Used 2005 Mazda 3 Consumer Reviews
my wifes other man
My wife and I purchased our metalic red 3 new .Granted her commute to work is 7 miles round trip , this car has performed flawlessly.no squeaks or weird noises at all.All I've ever done to it was change the oil and rotate the tires .Thats's all it ever needed. Maintenance is very inexpensive. It's a little cramped for me at 6'4 305 lbs butit drives very well . It's quiet but very sporty. The handling in off the chain!The tranny has been reliable but needs another gear,the engine needs another 20-30 hp. MY wife picked it over the coblt because of it's cheezy interior,it has better styling cues than the civic which to her is a me too car.I highly recommend this car to anyone, its that good.
This car Rocks
Being an exclusive Mazda driver for the past 15 years, I have driven Proteges, 626's and Tributes. This model by far has the most bang for the buck. Luxurious interior, adequate power, 17 " WHEELS, sleek refined body, wide Euro footprin - this car is a charmer. If you compare the BMW 1 series in styling and body characteristics you will see many similarities. An awesome car for the money!
Bang for the Buck
I comparison shopped this with the Honda 2005 Civic EX SE (hmmmmm...1.7L or 2.3L?), and found this to be the better buy hands down. It is also worth noting the Mazda3 is less expensive to insure than a Honda, due to national crime statsistics. My only gripes so far is that the vehicle was sold to me way out of alignment, and the passenger side airbag seems to be disabled. They offered to fix everything without question of course, but it makes me wonder about Mazda's quality assurance (though it's possible this happened during a demo). Otherwise, it's a beautifully designed Japanese vehicle, that will have many of your friends feeling envious.
I recommend it to anyone who asks
After two years and 39k miles, I still enjoy jumping in this car for a trip to the store or a 1500 mile road trip. It's comfortable, fun to drive, and packs more utility than every small SUV I've looked at. I can't see myself trading it for anything else anytime soon. For the detail oriented: mileage: 27.4 mpg over 39k miles of Atlanta traffic. Things hauled: 1 fully assembled grill, a stack of 2"x4"x8' lumber with room for 2 passengers, two 40"x48" pallets, 1 dresser w/ 1 bookshelf, 1 cubic yard of bark mulch (in 3cu.ft. bags) and 5 adults (1 not terribly happy). All items were hauled separately, but with all doors, hatches and windows closed. Out of room, but I love this car.
The best in its class
I have a Mazda 3 5-door and a Nissan 350Z. Naturally the Z can way outperform my 3, but I have to tell you I love my 3. It is a blast to drive, and while not high performance, it's pretty peppy. I love the styling, both in and out. In fact, I wish the Z was designed inside as well as the 3. After owning many Civics, the 3 outshines them by far. Great car!!!
You'll never want to buy another car!
I owned my 2005 Mazda3i for just over a year before it was totaled. I'm still mourning the loss of this car & with any luck will purchase another soon. I bought my mazdda3 used with 100,000 miles and drove it for 22,000 more. This car is extremely reliable, never had any problems with it (which is great since it had been in 2 minor accidents before I got it). Gas mileage was excellent -mostly highway driving usually got around 30 mpg which is great for a college student's budget! My only complaint (aside from the lack of any real space needed when I was moving) was that around 110,000 miles it began to shake when it idled, before that it was smooth sailing. You can't go wrong buying this car
Mazda3 2.3L Engine Failure
Heads up to all owners with Mazda 2.3L engines. I bought a 2005 Mazda3 with 110K km on the engine. It was in excellent condition inside and out having been maintained regularly per the Mazda recommendations. Less than 2500 km after I bought it it suddenly dropped 3L of oil in about 1500km. I had to spend 7K on a new engine having. There was no evidence of a leak or that it was burning oil. It just disappeared. I spoke to the service dept at the dealership and they told me that the 2004-2007 2.3L is prone to this problem and short of replacing the engine there is no fix other than to put in a heavier oil to slow consumption.
I Love This 3
My wife and I bought this car back in 2005 when her Honda went out. Almost 3 years later I still love it. At about 300 miles per tank city/hwy driving can't complain. I just love the performance for such a compact car, leather seats, GPS, 6 disc CD, 5 speed man., when sitting inside it reminds me of my BMW at half the cost. Great power and lots of trunk space esp when rear seats are folded down. The 3 is truly a car in it's own, with aftermarket performance tires it handles as well as my BMW and is great to drive through corners and the straights. Over all this is a great car to drive in the city as well as the hwy. avg. of about 32 mpg hwy we make it from LA to San Jose in 1 tank. LOVE my 3.
VERY FUN CAR
i bought this car from a buy here pay here lot not expecting much. during the test drive i noticed it likes to move! i drive this car daily and not a day goes by that im just not thrilled to jump in it and drive it to work! i took it on a road trip to see my mom about 500 miles away non stop driving and i couldn't have been happier with a car that has 180k miles on the clock. i took it to the race track by the house and for a cheap daily...it grips! i call it my green rocket. by far the best car ive ever owned! i will drive this car until the wheels fall off and then glue them back on and drive it some more =) wow! such a thrill to drive! p.s. i only paid $1900 usd for this car ;)
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Tough Car to Like
I am a commuter but also a father with 2 smaller children and a wife. Therefore, I needed something reliable that would handle the challenges of our lives. With all the hoopla about this car, I expected to get almost 200,000 miles or 12 years of this vehicle, which I had purchased used at 30,000 miles for $12,000 almost 7 years ago (2008). While the first four years were non eventful, the following three were very painful. Specifically, the car would unexplainably turn off or, more commonly, just not start. I changed the battery, everything. I brought it to my mechanic; nothing. I needed reliability and this car was unreliable. I thought for a while that maybe this was a one shot experience. Perhaps. However, I found on the web similar stories of Mazda 3s from 2005 which suddenly don't start. This makes me wonder. At 143,000, I chose to give up. I am selling the car via a trade in to a dealer and getting a 2005 Prius with 112K miles.
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- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value