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Love our SP 2.3 Sedan
pats1, 08/17/2005
2005 Mazda 3 SP23 Special Edition 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Bought this car 5 weeks ago and have 2500+ miles on it already - lots of highway driving. What a great car!! Love the carbon gray mica with the black leather (don't see any like it) and this one is loaded with most everything except NAV. Last tank was 29.2 MPG. Very fun to drive - handles like a dream. Acceleration was a pleasant surprise. Added another SP 2.3 badge to the trunk lid - makes it look that much better. Bose is awesome. The rain-sensing wipers work great. The car rides and handles much better than the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic (yuk) we test drove.
Zoom Zoom, indeed!
Michigan_guy, 12/11/2008
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I've owned an '89 Toyota Tercel, an '02 Chevy Prism and now the Mazda. Love. It. It's got a lot longer gear ratio than most 4-cylinder cars and at highway speeds can very capably accelerate past everyone else who's not having as much fun in their car. The interior has an excellent design, the exterior looks fluid and lean and all of the mechanics seem above average on dependability and ergonomics. I might never buy a different car.
2005 Mazda 3 for sale near you
Showing 3 of 31 listings
- s 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $5,688348 mi away
- s 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $4,650369 mi away
- s 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $4,650376 mi away
See all 31 listings
Miata-class fun, Audi A4 practicality
Bryan in Central VA, 06/16/2005
2005 Mazda 3 SP23 Special Edition 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Plenty of creature comforts (heated leather, Bose, Xenons, ABS, steering wheel controls)...looks like a little BMW 325. I wanted something japanses to replace my service issues on my last three Audis and two Passats. This car is smaller and less expensive but even more fun to drive. Strong engine (w/5- spd) loses steam at 65 mph+ 9great around town baut looses punch on highway. SP23 was ltd edition and I have not seen another in 3 months of ownership. I would not have considered its "peer economy" competitors. Buy it for style & handling - not price. SP23 thinks its all grown up. A relative bargain for a "euro" sedan. Combination of Jetta/A4 and Miata. Practical fun with reliability.
BEST car in class
Sergio, 09/29/2005
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Easily best car for the money (reliability to be seen). The car is very quick with excellent handling with 205/55R16 tires. I opted for the 2.0 for the mileage (28 MPG city driving on 1700 miles). Very nice and roomy interior. I will echo the complaints about the weak A/C, and the remote trunk opening, but they are not show stoppers. Seats are a little hard and the doors do not auto-lock when the car is started.
Awesome!
Kristina, 06/10/2008
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I have absolutely loved this car! It is fun to drive, pulls uturns on a dime and is so comfortable that 3 people for 15 hours in the car was no problem. I am so happy with this purchase!
Started burning oil after 150,000 miles :(
emMaz23, 07/02/2022
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
My 2.3 L sedan started burning oil after 135000. Dealer mechanic and one outside mechanic just shrugged and said, "it's old." Blamed it on the piston rings and suggested the engine would have to be rebuilt to correct. This apparently is a problem in especially the 2.3L engines. The air conditioning compressor is also giving out after 160,000 miles. Blows hot air after a few minutes on hot days. There is also a known rust defect that affects the rear wheel wells. Mine was not immune. Mazda is aware of it for the early model years, but won't reimburse the driver for the defect. Overall, I loved this car. I've had it for more than 17 years. Up until the last couple years, it was very reliable. I now have more than 170,000 miles on it.
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My first car
MikeS., 05/29/2008
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Hatchback (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I got my Mazda3 hatchback about one month ago, and so far this car has been amazing. I have not yet tried it on the highway so I can't comment on the MPG there, however the MPG I am averaging in the city is about 19-20. This car is easy to wash, fun to drive, and has tons of get-up-and-go. I would have given it a 10.0 rating had it not been for the false advertising of the MPG city. There is a ton of room in the back, in fact just the other day I fit my entire drum set packed up in boxes in the back of this car.
Good
DB, 05/31/2005
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Hatchback (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
With neither the proper (last-gen) Golf nor Focus available, there's not much competition so I'm happy with what I get! The 3 drives well although the handling can be described as 'great' only by comparison to something quite wobbly. The shift is tops but the steering isn't too precise. We couldn't get traction ctrl and/or ABS on our model. This is a top-spec (S) yet the power window has no one-touch up. Having just paid the toll you either hold the window-up button with a line of angry Boston drivers behind you or pull away into the Boston winter with the window open. Plus the buttons are placed too far ahead and aren't illuminated. Please, a few LEDs for 17K!
Inconsistent build, very underwhelming
Thaddeus Mack, 11/23/2017
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Hatchback (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
2 of 6 people found this review helpful
Bought this car used with around 91K miles on it. Based on reviews, I thought it would be a good commuter vehicle and get good gas mileage. The bad: I mostly drive on highways, but haven't been able to break 23mpg. Apparently people can get upwards of 30, however driving like an old grandpa still gets me a whopping 23mpg. I even threw in an OBDII scanner connected to my phone and what the sensors gather for outputs on mileage is not what the odometer and tank show. The brakes are odd in that I slid once and the ABS activated and now they're spongy and very unresponsive (no leaks from the pump or lines though). The engine compartment looks like a 3 year old tried to go fishing and you get to untangle the mess of cables and wires (try changing the air filter in this car and you'll understand). The factory radio is AWFUL so if you're planning to buy this, set aside a few hundred dollars to replace the deck and speakers. The windshield wipers have one intermittent speed, which I am shocked by. The good: It's a fun car to drive when it's working right. The engine is responsive and passing cars is a breeze. The handling is superb and because the wheels are placed at the corners, parking in tight spaces is easy. The drivers seat is comfortable and has a good amount of headroom. The car is fairly quiet, even when blasting down the highway at 80mph. The trunk in the hatchback has several dividers and below deck storage compartments. The layout is all straight forward and easy to use. All in all, I would not buy this car again. The performance and handling perks can be found in many other cars which are better built and get better mileage. The stereo sounds so awful in this car, the engineer who developed it should be banished from earth. I was hopeful for more from Mazda but apparently was sadly mistaken.
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Has everything for little money
zoomer, 08/02/2008
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
This car had everything I was looking for: wonderful manual transmission that is extremely fun to drive, enough oomph, horsepower, great gas mileage, cool looks, plenty of space for the family of four, great value for the dollar. I still love it.