Hey all! I'm new to the forum, although I've had a 2002 Protege ES for the last 8 years or so, which I loved. My mom rear ended someone and it is definitely totaled

I'm in the market for a new car and I've been looking at Mazda 3s. To keep the cost down in this horrible used market here in Canada, I am getting a pre-2014 model. I skipped 1st gen because I am not a big fan of them cosmetically. That leaves me with the 2010-2013 models. I test drove a couple of them and they seem really nice. However, I've been wondering about the longevity of the engines and transmissions in this generation. I heard about the clutch issues in the manuals and that's about it.

I am currently looking at an automatic 2012 2.0 L (how do I tell if it's Skyactiv?) with 144 000 km. Are there any issues with this automatic transmission and engine? I'm skeptical because I know of Ford's involvement with Mazda at this time, and from what I understand Mazda now has a higher standard than what they did in the past.

If you are familiar with this 2.0 L engine (or the 2.0 Skyactiv) or the automatic transmission from this generation, please let me know what you think of them. I know you love Mazdas here but please give me the hard truth!

 

The 2nd Gen, BL chassis are brilliant.

I would go for a facelift, late 2011 onwards. Never seen any clutch issues in my market.