im looking to buy a mazda 3 my sister has a 04 mazda3 automatic. l want a manual. l wanna know if their fun. l curently own a 3000gt that l love and is alot of fun but it also is extreamly expensice to keep running, and l have put enough into it. so first are they fun, fast, and are they expensive to fix. and would you rather the look of the sedan or hatch. l for some reason like the hatch better l think it looks sportier l think. and would you rather own a mazda 6 instead. what are your likes and dislikes?

l would think u r accustomed to a lot more pick up & horsepower. The Mazda3 may feel sluggish in comparison. l prefer the Mazda3 because l can drive it the way l want to & do not have to be overly concerned about gas. l preface my remarks by stating that like any car if performance is ur preference the car needs to have performance products on it or it will not satisfy ur driving instincts.
When u r running late to work, rushing to pick up family, or almost late to a meeting; in these instances what u r driving becomes secondary. Its all about getting there on time. This is the personality type the Mazda3 exhibits every day. Some drive like they stole it, others may cruise in morning rush hour traffic at 80 miles per hour. The beauty of the 3 is that u can drive it the way it is meant to be driven. Once u have arrived to ur destination, hurriedly get out of the car, depress the key fob causing the car to honk the horn once or twice to make sure the doors r locked; as a result u just make ur meeting.
When u return, start the engine, the gas gauge is not far from where it started. The gas needle seems to be fighting for ur cause to not have to feel up too soon, despite aggressive driving behavior. Another words it can be driven the way u think & the gas mileage can provide a total of 300-400 miles highway. In the city 250-300 miles city.
Like many l would like better numbers, however my 13.5 gallon tank & my right foot can still live comfortably with what l am getting week in week out. In my case, l drive a stick & never get tired of it. On the fun side of the equation, the engine response is eager & willing to please. The handling is crisp, deliberate & firm. To the driver it has quick moves & zippy characteristics in traffic. On the road, if u open it up & run 80 to 120 mph, Mazda is Racing heritage shines. Braking distance at 80 mph & below is a prelude to a short stopping distance of 113 feet. However, 0-60 mph does not distinguish the Mazda from any other car, in this range it is competent & comfortable. If u have a long stretch & travel 80-120 mph the engine note is like the Opera Singer Pavarotti in a virtuoso performance holding a long tenor note that is consistent, strong & crisp. The driver is ensconced with one of the safest cars on the road provided that air bags r included in the rear seats as well as the front. A manual in my opinion is fun because of the level of involvement the driver has to have with steering, shifting & the volume knob.
Mazda has a technical name for fun, it is Kansei engineering. Mostly investigated at Hiroshima University as a legitimate approach to ergonomics. Kansei is the study of the feel, acoustics, touch of the steering wheel & the height of the shifter as well as the manual shift into another gear. The cumulative goal is to translate into human emotions an experience like no other.
Kansei engineering is a measurable & quantifiable approach that provides numerical responses that measure driver touch, feel & sound. This data is combined & incorporated into the materials, smells & touch reinforces the ''right'' emotional response. The entire goal here is for the driver to come to several conclusions through the life time of the car. This steering wheel & stick shift feels good in my hand. The length of the stick shift is commensurate with a comfortable reach that leads me to feel like, ''this is how l drive.'' Even to the detail, when the accelerator is depressed the engine responds smoothly & urgently. The exhaust note works harmoniously with the sound of the engine, the road noise & steering become as one, thus reinforcing what the owner thinks should be the elements of a drivers car. This explanation is Mazda is approach to engineering fun in their brand of cars. For them it is more than a slogan, instead a way of building a new brand of cars, a way of life for the customer. So, l am convinced that the Mazda3 is a fun car. My preference is the sedan. l better prefer the 4 door buttoned down styling over the hatch. Cheers.

l own a Mazdaspeed3 - the engine is incredible. the fuel economy is as good or better than the v6 found in the 6. the shifter, is not smooth as the standard 3. You might consider the mazdaspeed6 which is getting big factory discounts and it is awd like some of the 3000gt is

The hatch style is a lot of cargo room for bulky stuff but only if you push the seats down, otherwise, it is pretty small.