"Fyoeu" (fyoeu2)
03/22/2018 at 00:18 • Filed to: None
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"Fyoeu" (fyoeu2)
03/22/2018 at 00:18 • Filed to: None | 0
| 29 |
I’m starting to look into potential cars that I’d like to replace my 95 Camry with and I think I’ve finally found it... A first generation Mazda3 Hatchback! I mean, what is there not to like! It looks good, it’s fuel efficient, practical - with the hatch, and most importantly, fun to drive! Anyone own one of these?
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 01:00 |
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Own one, it’s my wife’s car. Identical to the one in the picture, including the color, wheels, and engine...
The main thing to note is that the fuel economy is seriously overestimated. I can drive like a maniac in my FoST and get better fuel economy. It does alright on the highway (but still worse than my car), but drops severely in any kind of traffic. It has been reliable and is easy to work on aside from the stretch belt. Parts are cheap because it is on the Ford/Mazda/Volvo compact platform and the majority of the engine design has been used in a lot of cheap cars.
Problems we’ve experienced:
- Rear suspension isn’t very adjustable. Alignment is sometimes impossible without installing aftermarket parts.
- Like most GDI engines, this one builds up carbon in the intake like crazy. Expect to clean it out periodically. Thankfully, aside from the valves, everything involved is right there.
- Replacement interval for plugs is shorter than I’m accustomed to.
- Headlight bulbs are trickier to change than any other I’ve encountered.
- The Altezza style rear light assemblies can melt from the heat of the tail lights. About one in three has a melted hole above the tail/brake lights if you look closely.
- In ours, the automatic transmission has been a weak link. It was replaced early in the car’s life, the control module was replaced around 55k, and it has never really shifted right. It has a tendency to get confused unexpectedly.
Upsides:
- In spite of the occasional problem, this is the best feeling true automatic transmission I’ve ever driven. It’s not DCT levels of direct, but it is the only one I’ve encountered that downshifts usefully and automatically to help slow the car. This may be part of the reason that with 83k miles her car is still running the original brake pads with plenty of lining remaining.
- Handles really well for something marketed to average people. It’s not quite what you’d expect from a hot hatch, yet better than anything else I’ve driven that isn’t classified as one.
- The interior is pretty nice for the era and everything fits. Ours doesn’t squeak or rattle in spite of the age.
- Between modern safety standards and that they don’t appeal to irresponsible young men, insurance is cheap.
SVTyler
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 01:00 |
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Not a hatch, but my family owns a 2004 sedan that both me and my brother learned to drive on. It’s a great little car, reliable, fun, decently-equipped depending on the package, etc, I highly recommend it if you can find a good one. The only thing you have to worry about with the first-gen 3's are how rust-prone they are due to the sheet metal Mazda used to build them. Rear wheelarches, taillights, door sills, rocker panels, and B-pillars are the most common places for rust so be sure to check those for bubbling/signs of repair.
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Fyoeu
> SVTyler
03/22/2018 at 01:25 |
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Yeah, I have heard about the rust issues. Pretty unfortunate on an otherwise solid car!
RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 01:41 |
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I drove one as a rental and I liked it more than I’ve liked any rental since.
MINIGTI
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 02:27 |
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I loved my 2006. Most reliable car I’ve ever owned. If you consider 23 mpg fuel efficient then good.
CompactLuxuryFan
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
03/22/2018 at 02:45 |
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For the first generation, only the Mazdaspeed 3 had direct injection. The regular 2.3 is port injected, but I guess it still builds carbon
greasemonkey235097
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 05:35 |
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the 2.3 like to burn oil to the point ot will killnitself. 76xxx miles, valve cracked. put in a 2.5 from fusion, no issues since. stick to second gen with a stick
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> CompactLuxuryFan
03/22/2018 at 06:11 |
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I could have sworn this car was DI... Did they possibly change it in the middle of production?
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 06:40 |
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You do not want a first-gen if you live anywhere with salted roads and snowy/rainy weather. The first-gens had known huge rust issues. Second-gens and third-gens, as far as I know are OK for rust though!
3 Jeeps and a Mazda wants a Fiata
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:11 |
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2008 speed3 owner here. No issues to speak of in the 8 years I’ve owned it. DI does mean cleaning my valves and EGR every so often and fuel economy is decent if you can stay out of boost otherwise it drinks premium like a sailor on shore leave. Otherwise its an absolute riot to drive.
shop-teacher
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:11 |
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My wife had an ‘06 that she bought new for eight years. Great car, she still misses it. The only thing that ever broke was the CD changer, under warranty. Just basic maintenance otherwise.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
03/22/2018 at 07:19 |
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Must be muti port based on the parts I can find. In this case, I’m absolutely dumbfounded by the amount of carbon it collects in the intake and on the throttle body. Older MFI engines didn’t do this...
Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!!
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:26 |
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Had a beautiful red 2006(?) hatch, brought my son home from the hospital in it. Handled well, ton of room, loved looking at it. By 2009 it had rust bubbles on the rear arches. Started paying attention to other 3s and they all had rust starting too. Promptly sold it and wouldn’t own another unless I lived in the desert.
chaozbandit
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:45 |
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Manny05x
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:51 |
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I was very close to buying one at one point i love the design. The guy i went to buy it from was super shady and i backed out bought a motorcycle instead. I find myself shopping for these from time to time.
MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 07:59 |
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A friend of mine had a first gen hatch with a manual. He put summer tires and KW coilovers on it and the car handled insanely well.
Funktheduck
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 09:02 |
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Can’t comment on the first gen. My ex and several friends had/have the second gen. No one has had any major issues that I know of. I’ve got about 150k miles on my 2015 3 and my only suggestion is to switch to non oem rear pads for the brakes. They wear out too quickly.
Grindintosecond
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 09:21 |
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I had a 2008 hatch 3. Non turbo. It was great. Reliable. Fun. Held luggage AND toddler seats without folding things down. 2nd gear went to 62, 3rd 85, 4th 105, nice spaced gearbox, with an intake it made the best sounds to go with that. At this time youll find them within or past the water pump and belt service interval so check on the records. The engine stabilizer bushing likes to go too. Just little things. Enjoy it. I saw 29mpg on the interstate at regular +5 speed.
Apukareem
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 09:26 |
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Had a 07 Mazda 3 Touring.
Champ in the snow.
I didn’t have any rust issues, but I bought it used, and had it for about 3 years.
Gas mileage left a lot to be desired.
I upgraded the Rear Sway Bar, Shocks, Intake, made it very sporty and fun.
Check the forums, a lot of great people and helpful people.
I was a member on
http://www.mazda3forums.com/
Takuro Spirit
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 10:45 |
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I bought a 1 owner 95k 2004 a few years ago, and worked at a Mazda dealer so I’m a quasi-expert on these
Basically if you find a rust free low mile example (I’d go for 2007+ since they seemed to figure out how to not make the car COMPLETELY out of rust) at the right price I’d say go for it.
Other than normal wear and tear they’re pretty bulletproof. The EPS steering is quite good and reliable. They do tend to eat wheel bearings, engine mounts, plastic engine shields, and the turbo cars lunch timing chains and sometimes turbo seals on the reg.
But they drive REAL nice, handle quite well especially with summer tires, and if you get a stick it just adds to the fun.
I beat mine like it owed me money for about 20k miles. I wouldn’t have gotten it if I didn’t trust the brand or the car.
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Fyoeu
> Eric @ opposite-lock.com
03/22/2018 at 11:19 |
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I’ve heard that 1st gen 3's love consuming tires, is that something you’ve experienced? How long do you get out of a set?
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Fyoeu
> Takuro Spirit
03/22/2018 at 11:25 |
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Interesting that you mention that! I’ve always wondered why I tend to see more 2004-2006 3's rusted to absolute hell, compared to the 2007-2009 models, which aren’t quite as bad. Was a bit skeptical of buying a higher mileage 3, but they seem to be pretty solid mechanically.
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Takuro Spirit
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 11:58 |
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I’ve seen many with 200k+ miles, so long as they’re cared for and aren’t too rusty they tend to last and last.
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 12:59 |
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It does seem to eat them faster than most cars I’ve owned. By my best estimate, most of my cars have done about 45-50k on a set of tires (both larger and smaller cars), while the Mazda3 has averaged like 30-35k. I’m not sure if it’s something about the weight, the tire size, suspension, or something else entirely. The car is at 84k miles and on the third set of tires, with the first set doing about 40k to completely bald, then the second set we replaced around 73k miles, and this set is due for another rotation... You definitely need to keep on top of that.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 20:30 |
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I have a low mileage 2006 it’s a great car and a hoot to drive. I keep it clean and dry to prevent the rust and it’s doing great.
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CompactLuxuryFan
> chaozbandit
03/22/2018 at 20:32 |
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Good luck finding that in any sort of half-decent shape!
Skif6996
> Fyoeu
03/22/2018 at 22:27 |
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I own an 07 sedan. It has way more rust than I feel it should. It does seem to burn up tires but they are cheap. 205-55-16. Mine is a 2.0 and it has come summer oil since around 60k miles. It’s probably the pcv but you need to remove a lot of stuff to get to it. Other than that, it has really been reliable. It’s a good to-and-from-work car. Again, watch for rusty quarters and b-pillars behind the black sticker trim. Good luck!
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Fyoeu
> Skif6996
03/23/2018 at 08:37 |
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So how’s the 2.0 liter engine? Is it more than adequate, or does it leave something to be desired?
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Skif6996
> Fyoeu
03/24/2018 at 22:25 |
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Sorry for the late response. I haven’t driven the 2.3 but I’m sure the added torque helps. For commuting back and forth to work, it’s adequate for me. We have some short on-ramps around here and I don’t have any trouble. Don’t expect to win many races though. Haha