a breeze - 50 MPG will be just around the corner! :D

What do you think - should I drive it normally to break it in for a few tanks, or can I hypermile it now?

Congrats,
I love my Mazda more with every passing day. As mentioned before, I do wish you could get the 2.0 in the hatchback, but oh well- maybe in the next generation when it's time to get a new one.

Since I first joined this group and "unlocked" the iFCD, I've upped my MPG average a few points. Due to the nature of the traffic where I live, I realistically can't employ some of the more radical hypermiling measures, but for now I'm getting the EPA highway # in the city, so thats definately an improvement.

I couldn't agree with you more, aca2983. I would love a hatchback with the 2.0L - not sure why that isn't an option. Thank you *SO* much for the iFCD unlock - it is a godsend. Not exactly a SGII, but being able to watch the changes for loads and how the AC affects fuel consumption is really interesting. This site has said it - want to raise driver MPG? Show them that WOT from a red light yields <1 MPG! ;)

John

How much reserve does our 3's have for fuel? I couldnt find how much is suppose to be left in the tank once the low fuel light comes on. I forgot to fuel up this morning. The low light came on about 10 miles form the office. With a 45 mile drive home. I hope it makes it. LMAO

I hope you do too! The reserve tank (@ low fuel light activation) holds 2.5 gallons. I'd say you'll make it to work and back on that! :D

Thanks Alot ;)