Looking at Buying a Mazda 3
 

Hi everyone,

I do not own a Mazda 3, but i am looking in to one to replace my current vehicle.
I drive a 2000 Ford ranger 4wd Auto and its a Pos. 12mpg on a good day, bad trans. I have done nothing but put money in to it since i bought it (in august). Lets say I'm sick of it.
I am a college student and i am looking for a reliable car with minimum repairs that gets good mpgs. I have been doing some research and from what i have read and heard is the mazda 3 is rated more reliable then a civic. If thats true (my parents own an 2010 civic with 25k miles and no problems) then i think i want one.

I have found several Mazda 3's for good deals at my local mazda dealer. I will be buying used because I don't have the money for a new one. I found an 04 Mazda 3i 92k miles auto trans (with manual shift over ride) for 7400 and an 05 Mazda 3i with 88k miles 5 speed stick for 7500. Im leaning towards the 04 because i do alot of city driving and an Auto seems easier to me. I do know how to drive a stick shift but i have very limited experience (1 year on an old beat up 2wd pick up) and it was a pain in the butt in the city (lots of hills and stops and go) im surprised the clutch didnt go.

I have heard alot of good things about these 3's. I would like to ask all of your opinions and things i should watch out for with these model years. Also how are these cars in the snow, i live in wisconsin and good handling in the snow is important (i do alot of city so the roads are mainly plowed and salted before i have to go anywhere, some times not). How long can I expect a well maintained Mazda 3 to last before the tranny (in the auto) and the engine blow up on me? Would 150k-200k be reasonable expectation?

Thanks you for any imput
A Possible Mazda 3 owner

Ps: This would be my first Mazda (i have only ever had fords) my families 2nd. My dad had an old mazda pick up back in the 80's before i was around

I'd go with the 2005 with the 5-Speed. Why? For a number of reasons:

• The 2005 is a year further into production and exhibited fewer teething issues than the first year of production 2004 models.
• While I don't know if the automatic transmission in the Mazda3 is any more problematic than any other car in its class, there do seem to be relatively frequent reports of troubles with the automatic.
• The difference in how the 2.0 liter Mazda3 i performs with an automatic versus a manual transmission is quite significant.
• The manual transmission version of the Mazda3 i delivers better fuel economy.
• I'm having a hard time thinking of a better car to learn to drive a manual transmission than the 2005 you're looking at. FWIW, I taught my (then) fifteen year old son how to drive a stick in my 2009 Mazda3 i, he did very well and now refuses to drive anything with an automatic transmission.

Regardless of which car you pick, the Ford 2.0 liter engine should easily be able to deliver a quarter of a million miles with proper maintenance.

Thanks for the Imput. I know how to drive a stick shift. Just living in a town with lots of stop lights and hills, just seemed like an automatic would be easier. If they are similar to my first car (2001 ford focus with 257k miles when I sold it) I did nothing but oil and I beat the crap out of it. I'm not overly concerned about mpgs. These cars will easily double my current mileage. The other reason I was thinking the auto is because it's slightly cheaper. And it's currently maxing out my budget. I just put the other one up there because it's a back up if the 04 us sold. I test drove the 04 it shifted so smooth I didn't even know it shifted. I am going out to the dealer again tonight with my dad and I'll see what he says.

It's your money, do what makes you happy. While it is true that Automatic transmissions are "easier", they are no where near as rewarding to drive. Hills and traffic? Meh, driving in such environments becomes second nature with very little practice, and before you know it you'll be putting as much thought to shifting as you do to flipping the turn-signal or turning the steering wheel.

Oh I know, I drove a 2wd ford ranger with a stick shift for a year. My dad thinks an auto would be better because then I'm not the only one that can use the car. Only problem I have with the stick shift is no cruse control on it

Hmmm, I'm thinking being the only one who can use the car isn't necessarily a bad thing. :) As for no cruise control, ewww, no thanks; all of my cars have to have cruise control. Were I in your shoes, I'd extend my search a bit and look for a Mazda3 i with a 5-Speed and cruise control. :)

Only one is about a grand to expensive. I'll see what my dad says when we go look. I haven't seen to many problems with the autos

How Are these cars in the snow?

There is a discussion over on Edmunds titled "Mazda 3 Transmission Problems"; the issues are primarily related to the automatic and the thread is some 350+ posts long. That said, if you have your heart set on an automatic, by all means, buy an automatic.

Since I bought my 2009 Mazda3 in the fall of 2008 we've had over 250" of snow, as such I think I have a pretty fair amount of experience to make a judgement on the Mazda3's winter driving characteristics. With that in mind, fitted with the right tires the Mazda3 is as good as it gets for a FWD car in the snow; with the wrong tires, the beastie is undrivable (or nearly so).