Hey there. Im looking out at buying a new car to move on from my jeep. I already have a 75 Chevy that i work on way too much.
I just want to buy a car that looks nice, I can have a little fun with, and I don't have to work on all the time

Mazda 3 hatchbacks look killer, and I could really use the extra room they give.
But a few friends and peers swear to never buy a mazda again, with story's of constant mechanical failures and racking up bills from their auto shop. I figured if I want to know about a Mazda, I will go right to the source and ask the mazda community

I don't have money to buy a brand new car, so I expect to work on little stuff. But I don't want to buy one if I'll get stuck in a mess of broken parts.

The ones I've looked at are anywhere from 120k miles to 180k. All look pretty clean.

Can anyone point me in the right direction or shed some light on these cars? If I treat it nice, will I have good luck? Or should I stay away? Thanks in advanced

 

not sure about the mazda 3 hatchbacks
but i have a 2010 mazda 3 sedan and love it.! i find the engine peppy
very responsive off a green light, dependable, reliable good on gas too.
i do no the bodys on earlier mazda 3"s were known for rusting so unless
you live in a warm climate i wouldn't touch earlier versions due to rusting
issues. aside from that Great Cars.!

 

The only really thorny issue I know of regarding the Gen 1 Mazda3 5-Doors is the 2.3 liter engine itself. It seems some go hundreds of thousands of miles with no oil consumption issues, and others start drinking nearly as much oil as gasoline after only 80,000 or so miles. The good news here is low mileage Ford Duratec 2.5 liter motors are cheap and plentiful, and are a relatively easy retrofit. More power, more reliability, similar fuel economy; what's not to like?

 

A friend of mine has had 3 Mazdas. No issues at all.

Ralph

 

Mazda 3s are vurtually bullet proof if they are serviced properly & ontime.