After a lot of wrangling with the dealer over prices, and then more wrangling with ourselves over the finances, we’ve gotten ourselves back on track and are scheduled to take delivery of our new Mazda6 s 5-door on Saturday. We’re going to end up financing through the dealer, not a third-party bank like Capital One…the latter gave me a shitty rate that I wasn’t expecting (I still don’t know where that came from), so Mazda Credit ended up being the best choice after all.

I’ve already called Eclipse Auto and scheduled a time to get the windows tinted. This is the same shop that did tint work on the county sheriff’s squad cars and the only Lamborghini Murcielago in town (check it out in the gallery on their site), so I figure they have to know their way around. I’m thinking charcoal 30% all around. I guess even auto tint materials have improved since I got my Trans Am tinted, because now they offer a lifetime warranty against peeling, bubbling, discoloring or any of that other crap that happens to lousy tint. Nice.

Test-drove the 6 again on Thursday after hearing the service department fixed a couple of little problems I’d documented last weekend. The rattle from the B-pillar still wasn’t corrected, though, so I got the service manager and pointed out the exact location of the noise. Hopefully they’ll have it fixed up by Saturday.

Looks like we won’t owe any money on the Vibe. GMAC told me that in the event of a lease car being declared a total loss, the gap insurance even covers the remaining payments. There won’t be any extra charges. Now, if we see any extra money back…that’ll be the real question. I’m not expecting any, but if we wind up with a check, you’re not going to see me complaining.

I’m still looking at the pictures I took of the car and wondering if I should remove that tape stripe down the sides. It’s not quite doing it for me. Most 6 owners do remove them, so I’m thinking I’ll give it a shot. I’m definitely breaking out the hairdryer and yanking that dealer sticker off the trunk lid. They stick it right below the Mazda6 emblem, too, and when there’s nothing on the other side of the trunk! Have these guys never heard of design balance? (That was a joke.)

We’re not even the only ones getting into the new car excitement. My good buddy Sparse is just footsteps away from placing an order for a brand new 2005 Subaru WRX STi. This is awesome stuff—it’s the rally car that kicks all manner of ass. He’s even contemplating going for the honest-to-God metallic blue on gold rims look that’s so definitively Subaru (which I would definitely do if it was me). After years of talking about owning just such a car, it’s awesome that Sparse is finally about to land one. It reminds me of when I was about to score my new WS6 back in 1998. Sparse and I went out for a test drive the day after the car came in at Red Holman Pontiac, and damn was that a good time.

Next time I’m in Michigan, Sparse is gonna be doing the driving. Oh hell yeah. That is, assuming he’ll trust us monkeys to get in his fine automobile.

Tomorrow’s Friday, thankfully, and the work week is coming to a close. After we pick up the car on Saturday (assuming nothing goes wrong), I’ll see if I can get the dealer sticker off the back right away and then find a spot to take some more pictures. I’ll probably start by taking a few here at home, but I gotta find a new photo-op location besides the library. There’s got to be somewhere else decent around here. Then on Sunday, we’re going down to the mall and a few other places, so it’ll be the Mazda’s first real tour of duty doing real stuff.

As a side note, my wife happened to mention to one of the guys who works at her restaurant today that she was getting a new Mazda. The guy immediately asked if it was a 6, and flipped out when she said yes. “Oh my God, that car is so cool!” He raved. Granted, I think oftentimes people get the 6 and the RX-8 mixed up somehow (hey, these are probably the same people that confuse the tail end of the 6 with a Corolla Type-S), but the 6 is certainly no slouch. I’m already thinking of adding a few aftermarket modifications, including an Injen cold air intake and high-flow filter. Am I turning into a Ricer? No way man…this car is too classy for rice. (Plus I’m not installing any of those damned Altezza taillights.)

More news as we get it.