We already have an '06 Touring hatch...and will probably pass that off to the nearly 16 year old and mama will get a shiny new 3 GT. Both manual. He can learn the essentials of driving on dad's auto Rav4, then master it on his own manual. Even though they're becoming increasingly rare, I think it's an important skill to have. Being able to operate any vehicle on the road is really useful in a pinch.
I must say that I find it interesting that people talk about how badly Mazdas corrode. Ours is 11 years old and has VERY few and minor spots of rust. And we live in the land of near constant moisture and road salt (and don't wash it nearly as often as we probably should). Plus it spent the first 7 years of its life parked outdoors. A bigger gripe I would have is the durability of the sheet metal on our old 3. It has little dents all over it from green pinecones falling on it and where the feet for our roof rack sat.
I must say that I find it interesting that people talk about how badly Mazdas corrode. Ours is 11 years old and has VERY few and minor spots of rust. And we live in the land of near constant moisture and road salt (and don't wash it nearly as often as we probably should). Plus it spent the first 7 years of its life parked outdoors. A bigger gripe I would have is the durability of the sheet metal on our old 3. It has little dents all over it from green pinecones falling on it and where the feet for our roof rack sat.