I will be replacing the winter beater within the next few months and have been toying around with a few ideas. It's either something used, possibly E30, E36, FC RX7....something RWD w/ a stick. I haven't given that much thought yet. I have also contemplated instead of buying used, putting a down payment on a 3. I really wouldn't like to make payments, but I figure it's gonna be a lot more reliable than a 20 year old car. I'd appreciate if the owners of Mazda3's would give me some input on to how they like the car, any problem areas, etc... I would definetly want a manual, & most likely the 2.3.