Jason Sheperis

Review of Autobarn Mazda - Evanston,IL

I'm a bit of a car nerd, but not as familiar with ...

I'm a bit of a car nerd, but not as familiar with the Mazda lineup. I had originally showed up to buy a VW GTI from a nearby dealer, but found the seats on the new model uncomfortable, thus ending its 5 year stint as "my dream car" ). My basic criteria were: Fun to drive, manual transmission, sun roof, heated seats.

So, we visited the Mazda dealer next door. I liked the looks of the 6 (though it's a bit big for us) and I've been eyeing the 6 diesel's possible introduction to the USA (I figure Dieselgate all but killed that. Thanks VW....). The 3 also looked nice, and I appreciate the fact that Mazda offers a manual transmission on most of the lineup (at least the ones that would likely appeal to an enthusiast). I also like that Mazda is one of the few independent automakers left in the world.

Everyone we dealt with at the Mazda dealership was friendly, knowledgeable, and were clearly *interested in cars* (oddly, a rarity!). They were not interested in playing any games or jerking us around, as many car dealerships have in the past. Our salesman, Mirza Peksin, knew *everything* about the cars we test drove, from engine/transmission comparisons within the Mazda line and its competitors to knowing down to the sub-sub-sub menus of the infotainment system. He was also funny and straightforward.

Our finance person, Chris Norton, was more of the same. Another friendly auto enthusiast who knew his product, had fun with his customers, was very straightforward, and shepherded us through the process with confidence and humor.

Before this buying experience, ANY Mazda had been at roughly spots 9-10 on my "top-10 cars to consider buying" (though a Speed3 or Speed6 might've bumped that up :) ). Thanks to the lovely driving dynamics and value proposition of the Mazda3, plus the awesome experience with Mirza and Chris, there is now a picture of a Miata on my fridge, put there by my wife, replacing the VW GTI, to focus us on saving for our next car.