Faults:

Don't think it's a bad car, but I have a bad one if you know what I mean!

1 week after purchase - new battery.

2 weeks after purchase - new discs and pads and handbrake cable + some welding (all of the above touching £500 repair bill).

4 weeks after purchase - driver's wing mirror fell off!!

2x new front tyres.

Big rattle and clunking noise now coming from off side front.

Believe it or not car came with a years MOT when I bought it. No kidding.

Oh and the CD player has stopped working!

General Comments:

The first car I've ever had. So many faults on in a short space of time

Think it's just been an unlucky car for me. I even crashed it just before Xmas, and it had to get a new bumper!

Faults:

Burns oil from full to empty every three weeks or so (sometimes it stops burning oil altogether).

Requires a few revs as soon as it starts from cold, or it cuts out.

Massive cloud of white smoke from exhaust in cold.

Syncro is worn: 1st from neutral, fourth from fifth, third from fourth.

Front left speaker broke.

Timing belt snapped at 240,00km, no engine damage.

General Comments:

Absolute tank!!! This car has NEVER been maintained, though it's probably only been over 3500rpm twice in its lifetime.

It ran a few years without oil before we thought to fill it up. Been serviced three or four times since new, never at the dealer (ridiculous prices). Belt only replaced when it snapped. No other fluids ever changed or topped up.

The car handles beautifully, bit stiff but very tight to the road. Lovely seats make up for sporty suspension.

Engine seems to have an aversion to revs, seems very tight and rough at high revs, but beautifully smooth under 3000rpm.

Gearbox a bit stiff, terrible with worn synchro's (though it doesn't need double clutching yet) and clutch is extremely abrupt and will not be ridden at all (takes a lot of getting used to).

Power steering PERFECT, feedback excellent and ratio's very nice.

Probably spent two grand on it since 1998, compared to at least 30,000 if we'd maintained it properly.

Very very ugly face, which was dealt with in styling revision later that year.

Faults:

Only had the car for a few months, but nothing yet.

General Comments:

Excellent V6 engine, sounds amazing as revs build.

Very good reliability reports, as with all Mazda's.

Great handling, not much body roll, but good ride comfort as well.

Faults:

Air-con failed at 110,000 miles - replacement is about a £1000 - so can be un-economic to replace.

ABS light sometimes comes on for no reason, then goes off after a couple of minutes.

In 5 years of ownership, these are the only faults (and they only cropped up in the last 3 months)

General Comments:

Wow.

That really us all you need to say. Imagine a go-cart with a V6 engine and a stereo. get in, put some good driving music on, find some country lanes - and have some fun.

It's my wife's car, but I borrow it on occasion to do an errand - via a challenging series of s-bends and a petrol station.

Reliable, and takes abuse well, but when things wear out it gets expensive. Worth the effort though.

Faults:

Engine has started to make a knocking noise when hot near fan belt end of car. I suspect it may be the water pump bearing.

General Comments:

I like this car even though its only a 1.5, I find it still gets up hills quiet well.

I do feel though that after a long trip the drivers seat becomes extremely uncomfortable.