Audiophile Priorities and Factory-Installed Car Audio System Comparisons

[RGA]

It's funny you mention stock stereos because that was actually the main reason I bought a Honda Civic over a Mazda something or other (it was the one designed by a woman) - looked cool to me at the time and was around the same price.

But Mazda was and still is a bit of a pain in the neck when it comes to their "bundles" I want the 5c engine then you have to also buy the 6 speaker stereo system at X price - but I don't want to buy the stereo system I just want the 5c engine well I am sorry Mr. Austen you must pay the $1000 for the upgraded stereo.

So I went to Honda - Yes Mr. Austen you can buy the Civic with a radio, with a radio/CD player or with nothing. Yes Mr. Austen you can buy the air conditioner and ONLY the air conditioner - you also don't have to get the moonroof package.

I hate that stuff. let me have the damn thing the way I want the damn thing. Not that it matters - I am so damn happy to not own a money pit car anymore - and I hope I keep liking it here because if so I will never buy another bloody car again!

[Woochifer]

It's funny you mention stock stereos because that was actually the main reason I bought a Honda Civic over a Mazda something or other (it was the one designed by a woman) - looked cool to me at the time and was around the same price.

But Mazda was and still is a bit of a pain in the neck when it comes to their "bundles" I want the 5c engine then you have to also buy the 6 speaker stereo system at X price - but I don't want to buy the stereo system I just want the 5c engine well I am sorry Mr. Austen you must pay the $1000 for the upgraded stereo.

So I went to Honda - Yes Mr. Austen you can buy the Civic with a radio, with a radio/CD player or with nothing. Yes Mr. Austen you can buy the air conditioner and ONLY the air conditioner - you also don't have to get the moonroof package.

I hate that stuff. let me have the damn thing the way I want the damn thing. Not that it matters - I am so damn happy to not own a money pit car anymore - and I hope I keep liking it here because if so I will never buy another bloody car again!

Yeah, Mazda is definitely notorious for locking their options down into these arbitrary packages. But, a lot of it is their own fault because, with the Mazda3 at least, they proliferate the drivetrain options like crazy (do you want the 2.0L MZR, 2.0L Skyactiv, 2.3L DISI Turbo, or 2.5L MZR engine? And do you want the 5-speed automatic, 6-speed stick, 6-speed Skyactiv-D, or 6-speed Skyactiv-MT?). Supposedly 2012 is a transitional year for them, and a couple of the engine choices will disappear next year.

I know that Mazda has to streamline their production more than other companies because 1) they are a smaller company with less production capacity; and 2) they still make most of their cars in Japan, and the exchange rate on the yen is killing them right now. One of the easiest ways of streamlining production is to limit the option combos.

With the Skyactiv Mazda3 that I got, the only option for the Touring version is the sunroof/Bose package -- can't have one without the other. If I want to add leather seats and navigation, then it's another $1,500 to upgrade to the Grand Touring model.

Honda also does its own fair share of bundling, but they allow more a la carte optioning because more of their equipment is dealer installed.

Ford throws the entire option menu open. You can choose a package or pick just a certain feature. But, that actually made it more difficult to find a car with the option combination I wanted, since I was purposely looking for a Focus that did not have the MyFordTouch/Sync option and did not have the problematic dual clutch transmission. Problem is that MyFordTouch is a high demand option and more profit for the dealer, so the majority of Focus models that the dealers order include that feature. In my entire area, I could only locate one Focus that had a sunroof without the MyFord/Sync option.