Zoom- Zoom

As many of my friends know, I am big Mazda rube. Other than the old hand me down Toyota Collora's I have driven, I have been a Mazda fan. Let’s just say that I really like the styling and somewhat sporty handling. I am not a big car guy, I don’t fix my own or anything, that’s why mechanics exist. But, I can definitely appreciate a good looking car.

Back in the fall, I hit a deer and totaled my Mazda6. The settlement was enough to offset my loan have a very small down payment on something else. I knew I wanted another Mazda and came down to 2 choices: a) a used Mazda 6 equivalent to what I crashed or b) a brand new 2009 redesigned Mazda 6. Now, both are good looking cars and would have suited me just fine. The new one was in my budget but on the high side, the older one easily affordable.

What did I do? I scoured the internet looking for the best deal on a new 2009. I ended up finding a dealership up in Brainerd that had the only new 2009 4 cylinder left in stock in the state. I exchanged 4 phone calls with the sales guy in a span of 3 hours, talking him down on price. In the end, they were offering me this car for $17,500…at least $3000 of sticker. I made a date with destiny and was excited to visit Brainerd with my Dad to go “look” at the car.

But I couldn’t sleep that night…and I realized that if I went, I would have to buy that car. There was no way around it…why would I spend all that time driving and negotiating to walk away? So I didn’t make the trip. Remorse? Maybe, it was a heck of a deal on a new car.

I ended up getting a used Mazda 6, fully loaded Grand Touring. Same car as what I had but it has all the bells and whistles. $8000 less too. And I love it…it’s a sweet ride…or at least that’s what all the ladies say…sort of.


I bring this up because of my visit to the Auto Show yesterday. I sat in a beautiful leather new Mazda 6 and for that moment felt that I had to have it.


My advice to all those car shoppers is this: if you can be happy without buying the newest or most advanced, do it. You can invest, save, buy something else that you need…whatever. The car is a depreciating asset and so make sure you are comfortable with payments.