Topic: Noto's first car purchase

[JohnnyMac]

That’s great Noto.  So was it a 3 or a 4 year lease and are you considering buying it out at the end?  How is the Forester doing?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I think this car is almost perfect.  They look damn good, too.  The mid-range torque from the 2.5T sounds just about right for city driving.  My only wish is that it was available in a stick, but then it wouldn't be AWD.

[Jaeger]

That's good economy for a big boosted 4.

[PJungnitsch]

Running AWD too, not bad at all

[Bubba]

A few days late, but Dec 10 marked the 1-year anniversary with my 2021 Mazda 3 GT Turbo AWD.

Thanks for the update.  I'm glad you're enjoying the 3.

[Noto]

That’s great Noto.  So was it a 3 or a 4 year lease and are you considering buying it out at the end?  How is the Forester doing?

3 year lease, and the plan is to become a serial leaser...I kinda hope to never "own" a vehicle again, and certainly not one outside of a warranty period.  In the long run I'm sure it is more expensive, but I'll always be driving a new/nearly new vehicle with the latest gadgetry and no unexpected maintenance/repair costs.

The Forester will be 11 years old in March.  It has 99,992km on it, but wifey is off work studying for her board exams for 10 weeks so it's plugged into a trickle charger and will stay under 100k for the next little while.  Other than the O2 sensor that went in early 2017 in Ottawa, the only other non-scheduled maintenance/repair was last week when the A/C coolant level was low and needed a vacuum/refill (no leaks detected, thankfully, and the compressor is in good shape).  Changed out the Serpentine/AC stretch belt (put in the gatorback belts again - LOVE them!) myself, but otherwise it was $1,200 for the A/C work, new sway bar and lower control arms in the front, new bushings, and an alignment.

We also put remote start (Carstar DSST pro) in it, and my goodness I can't believe we didn't do that earlier/put it in my 2010 Mazda when I had it.  It works way better than I expected (2 mile/10,000ft range is also awesome as wifey parks 1/5km from work and it's a 2-way remote so she can start it before leaving the building).

I bought the Ridgid R86011 impact wrench to make Tire changeovers quicker without needing a beaker bar.  Of course I'll still be using the torque wrench to ensure proper torque and not using the impact to overdo it.  Just got it from Home Depot for $199 with a 4aH battery.  I did get the Ryobi P261 for $149, but returned it without ever trying it as for $50 more the Ridgid is brushless and makes at least double the torque.  More importantly, Ridgid has a lifetime warranty on the tool AND BATTERY!!  Looking forward to the spring changeover!  I now do it on 7 cars each season for my family... More than worth the cost of entry for the impact!

[Hammy]

Hi, just checking in to see how the Mazda 3 is treating you?  I'm into new car looking mode and think the Mazda 3 is a great option if I can get myself away from the luxury brands, which I'm not sure I can.  I'm currently all over the place with an I4 E40 demo in my sights.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Hi, just checking in to see how the Mazda 3 is treating you?  I'm into new car looking mode and think the Mazda 3 is a great option if I can get myself away from the luxury brands, which I'm not sure I can.  I'm currently all over the place with an I4 E40 demo in my sights.

Do it, and get the turbo!!!!!!

[Blueprint]

Hi, just checking in to see how the Mazda 3 is treating you?  I'm into new car looking mode and think the Mazda 3 is a great option if I can get myself away from the luxury brands, which I'm not sure I can.  I'm currently all over the place with an I4 E40 demo in my sights.

Do it, and get the turbo!!!!!!

[Noto]

I'm a tad late to pretty much every party on this site lately, so why vary from my usual when providing an 18-month update?

Picked up Dec 10, 2020, so we're just shy of 20 months.  Currently at 24,850km.  Only unscheduled maintenance/repair was a faulty heated seat control module (which I'm not necessarily sure was faulty - the system doesn't allow heated seats to come on if the temperature is too high - problem is I park in direct sunlight so occasionally they wouldn't operate, but that hasn't happened since I got the module switched out).  The few squeakz/rattles I noticed after about a year seem to have resolved themselves (oddly since I moved from Guelph's relatively smooth roads to Toronto's pothole brutality).  Haven't noticed any in months. Oil change interval is once/year (though there is a 6-month service that isn't really necessary, incl visual inspections, etc and brake lubrication at 18 months - that one seemed really unnecessary).  Service is usually $89.95+HST at the dealership.

Honestly, I continue to absolutely love this car.  Traction, power, features.  I love walking up to the car - the looks remain favourable to mine eyes (and the Titanium Flash Mica paint has held up extremely well: no pics to post though as we've taken possession (finally) of our new construction home and the car is perpetually dirty just approaching the home with dust/mud).  Edit: fine, enjoy these useless pics:



It remains a sleeper - nobody expects the launch from a stop to be so quick.

The 360 cameras, adaptive cruise, CarPlay (the wireless dongle continues to operate flawlessly), and proximity key make this thing a breeze to operate daily.  The trunk space has been more than adequate for our road trips (incl two sets of golf clubs and our inflatable kayaks in the backseat).  Headlights are superb at night.  Brake feel is strong and predictable.

I honestly have no complaints other than the lack of ventilated seats.  Hopefully for 2024 when the lease on this one is up.

Now, as for fuel economy: it's consistently outstanding.  Highest consumption ever, for exclusive city driving in the middle of winter, was 10.2L/100km.  Best Highway road trip consumption of 6.0L/100km (I'm not exactly a "slow" driver).  Proof is in the proverbial Fuelly pudding (I didn't start tracking for the first ~3,000km):




Only used 91 octane or higher, various brands (mostly Canadian Tire Gas+, Costco, or PetroCan 91 or 94 if I'm feeling wasteful - can't notice a performance difference between the 91 and 94, even at redline).

Wife Acceptance Factor remains abysmally low due to poor outward visibility, but she feels that way about driving anything other than her 2011 Forester (not exactly fair).  She does love being a passenger, though, with the dual zone climate control, clean interior design, and good sound deadening.

[JohnnyMac]

Welcome back.  Glad you are still loving your Mazda 3.  That is certainly decent fuel economy for a 2.5L turbo engine.  Still two more years until the lease is up, I wonder what you'll end up with next time.

[Noto]

Welcome back.  Glad you are still loving your Mazda 3.  That is certainly decent fuel economy for a 2.5L turbo engine.  Still two more years until the lease is up, I wonder what you'll end up with next time.

36 month lease, so only 16 months left, actually.  The dealer ordered me a 2023, but it's a carry over so I may just hold onto this one until the 2024 comes out.

I don't expect to sway from the Mazda 3 for my next.  You can't get this kind of kit for the low monthly I'm paying... The comparative A220 or A3 would be $300+ more per month compared to the Mazda (in my position - I'd guess still >$200/month more for those for the general population).

[JohnnyMac]

Welcome back.  Glad you are still loving your Mazda 3.  That is certainly decent fuel economy for a 2.5L turbo engine.  Still two more years until the lease is up, I wonder what you'll end up with next time.

36 month lease, so only 16 months left, actually.  The dealer ordered me a 2023, but it's a carry over so I may just hold onto this one until the 2024 comes out.

I don't expect to sway from the Mazda 3 for my next.  You can't get this kind of kit for the low monthly I'm paying... The comparative A220 or A3 would be $300+ more per month compared to the Mazda (in my position - I'd guess still >$200/month more for those for the general population).

Well I get that the next Mazda 3 will be on your list of possible replacements, but I think you should at the very least try a few other options just to see if any of them are a better fit.  You only live once, spread your wings.

[PJungnitsch]

Nice to hear an update, not a lot of people with new cars lately! That's better mileage than I expected from the 2.5 turbo

Can see your wife not liking the visibility, the Forester must be like driving in a phone box by comparison

[Bubba]

Excellent update!

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Remind me, is yours a Signature?

I gotta say, I'm loving my CX-5. Mazda FTW.

[Gurgie]

Excellent update!

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[Blueprint]

Nice to hear an update, not a lot of people with new cars lately! That's better mileage than I expected from the 2.5 turbo

Indeed, even with a longer highway trip in the mix I could not get that engine below 9.3 in a CX-30. Absolutely love the looks of the current Mazda3 sedan but when in it it always feel like a really nice shoe that doesn't quite fit

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Yeah, I'm not sure about the 6.0L/100kms, either - there must have been some other factors at play.  The best I could manage with my Mazda3 (with the 2.0) was 5.8L/100kms on a roadtrip,

[dkaz]

I got a 4.7 and 4.9 L/100km tank in my old 3 2.0 Skyactiv. The 4.7 tank was a little surprising as I was going from Kamloops to Calgary. The 4.9 tank was from Calgary all the way to Vancouver doing the speed limit the entire way. 6.0 is possible on mostly back roads doing 90 average I think.