Hey fellas!
I am shopping for a used car and I want a Mazda.
I found this one here, but I don't know anything about Mazdas (this is why I am here).
So my question is, without knowing from a mechanic, what should I expect from this car? On a good and terrible scenario?
2005 Mazda MAZDA3 i 4dr Sedan 108,000 miles - $4495here is the ad LOW MILEAGE! 2005 Mazda MAZDA3 i 4dr Sedan
I already emailed the seller but on the meantime I would to like to hear from you guys.

I know it's pretty hard to predict maintenance and problems, but should I get this car? Can I keep it for at least 5 years?


Thank you guys very much!


Cheers!

 

Auto or Manual?

Nothing major normally goes wrong with them( no car is perfect). At that mileage, you may be looking at suspension bushes wearing out. Just average wear & tear.

 

Auto.
Hopefully the previous owners wasn't a jerk with the car.

 

For peace of mind, get a pre purchase inspection carried out.

 

If you can find a used Mazda with CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) check/test done on it, you'll get 12 months or 12k mile warranty with it.

Here's a link for all vehicle makes that have CPO's and what is involved in the check:
Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Program Guide & Details

 

Without actually seeing it and knowing what the previous owner did it's pretty hard to tell. The mileage is below normal.... my '05 3 has over 150k miles, and there are people with similar y/m with over 300k. We know the person did do some modding.... the front grill is replaced, the stereo is replaced, and the exhaust was definitely replaced. Oh and they removed the "3" from the trunk lid. One downside of the 2004 i vs s model is the i had a 4 speed ATX vs a 5 speed in the s. The 5 speed shifted a little more smoothly.

the passenger motor mount commonly blew on the 1st gen 3... easy enough to replace for less than $100. Also there was a bad run of purge control valves at one point which were replaced under warranty... I went through five before I got a good one. Also the clips in the floor pan which the back seat bottom cushion attaches to had a TSB for replacement as they'd break off of the sheet metal and come loose. Not a big deal, just something to think about.

The car otherwise looks nice. No super terrible wear on the interior, and the exterior doesn't look like it's been abused much. The 2.0 engine also gets much better mileage than the 2.3 for only a very small reduction in torque and HP.