Price
Handling (first 2 years)
Interior/Exterior styling

Far too many to list.

In summary, the Mazda3 is a piece of crap...buyer beware. I have owned my 2005 Mazda 3 s for a little over 5 years now and I have experienced many issues with this car in the 126,000km (79000mi) that I have put on it. I do not abuse my car, and do approx 85% highway driving. I am amazed at how many problems I am experiencing with a 5 year old car - worst car I have ever owned in terms of reliability. The following list outlines the problems experienced thus far:

- Premature Rust in rear wheel wells (started to cause peeling after only 3 years of age). This is a VERY widespread problem with the Mazda 3 - don't believe the lies that the salesperson will tell you about this problem being resolved...it is a plague with all mazda 3's.
- Paper-thin windshield that cracks easily (even TINY little stones will crack the windshield)
- Power steering problems (started at around the 4 year mark...the pump is sounding really bad, and will likely fail pretty soon. This is ALSO another fairly widespread problem with this car)
- Brakes warping after 25000km (16000 miles)
- Premature failure of struts (started to show degrading performance after 3 years of age / 80000km). Worst quality, shortest lasting struts on any vehicle I have ever owned.
- Engine stalling/check engine light
- Premature failure of engine mounts
- Leaking sunroof
- Weak rear trailing arm bushings - cause irregular tire wear and have damaged 2 sets of tires so far. $500+ to fix!!
- Engine hesitation

I am so disappointed with this car. When purchased new it was an awesome little car with amazing handling, but as the years go by, even with the conservative highway miles that I have put it through - this car simply contains too many poor quality parts to allow it to last past the 5 or 6 year mark without nearly rebuilding it with repair costs exceeding $4000 dollars. Do yourself a favour and buy a Honda.

Also, I have been unable to find a Mazda dealership that provides anything beyond SUBPAR service.

Mazda quality has gone downhill significantly - I have owned mazdas in the past and did not have this many premature quality issues. This could be attributed to the vast array of Ford parts in the Mazda3...yes you heard me right...Ford.

This car is a piece of junk, and I will never purchase another Mazda again. What a disappointment, and complete waste of money.

Handling, Styling, Accessories,Reliability, Economy

None

I'm 60 years old and have owned Saabs, Toyotas, VW's and Fords. This is the best car I've ever had. Its fun to drive, looks and handles great, and gets about 28 MPG...all this for under $18000.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota, VW

great handling
very supportive seats
quick off the line
25 mpg average milage
my wife likes to ride in it even with the taught suspension and good cornering
love the smile
Bose radio is terrific

tires better suited to rough roads should be able to smooth out the ride but still retain handling

Great styling, makes me smile, fun to drive, great road trip car.

Looks good.

-

I am very happy i sold this car. Lost almost 8 Laks from the deal. This is one of the worst second hand market cars in Sri lanka. The Agents service is so bad. Gave lots of problems in the AT transmission. Would not recommend anyone this car. Maybe this is a good car in US but not in Sri Lanka.

Very zippy, even at freeway speeds, I can always get another boost of speed if needed. Almost bigger inside than out! I've amazed people with how much I can fit inside this car. In addition, the seats are very comfortable, especially the back seats. Loaded with features typically found on luxury cars, but at a reasonable price.

A few problems came up in year 1: part of skid plate came loose and needed to be reattached; tire pressure sensor needed to be replaced (lighted up randomly, even when tires were properly inflated); something came loose on the sway bar and required tightening. No other issues or problems with this car.

I really love my car. It's perfect for the city because of it's small size - easy to park & maneuver. It has great capacity for hauling loads of all sorts, which has come in handy for weekend trips to the wine country when the trunk area is loaded with cases of wine AND luggage! Not only is the Mazda 3 a good-looking, sporty car, but it's comfortable, great for commuting, with 4 doors and really comfy back seats.

When I totaled my 2005, I sought out different vehicles to try something new, but nothing else compared, so ordered a new 2009 from the same dealer. I'm leasing this one, and have been looking at other vehicles to replace it once my lease is up. Once again, there's really nothing else out there that's catching my eye, so I'm going to purchase this car when my lease runs out.

I can't recommend this car more.

Similar Products Used:

2005 Mazda 3

fast. Just look like its a good car

low quality, cheap build, interior dashboard squeaks everywhere

I also have a mazda 2008, both of them have warp rotors. Replaced twice already, still the same problem. this car will break down if really used very hard in driving. like a cheap toy. This car is ok just for showing off. But if you want a real CAR, definitely not this one.

Very nice car, except it acts like a Toyota!! It's got a ton of gimmicks and it's a ball to drive (most of the time). If it wasn't for one major complaint, this car is a jewel.

Does any body remember the "Toyota effect" with the runaway engine? Well, I bought a Mazda with a very similar problem. Here's what happens- (sometimes) when coming to a stop, instead of the engine idling down, instead it revs up to over 5,000 RPM. My foot is on the brake pedal, not the gas. The solution, throw the shifter into neutral and shut the engine off. Like I said, the "Toyota Effect". This happened at 666 iles and 1867 miles. A trip to the dealer was futile. There was no error code generated so they couldn't (after 4 hours) find anything wrong with the car. Yesterday I drove into Boston for a concert and after 1 1/2 hours in stop and go traffic, the engine "ran awaay" 5 times in a row within 2 miles on Commonwealth Avenue. This kind of behavior from a car that is so highly rated is nerve rattling to say the least. I have owned 3 Toyotas and I have had serious problems with all 3. I bought a Mazda so I wouldn't have a Toyota and what do I get? A Toyota Effect mystery that is lethal if I didn't know how to kll the engine. I wonder how Mazda will rectify this problem. Also, the car is incosistand with idle. Sometimes it idles down to 650 RPM. sometimes down to 800. I've watched the tach and I've seen the RPM rise from 800 to 1200 RPM before it settles down to idle. When idling at any of these higher RPM's it is possible to feel the engine "tugging" at the transmission. I don't have any confidance in this car. I've been driving since 1963 and I have never had a problem like this before

I guess every car has a potential for being a lemon. Mazda has a great reputation. They don't "own" the market with "rubber stamped" production cars, but they are every bit as reliable as a Toyota or any of the other cars it has been compared to.

Similar Products Used:

2004 Toyota Camry (alignment and handling problems)
2006 Toyota Solara Convertible (engine won't respond to throttle, dead spot in throttle body?)
2007 Toyota Avalon (real bad transmission slipping problems)

Great style, sporty, great interior, easy radio controls, awesome sound system. Drives great, and has 4 speed auto stick shift, lets you act like your driving a standard.

slow acceleration, other than that nothing else.

At 21 bought my first brand new car, traded my piece of crap 01 dodge stratus in for a 2004 mazda 3, but wasnt able to get it for sum reason but was able to get a brand new blk mazda 3 with only 8 miles on it. Got the cars windows tinted and looks great, looks even better than bmw 3 series. Love this car, all black interior with a great sound system (great color combo on the gauges) and does great for my wife and new baby girl. I know everything about this car from top to bottom, and havent had any problems with it what so ever. With having it for 15 months and 20000 miles on it, drives like brand new, i get the oil change every 3000 miles and everytime i wash this car looks like it came off the show room floor. would recommend this car to anyone, and also warn never buy a dodge, bought my stratus not a week later had it in the shop, every 3 months seem like, it was in the shop for something else.

drives great, turns on a dime, looks great, sporty but with all the room you need. still love to drive it after 4 years, first new car i ever bought and definitely would buy another, 91000K, paid for and still looking great!

the 17" rims look cool but tires won't last past 30,000 miles and are expensive.
i've put a 800 buck set on there and a 300 set, no difference, still 30,000 miles a set, gets agravating...

i love it, hands down, great little car!

We first bought this car for it's sporty look and it's relativly good reviews for the price. For the first 50,000 miles it was fine

At 50,000 miles the clutch went. then a week later a cylinder went and it needs a whole new engine. Both repairs total almost $10,000 The car is not even worth that much. This car is a lemon.

Poor quality - horrible customer support. Extrememly well maintained car is useless after only 50,000 miles