I nearly bought one in 2007. It was between a Mazda 6 and a Pulsar. In the end, I went with the Pulsar because it was $2k cheaper, and all other things about the cars were pretty equal.

My life circumstances changed over the next decade (had a family), and the Pulsar was a bit small for us by the end. I ended up wishing I’d gone with the Mazda.

I think you made the right choice.