I'm looking for a "new to me" car and the Mazda3 wagon caught my eye. Before I do anything else, I have a few questions in order to determine if the Mazda3 wagon is right for me.

1) Is the Mazda3 reliable? Motor, transmission, electrical, etc, all reliable?
2) Which motor and trim package is the most "fun to drive"? I want it to have a little pep to it as it will be my daily driver.
3) Are there any major flaws in the Mazda3?
4) How does the Mazda3 perform in the city and the highway?
5) With proper maintenance, how long will the Mazda3 last?

I appreciate all your help! In the meantime, I will continue to check out all the other great topics on this forum!

 

1) Is the Mazda3 reliable? Motor, transmission, electrical, etc, all reliable? Yes

2) Which motor and trim package is the most "fun to drive"? I want it to have a little pep to it as it will be my daily driver.You have a choice of 2 motors with the MZ3 HB/5D, the 2.3 or the 2.3 turbo in the Mazdaspeed 3. As for the trim, the lowest with the MZ3HB is the Sport, then you have a Touring and a Grand Touring and theMS3 isSport and Grand Touring. As for the most Fun, the MS3 but for better mileage the Regular MZ3 is what I got with the 5 speed MT.

3) Are there any major flaws in the Mazda3? The AC at low speed when you first turn it on, after that it will freeze you out, but I attribute that more to the R134a than the car.

4) How does the Mazda3 perform in the city and the highway? Good in both places, does pretty good in the mountains also [8D]

5) With proper maintenance, how long will the Mazda3 last? My brothers 05 has 110,000 miles on it, it has had a wheel bearing and the AC compressor replaced.

 

1) Is the Mazda3 reliable? Motor, transmission, electrical, etc, all reliable?

- In a word, yes. Every Mazda I've owned (including a GLC, , turbo 626, two Mx6s and now a '3') were all reliable. I maintained them well and put more than 115,000 miles on all of them (138K on the last Mx6).

2) Which motor and trim package is the most "fun to drive"? I want it to have a little pep to it as it will be my daily driver?

- Definitely the S package (the 5-door "wagon") comes withthe S packagestandard.This includes the 2.3L engine, 17" wheels with upgraded rubber, a few suspension tweaks plus some interior and convienience upgrades. I would insist on the 2.3L engine, the 2.0L is unacceptable (to me anyway) and stay away from the automatic if you wantto have any fun at all. Even the 2.3 is a little weak (what non-turbo 4 cyl isn't) but in my opinion the 2.0L borders on dangerous as does every manufacturer's bottom feeder 4 including Honda and particularly Toyota.

3) Are there any major flaws in the Mazda3?

- I agree with Siber Express here with the addition of a little excess road noise and, once again, the typical 4 cyl lack of power and coarseness. The Mazda is better than most here so if you're used to driving 4s you will be happy.


4) How does the Mazda3 perform in the city and the highway?

- Handling is where it really shines but it is also a surprisingly good open road cruiser. Mazda ergonomics and seats are second only to BMW in my opinion and head and shoulders above Honda (the worst) and the other major players. If you load it down with a couple of passengers and throw on the air the lack of power will make itself known but if you are coming from another 4 cyl car you won't be disapointed.

5) With proper maintenance, how long will the Mazda3 last?

- I put more than 115K miles on all my Mazdasand replaced nothing more serious than a couple of clutch slave cylinders and one radiator. None of them ever needed a clutch, starter, AC componant, alternatoror anything of that nature - pretty remarkable. Of course I replaced timing belts and water pumps before they failed and used synthetic lubricants in the engines and transaxles. I drove my last Mx6 V6 to Maryland from Florida several times with more than 125K miles on it and it would still wind to 7,000 rpms with no strain with 138K miles on the clock. At that mileage the suspension was tight, the interior near perfect, the engine used no oil between changes and the AC was as cold as when I bought the car nine years previously. In fact, I never had the AC charged the entire time I owned the car.


I hope this helps.

 

1) Is the Mazda3 reliable? Motor, transmission, electrical, etc, all reliable?
The MAF sensor, at least on the earlier cars seems a bit over-sensitive.
2) Which motor and trim package is the most "fun to drive"? I want it to have a little pep to it as it will be my daily driver.
The 2.3L is definitely peppier than the 2.0. And the 2.3L Turbo (Mazdaspeed3) is by far the peppiest. The 5 or 6 speed manual is the only way to go for a fun ride. The auto is just an auto with manula shift capabilities. [:-]
3) Are there any major flaws in the Mazda3?
No.Minor flaws? Of course. What car doesn"t have those?
4) How does the Mazda3 perform in the city and the highway?
Well?
5) With proper maintenance, how long will the Mazda3 last?
Define proper? As long as there are no catatrophic accidents, it should last as long as any modern car would.

And Ken, if you steal my signature blue font one more time, I WILL have something to say about it.

j/k, of course.

 

^^^^Winner Winner Chicken Dinner^^^^

 

" - Definitely the S package (the 5-door "wagon") comes withthe S packagestandard.This includes the 2.3L engine, 17" wheels with upgraded rubber, a few suspension tweaks plus some interior and convienience upgrades. I would insist on the 2.3L engine, the 2.0L is unacceptable (to me anyway) and stay away from the automatic if you wantto have any fun at all. Even the 2.3 is a little weak (what non-turbo 4 cyl isn't) but in my opinion the 2.0L borders on dangerous as does every manufacturer's bottom feeder 4 including Honda and particularly Toyota. "

The commentabove ia a quote from the previous poster, and it.makes me wonder what is under the hood of my hatchback.
We are talking performance, and you mentioned that the 2.3 is a little weak.
My question is, Where?
Certainly not in pickup or once I nail it over 40mph.
This hatchback is incredibly fast.
I don't have the speed package, but I have the"S" grand turing with the automatic.
Havn't tried it yet, but soon I will have my buddy drive my Dakota R/T I will be driving the "3".
I want to see if it can keep up with the R/T.
Just from driving the two vehicles daily, I know the "3" will keep up with that 5.9.
I have never driven a 4 cyl that was this quick, both off the line, and especially when I really nail it once the car is moving.
I know it doesn't have a turbo in it but, I am very impressed with the kick this little putt putt has.
I originally bought it because it was costing me a fortune to keep the Dakota full of gas, and with it's screeming v8, the mileage is not all that great so, I decided it had to be the hatchback.
Best damed move I ever made.
Now, I only use the Dakota for work, and all else is this great little "3".
I had never seen a 3 hatchback until three years ago one of my tenants rented one for a weekend.
I fell in love with it the minute I laid eyes on it.
That one was bright red.
It wasn't until gas went through the roof that I made the decision to look for a Mazda Hatchback
I saw a blue one online, and knew that was the color for me.
It didn't take long to find just what I wanted.
I got a fantastic deal when I purchased it.
It's a 2006 with 29000 miles, and all the goodies.
The window sticker said $21,300.00 which I thought was to high.
Most were getting around 19/ 19 -5 for similar models.
I explained I would be paying cash and I would not go higher than $15000.00.
I had to figure another $1200.00 or so for sales tax so, fifteen was my top offer.
The dealer balked and I said thanks and headed for my pickup.
The next day the dealer called, and agreed to my offer.
For fifteen grand, I got one hell of a car.
To anyone considering the purchase of one of these hatchbacks, I would say Go for it.
Bob.

 

I will say this, the 2.3 is quick and for the size car does not lack power to not have to downshift going up hills with the cruise on, but my 5.4 in my Extended cab F150 will eat it for lunch [8D]

 

Sorry for all the edits here Guys.I will not touch yourmessage text butI HAVE to fix that annoying-to-me apostrophe in the title...... It"s driving me cRaZy!!!