How do you like your Mazda 3?

[Lord_GalAthon]

I'm looking to buy a 2005 Mazda 3 GS, it is manual transmission with AC, sunroof, cruise and ABS. Does anyone have a manual transmission on one of these and what is your opinion of it?

I liked the Ford Focus until I drove the manual transmission model, the shifter sucks, it feels like it's in peanut butter. Even my '92 Saturn SL had a better shifter. My current car is a Suzuki Sidekick and its shifter feels similar to the Focus but this is a TRUCK!!

Thanks in advance.

[frandy]

i just got a brand new 2006 black mazda 3 with A/C but with no power lock and power windows.

at first i liked it because its black but now i hate it because i want the power lock and power windows.

but other than that i LOVE the mazda 3!

[Lord_GalAthon]

Well the Mazda dealer was trying to screw me over with the trade-in value of my Sidekick so I went to see other dealers and they're all the same. BE CAREFUL with Mazda dealers in the Montreal region, they offered me 1500$ under fair price for my trade-in. I visited some Nissan and Hyundai dealers and they both offered me a much better trade-in. I finally bought a fully loaded Tiburon for 3000$ LESS than a comparatively equipped Mazda 3... Only difference my new car does 0-100km/h in 8 seconds with a top speed of 220Km/h vs 9.8 seconds and top speed of 176km/h for the Mazda. It has better brakes, handling, and oh yes, better warranty.

Hehehe...

[brihamlin]

Originally Posted by Lord_GalAthon

I'm looking to buy a 2005 Mazda 3 GS, it is manual transmission with AC, sunroof, cruise and ABS. Does anyone have a manual transmission on one of these and what is your opinion of it?

I liked the Ford Focus until I drove the manual transmission model, the shifter sucks, it feels like it's in peanut butter. Even my '92 Saturn SL had a better shifter. My current car is a Suzuki Sidekick and its shifter feels similar to the Focus but this is a TRUCK!!

Thanks in advance.

I think the Mazda3 is the best value in the sport compact segment and also the best looking. I love the look of that car. I haven't driven the manual, I'd just go take a test drive.

Here's some additional info including a video that you may find useful:

http://www.automedia.com/featured_vehicle_main.asp

[shiriff]

...looking at the 2005, 06 or 07 Mazda 3. Good car, reliable, costly to repair?

...and repeat problem areas?

Thanks

Shiriff

[TheRecklessOne]

My wife has a 2004 Mazda 3. Every part it needs is dealer only. Right down to the little side lights. Trust me we had to special order one to pass inspection. It only has 80,000 miles on it and the struts just had to be replaced. We had to special order those. The tires it came with were Toyo and the front passengers side tire blew out after 2 years, and caused a wreck. It just used its 2nd set of tires as well. We went with Goodyear this time.

Jiffy Lube's and Wal-mart's in our area won't even change the oil on it because it requires a special tool to remove the filter. I hate this car to be perfectly frank, and would not buy another mazda if it were the last car on the planet.

Every part, maintenance, or anything it needs is a hassle from top to bottom. Don't waste your money.

P.s. the passenger power window only works when it wants too...

[RahX]

I've got an 06 Mazda3 with the 2.0L and I've only had one CEL that turned out to be a wheel speed sensor under warranty. Other than that, a set of tires and regular oil changes + rotates and I've had no other problems. It regularly gets 36mpg highway and nothing below 27 in the city.

[RahX]

Originally Posted by TheRecklessOne

My wife has a 2004 Mazda 3. Every part it needs is dealer only. Right down to the little side lights. Trust me we had to special order one to pass inspection. It only has 80,000 miles on it and the struts just had to be replaced. We had to special order those. The tires it came with were Toyo and the front passengers side tire blew out after 2 years, and caused a wreck. It just used its 2nd set of tires as well. We went with Goodyear this time.

Jiffy Lube's and Wal-mart's in our area won't even change the oil on it because it requires a special tool to remove the filter. I hate this car to be perfectly frank, and would not buy another mazda if it were the last car on the planet.

Every part, maintenance, or anything it needs is a hassle from top to bottom. Don't waste your money.

P.s. the passenger power window only works when it wants too...

The Toyo tires that came on it from the factory only last about 30k if you're lucky. 99.9% of blowouts occur from debris in the road or being run flat or near flat, not the cars' fault. Good choice on the Goodyears though If they bitch about not having a simple filter socket that is used on the Mazda3/5/6 and some Fords, they probably don't need to be changing your oil.

[pug=309]

weve got a a 2008 mazda 3 1.6 takara. im not sure how different the UK 3's are to the US 1's, but we love ours. ours has done just over 5000 miles without any problems. if your interested in finding out more about mazda 3's try mazda3forums.co.uk. loads of advise and tips for all spec levels

allan

[benmaples]

We have an '08 3 w/47K miles. Been a good car. Have a noise that the dealer says is a tire so we'll see. The tires on the rear feather on the inside which could very well be the problem. Had the dealer do an aligment & didn't help. I rotate the tires every oil change & when I bring the rears to the front they'll be feathered a little. Could be the cheapo tires they put on from the factory. Had the extended tire warranty so they've all been replaced at one time or another. No problems until now. Sometimes it idles rough & I can't make it do it. Wife [it's her car] says the front end creaks every now & then. Haven't heard that. May wife says twice she's gone to start it & it cranks but wont start. We're taking it to the dealer right now to have it looked at. My hunch is it needs a reflash of the pcm but I'll letcha know. My wife uses it in her business so it gets a lot of miles as you can see. She really likes it.

[pug=309]

get the garage to check the cells in the battery. we had a similar problem with the car not starting. turned out to be a few bad cells in the battery.

we have also been getting a squealing noise from the engine. i think it has something to do with the belts off the crank, but mazda dealer says that the belts are fine and tensioned correctly, and that they also cannot hear the squeal that we hear.

i hope this may help you in some way


allan

[benmaples]

Originally Posted by pug=309

get the garage to check the cells in the battery. we had a similar problem with the car not starting. turned out to be a few bad cells in the battery.

we have also been getting a squealing noise from the engine. i think it has something to do with the belts off the crank, but mazda dealer says that the belts are fine and tensioned correctly, and that they also cannot hear the squeal that we hear.

i hope this may help you in some way


allan

Mazda service leaves a lot to be desired. I've been turning wrenches for 15 years & I bought this car so I didn't have to hassle with it & have had problems with the service departments. Factory trained to say NPF [no problem found]. I gave them a chance & let them do a service. They didn't top off the coolant or lube any of the locks or rotate the tires. The service mgr. said "the tires are recomended to be rotated every 7,500 miles" I said yeah, that's the same interval for an oil change when using the synth blend. Her response, "well we can go ahead & rotate the tires for you Mr. Maples". Services managers that don't know the cars they're servicing? Don't get me started Anyhoo this is about the car & Mazda makes a decent vehicle for the money. I checked/topped off the battery with distilled water & charged last service but that is highly possible the starter will rob most of the amperage the battery has & it skews the pcm when you have some low or bad cells. 90% of the time it's corroded cables/terminals that cause stuff like that. Thanks for the info Allan

[benmaples]

Originally Posted by TheRecklessOne

My wife has a 2004 Mazda 3. Every part it needs is dealer only. Right down to the little side lights. Trust me we had to special order one to pass inspection. It only has 80,000 miles on it and the struts just had to be replaced. We had to special order those. The tires it came with were Toyo and the front passengers side tire blew out after 2 years, and caused a wreck. It just used its 2nd set of tires as well. We went with Goodyear this time.

Jiffy Lube's and Wal-mart's in our area won't even change the oil on it because it requires a special tool to remove the filter. I hate this car to be perfectly frank, and would not buy another mazda if it were the last car on the planet.

Every part, maintenance, or anything it needs is a hassle from top to bottom. Don't waste your money. P.s. the passenger power window only works when it wants too...

Taking a car to Jiffy/Wally lubes places is a waste of money. Have an 08 & have had no problems getting aftermarket filters [air & cabin air] but I get factory oil filters which do not take a special tool. It's a spin on filter like the ones used for 30+ years. Didn't get power windows/locks because that's just more elctronics to go wrong. A window working when it wants to is usually a switch or the grease in the motor has hardened. Try banging on the inner door panel as you work the switch. If it starts working then it's most likely hardened motor grease or a bad motor. Find a reputable shop to service it. 80k for factory struts is about right. What city are you located in? I might be able to help you find a shop. Been turning wrenches a while & know folks around the country. You can shoot me an email if you ever need technical help.

[pug=309]

i agree, it is a decent car for the money (even here in the uk). and the wife to be loves it to death, but stupid dealers that don't listen to the customer is hampering us thinking about another mazda (3 or 6 not sure) when we renew in 2011.

ive just been thinking.. do you have access to another set of wheels for the car. because if you have checked suspension geometry and changed tyres, then maybe there maybe some sort of problem with the wheel itself. just a thought.


allan

[RahX]

I had an 06 until I traded it on a truck at 55k miles or so. A few minor problems the dealership fixed under warranty. A set of tires, rear brakes, regular oil changes and not a single bulb ever blew out. It could get up to 40-41mpg on the highway and ran like a top. My only nagging issue was a harsh/funky 3-2 downshift around 35ish. It did it since I got the car and never got worse, or better. The 2.0L has a regular spin on filter, the 2.3 has the cartridge style that DEFINITELY requires a special tool to remove...costs 10$.