12th Mar 2006, 09:40

I think the engine issue is just the dealer giving you FUD (fear, uncertainly, doubt) so you'll buy the Honda. The new Civic is a great car, but nowhere near as fun (except for the Si) as the Mazda. The Honda also has a better interior.

But Mazda engines, excluding rotary ones, have been very reliable. My Ford Festiva (built by Kia) had an engine that would take anything, and that's because it came from Mazda.

If driving fun isn't a priority get the Honda since it has the better interior. But if you like having a great ball while doing mundane driving chores, the Mazda is the only choice in this field. Just get the "S" engine.

12th Mar 2006, 11:22

Oh come on! those dealership guys will tell you anythign to get you to buy their cars!!! the best way to see what problems are prevalent on a car, I use this site, combined with consumer reports. So far I've had 4 different cars 2 BMW's. a 97 Escort and an 86 nova, and all have been remarkable cars.

Those dealership guys are out just to make $$$, its plain and simple!!

12th Mar 2006, 12:45

Um dummy...you've already answered your own question...oops, I meen "kweshtyun"

13th Mar 2006, 12:46

When you say the new Civic has a "better interior." How do you define "better?" Are you talking better quality or a more radical design? There is no doubting that the new Civic has the more radical interior, but its ergonomically flawed and the lack of rear wiper is a stupid, dangerous omission. The new Civic could make the Mazda's interior seem old hat, but in my view I'd rather be sitting in an environment with solid quality, fit and finish rather than one surrounded by a few flimsy loose plastics that don't even fit in place properly. If Honda can make an interior as good as the Jazz, what on earth has happened to the new Civic? Sitting behind the wheel of the Mazda3, VW Golf, Toyota Corolla or Honda Jazz make you realise how cars should be built, unfortunately the new Civic gives a singularly cheap impression. The best thing about the new Civic is the steering which is probably the best in class.

13th Mar 2006, 15:33

I guess you must not be from America since there are no hatchback Civics here and I know of no current sedan that offers a rear windshield wiper.

American-sold Civics have much better, more upgraded interiors than Mazda3s. The Mazda is more on par with my Subaru or any Nissan - okay, but not great.

That said, the Mazda is a far superior driving car in all aspects and that is why it will probably replace my Impreza next year, possibly with the MazdaSpeed version.

15th Mar 2006, 12:34

Go for the 3. I had an 05 hatch in the 1.4 comfort model last year and found it very good. I changed this year to 06 1.6 touring model. Much better response with the bigger engine.

I have always driven Mazda and find them very reliable. As far as the interior goes, I think Mazda have improved 100%.

Brilliant after sales service too.

3rd Apr 2006, 16:48

Just a warning. All I hear are rave reviews about this car. I loved it when I first bought it too. at 13,000miles the purge valve broke, replaced under warranty. At 13,500 miles, the fuel pump died, also replaced under warranty. At 23,000miles the fan belt came off on the highway, replaced under warranty, but Mazda towed it to the nearest dealer which was 175 miles from my house, so I had to get a ride home to go to work, then take the rental back to my car and then drive home. Very poor customer service. My tires sound funny during slow turns. The service guy here can hear it, but he can't diagnose. Basically, I'm trading the car in for something else. I have service records for all of these repairs for those that don't believe. I had a 84 Mazda 323 before, which is why I bought this 2004 Mazda 3s. That 84 was great, the muffler got riped off by a steep driveway, and the repair was more than the cars value (in 2004). Car still ran great. My mothers 91 miata still runs, although she's starting to have engine trouble.

4th Apr 2006, 10:50

While I'm not denying your claims, you can't blame Mazda for the fact you live nearly 200 miles from the nearest dealership. I wouldn't buy any car that didn't have a dealership within 20 miles of me.

Not that there is any excuse, but first year models are always the worst ones, although Mazdas seem to be better than most.

2nd Nov 2006, 14:25

What's funny, is that I just had my purge valve replaced in my 2006 Mazda 3s GT, which only has 14.9k miles on it. According to a few posts up, my next problem will be my fuel pump dying :- (Haha.

Also, what sucks is I hear a squeak in my seat when I'm going on bumpy roads, something strange there...

Also, I regularly maintain the car and use fuel injector cleaner, but the MPG is slowly creeping down. My old Saturn SC1 never lost fuel economy all the way up till the time I traded it in.

Other than that, I love my Mazda. It handles great, the Nav. system is superb, and the stereo system is awesome.

Oh which reminds me.. about 1 week after I bought the car, the 6 CD player jammed and had to be replaced :-) GOOD TIMES!

22nd Apr 2007, 10:38

This is issue of the seat squeaking when driving over bumpy roads is a fairly common -yet unanswered- issue. The only 'speculative' answer I have heard (so far) is that the squeak comes form the area where the seat belt clicks into the seat. One thing I will add, is that this problem is definitely worse in cold or damp weather.

23rd May 2007, 20:50

Hey guys, I'm on my second Mazda 3 Sp23 in Australia. By far and away, they to my opinion are the best rated car of it's size in Australia. My recent buy, a 2006 Mazda 3 SP23, 6spd manual is fantastic, rated at 115kw with just a tad over 203nm, it rocks. I've made some adjustments to make the car easier to drive, as a lot of torque is based in the low rev ranges in first, terrible torque steer!

I have a new ECU-P chip placed in the car, it has a USB slide port, which allows me to control the power output from the the 3, and place it in areas where there are flat spots, or lulls. The result is a fantastic power deliver off the mark, no flat spots in 2-3-5-6.

I did however think the std SP23 needed some things to make it stand out which I added, Tints, bigger footprint, 235/45/18, which I added the nice 3-MPS rims to it, worked out a treat.

What I have now is possibly in my opinion anyways (bias) is one of the best 3's non-turbo on the roads, from a balance and power output stance.

Spec's Now.

132kw - at 232nm @ 5600 rpm.

Makes for a nice tourer! oh! and the cruise control is perfect match, and good addition!