[nanxun]

Ooof! The Valentine's Day Massacre

A BIG kiss ... just not of the sort that I was expecting. :frown2:

First incident ever, for me, in which the airbag deployed. Fortunately, nobody was injured and the other driver was deemed to be at fault, although she's contesting it (which probably means a court date for me in the near future)....

:frown2:

So, in the short-term (probably a week or two) until she's road-worthy again, I've traded in my 2014 Mz3 for a rental (a 2017 Hyundai Elantra SE) and a sore knee and lower rib-cage ....

Happy Valentine's Day to all! :|

 

[Tarant]

Ouch!
I sorry, that sucks. But I'm glad you are okay

 

[Davidval18]

What matters is that you are ok and there were no injuries! Rest and feel better!

 

[darvetis]

Sorry about that nanxun!

 

[minsanity]

Oh my, so sorry to see this @nanxun!!!! Feel your pain, but glad you're ok.

 

[Hawk94]

Dang. Glad you're alright and everyone is well!

 

[Road Trip]

@nanxun, we are all very sorry this happened to you and your Mazda. Hope your knee and ribs heal up super quickly. And next that your car is fixed properly.

Best of luck!!!

 

[zoomydu]

Oh no...so sorry! I'd be upset if this happened to my 11 year old 3. Yours is nearly new. Hope the body shop can fix it to showroom looks, quick. It's amazing what a good body shop can do. My hubby hit a deer and suffered some pretty significant damage a few years back. After repairs the damaged area looked no different than any other part of the car. Paint match was perfect on the spots that were bumped back out and repainted.

 

[kosovaar5]

opppsss

 

[nanxun]

Well, guys, just heard back from the insurance appraiser.... it's being chalked up as a total loss (left frame rail was bent from the impact). So long, "Hi-oh Silver"! It was great while it lasted (just over 2 yrs. and 22.5k miles).

:crying2::crying2::crying2:

Sooooo, I'm now back in the market for a car.

I'll probably write into the guys at Everyday Driver for advice, but here are my current thoughts and parameters:

1. budget about $10-12k.
2. don't really want to buy brand new again.... unless I can find a real steal on a 2015 or 2016 model year.
3. leaning towards getting back into a manual, which I haven't driven in nearly 20 years. Plus, the wife says she'd like me to teach her how to drive stick. Bonus!!!
4. loved Mazda and love what they're doing right now, but also sorta want to experience another car
5. looking for something more sporty (hot hatch, scion frs/gt86, etc.)

Any thoughts or suggestions from the brain trust?

 

[EadzaM]

4. loved Mazda and love what they're doing right now, but also sorta want to experience another car
5. looking for something more sporty (hot hatch, scion frs/gt86, etc.)

Any thoughts or suggestions from the brain trust?

a well-maintained used Three s GT with the 2.5 liter engine? Almost "another car" IMO and definitely more sporty than the i.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but glad you're okay. Cars can be fixed or, in your case, replaced. Lawyer up and get treatment for your personal injuries would be my advice. Hopefully, it'll be covered by the at-fault's insurance.

(You missed censoring the street signs in the first pic. That's not far from me!)

 

[Mandok]

I was in the same situation a while ago. Fortunately nothing crash or anything happened, but I sold my 2014 Mazda3 for a very good price and had to think about what to go for.
I was at several Honda dealers for example, saw and seat-tested the good-bye Civics (in Europe the new 2017 Civic still not at the dealer's saloons until march-april). So at the end I thought, even though I had two Mazda3s now (a beloved Celestial Blue 2010 and a soul red 2014), I stuck with Mazda.

I had a feeling that no any cars come closer to the Mazda3 in the hatch compact class to it in price/value ratio. (including all the European class members, like Seat Leon, Golf 7, Megane, Peugeot 309, etc).

For a moment I was thinking about getting a Honda Civic now, but I had a feeling that it's new-feeling would go away in two weeks, and I would miss the inside feeling of the Mazda3 so much after that. (not to mention the outfit of the whole car)

Good luck with the new car!

 

[nanxun]

a well-maintained used Three s GT with the 2.5 liter engine? Almost "another car" IMO and definitely more sporty than the i.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but glad you're okay. Cars can be fixed or, in your case, replaced. Lawyer up and get treatment for your personal injuries would be my advice. Hopefully, it'll be covered by the at-fault's insurance.

(You missed censoring the street signs in the first pic. That's not far from me!)

Hey, @EadzaM Thx for your thoughts and the great suggestion about a used Mz3 sGT. I'll check to see what's available in the (our) area. (Thanks also for alerting me to the picture issue!)

I was in the same situation a while ago. Fortunately nothing crash or anything happened, but I sold my 2014 Mazda3 for a very good price and had to think about what to go for.
I was at several Honda dealers for example, saw and seat-tested the good-bye Civics (in Europe the new 2017 Civic still not at the dealer's saloons until march-april). So at the end I thought, even though I had two Mazda3s now (a beloved Celestial Blue 2010 and a soul red 2014), I stuck with Mazda.

I had a feeling that no any cars come closer to the Mazda3 in the hatch compact class to it in price/value ratio. (including all the European class members, like Seat Leon, Golf 7, Megane, Peugeot 309, etc).

For a moment I was thinking about getting a Honda Civic now, but I had a feeling that it's new-feeling would go away in two weeks, and I would miss the inside feeling of the Mazda3 so much after that. (not to mention the outfit of the whole car)

Good luck with the new car!

Hey, thanks for the feedback! The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I loved my Mazda. I'll use the opportunity to seat-test the GTI, Civic hatch, and other options--like the Mazda3 GT. But I have a feeling I'll be drawn back to Mazda. We'll see. I'll keep you posted!

 

[minsanity]

Hope you stay here w/ another 3, @nanxun sir.

 

[Hawk94]

Well, guys, just heard back from the insurance appraiser.... it's being chalked up as a total loss (left frame rail was bent from the impact). So long, "Hi-oh Silver"! It was great while it lasted (just over 2 yrs. and 22.5k miles).

:crying2::crying2::crying2:

Sooooo, I'm now back in the market for a car.

I'll probably write into the guys at Everyday Driver for advice, but here are my current thoughts and parameters:

1. budget about $10-12k.
2. don't really want to buy brand new again.... unless I can find a real steal on a 2015 or 2016 model year.
3. leaning towards getting back into a manual, which I haven't driven in nearly 20 years. Plus, the wife says she'd like me to teach her how to drive stick. Bonus!!!
4. loved Mazda and love what they're doing right now, but also sorta want to experience another car
5. looking for something more sporty (hot hatch, scion frs/gt86, etc.)

Any thoughts or suggestions from the brain trust?

I would say a BRZ but that's because I personally want one for a project car since the aftermarket for that platform is HUGE. Anyways! It rides really stiff compared to the 3 and the interior isn't anywhere near as nice as the 3 nor the features. It's kinda a bare bones project car made to be modded. And the versatility is non-existence if you're hauling more than a single person. But none the less manual and sporty to an extent.

You could try to find a nice MX-5 and stay with Mazda if you really wanna stick around though haha

 

[nanxun]

Thx for the additional feedback, @Hawk94 .

After puttering around online today, had a hard time finding any lightly used Mz3 sGT's, let alone any within the right price range. So, I'm tryin' to stay loyal to Mazda, @minsanity !

Now I've got my eye on a 2013 FR-S with pretty low miles (37k miles) at a nice initial asking price ($13.8k). Want to at least seat-test this vehicle before looking around some more.

 

[Road Trip]

nanxun, very sorry to hear about your car being a total loss, though as we all know fixing a car that is an 80% loss can be very iffy.

Hope whatever way you choose to proceed, it works out in a way that you are pleased with the outcome. And of course, those of us on M3R selfishly hope that it is a Mazda -- for your contributions to this forum are many and continual.

 

[GerryB]

Just saw this. Man, that sucks. So sorry for you, but glad you're generally okay. Hope you can find a driveable manual in your price range!

Sent from a Samsung that doesn't explode.

 

[nanxun]

After knocking off of work yesterday, I went to some local dealers to test drive 3 cars:
1. 2017 VW GTI S (2.0L I4 turbo, 220 bhp), automatic w/DSG
2. 2015 VW Golf TSI SE (1.8L I4 turbo, 170 bhp), automatic
3. 2013 Scion FR-S (2.0L flat 4, 200 bhp), automatic

Driving impressions: Driving the two VWs back-to-back, the differences were stark and readily apparent. GTI was much more planted and responsive than the Golf, obviously, due to differences in engine, running gear, gearbox (DSG), and steering rack. A more generous way to describe the Golf TSI SE is that it was "smoother" in ride.

Then went to another dealer and hopped in a used (2013) FR-S, which was a revelation. While slighly less powerful (in terms of bhp) than the GTI, it was much stiffer, more "raw," and simply more fun (for me) to drive. The RWD set-up as well as the lower seating position and center of gravity (due to the boxer engine) make for a much sportier driving dynamic. This is what I'm looking for, at the moment.

Utility: Clearly, the GTI is more practical in terms of everyday use, even though the hatch/boot area is MUCH smaller than my old Mazda3 hatch. It can comfortably seat 4 grown adults and carry some stuff. Meanwhile, the FR-S has no real back seats (the 2+2 moniker may help with insurance though) and the boot is tiny. However, when the back seat is folded down, there's plenty of space for 2 adults and their stuff.

Since I can't find any used Mazda3's with the 2.5L engine, I'm currently leaning towards the FR-S, which is closer to my price range (GTI is a bit more than I want to spend, and I worry about the long-term reliability of a forced-induction engine).

Downside: I'd be giving up nice fuel efficiency on the Mazda (34-36 mpg avg on the 2.0L) for more kicks and fun with the FR-S.

Still, I've been hankering to get in an FR-S since I first saw one on the showroom floor back in March 2013. At that time, we were buying my wife's 2013 Prius.....

Now I just have to find a well-kept used example of an FR-S at the right price!

 

[Road Trip]

Hope your knee and ribs are all healed up now.

Best of luck on your car hunt, though clear you have been making progress. Hope there is one out there that feels just right.