Hey all, I'm new here and seriously considering joining the Mazda club. I'm looking at the Mazda3. I test drove one recently and liked the ride. I'm looking at the 2010 Grand Touring. The one thing that I noticed was a "burning" smell shortly after we turned the seat heater on. The car has only 7 miles on it and it may have been the first time the heater was on. Would anyone know if this is a typical thing to happen the with a brand new car?

On another note, the first quote I got was several hundred (about 350) over invoice so I may need to get them down a little. I haven't yet tried negotiating and I didn't have the car we might be trading in, so we may have room to work. (I apologize if price talk isn't allowed - I didn't see anything against it in my short time reading). What do the experts think a fair price may be relative to invoice at this time?

Thanks for any help!

 

I'd bet the burning is just the engine getting to temp - or possibly from some cleaning prpduct the dealer used burning off.

I don't think anyone here cares about talking numbers. When I got my ride I didn't bother to haggle on pricing, I have no recollection looking at the dealer invoice - think my GT was 21,500 or so with the compass mirror, rubber floor mats, and 6 disk MP3 changer. Ordered directly from the factory (waiting 4 months for it).
When I got it, there were no rebates or anything on the 3 either. But do go to different dealers if you're looking to save $100, some will quote you a better price, and you can work them against each other if you like.

 

Question 1 about burning smell:
- I agree w/djs2571, mine did the same thing for awhile after purchase. Doesn't do that now (1 wk later).

Question 2: What do the experts think a fair price may be relative to invoice at this time?
- I bought a 2010 speed3 a little over a wk ago. $22003 was the price, $21905 after trade-in.

Dude, I could not be happier. It is a tight ride. And stupid fast! I went from a 4 cyl Chevy S10 (way underpowered w/heavy frame aka zero acceleration) to this. So it seems fast to me. I no longer worry/stress over trying to merge into highway traffic.
- A bit of a loud ride due to the road noise (low profile tires). But I crank up the tunes or listen to the engine roar (nice!).
- Most reviews count the 'torque steer' as a negative, but honestly you'd have to be physically frail to be bothered by it. From what I've read, the first gen speed3 torque steer was much worse, so they made changes to the gen2 to compensate.
- As for options, the only one is the 'tech package' (bose stereo, tiny screen GPS). Mine doesn't have it. And I see no need....the stock stereo is actually pretty good. Again, coming from a s10 w/little $$$ put into the stereo situation). Stock stereo 4 door mounted speakers, two tweeters up front. Honestly it sounds pretty good. My ipod rocks it thru bluetooth. Would audiofiles remove the stock stereo/speakers and install a more aggressive solution? Of course they would. But the stock stereo is better than what my truck had. And I've seen the itty bitty screen for the GPS. No thanks.

Go for it, buy the 3. If you can spring for the extra $$$ get the speed3. You won't regret it.

 

Thanks for the response guys,

I decided to go for it. I am now a Mazda 3 owner. Had her just about two weeks and I love the ride.