I'm looking at getting a used 2006 Mazda 3 Hatchback (manual). I don't know how much of a big deal the trims are, but does the s trim typically come with leather seats and Bose speakers or is that just the GT? I'm going to see it in person tomorrow. Is it worth holding out for a GT at all?

Also, are there any common problems to be aware of in 1st gens apart from rust? The one I'm going to see has around 180k miles on it. It's had the water pump, ac compressor, clutch and transmission fluid replaced in the last 10k miles or so.

 

Yes, the first Gen "s" models with the 2.3 liter engine have issues with the engine failing suddenly with no warning.

The above said, the 2.5 liter Ford Duratec is a virtual clone of the 2.5 (at least externally), however, it has some very important updates internally which dramatically improves the engine's longevity; that and these engines are both plentiful and inexpensive. If you are seriously considering a 2.3 liter Mazda3, you would do well to budget for buying a new engine and the labor to put it in.

 

So are the 2.0 liter i models a safer bet?

 

Yes, but all of the 5-Door hatchback models sold in the U.S. were 2.3 liter "s" models.

 

How common is this issue? I looked it up and I've seen some mention of it. The car I'm looking at has 180,000 miles on it and seems to be well-maintained.

 

I cannot give you any percentage numbers, on different forums I hear reports of 2.3 liter motors going Tango Uniform practically weekly. Regarding the maintenance, the failures don't seem to show any real trend, I've seen reports of abused engines (i.e. poor maintenance) going 200,000+ miles and other babied engines failing in less than half that.

We have another member here from Down Under and based upon some of his posts, the 2.3 sold in Austraila seems to have a pretty good track record; so maybe it is only engines built for the USDM which are the issues.

Regardless, the Ford Duratec is pretty much a cure-all as Ford started with the 2.3 and really cleaned up the design issues.