Looking at joining the family

[andrewschenk]

Hi all, I'm coming over form the Cadillac Owners Forum as I recently just wrote off my 2006 3.6L CTS which I absolutely loved and was my first car, and with being a full time student, replacing it with a similar ride isn't an option right now. But with that said, I am happy and excited to find myself interested in a Mazda3 5-door. Not huge on FWD cars, but I really do like the look of the 3, so maybe it can sway my thoughts on that!

I had my CTS at 230rwhp (so say 270ish HP), and with the hefty weight of that car I would think a 3 isnt much slower. Torque steer does bother me quite a bit, how noticeable is it in the 3? (Yes, I know I still need to drive one )

I am only considering it with the 2.3L and somewhere in the 2007MY range, with 60-80,000km.
Undecided if I want to go 5spd man. or auto. I want leather, sunroof, etc, etc. The usual equipment! I believe the EPA rating is city/hwy-25/33, or around there, is that pretty accurate as observed by you all?

What I'm interested in is any quick tips/ pointers and anything I should now about these cars?
I of course will be doing my own research and am fairly well-versed with cars so I'm not coming at this blind

What sort of performance items are available for the first gen 3's? Obviously the typical: headers, exhaust, CAI (who do you recommend for each? Volant was the best CAI for the Caddy but I dont think they touch Mazda yet, and I'm not big on K&N open box design). Anything in terms of chips? Best lowering springs (Eibach?). Anything from it's Ford platform mates that I can look into?
Any 'cheap' DUI mods both in term of aesthetics and/or performance? Thinking something like port and polish throttle body, open up any air dams that lead to the intake, etc.

I plan on swapping the interior lights to white LEDs and do 6000k HIDs for starters.

Any ways, I would like to say hello and I hope I can contribute as much here as I did with my old friends on the Cadillac forums. My name is Andrew and I'm from the home of the failing Blackberry... Waterloo, Ontario.

[Renesisking]

The 3 is a great car. I drove the 2.0 the 2.3 hatch, 2.5 hatch and both generations of the speed3. You won't have any excessive torque steer in the non Speed versions unless you floor the throttle on every launch. I suggest you get the manual, its much more fun and lively to drive. They're very reliable and practical. If you wish to mod it, you should check out Protege Garage, TWM, SURE performance, Corksport, I could go on. Also, you can check out mazdas247.com as there are so many guys and girls that mod their cars on that site. There are so many things you can do to the 3 its crazy. Drive the car, I hope you like it and I wish you the best of luck with it, or whatever else it is that you buy.

[Mazda3gurl]

You won't be dissapointed! They are fun little cars I don't know anything about mods tho lol

[Jimmijackson]

I suggest you get the manual, its much more fun and lively to drive.