School me on Mazda 3

[Peterkaczynski]

my friend wants to get one like a 2006-09, could you tell me some pros and cons about the car please.
thank you r3v
i bow down to you guys once again

[Devil Inc]

I think they're neat looking, not sure from the mechanical stand point.

[Bimmerista]

Friend of mine has an 05 with like 70k miles that he bought new. He's had nothing out of the ordinary come up with the car. Just usual maintenance stuff.

[s0urce]

Con: It's fucking ugly.

[jakeb]

My wife had an 08 hatch.... It was a nice car but nothing "exciting". Mind you she came from a 06 cooper S (don't ask....got caught up in the new car idea). She just sold it to a dealer and bought a 98 328i that needed a little body work. Just picked it up from the paint shop tonight and it should be a great replacement.

But either way...the mazda was/is a nice car. Nice ride....the 2.3L has a fair amount of pick up. My buddy in TX has one as well and likes it a lot. He came from a jetta and I think is the same about the mazda being....not exciting.

[Peterkaczynski]

thanks everyone!

[nbio]

the speed3 is supposed to be fun, but torque steer was kind of a problem. not sure if that was ever corrected

[imsotyerred]

roommate has one. one night his alarm was going off all night in the middle of the parking lot at school. battery died and we couldn't get a spot near it to jump it. we couldn't shift the car into neutral because the (autotragic) electronically controlled tranny had no juice.

[Axxe]

They rust pretty quickly, boring to drive, nice interior, decent price, not as good as it should be on gas (10L / 100km average), wears front tires out fast due to torque steer and wrong wheel drive, shifter vague, clutch vague, steering nice.

Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

[Jordan325iC]

I dunno. I autocrossed a lowered mazda3 with some big sways and it was fun as hell. Much better than I was expecting.

[Miatamania]

Reliable...fun...fairly ugly.


The Mazdaspeed3 is fun if you don't plan on going aftermarket...aftermarket goodies are $$$.

[WlknGenius]

The insurance on them is more expensive than on comparable cars. If you live in an area like I do, the difference between that car and another compact car can be 500 bucks/year in insurance. For that reason alone, I didn't even consider it when buying. I assume it's because it's more sporty looking, and more reckless people end up buying it.

I'd say the main reason people buy it is because of its appearance. It doesn't really stand out in any other way.

[Emre]

The steering feel is good. The shifter and clutch aren't bad. The ergonomics are good (except for seats that are a little too high).

The engines are very reliable and highly tunable. Remember, the MZR/Duratec is pretty much the engine of choice for Caterhams, Westfields, etc. Tons of performance potential from cams to ITBs to full-on Cosworth race engines.

Even though the springs are WAY too soft and body roll is excessive, the handling is quite impressive. The car rotates VERY nicely under triailbraking. Feedback is great. Very easy to adjust your lines through a corner (yes, I have driven one on the track).

This is one of the cheapest compact sedans on the market today, yet it outhandles everything short of a Mini Cooper. I'd say it's a winner.

[daniel]

They rust pretty quickly, boring to drive, nice interior, decent price, not as good as it should be on gas (10L / 100km average), wears front tires out fast due to torque steer and wrong wheel drive, shifter vague, clutch vague, steering nice.

Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

i test drove one a couple years ago. the things that stand out are a few of those things.

the clutch is very vague, as well as the shifter, but the handling and relative sportiness of the suspension was quite impressive given the cost of the car.

[scabzzzz]

Coworker bought a brand new Mazdaspeed3 and modded it. It was fast. But couldnt hang with my car in the corners. He sold it and bought an E28. He's happier.