I thought about buying one a while back when they first came out (2004ish I think). At the time the AWD wasn’t even released yet. I drove a T5 FWD with manual. Motor was pretty decent, quite torquey off idle. And that was about it… Car just felt way too small and cramped (based on Mazda 3 and Euro Ford Focus platform). The manual tranny was very notchy. Also had way too much suspension and road noise for a $30k+ car. Walked out of the dealer disappointed, went and drove a Mazda 6 later that day and thought (aside from engine and lack of AWD) it was hands down a nicer car (which was also almost $6k less.
Not bad. TMV on Edmunds lists it with a nice option package, leather, and autotragic for about $25k. It’s only about $3k more than a similarly equipped Mazda3, but with more motor.
Step up to the S60, Its the same motor has a better 5spd tranny and is roomier and handles the road a lot better.
You can pick up an 02 mint with 50k ish miles for about 10-15k.
I have driven my moms and its soo much fun, the gearbox is smooth, clutch is wierd but its got wonderful leather bucket seats and is surprisingly roomy even though the wheelbase is small.
The S40 just looks like its to small to be what your looking for. You and your BF wont be happy
Plus I know the S60 back seats fold down so you can fold those down and put the pugs in crates in the back.
I love the styling of the car and the i-5 motor seems to be very intresting.
My mom has the first generation s40 and although it is a completly different car… Her and I both love it. I figure your somewhere between a 45 year old lady and a 20 year old guy:)
I test drove one. Decent power quick (2.5 with small turbo) but dies up top.
Shifter is pretty sloppy. It also looks like a 1st gen DSM banana shifter, which sucks ass lol. The gates are rather undefined for such a new car. But you’re probably gonna get an automagic anyway lol…
Steering response feels very light and non-communicative. Good if you’re just driving around and not really caring. Bad if you get into a jam. Torque
Car handles alright - suspension soaked up a lot of the bumps on Manhattan’s 2nd ave in the Upper East Side. The chassis isn’t all that stiff however.
Roomwise - it’s good for tiny passengers (aka, joestypes size)
Acceleration is alright - traction control doesn’t really know what to do for a second when you try to roast it.
Interior fit and finish is pretty good. Still feels cheap though, but not as cheap as the other non-luxo subcompacts. A civic however, still has better feel to things. When the door closes, it lacks a euro “thump.”
i give it a 6.5/10 - there are plenty of cars that are out there that are better in many categories. Like the styling though.
It’s a pretty meh car - I’d buy a mazdaspeed 3 or a civic Si 4dr over this thing anyday. If I were you, I’d buy a 2007 car with low miles and a warranty, you can pick up a much nicer car.