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29 Posts
Hi all,
New member here, just picked up a 2018 hatchback GT in red over parchment. This is my first new-from-the-dealer car.
Coming from a '02 BMW 330i, sadly it was totaled when I was rear-ended hard a couple weeks ago. It had 240k miles and I was hoping to keep it till 300k or so.
Prior to that I long-term owned a '83 Mercedes 240D (diesel), and had a brief stint with a '91 Toyota MR2. I'm a reasonably skilled mechanic and a slightly experienced sport driver - I've had the BMW around the track at Sebring a couple times, and used to regularly autocross with my local BMW club. But, I needed something with a little more cargo space than a sports car. And when I need go-fast, I'll hop in the wife's Mustang.
So far I'm pretty in love with the Mazda3. I'm already hooked on the tech stuff and the CarPlay integration. FWD and electric steering will take some getting used to.
It's a little less HP than I'm used to, but it'll be fine for my daily commute and for road-trips. I've only used Sport mode briefly but I like it a lot.
My to-do list:
- Tint (dealer was supposed to do this before I picked it up, sadface)
- Rear bumper guard, need to pick a good one. The Mazda one doesn't seem wide enough, I dunno.
- BaysonR MS-style front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser. I wanted the factory appearance package, but they seem really rare on the dealer lots, but the BaysonR seems like a tasteful and budget-friendly alternative.
- Dynamat. There's a lot more road noise than I had in the 17-year-old BMW.
- Some exterior graphics with my new Cricut Maker, which cuts vinyl stickers and just about anything else that's less than 2mm thick
- Maybe some vinyl on certain interior panels, to bring some of the exterior red into the cabin
- Maybe H&R springs or Eibach springs. I'll see how it looks once the body kit is on, but it could really stand to lose an inch. Though our roads are good, I still need a comfy daily driver, and still gotta get up my not-too-steep driveway, and don't wanna mess too much with the factory warranty.
- Probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting, definitely open to suggestions.
Have a cell-phone shot, this is what winter-time looks like here in Florida. I'll get the good camera out for some better beauty shots over the next couple months once I get the aero kit and graphics put on.
New member here, just picked up a 2018 hatchback GT in red over parchment. This is my first new-from-the-dealer car.
Coming from a '02 BMW 330i, sadly it was totaled when I was rear-ended hard a couple weeks ago. It had 240k miles and I was hoping to keep it till 300k or so.
Prior to that I long-term owned a '83 Mercedes 240D (diesel), and had a brief stint with a '91 Toyota MR2. I'm a reasonably skilled mechanic and a slightly experienced sport driver - I've had the BMW around the track at Sebring a couple times, and used to regularly autocross with my local BMW club. But, I needed something with a little more cargo space than a sports car. And when I need go-fast, I'll hop in the wife's Mustang.
So far I'm pretty in love with the Mazda3. I'm already hooked on the tech stuff and the CarPlay integration. FWD and electric steering will take some getting used to.
It's a little less HP than I'm used to, but it'll be fine for my daily commute and for road-trips. I've only used Sport mode briefly but I like it a lot.
My to-do list:
- Tint (dealer was supposed to do this before I picked it up, sadface)
- Rear bumper guard, need to pick a good one. The Mazda one doesn't seem wide enough, I dunno.
- BaysonR MS-style front lip, side skirts, rear diffuser. I wanted the factory appearance package, but they seem really rare on the dealer lots, but the BaysonR seems like a tasteful and budget-friendly alternative.
- Dynamat. There's a lot more road noise than I had in the 17-year-old BMW.
- Some exterior graphics with my new Cricut Maker, which cuts vinyl stickers and just about anything else that's less than 2mm thick
- Maybe some vinyl on certain interior panels, to bring some of the exterior red into the cabin
- Maybe H&R springs or Eibach springs. I'll see how it looks once the body kit is on, but it could really stand to lose an inch. Though our roads are good, I still need a comfy daily driver, and still gotta get up my not-too-steep driveway, and don't wanna mess too much with the factory warranty.
- Probably some other stuff that I'm forgetting, definitely open to suggestions.
Have a cell-phone shot, this is what winter-time looks like here in Florida. I'll get the good camera out for some better beauty shots over the next couple months once I get the aero kit and graphics put on.
