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I bought a Mazda3 in April 2004 and absolutely love it! I was lucky and got one of the few solar yellow models. I HIGHLY recommend this car to anyone thinking about getting one. I got mine loaded, minus the navigation system. For less than $21,000, I drove my 3s away with goodies such as leather seats, xenon headlamps, tinted windows, auto dim rearview mirror with compass and all-weather floor mats; all in addition to the standard equipment available with the s package.
I have 60,000 miles on the car now and have absolutely no paint issues (i.e. peeling, mis-matched, etc. - minus the rock chips which are unavoidable in Colorado) and no interior materials show any sign of wear, including the leather seats.
My gripes are few and far between and are addressed by most people who own or have owned a 2004 model year.
1. There is no truck release on the key fob;
2. The air conditioning is weak during the peak of summer heat;
3. The TPMS is very sensitive and has had to be looked at numerous times (under warranty); and
4. The brakes squeal extremely loud when there is ice and snow on the road (and only when the road conditions are this way). I have taken this issue to Mazda a number of times and had the brake pads replaced 3 times. Apparently, this is a problem on most 3's made in 2004, as well as some 6's. While I find the squeaking annoying, it has not jeopardized the integrity of the brakes (they've always worked great). Once the brakes warm up, it becomes much less an issue.
All in all, I am extremely happy with my car and hope to have it for many years to come. I test drove many cars in this class and nothing can compare when it comes to handling, quality and looks. It's the best of all worlds wrapped into a package that easily qualifies the 3 to be in a class costing $10,000 more.
My ex owned a Mazda 3; brought it brand new back in early 2007 (so it may have been a 2006). It was a sedan and a 5 speed. My take....eh, I wasn't impressed. My car was an old 1993 Ford Probe 5 speed; but I regularly drove my father's 2005 Nissan Altima, his 2002 Ford Explorer, my mother's 2007 Chevy Cobalt, my best friend's 2001 Honda Accord -- and I also rented a 2007 Pontiac Vibe, 2007 Hyundai Sonata and 2005 Chevy Monte Carlo within the last year. The Mazda 3 is just over the Cobalt.
Reasons...manly handling and performance. I don't know...all of my cars have been standard shift and have felt more responsive than the Mazda 3. Then again, my ex never drove a standard shift previously and picked this car primarily because the "clutch was soft" after test driving the Honda Civic and some sort of Hyundai. I'm familiar with the Mazda drivetrain because the Probe is mechanically a Mazda MX-6 and I used to own a Mazda 626. I really feel that the older Mazdas performed better with acceleration, suspension, etc.
My surprise was the Pontiac Vibe...I would much rather drive that car (which is really a Toyota Matrix in disguise). It's the only automatic I actually had fun with; I would love to try out the 5 sp.....errrgh....after my broken leg gets better of course .
I don't think the Mazda 3 is a bad car...at least they seem to be mechanically sound. But the styling and the handling...they just seem very boring all around. The hatchback coupe may be a different story though...
I own a Mazda 3. It's GREAT for me. I did a ton of research before I went car shopping- I found most of my info online and in car mags. I went in with this idea of getting a Honda (cheap, reliable) but everything on my wish list pointed to the Mazda 3. Honestly, I never heard of the 3 until I started researching on what I wanted.
One thing-- test drive the standard and the 2.3 before you buy. I test drove the standard when I was ready to buy my mazda. The car was great but I was not that impressed with the drive- nothing bad about it at all but I wasn't wow-ed. I ended up buying the 2.3 (without test driving) and what a difference! That little car has some serious pickup.
It has that dual shift thing (the automatic/manual option) which I think is pretty cool. My advice--think of what YOU want and need in a car before you go out car shopping. Educate yourself on how your top 3 or 4 choices compare to each other and decide from there. Let us know what you choose!
I happened upon this thread, and although the last response was posted 6 mos. ago, it is still a relevant topic. I went through a big dilemma before I finally chose a car (Civic vs. Mazda3 vs. all the others in the class).
***The winner for me? The '08 (and 1/2) Mazda3 Grand Touring (GT) Sedan. I just bought it this past week in Crystal white pearl, with leather heated seats, moonroof, Sirius satellite radio, Bose, navigation...the whole works. ***
My husband has 10,000 miles on his '07 Mazda3 GT, and has had no problems with paint or mechanical. He LOVES it.
Why not the Honda Civic? (I looked at '08, I believe) Interior is great...huge cockpit look, excellent choice with leather and NAV. A little more plush than most in its class... good trunk size...GREAT gas mileage. However, the 1.8L engine just didn't have the "balz" for me, which is needed for today's highway speeds, for merging and passing quickly enough- but that's what gives it the above-average gas mileage. I really disliked the look of the outside, too.
As for the Matrix/Vibe- strong, quick engine, reliability x 100, plenty of cargo space... not a lot of upgraded features available, however, which I like (example, no leather in Matrix, only in Vibe). I honestly didn't like the way they changed the looks of the outsides. It is overpriced, like all Toyotas for what you get (but I love Toyota for reliability).
The hybrids... too hard to get...too expensive...technology too new... and if you do some research, you'll see that you're unlikely to recoup the extra up-fronts costs any time soon, even given the rising costs of gas. They are pretty stripped down, too, from what I've seen.
Enter the Mazda3.
SPORTY look, 2.3L QUICK engine...sports car-like handling...available with all of the upgraded safety and comfort features in the Grand Touring (GT) edition, good trunk space with fold-down seats (or available in hatch), very good gas mileage (I just averaged 34.5 mpg on a 90% highway drive, traveling a total of 110 miles)... YES...the interior is a bit on the cheaply made side (such as the "carpeting" and mats), but if you don't have destructive children, and you're not going to use the car like it was a tank, then you'll be fine! The "leather" quality (or should I say "pleather") is pretty much equivalent to others in its class... and they feel especially good in winter when heated! The cloth seats are extremely comfortable, too. You can get the Mazda3 with all the bells and whistles, or not. It is DEFINITELY NOT a boring car.
CONS: Be advised....the Mazda3's STILL do not have heated sideview mirrors. They are only available in Canada. However, Mazda puts the wiring for heated mirrors in ALL of the Mazda 3's. If you feel like spending extra money, you can buy the OEM heated mirrors and swap them out yourself. It's supposed to be about a 15 minute job, which I intend to do soon- although it irks the heck out of me that I have to pay another couple of hundred dollars for what should be included in ANY car today.
Also, the navigation system in the Mazda3 is NOT touch screen, and not activated by your voice. It uses a toggle switch and buttons next to the shifter. It's a pain at first, but you quickly get used to it. I bought it knowing that it had these two quirks.
If it will help you, write a pros/cons list of every vehicle that you test drive. Also, give yourself time to figure out what is most important to you in a vehicle. Comfort? Engine strength? Gas mileage? Size? Looks? It's not easy to find everything you want in one vehicle. I didn't buy the Mazda3 because it's perfect...I bought it because I adored it despite its imperfections, and knew that it was perfect for ME.
The other day, I was driving with windows down and moonroof open, Sirius music playing... just enjoying my ride, when I have to stop at a light. I am aware that a large SUV is also stopped at the light, on my right. Staring straight ahead, I am startled by a voice that calls out, "NICE CAR!!!" Before I could even turn my head to respond, a huge smile breaks out across my face.
It is at this moment that I realize how much I love my car.
I got an '07 2.3L Mazda 3 5-door w/manual last year and it is a brilliant little car. To the poster who was disappointed with the handling--name a car in its class with the handling credentials of the 3 and I will gladly hand over my keys to you. You must be kidding about the pontiac vibe... The 3 outperforms everything else (in its class) in terms of grip, steering, and feel.
Believe me, I've driven M3s, miatas, and have experience racing formula cars and european-style carts and the 3 is the only car in its class that puts a smile on my face (I've driven civics, cobalts, VW rabbit, etc...). When pushed to 7-8/10ths it responds like a sports car, yet has a great ride and is completely civil around town. It's also incredibly good looking and still fresh after 4-5 years of production.
My only complaints:
1) Shifter/gearbox is not nearly as good as the unit in, say, the miata, but is great for a FWD car. Way better than VWs, for example.
2) Road noise is a little louder than I would like when cruising at high speeds.
3) Gas mileage is not phenomenal (and not too far behind the civic), but I'd easily trade this for the acceleration that the 3 has.
I drive an 07 Mazda 3 and I like the car, but I've also had a few problems with it. The biggest being the AC going out at 22,000 miles. Granted, I live in Las Vegas and have been running it full blast all summer, but I was still scratching my head. I drove a Honda civic to 127,000 miles and the ac was always nice and cold. Turns out, it was a bad motor for the blower and the compressor was fine.
Other issues... the car rattles. I had a very obnoxious rattle to my left from the drivers seat. I had to tear the interior panels off to get to a lose bolt that was causing the noise. Now that I fixed that rattle I have a new rattle inside of the glove box or some place close behind the dash. I notice that my seat belt is constantly locking up on me. I have not complained to the dealer cause it might just be the nature of the car. If I go over a speed bump the seatbelt locks up, but it does not release on its own. If I push down on the clutch for a while it tends to unlock.
I moved out of a 98 Honda civic and into the Mazda 3. I looked at the 07 civics, but they are so ugly now that I could care less how much more reliable they are. If Honda could start making nicer looking cars I would go back to them, but right now, I think Mazda's are much sharper looking.
This biggest disappointment was the gas mileage. In the city my mileage is nothing spectacular, but on trips to LA with the cruise on, it does well.
I have a 2007 Mazda 3 Sport since new.
It currently has 356,000 on it and besides breaks and rotors it has run very dependably all of it's life...and I put a trailer hitch on it for towing a trailer and motorcycle (std Trans). I change my own oil (synthetic only) and undercoat regularly (still have signs of rot at rear wheel wells
As a used car it would be my first choice, except I will not buy another. Styling and performance with the Sky active crap is POOR ( sister in law has a new one).
That's all folks! lol
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