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As someone who is physically incapable of walking past a Hot Wheels display without checking to see if there’s anything good hanging on it (it’s for my kid! I swear! I’m totally a grown-up!)"I'm not alone!
I had my Mr. Spock ears on when I bought the Sentra - the 3 kids / 2 seats combo had to fit in the rear. That flushed out the Civic and Mazda3. At the time, the only compacts that worked were the Corolla and the Sentra. Corolla S looked best on paper, had same features / pricing than Sentra 2.0S...and then I drove the Corolla.
Today's Mazda3 still imposes compromises with the rear seat room, alas. Mazda's rep for rust will hurt sales, too, at least for awhile (a car's rep from 5 years ago will just catch the general population...who still thinks only VWs are made in Mexico).
Meanwhile, kids have grown, no more child seats, and they get bused home now. Plus, Sentra's paid for. Shopping time, no more Mr. Spock ears