Faults:
When I bought the car, the front end alignment was off. The dealer agreed to repair it, and eventually did. Sort of. Within 3 months it was again out of alignment and has continued to revert back out of alignment regularly despite having it repaired often.
When the car was two years old, the alternator went out. Initially, I was told the battery was at fault, so I replaced that first. This car requires one specific battery costing in the neighborhood of $100.00. When I then also had to replace the alternator, it cost an additional $500.00.
Last October 2000, the alternator went out again, requiring another $500.00 repair within two years of the last replacement. It was determined that the alternator had also damaged the battery and I again had to replace a $100.00 battery.
Less than one month after that, the timing belt went out. That was another $300.00 repair.
From the moment I purchased the vehicle, the trunk has leaked every rain storm. The dealer informed me that it was not under warranty and could not repair it without additional cost to me.
Both cup-holders broke off within one year of the purchase of the car. The spring action is such that if you bump the release and do not catch the cup-holder on its upward swing, it breaks itself off with momentum. I was quoted $300.00 to repair them since it would require replacement of the entire console. $300.00 for cup-holders...
Most recently, the thermostat has gone out. It will require the removal of many other components just to replace a simple thermostat due to the cramped engine compartment. The thermostat itself will cost less than $10.00. The labor, due to the difficulty level, will be over $50.00.
14th Jul 2005, 22:06
My wife has the 4 cyl with standard shift... been very reliable quick and economical for us. Wish she had gotten the cruise control though. Usually gets around 35 to 37 on the highway at around 70 mph.
Routine maint. only for 73K miles.. great Mazda engine.