jeep guy looking for mazda

[danielrorozco]

hey guys.. im usually on the jeep forums but we are looking to upgrade my wifes car. we've been looking around at several different vehicles and we like the mazda 3 hatchback

im looking for a first gen mazda 3 with fairly low miles on it. what should i look for? or what should i avoid?

i know when it comes to jeeps, certain years are better than others. how about these mazda 3's? i read in 07 they did some minor changes.. so what would you guys recommend to go for or avoid? any years better than any others?

anyone try fitting a good size stroller in the back of a 3 hatch?

thanks for your time,
Daniel

 

[Incdalton]

04 and 05's don't have VVT. Don't know if that means anything. But 06-09 have the VVT. 2.0L and the 2.3L aren't very different power wise. It's like a 10 hp increase from the 2.0L. The 07's I've noticed have black housed tail lights while the 06's and below have red tail lights. I hate the look of them. They last pretty long and are good family/daily drivers. My 2006 3i has 126k and I drive it aggressively. No problems whatsoever. You can fit a bunch in the trunk area. Especially in the hatchback. Mazda is a great manufacturer, and usually have very quality dealerships. Any other specific questions, just let me know. And if there's any years better than the others, it'd be the 07 and up. At my point of view anyways.

 

[Canadian-ES-GT]

I heard Mazda changed their sheet metal provider in 07 due to very early rust issues. The rear fender design of the 1st Gen will never be good, but since you live in California, and not Quebec (like I do unfortunately) you should do just fine.

 

[danielrorozco]

awesome. thanks for the info guys. forums are always helpful

incdalton, how much mpg do you average if you drive it like a grandma?

 

[RENE063]

I have an 06 with 77,000 miles on it. The only issue I have had is the window motor came loose. Took it to the dealer, they tightened down the nuts and have been good to go since. I get roughly 25 mpg, that is highway and city driving.

 

[Gibbsinator]

2004 Mazda 3i 2.0L 5 spd. I average 33mpg-35mpg when I drive it easy, I think 95% highway got me 36mpg. My step-dad has my same car but an '09 and his driving habit gets him about 36mpg-38mpg. I haven't noticed any flaws in my 2004 model year design, but I have no ABS, side airbags, or power locks, windows, cruise control, or mirrors. I added aux in. Base model, those were options not purchased. If you want good mileage, without question 2.0L is the way to go. I think the Mazda 3 only got better, but I like '04-'09, more then 2nd gen, personal opinion.

Side-note. 1st owner of my car reported 42mpg at STEADY 58mph.

 

[infamouszoltan]

I have the 2008 Mazda 3i (2.0L) I have racing in my blood so i cant help but stay on the throttle and i still got roughly 32 miles to the gallon. I tested for like 3 weeks and just babied the car and the average on those weeks were were 42 mpg. I have about 70k miles on mine and the only problem i had was a blown fuel injector(most likely due to my lead foot). I have a sedan and it is pretty decently spacious and i have had a car seat fit fine in mine, but i heard the hatchbacks are a little bit more spacious. As for the power difference between the 2.0 and 2.3 I dont see it. I have raced and beat 3 different 2.3's, could have been due to a driver fail but i rode in a 2.3 and noticed no difference

 

[danielrorozco]

thanks guys.

i went ahead and put a deposit with the seller tonight for a 2008 mazda 3 hatchback for $9400. KBB is $10,569 so this was a good deal. its automatic tranny for the wife. it has 90k miles (a lil more miles than i was hoping for) but he babied this thing. he is the original owner and after the first 3k mikes he switch over to synthetic oil and has been using it since and getting it changed at the stealership i believe every 5-6k miles. he has receipts for all the services too which i believe is mostly just oil changes. he also threw on new tires about 3 months ago and is giving me some snow chains he has as well.

we should be doing the paperwork and picking it up tomorrow

(drinks)

 

[infamouszoltan]

awesome!!! good to hear! congrats on the buy!!

 

[flatlander937]

Awesome!

I'm a Jeep guy at heart as well(my intro thread HERE for both MZ3 and 1 ton Jeep pics)... and I've been loving the Mazda3 sedan we just got. We decided to sell our truck with a baby on the way for easier back seat access, better gas mileage, and slightly lower monthly payments. For some reason my wife is against any and all hatchbacks(huh)... so a sedan was the only choice.

Fortunately I convinced her to let me get a 5spd car so I can auto-x it... hehe.

I am a tech and work on all makes and models... the Mazda3s are a really good compromise of usefulness/economy/power/build quality/fun. I have not seen any with serious problems save for one engine with stupid-loud lifters... but waiting 23k for an oil change may have had something to do with that. (boom06)


Congrats on the baby and Mazda3!!