OT - Mazda 3

DudznSudz

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I just picked up my second Mazda 3 in 3 years (lease ended, I bought my last one, but a car accident destroyed it). I swear, for the money, I don't know of a better compact sporty sedan out there: They still make every model car they produce with a manual transmission if you want it, it handles the road like a razor blade, and the engine in this one is bigger (2.5L, producing about 30 hp more than my old one did, so it can do 0-60 in 7 seconds, which isn't insane but isn't bad at all for your daily driver).

Anyone else into the brand? I figure that later in life I'd probably wind up owning something like a BMW or an Audi, but I've always thought the Japanese brands (except Nissan, boy those things suck) did a good job of mimicking the reliability and quality of the German cars but at a far lower cost.

Lately, too, some of the American brands have finally stepped up their game to make quality cars again.

What are some great stories, and some horror stories, about buying newer vehicles these days?
 

pubber

Redshirt
Dec 29, 2005
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10
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I just picked up my second Mazda 3 in 3 years (lease ended, I bought my last one, but a car accident destroyed it). I swear, for the money, I don't know of a better compact sporty sedan out there: They still make every model car they produce with a manual transmission if you want it, it handles the road like a razor blade, and the engine in this one is bigger (2.5L, producing about 30 hp more than my old one did, so it can do 0-60 in 7 seconds, which isn't insane but isn't bad at all for your daily driver).

Anyone else into the brand? I figure that later in life I'd probably wind up owning something like a BMW or an Audi, but I've always thought the Japanese brands (except Nissan, boy those things suck) did a good job of mimicking the reliability and quality of the German cars but at a far lower cost.

Lately, too, some of the American brands have finally stepped up their game to make quality cars again.

What are some great stories, and some horror stories, about buying newer vehicles these days?
Audi and BMW are horrible cars. Some of the highest maintenance vehicles you can buy.
 

schuele

All-American
Apr 17, 2005
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I test drove a Mazda CX-3 a couple of years ago when I was looking for a crossover/small SUV. I liked the way it drove and the way it looked from the outside. A few things held me back - the cargo space was really small compared to a lot of other comparable vehicles. Back seat was also cramped. Also, no matter how I tilted the steering wheel, I had a very hard time seeing the extremely tiny instrument panel. Those probably aren't major issues for a lot of people, but made me go in a different direction.
 
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MOHUSKER

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I hate the interior in every Mazda I’ve ever gotten as a rental, been Honda/Ford mostly but considering others for my next car when I decide to get rid of my truck.
 

DudznSudz

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I lease first then convert to a buy if the car has held up well and I really enjoy driving it. Cars in general are a horrible investment, I agree.

BMW and Audi - Yes, their parts are expensive, but the idea is if you can afford one of those cars in the first place, you're fine. They're reliable, well designed, and a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

Toyota and Honda - I know they are truly stand-outs from a reliability standpoint, but I've always found Toyota's to be kind of "Meh" looking and Honda's nowadays are downright hideous. I used to really like the way Honda's looked (And I drove a Civic for years and loved that the thing started literally no matter what; a co-worker of mine once drove his with no oil in it and it still made it to the shop. They are tanks.), but the current generation Civics and Accords are gross.

I got my first Mazda 3 because the 3 had been topping "best of" lists for a few years, and when I drove it, I immediately knew why; for the money, you're getting a lot of car. I really enjoy the design, they're reliable (maybe not Toyota and Honda invincible level, but they are better than Korean and most American cars that they are in competition with), and like I said, manual transmission is a big deal for me, and they still regularly make those.
 

DudznSudz

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I hate the interior in every Mazda I’ve ever gotten as a rental, been Honda/Ford mostly but considering others for my next car when I decide to get rid of my truck.

I wish they leased the new Mustang, but they don't. The new Mustang GT is the most affordable way to get your hands on a s***-load of horsepower, and its a beautiful muscle car to look at.

I really like the Challenger, also, but I didn't want to lease a yacht of a car that drinks gas and weighs a billion pounds.
 
Nov 28, 2016
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I just picked up my second Mazda 3 in 3 years (lease ended, I bought my last one, but a car accident destroyed it). I swear, for the money, I don't know of a better compact sporty sedan out there: They still make every model car they produce with a manual transmission if you want it, it handles the road like a razor blade, and the engine in this one is bigger (2.5L, producing about 30 hp more than my old one did, so it can do 0-60 in 7 seconds, which isn't insane but isn't bad at all for your daily driver).

Anyone else into the brand? I figure that later in life I'd probably wind up owning something like a BMW or an Audi, but I've always thought the Japanese brands (except Nissan, boy those things suck) did a good job of mimicking the reliability and quality of the German cars but at a far lower cost.

Lately, too, some of the American brands have finally stepped up their game to make quality cars again.

What are some great stories, and some horror stories, about buying newer vehicles these days?
I love cars and the Mazda 3 is a great little car! Great option packages and fuel efficiency. The 2.5 is very quick (not muscle car fast) but great for everyday driving. I love to row my own gears but for stop and go traffic automatic is the way to go. I have a Mazda 3 2.0L Skyactive Auto sedan. Would love the 2.5L motor!

BMW and Audi are both amazing driving cars. The steering and handling are amazing but as pointed out already maintenance and parts costs are outrageous (about 3-4 times the cost of an American car). I’ve owned a BMW 3 Series coupe years ago and miss that car. It was fast, In-line 6 cylinder was smooth, cornered like it was on rails. Maybe someday I’ll get another or go all out and get a Porsche Cayman!!
 
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chrsmneric

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May 30, 2017
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Family's experience with Toyota:
'99 Camry(20k-140k) - struts, starter
'98 Tacoma(55k-130k) - tie rods
'08 Tacoma(55k-90k) - nothing
'14 Camry(20k-50k own) - nothing
'04 Sienna(95k-97k own) - nothing

Cheap to insure, extremely reliable, and hold their value...hard to beat Toyota


Mazda from an outsider looking in, good looking cars on the outside but gets my vote along with Mitsubishi for the ugliest interiors. Seem to get a lot of bang for your buck under the hood tho!

Mazda doesn't have the greatest SUV in the world, it's just a Tribute! ;)
 

ZJSARENOTFREE

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Family's experience with Toyota:
'99 Camry(20k-140k) - struts, starter
'98 Tacoma(55k-130k) - tie rods
'08 Tacoma(55k-90k) - nothing
'14 Camry(20k-50k own) - nothing
'04 Sienna(95k-97k own) - nothing

Cheap to insure, extremely reliable, and hold their value...hard to beat Toyota


Mazda from an outsider looking in, good looking cars on the outside but gets my vote along with Mitsubishi for the ugliest interiors. Seem to get a lot of bang for your buck under the hood tho!

Mazda doesn't have the greatest SUV in the world, it's just a Tribute! ;)

Family History with Toyota
'85 Landcruiser - Alternator 425K miles. Just use to hunt
'2015 Tundra - Nothing - 100K Miles
'2008 Lexus GX460 - Motor Blew after 265K.
'2006 Landcruiser - Nothing - 175K Miles
'2014 Landcruiser - Nothing - 100K Miles
 
Aug 27, 2006
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Until about 5-6 months ago, our family has put a million miles on several different Toyotas in the last 25 years, not once did one ever fail to start or get us to where we were needing to go, one flat tire not withstanding. 6 months ago on my daughters Lexus. the alternator went out, after the tow, genuine Toyota alternator, battery, we spent $1,200 on it, and I felt pretty dang good that was our only breakdown in all those years and miles. Whenever I see or hear about somebody buying an American car of any kind, year, miles, or price I always think to myself, "Did they run out of Toyota's"?
 

JDskibum

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Jul 18, 2005
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My wife has a Mazda 3. We like it save for the few days when there is snow on the ground. Then it drives like a skate. On those days we drive the truck though so no worries. If I want to fell nostalgic (and its dry and not too hot), I bust out the GTO.
 

bmb81664

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Feb 5, 2003
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Wife and I both have CX-5's. Hers is a lease and I bought mine new. We lease hers because she drives a lot and wants something she can replace every 3 years. No problems with them. She had a couple Mazda 6's prior to this she liked. I realize buying used saves money, but we are DINK's with no mortgage payments and we have more money than we know what to do with, so we buy/lease new. Not like we are buying expensive vehicles though. The CX-5 was about $22,000 new.
 

DudznSudz

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Wife and I both have CX-5's. Hers is a lease and I bought mine new. We lease hers because she drives a lot and wants something she can replace every 3 years. No problems with them. She had a couple Mazda 6's prior to this she liked. I realize buying used saves money, but we are DINK's with no mortgage payments and we have more money than we know what to do with, so we buy/lease new. Not like we are buying expensive vehicles though. The CX-5 was about $22,000 new.

I test-drove a CX-5 and really liked it, but I just don't need that level of space for my lifestyle.
 

MOHUSKER

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Until about 5-6 months ago, our family has put a million miles on several different Toyotas in the last 25 years, not once did one ever fail to start or get us to where we were needing to go, one flat tire not withstanding. 6 months ago on my daughters Lexus. the alternator went out, after the tow, genuine Toyota alternator, battery, we spent $1,200 on it, and I felt pretty dang good that was our only breakdown in all those years and miles. Whenever I see or hear about somebody buying an American car of any kind, year, miles, or price I always think to myself, "Did they run out of Toyota's"?

Unless you bought a Tacoma with frame issues, a Corolla with transmission issues, Camry or myriad of Lexus’ with fuel line issues. Reliability is a race to the bottom for all manufacturers I’m afraid.
 
Aug 21, 2010
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Until about 5-6 months ago, our family has put a million miles on several different Toyotas in the last 25 years, not once did one ever fail to start or get us to where we were needing to go, one flat tire not withstanding. 6 months ago on my daughters Lexus. the alternator went out, after the tow, genuine Toyota alternator, battery, we spent $1,200 on it, and I felt pretty dang good that was our only breakdown in all those years and miles. Whenever I see or hear about somebody buying an American car of any kind, year, miles, or price I always think to myself, "Did they run out of Toyota's"?

My wife and I have been Toyota-only the past 14 years. They're not the most stylish but 99% of the time will not let you down mechanically. Currently drive '16 and '18 RAV4 Hybrids and love them. My first Toyota was a 93 Camry and might still be my favorite. The new '19 RAVs look like Jeep Cherokees and are getting hammered on social media.
 

chrsmneric

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May 30, 2017
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Unless you bought a Tacoma with frame issues, a Corolla with transmission issues, Camry or myriad of Lexus’ with fuel line issues. Reliability is a race to the bottom for all manufacturers I’m afraid.
Both of my Tacoma's were under the frame recall with no issues, when I purchased my '98 in '06 for $3700 w/ 55k miles they offered to buy back the vehicle if the frame failed @ 150% of blue-book value...part of me wanted it to fail so I could pocket the $5500 but glad it didn't, drove it 8 years and sold it at $3100 with 130k miles...total loss of $600 in 8 years.

A Tacoma with 55k for $3700...can't do that again if I tried.
 
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Aug 27, 2006
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Unless you bought a Tacoma with frame issues, a Corolla with transmission issues, Camry or myriad of Lexus’ with fuel line issues. Reliability is a race to the bottom for all manufacturers I’m afraid.

Toyota stood by all of those issues better than most manufacturers would have, and I bet you'd find very few examples of any of those issues actually stranding anyone. They are the most pro active car maker on the planet when a problem is found.
 
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Gawd I even forgot this happened to me until just now...I bought a Sienna online from Texas, had it shipped here, motor was bad. Toyota rebuilt it for free. Used van with a 100K on it, and I wasn't the original owner, free motor rebuild. Can't believe I forgot about that, but yet another example of how great they can be about those things.
 
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NikkiSixx_rivals269993

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Still a fan of Mazda, for a drivers car, they do pretty good.

My only concern about the Mazda 3 and really all Mazda's is they run their cylinder compression levels very high in order to get good performance and good gas mileage.

When the car gets older, it will have a tendency to pre-ignite due to carbon fouling. While the computer will account for this by retarding the timing, eventually it will run out of room to adjust and the motor will start pinging.

You end up having to run premium gas or an octane booster etc.

As far as Japanese brands go, I like Nissan, as you get fairly close to Toyota/Honda reliability, without the Toyota/Honda premium markup.

Oddly enough, I'll be happy when we don't have to own cars as a society.
 

Beerlikeme

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Sep 9, 2016
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I just picked up my second Mazda 3 in 3 years (lease ended, I bought my last one, but a car accident destroyed it). I swear, for the money, I don't know of a better compact sporty sedan out there: They still make every model car they produce with a manual transmission if you want it, it handles the road like a razor blade, and the engine in this one is bigger (2.5L, producing about 30 hp more than my old one did, so it can do 0-60 in 7 seconds, which isn't insane but isn't bad at all for your daily driver).

Anyone else into the brand? I figure that later in life I'd probably wind up owning something like a BMW or an Audi, but I've always thought the Japanese brands (except Nissan, boy those things suck) did a good job of mimicking the reliability and quality of the German cars but at a far lower cost.

Lately, too, some of the American brands have finally stepped up their game to make quality cars again.

What are some great stories, and some horror stories, about buying newer vehicles these days?

I have a 2014 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring. Love it. Also have a 2018 VW Passat 2.0T SEL Premium. Great car as well.
 

kerpal_68

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Dec 12, 2005
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I'm a gm guy and probably always will be as I have been a GM tech for 12 years but the wife and I recently went and looked at the new Honda pilot last weekend. Seems like a pretty nice vehicle.
 

DudznSudz

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Still a fan of Mazda, for a drivers car, they do pretty good.

My only concern about the Mazda 3 and really all Mazda's is they run their cylinder compression levels very high in order to get good performance and good gas mileage.

When the car gets older, it will have a tendency to pre-ignite due to carbon fouling. While the computer will account for this by retarding the timing, eventually it will run out of room to adjust and the motor will start pinging.

You end up having to run premium gas or an octane booster etc.

As far as Japanese brands go, I like Nissan, as you get fairly close to Toyota/Honda reliability, without the Toyota/Honda premium markup.

Oddly enough, I'll be happy when we don't have to own cars as a society.

That's an excellent point and I wasn't aware of that. Would that be true of the newest (2018) 2.5L inline 4 engines? If so, I'll use Premium-only on the car, I just read somewhere that while Premium in general is great for your vehicle (by just burning cleaner and therefore helping the engine in a number of tangentially-related ways), many engines, including Mazda's, were not designed to need it so one doesn't tend to see any adverse effects from using 89 or 87 octane.

Thoughts?

Also, yeah, push comes to shove, I would rather not own a car either.
 

Beerlikeme

Redshirt
Sep 9, 2016
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That's an excellent point and I wasn't aware of that. Would that be true of the newest (2018) 2.5L inline 4 engines? If so, I'll use Premium-only on the car, I just read somewhere that while Premium in general is great for your vehicle (by just burning cleaner and therefore helping the engine in a number of tangentially-related ways), many engines, including Mazda's, were not designed to need it so one doesn't tend to see any adverse effects from using 89 or 87 octane.

Thoughts?

Also, yeah, push comes to shove, I would rather not own a car either.

I was specifically told by the dealer to not use the higher octane gas. Said it was a waste of money.
 

ZJSARENOTFREE

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Still a fan of Mazda, for a drivers car, they do pretty good.

My only concern about the Mazda 3 and really all Mazda's is they run their cylinder compression levels very high in order to get good performance and good gas mileage.

When the car gets older, it will have a tendency to pre-ignite due to carbon fouling. While the computer will account for this by retarding the timing, eventually it will run out of room to adjust and the motor will start pinging.

You end up having to run premium gas or an octane booster etc.

As far as Japanese brands go, I like Nissan, as you get fairly close to Toyota/Honda reliability, without the Toyota/Honda premium markup.

Oddly enough, I'll be happy when we don't have to own cars as a society.

I second your last thought. I love going to Europe and not ever having to set foot in a car and get anywhere I want to go a lot of times very quickly. I'm not against cars, just love the public transportation of Europe.
 

MOHUSKER

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Toyota stood by all of those issues better than most manufacturers would have, and I bet you'd find very few examples of any of those issues actually stranding anyone. They are the most pro active car maker on the planet when a problem is found.

They are being sued for frame issues in 4Runners also, they, like any company evaluate risk and act accordingly. They have gotten better, but they were an absolute mess 2008-2012 or so.
 

MOHUSKER

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I second your last thought. I love going to Europe and not ever having to set foot in a car and get anywhere I want to go a lot of times very quickly. I'm not against cars, just love the public transportation of Europe.

Agreed, also same for NYC and to a lesser extent DC. However cost of living in those places is crazy.
 
Aug 27, 2006
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They are being sued for frame issues in 4Runners also, they, like any company evaluate risk and act accordingly. They have gotten better, but they were an absolute mess 2008-2012 or so.

All big pockets get sued, and every car maker has a zillion lawsuits going against them at all times, and your 08-12 comment is just so inaccurate I'll stop now because, well, now I lost interest :)
 
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MOHUSKER

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All big pockets get sued, and every car maker has a zillion lawsuits going against them at all times, and your 08-12 comment is just so inaccurate I'll stop now because, well, now I lost interest :)

Except it was well documented...

https://www.businessinsider.com/toyota-paying-billions-because-of-marketing-failures-2012-12

https://hbr.org/2010/03/toyotas-problems-start-at-the-1

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124003609

https://www.industryweek.com/companies-amp-executives/what-went-wrong-toyota

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2010/02/11/accelerating-into-trouble

And here’s where they settled with the US Department of Justice for lying about issues...a 1.2 billion dollar settlement.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/just...against-toyota-motor-corporation-and-deferred
 

EATAFAT1

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The newest Mazdas are offering a compression ignition engine so if youre worried about compression now, best to stay away from those until the explosive kinks are worked out, lol. I still love Mazda, feel like they dont get the respect they deserve alongside Honda or Toyota. Hope they fixed their rust issues. I'd throw Nissan in that mix but ever since they became a French company, theyve built some pretty crappy cars. CVT the everything! And GM? GM is JUNK. Eff GM they should have died when they asked for bailouts.

Edit. Grats on the car.
 

Tarheelhusker

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Very happy with mine.

 
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TruHusker

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Was a GM man during my younger days of working on cars. Hated Fords with a passion. Still do. WasWalways a buy American guy until I started working on foreign cars. The tolerances were best on European, then Asian and the US was way down the list.

Bought a 04 Honda pilot and loved it. Had 125,000 when we traded it for a 17 Outback. Approaching retirement and wanted something not too big to travel in. Subaru has one of the highest customer loyalty ratings. So far, it is OK, not killer great.

Edit: picked up an 08 Camry a few years ago with 135k with the plan to just drive it around town. Liked it so much we drive it everywhere including trips. Now has 175 and a few things here and there have broke but just change oil and add some in between and it runs like a top. Runs like a scalded dog.
 
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The newest Mazdas are offering a compression ignition engine so if youre worried about compression now, best to stay away from those until the explosive kinks are worked out, lol. I still love Mazda, feel like they dont get the respect they deserve alongside Honda or Toyota. Hope they fixed their rust issues. I'd throw Nissan in that mix but ever since they became a French company, theyve built some pretty crappy cars. CVT the everything! And GM? GM is JUNK. Eff GM they should have died when they asked for bailouts.

Edit. Grats on the car.
I think most Honda Accords have gone to the CVT. I've not heard one good thing about any car with a CVT transmission. Probably just a matter of time before Toyota goes that way. Never drove anything with a CVT, but hear they really suck the life out of your acceleration and power.
 

MOHUSKER

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I think most Honda Accords have gone to the CVT. I've not heard one good thing about any car with a CVT transmission. Probably just a matter of time before Toyota goes that way. Never drove anything with a CVT, but hear they really suck the life out of your acceleration and power.

Accord has a CVT paired with the 1.5 L engine, but a 10 speed with the 2.0 L in the Accord. CVT's are the future and are blamed for what essentially amounts to tuning for fuel economy over performance.
 
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