My Mini for a Mazda

The Mini was a blast to drive, but having two doors combined with other minor but irritating issues was just too much for me. And my son’s stroller didn’t even fit in it without folding a rear seat down, for pete’s sake. I was tired of having to remove the carseat to get anything home, tired of chasing my son around the back trying to get him in the carseat, and tired of the rattles and squeaky windshield wipers. (It’s not a good sign when people on the phone can tell it’s raining from the screech of your wipers.) The last straw was when I accidentally put it in reverse at a stoplight and almost hit the person behind me. Reverse is to the left of 1st and didn’t require anything special to use, like pushing down on the shifter. Ugh!

So I went test driving, my favorite hobby. I was convinced I’d love the Audi A3, so I drove it first. Wow… Underwhelmed doesn’t even begin to approach how I felt about the A3. I moved up to an A4, but they didn’t have an Avant in a color I wanted, and my top choice of red would have to be custom ordered. The A4 sedan is nice, but really didn’t do much for me.

I moved to Volkswagen next where I drove the Jetta TDI (diesel). I loved it and would have purchased it right then and there, but the Jetta lease special didn’t cover TDIs and the dealer wanted way more than I wanted to pay for it.

Frustrated, I thought “meh, the Mini is fine” but a friend convinced me to go drive a Mazda3. My first reaction was “wow that is hideous” but the more I wandered around the Mazda lot the more the 3 started to appeal to me. I mean, it looks like it’s smiling – how could I not smile back? I drove the Mazdaspeed3 first and absolutely loved it, but really wanted to spend less, so I opted for a regular Mazda3 hatchback (I didn’t even drive the sedan). I love hatchbacks and always have, especially as a single homeowner who occasionally likes to buy large items like toilets. It’s just convenient, and it stands out a little in a crowd. I loved the bright blue but the dealer I was at didn’t have a hatchback, and I was a little afraid I’d tire of the color, so I went for pearl white. I’ve never owned a white car before and tend to associate them with work vehicles, but I love that they hide dirt well and don’t show scratches as badly as dark cars. The white is really pretty and I don’t regret that one bit.

I’ve had the Mazda for a little over a month and so far, no regrets. It’s easy to drive (it’s an automatic), it holds everything I need, and it’s a relief to have rear doors when getting my son in and out of the carseat. He still refers to Minis as “Mommy’s car” but also calls any Mazda3 that too, so he doesn’t seem to upset about the loss of the Mini.