New car buying dilemma. Suggestions?

[Belmont31R]

I agree. The lack of a manual option is a killer for me. The lease on my Mazda3 is up in March and I am in the same boat.

Having the WS6 it's a little different tho, If I want to scare myself I can just drive that. Otherwise I needed a sh*t box to get me to and from work.

The new Mazda 6 is a very nice looking car for sure. Judging by the 5spd in my 3, it is one of the better shifters I have used. Sure it is still a little sloppy, but not as bad as my '96 Maxima or my friends '02 Elontra was. Those cars you did not know if you were in 5th or 1st. Is it as positive feeling as my TA? Absolutely not. But its better than most imports. For me, shifter feel is a big factor. I test drove an Impreza wagon and the shifter was crap. Even though its only a daily driver, I still like to power shift it at WOT and heel toe into the corner lol. Mistaking 1st for 3rd would suck!

My vote is for the Mazda 6

We have a 2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv with the 6-speed manual. Love the car for what it is. Not a sports car by any means but its still reasonably fun for a small 4 door. No issues with it yet after 31k miles.

[jpmuscle]

Ok

Well all said and done I went with the accord sport. I picked it up this evening and I'm loving it so far. I was able to take advantage the college graduate program they were running too so that netted me an extra $500 off, so bonus.

I appreciate everyone's advice.

[C-grunt]

You cant go wrong with an Accord. Those Sport models look sharp and I hear they are nice to drive as well.

[Caeser25]

The Mazda obviously. Its by far the best driving of the three. But leasing is a financial black hole and thus I cannot support any decision.

This. I prefer to buy older, used, cash or able to be paid off in a year, maintain and drive into the ground.

I agree. The lack of a manual option is a killer for me. The lease on my Mazda3 is up in March and I am in the same boat.

Having the WS6 it's a little different tho, If I want to scare myself I can just drive that. Otherwise I needed a sh*t box to get me to and from work.

The new Mazda 6 is a very nice looking car for sure. Judging by the 5spd in my 3, it is one of the better shifters I have used. Sure it is still a little sloppy, but not as bad as my '96 Maxima or my friends '02 Elontra was. Those cars you did not know if you were in 5th or 1st. Is it as positive feeling as my TA? Absolutely not. But its better than most imports. For me, shifter feel is a big factor. I test drove an Impreza wagon and the shifter was crap. Even though its only a daily driver, I still like to power shift it at WOT and heel toe into the corner lol. Mistaking 1st for 3rd would suck!

My vote is for the Mazda 6

My 96 Maxima was great once I added a Stillen STS and Unorthodox Racing Ceramic clutch and super lightweight flywheel (25% of stock) revved great. I didn't drive that one into the ground but a telephone pole

[brickboy240]

Yep...nothing says, "I failed Economics 101" more than leasing a car. Total rip-off.

-brickboy240

[jpmuscle]

Yep...nothing says, "I failed Economics 101" more than leasing a car. Total rip-off.

-brickboy240

I appreciate the constructive input since this thread has nothing to do with the efficacy of leasing or purchasing.