Faults:

Rear calipers seized.

Exhaust rattle.

Oil leak, not serious.

Radiator bracket replaced.

Wheel bearings.

ABS light came on, was just a sensor.

Air con stopped working.

Rust starting at wheel arches.

General Comments:

Good looking little car, the Mazda 3 from 2008 is still modern for its age. My car is bright silver.

Spacious inside for a smaller car, very stylish also. Love the dash and dials. Well equipped "Takara" model. It has electrics, alloys, the lot.

1.6 has rubbish acceleration and economy (35 MPG at best!) but it is just a petrol automatic, and I do drive fast. Too expensive to tax also. But insurance and repairs have been reasonable, it is an economy car after all. Try a diesel from the later generations for better performance and economy.

Good to drive, handles very well. Ride a bit fidgety around town, but once on the motorway it is quiet and smooth.

Nothing special, but for a middle of the road hatchback from 2008, it has been OK and reliable enough, I'll keep using it till it gives up!

Faults:

Not many complaints, decent city handling however when on the highway the steering wheel would start buckling and wouldn’t stop until I got off the highway; I tried changing tires to see if this would fix this, but it had no effect.

General Comments:

Decent performance, but it guzzles gas for such a small car. The suspension is great if you live in a city without potholes or any road imperfections; if not be prepared for one of the worst rides ever (if you're 6’1-6’4). It will find bumps that aren’t there, the seats are the only saving grace and they get uncomfortable after more than half an hour.

Faults:

Since June of 2018, I have had many things go wrong with the car, starting with the clutch. I do tend to be rough on the clutch and it needed to be replaced. The clutch we took out was not the stock clutch that would have come with the car, meaning it has been replaced before.

Also, the air conditioner compressor failed as well. Leaks were patched and they recharged the air conditioner, but to no avail. I have been unable to find the money for the parts in order to fix it.

The car refused to start in the afternoon of late August 2018, although all the lights came on in the car. I was informed that it seemed to be a wiring issue and the starter solenoid was burning itself up. My guess is that someone before me had tried to rewire the car and has caused many problems for me. I ended up having to bypass the starter in order to get it running again. Then the horn refused to work, which also seems to be a wiring problem, in addition to the horn itself.

In mid-September 2018, the car refused to accept the bypass starter or key. We could not get it jump started. We checked the fuses and they were all fine. At that point, I gave up. The car was clearly done.

When it was working properly, before all the issues, it was a pleasure to drive, excellent gas mileage, and a wonderful commuter car. It simply proved to be too much to fix in too short of a time.

General Comments:

Manual transmission, manual windows, no cruise control, nothing fancy. The car operated well with minor oil changes and updates, and perhaps would have endured longer if there hadn't been any customizations.

Faults:

#3 motor mount broken.

Rotors out of round.

General Comments:

The best economy sports sedan on the market! It's exhilarating to drive with the reflexes and dynamics of another '3' from Germany (for less than half the price).

I previously owned a 2006 with an automatic that was flawless for 60,000 miles before my daughter totaled it. Thank goodness she was fine, but I've never been so despondent over the loss of a car. It took me three years to locate another in pristine condition, but this time I got a manual gearbox because I'm the only one in the house that can drive it. :)

If you're looking for a car that delivers driving pleasure, reliably and with decent economy, the Mazda 3 is the ticket. This car proves that a compact car need not be a boring appliance. This car has the DNA of a sports car; yet it's a great bargain!