Used 2011 Mazda 3 Sedan Consumer Reviews
Used 3 for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
2011 Mazda MAZDA3 i touring
galego, 08/26/2011
2011 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I just got my new mazda and I have to say this is a really nice car. I am 18 year old male that is 5' 10" and it has plenty of room. I was originally wanted the 2012 Ford Focus, but after they did not come down on their price I went with the mazda. I am not dissapointed at all with my purchase I got an excellent deal on the car. Now when i drive i drive it like a mazda not a commuter car and i average about 25 miles per gallon. Before i bought the mazda I was driving a 1997 f-150 so the gas miledge to me is much better improvement.
More than I expected
Joeymann, 12/05/2010
2011 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 5A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
When I test drove this car I was impressed, but after purchaseing and driving it every day I am amazed at what a great car this is. My wife loves it and we both love driving it. A FUN car ! Tons of standard equipment and a very reasonable price. A no brainer if you are looking for a compact with pretty good gas mileage and lots of zoom zoom.
2011 Mazda 3 for sale near you
Showing 3 of 290 listings
- s Sport 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $5,5002 mi away
- i Sport SedanMSRP: $7,85014 mi away
- s Sport SedanMSRP: $7,38774 mi away
See all 290 listings
Awesome First Car...Zippy Driving:)
Josiah Klossner, 01/23/2016
2011 Mazda 3 i Sport 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5A)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
This car is the first one I have owned and I actually like it a ton! It's light on it's feet and fun to whip around corners. I often describe it as zippy! The acceleration is really only okay since I have the 148hp 2 liter engine (it goes from zero to 60 in about 8.7 seconds). That being said, it's a heck of a lot better than some of the cars my friends drive that are older and under powered. I always say that the great thing about having a car that isn't too powerful is that you can slam on the gas and hear the engine roar for a bit without going to much above the speed limit and thus receiving a speeding ticket. Overall though, I can't complain about acceleration, it doesn't take that much effort on the pedal to perform normal highway and thruway driving.The steering feel is my favorite part as it is responsive and engaging. In the winter, as long as I drive like a grandma on snowy roads I'm good! Tokyo drifting is sometimes fun though! However, steep driveways aren't fun. To be fair though, I have all seasons and haven't put forth the $$$ to invest in winter tires. As far as the interior goes, it definitely seems to have a better quality to it than other compact cars that I've been in of it's generation. The dash has a softer feel and the body panels on the doors seem to be in there pretty tight! Some of the door panels in the back feel a bit cheap, but they are of sound construction which is all I care about since I spend all my time in the drivers seat! My only real gripe is that a small bit of the dashboard above the radio/time display has managed to detach itself from the top of the display, leaving a small gap there. It's easy enough to ignore, but it's still a tad annoying. Other than that, the seats in the front do a good job of holding you in and making you feel comfortable! I can't quite say the same for the rear seats, leg room is rather tight and if you're fully loaded with passengers in the back, woe to the poor chap who is in the middle as there is a significant hump on the floor. The trunk is sufficient for me, a single college student, and it usually holds my stuff for most trips. If I'm driving two people on a trip though, I usually have to use the back seat as well (not everyone packs as light as me either). As far as fuel economy goes...it could be better. Considering fuel economy scores of other compact sedans of my car's generation, this one isn't really too fantastic, but it ain't bad either! As a poor college student I don't mind the loss of a few mpg, it makes up for that with its driving dynamics. I probably average 28-29 mpg in the summer. That drops to about 23-25mpg in the winter (although it's January and I got 27mpg on my last fill-up). again, I really can't complain considering the fuel economy of some of my friends under powered rides...hehe! As far as repairs go, I've had tie rods replaced three times!!!! THREE! I got the left outer one replaced for my inspection in 2014, my inner left one replaced for the 2015 inspection, and I got my inner right one replaced this past December (2015). I'm currently bracing my bank account for the outer right tie rod come next inspection! Other than that, I had my rotors replaced for my first inspection in 2013, and new brake pads. Other than that, it's just been regular maintenance. Although there are some other problems due to the previous owner to whom I want to walk up to someday and say....YOU FOOL!! Seeing as most people haven't had any issues with tie rods on their Mazda3, it looks like it's a wonderful model as a whole for reliability! there are some possibilities for why my tie rods keep needing replacement. 1. my mechanic is a horrible person, 2. I go around corners like a maniac too often, or 3. I got a lemon Mazda3 with sucky tie rods. So overall, it is a wonderful, fun to drive, economy car! I don't regret getting one and despite its flaws in my particular circumstances, I really really like it! If you're looking for a used economy car that's cost effective and this model is one of them and you like cars that aren't boring to drive....don't second guess yourself! That was totally a run-on sentence.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
My Little Tank!
N. Rhodes, 12/16/2018
2011 Mazda 3 i Sport 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
80,000 miles, 7 years of ownership and zero issues - I call my Mazda 2011 "my little tank" because she's never once let me down. I absolutely love my Mazda! I bought this 2011 Mazda sport in a rush with zero research after my last car (my beloved 1996 RAV4 with 180k miles on it and still going strong) unexpectedly sold the same day I placed the car ad, leaving me carless. I cabbed it to the nearest dealership and test drove 3 brand-new cars - a Ford Focus, which drove like a slug with a brick tied to it, a Kia Sportage, which had brakes so grabby I almost ejected myself through the front windscreen the first time I hit a Stop sign - and a Mazda 2011. From the moment I first put my foot on the gas I was in love, and bought it on the spot. The difference in driving experience is night and day between any other car I've ever driven. My Mazda is, to put it simply, SO much fun to drive. She is light and nimble while at the same time being solidly planted, a smooth ride on freeways, firm and zippy around corners, and fast as a whip. Driving performance is important to me because I drive A LOT. I have a 50 mile daily commute along a notorious toll road (241>>133 through the heart of Orange County, California) which starts with an engine-frying 3-mile climb up a 30 degree mountain gradient, a brake-melting roller-coaster descent down into a valley on the other side, then a 20-mile twisting, rolling series of loops and bends alongside an unfenced mountain road to rival any you see in a car commercial - and combine all of the above with the heaviest commuter traffic in Orange County, sometimes extreme Santa Ana crosswinds in winter, and the fact that every driver likes to do 80mph *at all times* on the toll roads. It's been my twice-daily obstacle course for the last 5 years, and the Mazda eats it up like it's nothing. I dream about driving this car - the driving feel is hard to describe; it's solid and very satisfying (almost manual-feeling) at lower speeds, but at high speeds she takes off and literally floats over the road, putting a huge grin on your face.... while at the same time you have absolute confidence in the well-dialed steering and handling to do exactly what you tell them to, giving one of the most precise driving experiences I've felt. In the city, the Mazda excels. She turns on a dime, fits into the tiniest parking spots, and yet can pull out some serious accelerating power in a crunch - I credit my Mazda for saving my bacon on one particular occasion involving a big-rig driver on his cellphone doing 70mph alongside a merging lane, pulling suddenly left and not noticing me caught between 5 tons of speeding steel and the concrete freeway side-wall. Thank you Mazda for that (literally) life-saving turbo-booster that got me quickly out of harm's way! Economy-wise, I get about 23 city/28 highway, although that number was a few MPG higher in the first 5 years of owning her. She goes through brake pads pretty heavily, but that's mainly to do with the hilly local terrain and my annual 1000-mile round-trips to Yosemite! Grumbles? Of course I have some. The built-in MP3 player is so low capacity as to be worthless and I still haven't figured out what any of the giant buttons on it do after nearly a decade of hopefully poking at them. I recently ripped out the whole system to replace with a modern touchscreen with iPod interface and Bluetooth. Much better. Also - the welded-in-place metal trunk frame/cargo bay divider should (in my opinion) be shot into space, as it severely limits the height of long items that can be carried in the trunk with the back seats down. Sure, it's a big trunk with a wide 'frog mouth' opening and both back seats lay almost flat, but at the back of the trunk you've got this solid inverted U-shaped truck divider at the top which the back seats rest on, which means anything longer than the trunk has to be less than 15 inches high at its tallest point or it won't fit under the gap. A recent cat tree purchase, for example, was a huge struggle. Hoping Mazda fixes this with its newer models. This car (minus optional add-on packages) is also not an all-weather vehicle. In sunny CA it's fine, but in a rare heavy downpour the light weight of the car will make her scrabble for traction at every stop light unless you remember to apply the gas ever so gently. There is also (stupidly) no rear wiper, though the rear heating element does work well to unfog the back window. The low-tire-pressure warning system does a good job of warning you when your tires drop below recommended pressure. Regardless, the Mazda 2011 is still a car that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a practical, solid, fun, yet trustworthy sedan that won't break the bank and will put a smile on your face even on your worst commutes. Its dependability also makes a great choice for a 'first car' for new/ young drivers. I hope to be driving this little car with a big heart for many years to come.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
I love this car
Karen R., 06/06/2016
2011 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
My dad bought me this car and fixed it up so its a rebuilt title. i love the confort of this car when taking it out for a ride. this is our road trip car cause its just so smooth. love the bluetooth sometimes my friends say its hard to hear me when i am using it though. the back seats have less space wish they used a little from the tunk space cause the truck has alot. wish it had a little more storage space. but overall this car has never given me trouble. best car ever.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value