That gen was insane. You stood out in the loaded hatch back then. Nothing else in that segment or the one above it looked like it. Heated leather seats, LED tail lights, rain sensing wipers in 2006 in an economy car. 

Haha ya I should have mentioned that earlier in the post. 

But ah my aunt’s 2005 6 Sport GS (the Canadian name for the hatch) was a sports car for its time. What a ride! What handling!

That’s really good! 

Since you got a great deal for your Mazda, it makes complete sense. The cars are great..the interiors are fashionable and I think Mazda has handling special sause. Congrats, I’m jealous :)

Since you got a great deal for your Mazda, it makes complete sense. The cars are great..the interiors are fashionable and I think Mazda has handling special sause. Congrats, I’m jealous :)

They were, back in 2006. Nothing else in the segment had that much power, those looks or those moves. Now the Civic Sport will make you happy for a few grand less. 

Preowned CPO low mileage TLXes are the best deal on the market right now. 

And the best part about Honda/Toyota is they don’t waste too much time telling you why you’re an idiot for choosing anything else. You are here right here and right now so let’s make a deal. I’ve bought three cars from Honda and Lexus in the last three years (2 for others and 1 for me) and the bargaining process was a…

See? There is something wrong with their pricing and they are smug when you want them to match Honda or Toyota pricing...they make you feel like you are a old fart for buying those so you should know better and shell out the extra for a Mazda. But I don’t see it that way. My 2016 Accord has a V6 AND looked hotter (the…

Yes and no. The Mazdas in that period were extremely sporty and good looking for their segment. Remember the Accord and Camry back then? Or the Civic and Corolla? The Hondas were still close but the Toyotas were dull as hell and so were the Nissans and Chevys. Mazda def has imrpoved quality and grown up overall but…

Agreed! Mazda should sit down and check the prices on low mileage CPO TLXs right now. My buddy got a loaded 4cyl TSX for $21K CAD out of the door. That’s cheaper than a goddamn Elantra. You can buy a loaded Genesis for close to $53K CAD (lower engine trim) and Maximas can be had for super deep discounts. Who in their…

Yeah my servicing and repair expenses were luxury-car level. I went more times for servicing of my Mazda3 than I do for my GS 350 for fuck’s sakes. 

Yikes that’s awful. I would have walked away. As for the interiors...I think Honda and Toyota have caught up. But really it comes down to each individual model and trim level. Toyotas were def absolutely CRAP until like 2015. 

I think it depends on the car. In the 2005-2014 period it was no contest. Mazdas were HOT and awesome to drive. But the new Camry XSE, Accord Touring, CR-V, RAV4...these are all pretty good looking. the Mazdas do still look good for the most part but they aren’t ahead by a lot anymore. 

That’s true. I guess I meant in terms of their overall stable: Mazdaspeed3/6, RX-8, a hotter 3 (for it’s time)...but yes the Mazdas now are definitely more refined than they ever were. 

The dealers here are pretty good but they all act like they are selling Porsches and not Toyotas/Honda competitors. I think they are making a mistake here. And add to that the lack of interesting engine options and bland styling (Mazda6) or a bit too weird (Mazda3) and I don’t see why I wouldn’t just get a Accord 2.0T…

Yup. The CX-5 is indeed still better than the other two but the other two have made serious strides. And once again, at least here in Canada, my experience has been that they are quite pricey while the Honda-Toyota guys are willing to deal. It might be because they move more inventory and have local…

Tell me about it. I couldn’t get tem to budge even with a quote from the Honda guy in my hand. They simply wouldn’t deal and kept telling me how shit Honda is and this and that. I’m a Mazda fan (had the 2006 3 hatch GT between 2oo6-2011) but I wasn’t going to pass up on a 278HP Honda V6 for just a bit more coin. I was…

I don’t know the US pricing but I’ve found Mazdas in the last few years very expensive for what they are. I got a 2016 Accord V6 Touring sedan for $40,5K while Mazda was giving me a $38K quote (all prices CAD) for a 4cyl Mazda6. Guess which one I bought? I think the 2005-2010 Mazdas were special. Now, they aren’t…