New Mazda3 production issues?

According to cars.com there are only 19 NEW Mazda3 i Sport Manual transmission cars in all of the US.

At least on paper, this car makes my short list. However, the closest one to even test drive is over 500 miles away.

What gives? Is Mazda having general production issues? Are they perhaps just not building this particular spec car? I get that the loaded models are more profitable, but why bother even offering a certain set of specs and then only making the cars by the dozen?

Somebody here is smarter than me and will explain.

Getting a manual in anything is getting more difficult. I was looking at the Mazda 3 and 6's and manual's were few and far between if they were available at all.

Even finding a Focus that I ended up buying was very hard to locate. Focus was way cheaper too.

Few things. Firstly, most dealers are low on 2015s and waiting for the incoming loads of 2016s at this time of year. It's a great time to get a deal on a 2015 but a bad time to be picky.

Second, the 3i Sport is the base model hatch and only one step up from base on the sedan. They are pretty stripped out cars. The 3i Touring is their volume seller, as it has the stuff that the average buyer can't live without while still lacking all the really fancy extras that the Grand Touring gets. When I was considering the new 3, the 3i Touring was far and away the most common model in a manual.

Third, Mazda arguably overproduced the 3i manual in 2014 and early 2015, as the 3s manual was not yet available, and now they are likely emphasizing the 3s manual as many buyers were vocally waiting for the bigger engine with the stickshift.

You almost need to special order a manual. Hence why my friend bought a focus over a civic.

Brian wrote: You almost need to special order a manual.

I've yet to meet a dealer of any Asian-branded car that is able (or willing, perhaps) to order cars.

Bye Mazda.

EvanR wrote:

Brian wrote: You almost need to special order a manual.

I've yet to meet a dealer of any Asian-branded car that is able (or willing, perhaps) to order cars. Bye Mazda.

Judging by how many new sixes and threes I am seeing on the road these days, it seems like they are doing OK.

First of all, AutoTrader shows OVER 600 new manual 3i Sports for sale right now in the U.S...about 200 hatchbacks and 400 sedans.

Personally, I had to look really hard for the manual Fit I eventually bought, and it was the only one in a 250 mile radius that met my requirements. The experience didn't sour me to Honda, it just reminded me of the current reality in the U.S. market. If every 3 buyer wanted a manual, believe you me, that's all they would be making...as noted before you're shopping in the middle of a model year transition for a very specific combination of trim level and transmission.

I've been told most dealers can typically work with corporate to acquire the vehicle you want from another lot, if the exact one you want is somewhere else and you commit to purchasing from that dealer. You could very well just be feeling the effects of crappy local dealers.

It's funny, I had zero problem finding my 2012 back in 2011. I even found the exact color and trim level I wanted, and it was within the dealer region. And it's probably a low production one: It's a 6-speed Crystal White Mica S Touring hatch. I had very little problem finding other colors as well.

I did NOT, however, see many Sport trim cars at all. The handful I saw were mostly automatics. I think at that lower price point, they load up on automatics because it's a "value leader" and they will sell. That's not just a Mazda thing.

I have heard that Honda won't even sell you an Accord Sport with a stick unless you order one.

pointofdeparture wrote: First of all, AutoTrader (shows) about 200 hatchbacks.

Yes, you are correct. My mistake was in searching for versions under $19k. (Base price is $18,500.)

More toys, more money.

That $18,545 base price is before the mandatory $820 destination charge, which many dealers include in their listed pricing. So $19,365 is the true "base" price, might want to search with a higher cutoff. Also, I wouldn't hold Mazda accountable for dealer markups, that's just the way dealers are.

I work for a Mazda dealer and Mazda can be funky with manufacturing vehicles.