Hey everyone, my son and I made a deal about a decade ago that if he got straight A’s all through school that I would get him whatever car he wanted when he became an adult. Well, he accomplished that and some more and is now going to college with his tuition fully paid. As a seven year old, he wanted a corvette but has since moved on from that. Very tech oriented kid and I don’t want to get him anything pre-2018, so what should I get him? The 2020/21 Mazda 3 sedan is high on our families list for the cost/reliability/safety standards. Thanks.
Maybe he knows what car he wants.
The Mazda 3 is actually what he suggested to me! Haha he was also interested in electric for a period but the youth of it turned him away.
I would ask him what he wants. I mean, a deal is a deal and if it is within reason I'd honor it.
You may be surprised. Maybe he wants a truck, or a Civic, or maybe he does want the Mazda. I would ask and see what he says and if it is something reasonable (he moved on from Corvette, so that's a start) I would definitely entertain the idea. Miata's are also fun little cars. But that's the route I would take.
The Mazda was what he suggested to me, fits both the budgets and his ideals! Just came on here to get a few more ideas to make sure we hit every possibility. He’s open to a lot which makes this fun for us both.
Well that's awesome! If that is the case, there is nothing wrong with the Mazda. Just make sure to do the usual test drive, etc. to make sure it is a good fit.
Get him a Mazda3 with the naturally aspirated engine (2.0L or 2.5L engine). Regarding the 2.5L engine - depending on the package and options it may or may not come with cylinder deactivation, but avoid cylinder deactivation at all costs! You can check the brochure (for 2020 and 2021 model years to see which trim package offers it and just don’t select that trim package). Anyhow, it’s a great choice for him, a little fun to drive but also more practical and safer (than the Miata). It’s possible he may grow out of the Miata (2-seater roadster) for something more practical later, but getting the Mazda3 sedan from the beginning he may hang onto it longer.
Mazda 3 is a cool car. Best looking car and relatively reliable in that category.
Honda Civic SI! Very fun, stylish car and excellent car.
The maxda3 is a great choice in my opinion solid car!
Maybe a 2020 corolla xse hatchback in electric blue would be a nice first car because it has the 2.0 4 cylinder with 169 horsepower.
A 2019-2020 Toyota Camry SE or XSE would be nice. Nice looking cars but then again, he’s 18 so he might be like “nah those are old lady cars” but they’re very comfortable, have a good amount of power and they’re much cooler looking than the older ones
The newer Honda Civics have great tech in them. I just bought one for that reason and I love it.
If he wants the Mazda, get him the Mazda! Much better choice for a young person than a Corvette and they are cool, fun to drive, practical, and decently reliable. More importantly it isn't a sports car, just a sporty compact car.
I got a Mazda3 as a graduation present back in 2012. Not only has the car held up to the test of time. It looks nice too. Only part I regret is not getting the manual transmission, but the Toyota transmission it came with has served me well. Ten years of regular maintenance and its still going strong. 2012+, it seems that mazda really ramped up their quality and reliability while remaining less expensive! Definitely a great first car and a great life car as well. Just make sure it's naturally Aspirated!
