Considering to Buy Mazda 3

Hello everybody - I assume most of you own a Mazda 3. I test drove one two weeks ago and just loved it. Is it, and has it been a reliable car for you? I leased a VW Jetta 4 years ago and it was awful. I never owned a car that had so many transmission problems and etc. in my life. I just want something that lasts several years at least without it going into the shop for silly problems. I know they say Hondas and Toyotas are the best, but can't find out much about the Mazda's reliability and I can't get over the sporty feel it had when I test drove it. Can you help me here?

I have an 06 3i w/2.0L automatic. i have had it since september of 05 and have not had an issue. I drive alot of miles everyday, the car has 10,300 miles now, and no problems. It is a very sporty car, handles well and likes to go fast. It is great having the tiptronic transmission for manual shifting, it gives greater control over the car which is very nice. Toyotas and Hondas are nice, but the Mazda 3 is a better value for your money in my opinion. My only regret is not getting any power options on the car, but that was for personal reason at the time. I could not ask for a better car.

Thanks Michael for your input. It seems for the most part it is reliable from most posts I read and a lot of you are really mechanically into this car. I,m an older female that just wants to have fun in her sporty car! This car really left an impression on me with all its power. I'm considering an automatic "S" model - 5 door hatchback. Do you think the way the transmission is set up (from auto to manual mode) will cause more problems with the transmission as it ages? Or has this type of thing been out for a while? I just never studied cars until now - since I have to be in the market for a good car.

i agree with michael91077 i have a 06 3i 2.3L automatic. ive had mine since november last year, about 5,000 miles. Handles like a dream, although i drive in manual since day one the tiptronic transmission is the best even though it has a 1sec delay while manula shifting, but i have only three problems with it: one; the reason why i drive in manual is because in auto it likes to shift to last gear while only going around 40mph and it feels a little weird when you slow down in heavy traffic and it downshifts to 2nd then suddenly goes into 4th at the slightest speed increase, two; lets say you wanna race and decide to race in manual depending on how long the race is and weather or not you decide to make perfect shifts (6500rpm) you will top out at 118mph while in 3rd gear making the 4th gear usless(the speedometer is misleading), last; not nothing major but im a racer so it bothers me, aftermaket companies are making most of the high powered stuff for the 6 first so it will be awhile b4 anything major comes out, but other than that the 3 is great (even though the Hatchback looks suspisiously like a PT cruiser) but it a great car for a great price.

The tiptronic transmission has been out for a while, and its very realiable also with the 3's very stubborn, complex, and smart ECU it ensures a very long life for the transmission.

Honestly, the car is great, just dont be someone who likes to drive to slow, or you may not like it, you gotta just mash the gas every once in a while and just go, its a rush really. the tiptronic transmission is a great feature to have, my only problem with it is when driving in manual mode, the car will downshift automatically, like in auto-drive, i dont know if that is a manufacturer problem, or its new with the year, but i will check on it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: michael91077

my only problem with it is when driving in manual mode, the car will downshift automatically, like in auto-drive.

quote:



Yeah its a manufacture problem it should not be doing that in manual-mode.

Well thanks again for all your discussions. Not sure what to think though about your downshifting problem (that is, if it is a problem) Michael. I'm not too sure how to even use the manual mode side. Your automatic side works o.k. - right? I think I understand that in each shift the car will only go so fast until you manually change the next gear up? Wouldn't it automatically downshift anyway if you left your foot off the accelerator? - or does the car stay in that speed until you break to slow down? You can see that this car may be too high tech for me or I'm misunderstanding the downshifting part. The other thing I liked about the car was it was soooo comfortable to sit in and I felt like I was in a racey car.

When i drive in auto-mode it is fine, it supposed to down shift when slowing to a stop or even when revving the engine really high. When in auto, the car will shift thru all the gears, up to 4th (2.0L on has 4 speed), even in low rpm, so when you are cruising along at 45mph in 4th gear, and decide to give it gas, it will drop to 2nd gear and rev higher. In manual my car will shift from 4th to 3rd gear when I am doing 80mph, when it drops to 3rd, the car will get up and go. When slowing down while in manual, the car will not downshift until I am almost stopped, then it will drop to 1st. I have to check w/the dealership to see if they have had anyone else complain about that though.

It may be programmed to override the manual mode to avoid loading up (too slow for gear) the motor. (I have a stick, so I'm just guessing.)

Say for instance you are in manual mode - 5th gear and you're not paying attention as you pull up to a stop. You're not going to go anywhere pulling away from a stop in 5th gear. In a stick shift, you can usually pull away from a stop in 2nd gear, try 3rd and you stall. Same concept.

So long as it doesn't upshift automatically (shifting before redline at Wide Open Throttle) it sounds to me like it's working fine.

The car does not upshift, I have redlined it at 7000rpm in first gear before. It does not really bother me that it will downshift, as long as it is not hurtig the engine internals, it should not be a problem.

quote:

ORIGINAL: michael91077
When slowing down while in manual, the car will not downshift until I am almost stopped, then it will drop to 1st. I have to check w/the dealership to see if they have had anyone else complain about that though.

That is normal.

I bought my new 2006 mazda 3 hatchback GT model with the intent of it just being my little commuter car, to replace my saturn,...when it comes to "sport" cars,..i have also been a high horsepower kinda guy,..not a little 2.3L kinda guy,..i have had corvettes, mustang cobras, and even played around with a 1997 dodge viper briefly,..but i have to say,...ii think this little mazda 3 might just be the funnest darn car i have ever owned,..the more i drive it the more i like it..it is fun and fast, at a whole different level. I have already ordered rims, exhaust, tint, intake, and currenetly seeking other performance mods, and the car only has 2,112 miles on it! PLUS, i'm 6'3" and i FIT in the back seat!!!! (when my 5'2" wife is in the front seat driving that is....you know..leg room wise) plenty of head room in the back for me as well. I am blown away by the cars handling...i have yet to push the front end or aggrivate the tires thru a turn,..and trust me,..i've been pushing it....and thats with stock tires...i'll be putting Nitto NT-555 in a 225-40-18 on the car in a few days sicne my new rims just arrived today,..i can only imagine how the car will perform then. Anyways,...can't say enough good things about the car. period.

Hi Madza3 brothers,

I am also into the consideration of this car. Can you all tell me what is the FC for Mazda3 car? For me, it is basically for me to drive from my house to office and sometimes pick my partner up. My house to office is highway driving. How much is it roughly must I pay for per month for fuel? Fuel costs is getting higher nowadays and that is my only concern for this car as I heard that the FC is not v good.

Can you guys also educate me about the "downshifting gear"? I thought that in manual gear if you are slowing down then the car wil shift to a lower gear? I test drive this car before and really like the "continental feel" and the sporty look and really wish to own this car and make the right choice.

Appreciate if anyone of you guys can help to answer my queries.

Thanks,
Ben

Well your fuel costs will be different than mine, depending on where you live. But i have an '06 3i 2.0L. I fill my tank normally once a week and it costs me $25-$26 each time. So i am paying around $100 a month for gas, not to bad I guess. I get over 300 miles on a tank sometimes, depending on when i want to fill up.

i don't think the hatchback looks anything like a pt cruiser

PT Cruiser is one of the ugliest automobiles ever built, right along with the Pontiac Aztek.

i have a 2006 mazda 3 2.3 liter. i can squeeze 400 miles out of a tank of regular gas...maybe more, but 400 is the highest ive gotten when ive decided to fill up. i do this on a regular basis.

my driving is alot of city driving., stop and go, not alot of highway. If i get 30mpg, I am happy with it. i live far from the city and my job, so i cant chance it by trying to go 400 miles on a tank.

Well i drive around a lot just ridin around racing, mild drifting, yeah i work my car a lot

I had owned a VW also and had allot of problems.
In the past I had owned a RX-7 with no problems and went back to Mazda and bought a Mazda3 2005 hatchback, auto, and white last summer. Just turned 10K miles and FLAWLSESS.
The car performs excellent

For those talking about MPG check out this site made by a MZ3 owner:

www.brianbauer.org

there you can compare your MPG and log your fuel usage!

these realy are good cars we have had one in our driveway for 2 years now and almost 50,00 miles. mechanicly the car is still great it just likes to run into things (my whife has had 2 collisions and i have had 1) the car is a hoot to drive we havent had any problomes or warranty issues and the dealer support has been alright. the only thing that i will gripe about is the tires they realy dont do the car justice and they wore out pretty quickly. but you arent going to see a car in this price range come with good tires on it .

Well Guys - I did it!
I'm now a proud owner of a Titanium Gray Mazda 3 hatchback as of 3/25/06 - purchased, not leased. She is fun to drive and has so much pep! I turned in my poor ole VW Jetta (and wouldn't you know it was trying hard to behave itself in it's last week of lease, but she didn't convince me to keep her - just couldn't trust her). I agree with most people that the Mazda 3 gives you so much for the money. Comparing the VW which was a $3,000 more expensive car 4 years ago - I really can't complain. I will say the VW is a smoother riding car - suspension wise, the body solid and I will miss the arm rest and the continuous window function when I drop off my office mail in the mailbox, but there's so much more to love with the Mazda 3. I love the radio switch on the steering wheel and the extra room for sunglasses, drinks, and glove compartment I just hope I never have transmission problems or silly other problems with this one that I had with the Jetta. I also love the reversable back cover for wet items such as sweating milk cartons in the Florida heat!