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LA Auto Show: Mazda2

by Alex L. Dykes
(IC: employee)
December 3rd, 2009 11:07 AM
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Want a slightly different flavor of Fiesta? The Mazda2 should fit the bill.







Published December 3rd, 2009 9:59 AM
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- Analoggrotto Only allow Tesla drivers to race, we are the epitome of class and brilliance.
- Wjtinfwb When my kids turned 16 and got their Operators, we spent $400 to send both (twins) to 2 driving schools. One held by the local Sherriff was pretty basic but a good starter on car control and dealing with police officers as they ran the school. Then they went to a full day class in N Atlanta on a racetrack, with the cars supplied by BMW. They learned evasive maneuvers, high speed braking, skid control on a wet skid pad and generally built a lot of confidence behind the wheel. Feeling better about their skills, we looked for cars. My son was adamant he wanted a manual, Halleluiah! Looking at used Civics and Golf's and concerned about reliability and safety, I got discouraged. Then noticed an AutoTrader adv. for a new leftover '16 Ford Focus ST six-speed. 25k MSRP advertised for $17,500. $2500 above my self-imposed limit. I went to look, a brand new car, 16 miles on it, black with just the sunroof. 3 year warranty and ABS, Airbags. One drive and the torquey turbo 2.0 convinced me and I bought it on the spot. 7 years and 66k miles later it still serves my son well with zero issues. My daughter was set on a Subaru, I easily found a year old Crosstrek with all the safety gear and only 3k miles. 21k but gave my wife and I lots of peace of mind. She still wheels the Subaru, loves it and it too has provided 7 years and 58k miles of low cost motoring. Buy what fits your budget but keep in mind total cost over the long haul and the peace of mind a reliable and safe car provides. Your kids are worth it.
- Irvingklaws Here's something cheaper, non-german, and more intriguing...
- Wjtinfwb Happy you're loving your Z4. Variety is the spice of life and an off-beat car like the Z4 intrigues me as well. More than anything, your article and pictures have me lusting for the dashboards of a decade ago. Big, round analog gauges. Knobs and buttons to dial up the A/C, Heat or Volume. Not a television screen in sight. Need to back up? Use the mirrors or look over your shoulder. If your Z4 had the six-speed manual, it would be about perfect. Today's electronified BMW's leave me ice cold, as do the new Mercedes and Audi's with their video game interiors. Even a lowly GTI cannot escape the glowing LED dashboard. I'm not a total luddite, Bluetooth streaming for the radio would be nice and I'd agree the cooled seats would be a bonus on a warm day with the top down. But the Atari dashboard is just a bridge too far for me.
- Craiger Honestly I was incredibly disappointed by the lack of steering feel. I dropped off my 530 at the dealer in New Jersey and picked up the Z. Driving all of my familiar roads I was just shocked at how much info wasn't coming through the wheel. Because of that I was never able to push the Z like I did the 530.
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Somehow I like the Fiesta's proportions and styling a little better. But maybe they're the same. I don't know. The look of Mazda's new smiling grille has not grown on me yet, but it's starting to annoy me less, so there's a chance that it could. Anyway, my aging `87 Accord may need a replacement in a couple of years, and I'll probably be looking at both these models when it does...
They raised the price of the 3 for the latest generation, so there should be plenty of room for this. The fuel economy should be pretty swell, also. I'm just sad that they haven't announced any plans to bring the 2-door here. The US release is coinciding with a global refresh of the 2, which is why it now has the new corporate grille. It looked better without it. This is also why there aren't any pictures of the interior for the US version. It's being re-done for the global refresh and it isn't finished yet.