2010 Mazda3 S Grand Touring Hatchback inspection

Hello all,

Brand new to the forums and brand new to owning a Mazda.

I was curious if there is anything specific I should look for when inspecting my 2010 Mazda3 S GT Hatchback. I want to make sure that the vehicle is in good overall health/condition and have been trying to research things to lookout for.

Any tips or links to things that will provide me more information on maintenance, upgrades, or interesting details about the car would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
 
Are you looking at privately owned cars? If so, I recommend conducting a phone interview, first. Ask the owner if he or she has maintenance service receipts or a historical list of what was done over the years. Try to get ahold of a list of a maintenance requirement schedule for that year vehicle.
Ask questions like:
How often did you change or have changed the oil/filter and air filter(s)?
Has the coolant been changed? If so, when?
How old is the battery?
Has there been any non-maintenance issues?
According to Consumer Reports, the 2010 Mazda 3 was better than average in reliability. Each of 17 categories were better than average or much better than average with the exception of "In-Car Electronics" so make sure every electrical feature works.
I like to bring car ramps so I can check for any leaks or seepage underneath.

Good luck!
 
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Are you looking at privately owned cars? If so, I recommend conducting a phone interview, first. Ask the owner if he or she has maintenance service receipts or a historical list of what was done over the years. Try to get ahold of a list of a maintenance requirement schedule for that year vehicle.
Ask questions like:
How often did you change or have changed the oil/filter and air filter(s)?
Has the coolant been changed? If so, when?
How old is the battery?
Has there been any non-maintenance issues?
According to Consumer Reports, the 2010 Mazda 3 was better than average in reliability. Each of 17 categories were better than average or much better than average with the exception of "In-Car Electronics" so make sure every electrical feature works.
I like to bring car ramps so I can check for any leaks or seepage underneath.

Good luck!

I am purchasing the car through Carvana. They have already gone through a 150 point inspection according to the website and the plan is still to take the vehicle to a reputable mechanic to get another opinion.

The Carfax for the vehicle appears to suggest that it has been well maintained and serviced every 4k miles and only has about 88k on it now.

I really appreciate your response and hope to get the all clear on this vehicle.
 
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Great!
My son bought a 2012 Mazda 3 hatch approximately 5 years ago and it has been perfect. I believe it now has over 100,000 miles on it.
 
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My wife is the original owner of a 2010 3S hatchback. No real problems except for random electrical problems that involve the door sensors indicating a door (usually the front passenger side door) is open. Shutting the door by pulling it harder works. Other than that, no real problems with the car.
 
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I’m having that same issue with my car now and last week I took it into the shop and was told that it was because the door lock sensor was broken and needed a new one and it was going to cost $300?
 
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We’re choosing to ignore the sensor. The door is still locked and won’t open accidentally. It depends whether you think $300 is worth it To fix the issue.
 
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My wife is the original owner of a 2010 3S hatchback. No real problems except for random electrical problems that involve the door sensors indicating a door (usually the front passenger side door) is open. Shutting the door by pulling it harder works. Other than that, no real problems with the car.
That may indicate that the sensor is not positioned correctly or has loosened. You may be able to adjust its position. It's worth taking a look.
 
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