Faults:

Outer CV joint boots split

Fuel pump leaking oil

Central locking not working correctly

Rear wiper wouldn't stop.

General Comments:

Not a car that would light your fire, but an amazingly reliable workhorse, with few problems over the 126,000km we've run it.

Faults:

The Hold Button Light began blinking at about 130,000km. The transmission would have to be reved to jump out of 1st into 3rd.

General Comments:

It has taken me a year to track down the problem. Initially the hold button flash would disappear if I turned the engine off and started again. I could drive off; but the problem was so intermittent that mechanics couldn't find a fault. It wasn't the ECU as we trialled a replacement and it made no difference.

In the end, it was diagnosed as the transmission and is currently being reconditioned. The Transmission Mechanic strongly recommended that, as part of the rebuild, we include an external bypass cooler ($AUD400) because keeping the transmission cooler is very important. The mechanic recommends the by-pass cooler for new cars as a priority

I'll let you know how it goes, but after reading the other comments, I think I'll be getting rid of the Mazda. I don't know why people replace a transmission four times and not ditch it altogether.

Faults:

Haven't had a problem with the car as yet, just had a major service and the mechanic said he couldnt find a fault with it, which was nice to hear. Just one question I have, the car seems to take off really slow. As if I'm driving a manul and taking off in 3rd gear. Also, don't understand what the little key hole is for on the gear stick. If someone could help me out, that would be fantastic.