Poorly made, drives well
Clutch burnt out at 18,000 miles.
Stock tires bad. Told by dealer all stock tires are bad.
Handles and drives well. Dashboard layout good. Comfortable.
Be wary of 17" alloy wheels on i Touring model, as they cost over $200 per wheel to replace the tires.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd June, 2011
Mazda 3 zoom-zoom is a great car!
I had to replace the pathetic sounding horn with one that was loud.
The 3i is by far the best car in its class, and the best value. I originally planned to buy a Honda Civic, but after driving the Mazda 3 there was no way I was going to be happy with a Civic.
The Mazda is far superior to the Civic, Corolla and Nissan Sentra and Versa in performance, quality and driveability. I also happen like the styling a lot better too. It lives up to the Mazda zoom-zoom ads.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th August, 2009
If your driving the 2009 (older model), I agree the this Mazda 3 version has an exceptional drive. In fact, I'm a Volkswagen driver for years, and I own a 2009 TDI Jetta. I drive rental cars quite frequently, and I happened to have a 2009 Mazda 3 this week. Until now, I was quite convinced the Jetta had the smoothest and most comfortable ride in small and mid-size cars, and that's after driving a Caliber, Impala, and a few others. But now I think the 2009 Mazda ride is better than the VW. Hard to believe a car this size can drive so well. BUT be careful: I've also driven 2010 Mazda 3 a couple of times. 2010 Mazda is also a good car, but the drive and stability in no way compares to the 2009. The car is too jerky. Good to ride to the grocery store, but you will be deceived at the end of a 3 hour drive.
What horn did you replace the stock with, and how hard was it to go, cause I hate the horn in my 3 too, it's so wimpy sounding.
I replaced the Mazda 3 OEM horn with a Wolo Badboy compact air horn. It's loud. Google the web for how to do it. The horn is plug and play, but the Mazda 3 horn is not easy to get to. It is located directly behind the front bumper on the driver's side right above the fog light. It is accessible by removing the left front wheel, and then removing several screws and pulling back the black plastic wheel well liner to reveal the left fog light and horn. Some prefer to remove the entire front bumper, but I am not that brave. Buy some 16 gauge wire and connectors too. Alternately, you can just add another cheapo horn with the lower tone for a normal sounding horn, but if you're going to do a modification, you might as well make it cool and unique.
Does any body have any problem with this car's brake pads or brake system as a whole?
The best car for under $25,000. Go Mazda zoom zoom
Nothing, an amazing car.
This car is the best car I've ever driven. It is quick off the line, it does a lot with what its given. It has a nice well geared transmission 5 speed manumatic.
It has amazing, sharp, crisp handling. This car loves the corners. It holds well and gives good feedback.
This car gets great gas mileage. It is also comfortable for it being as small as it is; I've gone on a three hour trip and was comfortable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th June, 2009
I agree. I've had a great mazda Millenia ownership experience and just bought a 3i. It's a very athletic car and really fun to drive. It's roomy, sporty, good looking and (eek) economical. The build quality is outstanding since it's manufactured in Japan and imported. The only 2 cars that provided me with a similar driving experience were the Honda Civic SI ($8,000 more) and the base BMW 3 series ($11,000 more).
27th Aug 2009, 16:43
They are decent cars, the new Mazda's. Haven't caught on yet but might do eventually.