Faults:

Broke something by the rear right wheel after hitting some nasty washboard - not the car's fault.

General Comments:

So far it seems to be a great car for the money. I traded in my Nissan Frontier truck, which was getting 14 mpg, for it. On my first tank with the 3, I got 34 mpg with 70% freeway driving, tires at 35 psi. On a 200km 95% freeway trip (same route there and back) I got 41 mpg without hypermiling and tires inflated to the max recommended pressure. Yes, the math IS correct!

The car handles well and has good power for the engine size and fuel efficiency. The engine is smooth, responsive and does not make any weird noises. I opted for the 5 speed manual as I have read several reports that the autos can be troublesome. The front seats are quite comfortable (I'm 6'1" and 185#), but the back seat would not be comfortable for tall adults for anything over a short trip. The sound system is only so-so, and I have the 6 speaker system.

Faults:

I've had the car for 9 months, and have had no issues with it whatsoever.

Mazda had a voluntary recall on it for the power steering pump, but that was no big deal, barely noticed any difference before and after.

General Comments:

Gas economy is pretty good 26/34 mpg city/hwy with a light foot.

Very fun to drive, handles perfectly, good turn radius. Could use more power though.

Interior is well built, easy to use and looks good. Back seats are a little cramped, but can't expect too much for a small entry-level sedan.

Faults:

Car died twice on the expressway within the first 2 months of owning it. Computer had to be completely re-programed.

General Comments:

This car is definitely not built with American Quality. I purchased this car because my Dodge was getting old, and didn't want to pay to start repairing. Within the first 2 months of owning the Mazda, the car died on the expressway in traffic. When the air was on, the car almost died every day until the computer was re-programed.

This car also has no pickup. When driving on the expressway, I would be blown all over the road. If I needed to pass someone on the road, I had to shift the car down to 3rd gear in order to get the car to move.

I will say this car was good on gas, but was not a comfortable car to drive. I had to sit in the back seat once for a few hours, and this helped me make the decision to get rid of the car after 8 months.

Faults:

No problems, other than regular maintenance.

General Comments:

Solid car, great to drive, loads of features for the money! Handled well, comfortable interior, great service at dealer.

Faults:

Small things:

Transmission decal next to stick shifter fell into the console.

Fascia strip down the length of the rear passenger side door started to fall off.

Automatic shifting seems rough.

General Comments:

I'm a "get me from point A to point B" type of guy, and my main concern when purchasing it was reliability - I didn't want a car that broke down or would have annoying little problems (my last car was a Pontiac Grand Am - hence I wanted the "opposite" of a Grand Am).

Second concern was how well it maintained its value - and since it was assembled in Japan, it certainly has.

Only thing that I now wish for is a CVT - after driving another vehicle that had one, I hate the "shift" that happens between gears as it accelerates.