Used 2005 Mazda 3 Sedan Consumer Reviews
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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.
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!
2005 Mazda 3 for sale near you
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- s 4dr HatchbackMSRP: N/A9 mi away
- s SedanMSRP: N/A9 mi away
- s 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $3,999176 mi away
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Teething problems ?
Alan, 03/19/2005
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sport badge should be dropped as handling is rather poor. Believe it can be attributed to the electro hydraulic power assisted steering. Just doesn't suit my driving style, really disappointed !(have now covered 14000 miles) Steering creeking and growning for second time despite mod. Road noise excessive and distracting. Wheels tend to track the slightest rutts in the road surface. Air con lacking. Radio reception poor. Accessories extortionately priced. Drivers seat beginning to lose support and fabric baggy dispite me only being of average weight.
Friday afternoon car
Allen G, 07/15/2008
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased brand new. Looked great, sporty, fun to drive, typical great Mazda clutch. However, I feel my car was built on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon, I had nothing but problems with it in the year & a half I owned it. Pieces of trim falling off, just about every sensor/idiot light would come, check engine, air bag, etc. needing a trip to the dealership. One time it would not start and had to be towed to the dealership, luckily it was in my driveway at the time. I was very fortunate that the dealership/Mazda had a loaner car program, which I needed on several occasions, otherwise those expenses would have added up, but I still had to take time off for drop off/pickup.
2005 3 S With Automatic Tranny
Sandy, 07/07/2005
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Just got this car last Saturday, and it's pretty awesome. Took about 4 days to get the car in the color we wanted...Sunlight Silver. The 3 with the 2.3 L engine has plenty of power and it shifts so smoothly. The interior looks like it came from a more upscale car. The two tone seating fabric is pretty grippy and the leather steering wheel and shifter just add to the upscale feeling. This is our 1st Mazda and we are thrilled with the car since we've had it. Zoom Zoom!
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.
Been great so far!
nathanh2, 01/22/2011
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought it used with 46,000. It now has 58,000 and I have had no problems with it what so ever. Gas mileage has been pretty good although the car is small and I would expect it to get better. But other than that it has been golden. No mechanical problems. Turns on a dime. Rides beautifully on the highway. Put good tires on it if you haven't already. I had the Eagle RS-A and as soon as I switched them out the car was much quieter and rode a lot smoother. A/C can be a little weak. But it seems to do fine if you turn it up another notch. All around a very good car. I am very happy with it and I don't expect that to change
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.
How fast am I driving?
Waldemar, 06/29/2005
2005 Mazda 3 i 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
The Mazda3 is fun to drive and gets good mileage. I bought it fully loaded with automatic, ABS, and side air bags. I like the car's handling, feel for the road, and the manual mode on the automatic transmission. On the other hand, a nearly fatal flaw is that the speedometer and other gauges are so far recessed into the instrument panel and unlit that they're extremely difficult and tiresome to read on sunny days within 3 hours of sunrise/set or driving in and out of shade. I have to stare at the instrument panel for a second or two to let my eyes adjust to the darkness before I know how fast I'm going. The gauges are fine on cloudy days and fantastic at night.
Fun, Hot, Reliable, Good buy!
mazdaisgreat, 07/15/2008
2005 Mazda 3 s 4dr Sedan (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I love this car to death. It's such a great buy for what what you get. It's stylish and fun to drive. I've never had one problem with it. The only complaints are that the trunk doesn't open with the remote. The AC/heater is a little weak too. But I live in San Diego so this is not really a big problem for me.