Hey, I'm looking for my first car to buy, and I really like the look and sportiness of the gen 1 Mazda 3. I was wondering how reliable it is, and what the most common problems people have with them are.

 

Regarding the Gen 1 cars, the 2.0 liter cars (i.e. the Mazda3 i models) are quite reliable with the only issue I remember encountering was the power steering (which was fixed during a recall). Then there are the 2.3 liter Mazda3 s models, very similar reliability except for one thing, the engine itself; some seem to go 200,000 miles easily, however, a great many seem to go belly-up in only 80,000 miles.

With the above in mind, if I was in the market for a Mazda3 s (oddly my son is in the market for just such a car), I would buy a low mileage 2.5 liter Ford Duratec engine from the likes of a Fusion and swap it into the Mazda in place of the 2.3. The two engines are virtually identical, however, the Ford engine was upgraded with superior cylinder wall liners and much better oil flow to the underneath sides of the pistons.