..thinking.. about getting a Mazda2 to replace my

[mareakin]

With the used car market favoring sellers of cars with a reputation for gas-sipping at the moment (high gas prices) I am very seriously thinking about trading-in my 2007 Toyota Corolla CE for a Mazda2 with a manual transmission.

The Mazda2 would seem like the near-perfect car for me. It's extremely light-weight at 2300 lbs w/stick-shift and the reviews say that it's the best handling/most toss-able car in the segment and may even rival the Mazda Miata in driving fun-ness. The car is rated EPA 29city/35highway--not very impressive compared to larger cars like the Elantra that do even better. Acceleration is also said to be merely adequate, which is, adequate enough (chuckle) for me since I do more city driving than highway. Also, the interior is sub-par and the car is pretty ugly compared to attractive rivals like the new Accent. I'm wiling to overlook all these CONS because of the PRO of its funnicity. I've had enough of the boringness of the Corolla.

So, all is well, except this: I've never driven stick-shift and the car has to be my daily driver in a lot of city traffic in New York City. I may even have to take the car from time to time to Manhattan where, depending on the time of the day, it can...crawl..... bumper to bumper.

So, the plan is to learn how to drive the car off the dealer lot after the trade-in. I'll get manuals and watch YouTube videos.

What do you think of my plan? Any critiques? Is driving stick-shift in traffic horrible?

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Gallery:

 

[The_Jeff]

You can do it in NY. I wouldn't want to in san fransisco. Hills.

 

[SLCraig]

Not sure you will gain much on MPG if at all over a Corolla with this.

Also if you were gonna buy in this segment I think you should check out the new Accent hatch.

 

[cmf]

Manual is awful for any place with stop and go traffic. I would never own a manual in NYC. Sorry to burst your bubble

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[Lead Shoes]

Buy a older civic... 90's era, I got 35mpg at the worst since I bought it at 200k, and the dent in your wallet is less than 3 grand if you find the right one.

with the tires at 37psi and driving like an old lady 45mpg is reachable in my car, and its not even the best civic for MPG.

That and owning an older Honda with some dents makes the fear of parking lots nonexistent. And driving a manual in traffic isn't that bad, unless you are lazy...

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: cmf
Manual is awful for any place with stop and go traffic. I would never own a manual in NYC. Sorry to burst your bubble

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+1

 

[Oregoonian]

Originally Posted By: cmf
Manual is awful for any place with stop and go traffic. I would never own a manual in NYC. Sorry to burst your bubble

.

+2......born and raised in NYC (Queens)....and I would never get a stick with all that stop and go traffic....although I learned to drive on a stick when I was 18 (55 Chevy).

I escaped from NY....to the west coast.....via the U.S. Navy when I was 21.
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03' Ford Focus (2.3L Duratec PZEV) / 98,500
Pennzoil Platinum 5w20 / Puro PureOne / OCI: 8,000 +/-

 

[needsducktape]

I have only owed stick and I live in a city -and I do just fine. In fact I prefer it.

I would try it out and see if its for you- You can learn to drive a stick relatively quickly- And the drive becomes much more rewarding.

I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much of a drivers car Mazda really is. Kind of underrated in my opinion.

 

[Popinski]

Originally Posted By: cmf
Manual is awful for any place with stop and go traffic. I would never own a manual in NYC. Sorry to burst your bubble

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I was in a 4 hour stop-and-go traffic jam in DC. I was driving a manual Ford pickup. I swear I was going to give up and chop off my left leg to relieve pain.

 

[FirstNissan]

I live in North Jersey and work in queens, commute everyday is 1.5-2hrs each way. My versa is a manual, and let me tell you, bumper to bumper traffic manhattan/queens is a nightmare. I am a huge fan of manuals, since I really get to "feel" the engine, but after crawling through traffic for an hour, my leg just wants to run away all by itself!

 

[mareakin]

Wow, a lot of votes for NO and only 1 qualified vote for YES.

Experience matters, you have it and you don't recommend it. I'll probably listen. Final decision, pending stick-shift lesson, $100/hr. at Manhattan Driving School.

 

[Nick R]

In the city? Go for an automatic. I was almost considering getting a cruze in a manual, but decided that I shouldn't learn on a brand new car. So automatic it is, if our big, trade in 4-for-3 goes through, which it looks like it will be.

 

[poiuy223]

Originally Posted By: mareakin
Wow, a lot of votes for NO and only 1 qualified vote for YES.

Experience matters, you have it and you don't recommend it. I'll probably listen. Final decision, pending stick-shift lesson, $100/hr. at Manhattan Driving School.

[censored]? Go to Enterprise, tell them you want to rent a cheapa55 beater that's a manual. Practice on the thing the entire day and it won't cost you $100...

 

[mareakin]

Originally Posted By: poiuy223
Originally Posted By: mareakin
Wow, a lot of votes for NO and only 1 qualified vote for YES.

Experience matters, you have it and you don't recommend it. I'll probably listen. Final decision, pending stick-shift lesson, $100/hr. at Manhattan Driving School.

[censored]? Go to Enterprise, tell them you want to rent a cheapa55 beater that's a manual. Practice on the thing the entire day and it won't cost you $100...


Hm! Good to know! I had thought that there were no stick-shift rentals anymore for this very reason. I'll take another look.

 

[The Critic]

I've never seen or heard of a stick shift rental at Enterprise.

 

[poiuy223]

I just pulled a random car rental name and Enterprise is one of the biggest. Anyway, I'm sure some rental will be able to find a stick for you.

 

[odie]

Test drove a manual 2 . The clutch engagement and shifting is the easiest I've encountered so far . Give it try . As for stop and go traffic , rather have an auto . Good luck on your quest .

 

[D189379]

I'd never drive a manual in a city like that, and I only drive manuals.

 

[mareakin]

Originally Posted By: odie
Test drove a manual 2 . The clutch engagement and shifting is the easiest I've encountered so far . Give it try . As for stop and go traffic , rather have an auto . Good luck on your quest .

 

[SLCraig]

People are crazy to say no just because of traffic. What difference does it make? I drive my Civic in stop and go all the time, as well as rural highway (I drive a lot) I would still never consider an auto because of that.