Well, at least in my opinion the Mazda3 the only competition!
The original reason I went with my Focus is that I could get a manual transmission and sunroof combo (in 2012 could not get Mazda Skyactiv manual with sunroof). Then I fell in love with my Focus way more than I expected (thought it would be a good car, but turned out to be a great car).
Now that I need to buy a new car, I'm torn between the 2013 Mazda3 and 2013 Focus. I'm between:
With the SE I lose rear disc brakes (much debated, mainly want them for servicing myself, especially with how important the e-brake is with a manual), but I get all the creature comforts like heated seats (winter pack), blind spot mirrors, cheaper price, fold flat seats, etc. This is the cheapest of the options by about $2k.
The SE with 201A is virtually the same as the Mazda3 I'm looking at (both have leather, rear disc, etc etc), but the Mazda gives me a few extras like upgraded Bose sound (I would not be getting the MFT/Sony pack on the Focus), Mazda suspension/driving dynamics/steering feel, in-dash Nav (a feature I would probably never use), and probably 1-2MPG better.
BUT the Mazda dealerships where I live really don't want to negotiate price, so with the current Focus rebates, etc, the SE 201A is at least $3k cheaper (assuming I get lucky and can negotiate ~1000 off a Mazda).
Am I crazy for not being able to decide which one? 3k buys a lot of suspension/speaker/etc upgrades, but I don't think I can upgrade the steering feel (the Focus has good feel, but the Mazda is still better). Am I crazy? It just seems so hard to choose since they are virtually the same car...
P.S. Yes, I expect all of you to recommend the Focus because this is a Focus forum. [burnout]
The original reason I went with my Focus is that I could get a manual transmission and sunroof combo (in 2012 could not get Mazda Skyactiv manual with sunroof). Then I fell in love with my Focus way more than I expected (thought it would be a good car, but turned out to be a great car).
Now that I need to buy a new car, I'm torn between the 2013 Mazda3 and 2013 Focus. I'm between:
- Focus SE w/ Winter Pack and Moonroof
- SE w/ 201A, Winter Pack, and Moonroof
- Mazda3 iGrand Touring (standard with heated seats, moonroof, voice activation similar to sync, etc)
With the SE I lose rear disc brakes (much debated, mainly want them for servicing myself, especially with how important the e-brake is with a manual), but I get all the creature comforts like heated seats (winter pack), blind spot mirrors, cheaper price, fold flat seats, etc. This is the cheapest of the options by about $2k.
The SE with 201A is virtually the same as the Mazda3 I'm looking at (both have leather, rear disc, etc etc), but the Mazda gives me a few extras like upgraded Bose sound (I would not be getting the MFT/Sony pack on the Focus), Mazda suspension/driving dynamics/steering feel, in-dash Nav (a feature I would probably never use), and probably 1-2MPG better.
BUT the Mazda dealerships where I live really don't want to negotiate price, so with the current Focus rebates, etc, the SE 201A is at least $3k cheaper (assuming I get lucky and can negotiate ~1000 off a Mazda).
Am I crazy for not being able to decide which one? 3k buys a lot of suspension/speaker/etc upgrades, but I don't think I can upgrade the steering feel (the Focus has good feel, but the Mazda is still better). Am I crazy? It just seems so hard to choose since they are virtually the same car...
P.S. Yes, I expect all of you to recommend the Focus because this is a Focus forum. [burnout]