Sold my A6 Avant today - Bought a 2014 Mazda3 S Touring Hatchback

[LeeH]

I looked long and hard to find the Audi. It is definitely on my "favorite cars I've ever owned" list. Even though I've owned the car since December of last year, I've continued to watch the market on these cars. One definite trend is that they seem to lose $3000-$5000 in value once they get over 100K miles.

As nice as the car was, I felt like I had insider stock market knowledge on a a stock that was about to drop 25% and needed to do something about it. That and several other factors (15 year old daughter about to get her permit, concerns about future repairs, etc.) made me decide to test the market with a Craigslist ad. Well, it went quickly.

I ended up under the gun yesterday just trying to track down something with wheels. After a fun filled day shopping for cars in the 116 degree heat, I finally came home with a 2014 Mazda3 S Touring hatchback. So far, I love it. It's faster and more nimble than the Audi with much more modern systems. Has some really amazing features. Never heard of "Rear Cross Traffic Alert," but was impressed when the car started beeping at me when I was backing out of my driveway this afternoon as one of my neighbors came flying around the corner.

Odds are I'll own another Audi someday. Could be an A4 wagon, Allroad, or Q5. The bank vault feeling of the A6 will definitely be missed, but I'm guessing I'll have the 3 for a while.

[porsche4life]

Good looking ride. Should be fun to drive!

[Nostril Cheese]

Its hard to go wrong with Mazda these days. Good friend of mine tracks her Mazda 3. Cool cars.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That was quick! The 3 is a very nice car, I think you'll be very happy with it. I've had four Mazdas and my sister-in-laws always seem to end up with them, they are fantastic cars.

[VincentVega]

Nice car

If they sold a 3dr version it would be hard to pass up

[1990C4S]

Great car for your climate. Not so great if they salt the roads in winter.

Enjoy it.

[KNS]

Our daughter has a 2010 Mazda 3 as her first car, they are very nimble and fun to drive. It has 61,000 miles on it so far and it has been trouble free. The only thing I don't like is the lack of a water temp gauge and on the newer cars - the screen stuck on the dash like an after thought. It seems more and more cars have that same screen on the top of the dash, very inelegant. Couldn't they have better integrated them into the dashboard somehow?

The exterior lines of the new 3 are much nicer than the older one with the gaping mouth.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by KNS

Our daughter has a 2010 Mazda 3 as her first car, they are very nimble and fun to drive. It has 61,000 miles on it so far and it has been trouble free. The only thing I don't like is the lack of a water temp gauge and on the newer cars - the screen stuck on the dash like an after thought. It seems more and more cars have that same screen on the top of the dash, very inelegant. Couldn't they have better integrated them into the dashboard somehow?

The exterior lines of the new 3 are much nicer than the older one with the gaping mouth.

Yeah, it definitely has a "tablet stapled to the dash" look. But, it's up high in the line of sight with no obstructions from a shroud. Looked odd when I first saw one last year, I guess because it's so different, but it's grown on me.

Head's up display is pretty cool. In addition to the speedo, it puts up the next turn info when navigating. Random video demo pulled from Youtube:

[magnumpi]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Great car for your climate. Not so great if they salt the roads in winter.

Enjoy it.

+1... personal experience on a 3 year old Mazda 6 plagued by rust bubbles on hood and doors ... I've seen 3s a few years old with rust bubbles already forming. Not a salt belt approved car IMO.

[fanaudical]

Audi depreciation is nuts. I usually buy and keep them for a long time and rarely get much back come trade-in time.

[Hugh R]

My wife had a 2013 Mazda 3 four door hatchback, it was nice, but too small for taking clients out. Got a 2015 Mazda CX-5 SUV thingy. Both really nice. Mazda has upped their game in the last few years.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by fanaudical

Audi depreciation is nuts. I usually buy and keep them for a long time and rarely get much back come trade-in time.

Depreciation? Yeah, somebody paid $60K for this car in 2008. I bought it in 2014 for $16,500. Sold it for $15,500 after adding >9000 miles. Almost $45K depreciation in 7 years would be hard to handle. That would buy a brand new version of the car I bought AND a one year old one.

Other than the MMI dying and requiring a $450 repair, the A6 was trouble free for those 9000 miles. I should have protected the electronics stack from potential washer fluid leaks, but didn't really understand the issue when I read about it. The car was simply awesome on long trips. The bank vault feeling when shutting the doors and library quiet interior will be missed.

Had two oil changes at $100 each. Bought a fair amount of premium gas. But other expenses weren't the car's fault:
Fix 2 bent wheels. $150
Replaced front bumper insert with the plate-less version. $100
Lifetime balance at Discount Tire. $60
Update ignition button to later model metal version $120.

So, other than normal operating expenses (gas, oil, insurance, etc.), it cost me less than $2000 to own it. Seems very fair to me. I figure once it gets up to 95K miles, the value will drop to $12K. 110K miles? $8-$10K. I just reached a point where I felt I had to commit to many more years in the car to justify the looming drop in value or bail now.

[Sarc]

Interesting timing as I was just thinking about your MMI thread the other day. The new Mazdas are great cars. I'm curious to see how the new ones fare in our climate. Like our Canadian friends to north have mentioned, older Mazdas tend to develop rust quite quickly in these neck of the woods.
Nice to hear the C6 experience was a good one. Mrs. Sarc has a hankering for one to replace her MS3.

[Tobra]

Is that soul red? Good color

[dennis in se pa]

Mazda builds great cars. I have had 3 of them. But the dealer in my area is horrible. Known for poor service. How many car brands do you not even consider because of the same thing?

Nice car, good luck.

[LeeH]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Is that soul red? Good color

Yes, Soul Red. I'm really NOT a red car kind of guy, but in my opinion, the color really brings out the lines in this car like none of the others do.

Getting the windows tinted today. Should make it a little meaner looking.