I'm thinking of getting a 3rd gen or 4th gen Mazda 3 Sedan as a daily driver. I really like the was they look. Are they reliable mechanically? Fun to drive? What about rust since I know the 1st gen Mazda 3's were notorious when it came to rusting.
>>28864428Theyre garbage.No sound deadening.Road noise at 25mph sounds like any other car at 80mph.Glass so thin that raindrops sound like gravel smashing into you.Driving one is misery
>>28864428*the way they look
>>28864428struts and torsion beams. It also rattles like crazy after a while. Even the CX-90 rattles, let alone the Mazda 3. Many people here regret buying these.
I would go for a Honda. Every normoid tries to define the Mazda brand by being the "sporty enthusiast" zoom zoom ass feeling but really there just describing what >>28864435 said. at best their Hyundai tier quality.
>>28864428>Are they reliable mechanically? Yes. They've been using the same engine and transmission for nearly 15 years. It's all been sorted out. Do regular maintenance and it'll outlive you.>Fun to drive? It'll be a little better than most commuter cars, but it's not going to blow your socks off. >What about rust since I know the 1st gen Mazda 3's were notorious when it came to rusting.I have not seen any of the current gen Mazdas with rust.
>>28864446>I would go for a Honda.Base Civic has barely 150HP and a CVT.1.5 Turbo option is going to require expensive repairs at 60k miles, possible earlier. Enjoy your oil dilution.Civic Hybrid is going to be at least 35k after taxes, tags, and dealership tip.Mazda3 sedan can be had for ~$26k, maybe less if you know what you're doing. It has 185HP and a real transmission.
>>28864428Very popular in Australia. Probably outsell the Civic five to one, but Corolla is more common. Don't ever hear about common issues with them, but we don't get the turbo or AWD. I'd just get the base model with the smaller cheaper wheels and cloth trim.
>>28864428>>28864428>ReliableVery. Maintenance is a breeze with everything being super accessible. Engine and transmission are proven. >Fun to drive Meh it's an econobox. It's more responsive than a Corolla or a base Civic but an Elantra N can likely be had used for less and would be the better fun pick (lose out on mileage though which may be a factor depending on how far you drive daily).>RustSeems fine. Wash your car in winter, any car. And rust proof every 2 years or earlier.
Mazdas are based, they have the Toyota meme tier reliability without the tax and if you get one in soul red you will mess up your pants every time you see your car
i had a 3 hatchback and it was quite good. sound insulation was pretty bad but it was light and the gt trim had decent power. upgraded to a mazda6 and i like it more though. fixes the lack of power and poor sound deadening. mazda is the way to go if you want reliability, features and no honda/toyota tax.
s0 y car toobers shill mazda regularly, as some sort of premium brand for toyota price. that means you should avoid it
>>28864428Good cars, never had any mechanical issues with mine, can't speak for rust since it's not a problem where I live. Do yourself a favor and get the manual though. I'd take one over a new civic, Corolla, or God forbid - some Korean junk, any day of the week.
>>28864428i daily a turbo gen 4nice car, not perfect but its ok
I'm still driving a Gen2 that I bought new. Base engine, pre-Skyactiv, manual transmission. It handles very well and the transmission compares well with the Civic I had before it. Not as nice as Audi/Volkswagen. Traction control with factory tires worked very well. It is not fast. It has been pretty reliable, with only the usual things wearing out. It consumes enough oil I have to top it up a couple times between changes. I am on the original clutch at ~150K miles and I'm not sure if I'm going to push through getting another clutch or get rid of it. It had the squeaking headliner clip problem for a while. The dash warped a couple years after Mazda stopped replacing them. The factory stereo was tolerably bad but I upgraded early on; if I decide to keep the car another 50K+ miles I might put a CarPlay head in it. Interior control items like the steering wheel, shifter knob, parking brake handle, and parking brake boot have worn hard. The driver's seat has worn badly and has become loose. There was a recall on some later years' driver's seats; I think the front seat design is marginal. I should have bought weathertech mats immediately when I got the car since I wore holes in the mat and carpet on the driver's side. Maintenance is straightforward and the dealership oil change inspection is good if you don't (always) change your own oil. Dealership record-keeping and scheduled maintenance is not at Toyota quality levels but no one's is.I would consider the turbo AWD model for my next DD/winter car, or something competitive with a manual. It's too bad it's automatic-only.
You can get a brand new base model sedan for about $23,800, which is a fantastic value compared to the other options at the same level.186HP with a 6 speed transmission, and no cylinder deactivation for 2026.Real physical climate controls.Infotainment that isn't slapped on like a piece of shit.Even in its base trim it will have a far nicer interior than what you'll find in a Corolla, Civic, Jetta, or K4 - all of which have much less HP.
I had a 4th gen sedan for a few years and I had nothing to complain about. The back seat is not the most spacious but I don't have kids or really need and one having ACC and HUD in such a cheap car with great interior was nice.People also thought it was a Lexus or other premium car since they are rare here in Finland.I've understood the automatic is a traditional slushbox and not the greatest one. The manual was great. I had the premium dark grey and the paint had some pinhole chips in hood from gravel on road - based on google, the non-metallic tones are more relient. Got about 6l/100 km on mixed driving.Sold it after a few years since I don't need a car any more and the depreciation was very reasonable. If I wanted to get a car now, I'd return to it especially now that they have six year warranty.
>>28864435Mazda improved that significantly in 2018. Third gen had the issue, fourth not.
>>28864446The one Honda I've ever bought new was the worst car I've ever owned. '09 Civic SI and it was a total lemon - transmission would grind into 3rd gear and randomly pop out, a known issue on '06-'08s but supposedly fixed on '09s and Honda refused to warranty it since it was intermittent, A/C condenser exploded about 2 years into owning it, and by 3 years old it had more squeaks and rattles than any other car I've ever owned. Totally ruined my impression of Honda forever. /o/ won't believe it but in 23 years of driving and 20+ cars the most reliable ones I've ever owned have been Ecoboost Fords, a '14 Fiesta ST that I had from '13-'22 and then the '20 Ranger I traded it in on. The only issue I've had with either vehicle was needing to replace the Ranger's shocks around 50k but that was a worthwhile upgrade anyway, the Bilsteins I put on it mog the fuck out of the stock FX4s even when they were new.
>>28869363I have an ecoboost ford in addition to my 3 and love it. I want another one, maybe a focus rs.
>>28864428I've owned a base model 2011 Mazda3, top model 2016 Mazda3, and now a top trim 2025 Mazda3 turbo (all sedans). So every generation except for the first gen.The whole "Mazda's rust" meme is old news. That only really happened with the first gens, and most of the low quality complaints are from when Mazda was under Ford. All that said, I think if you were to get a Mazda3, you may as well only bother if you're getting a gen 4 turbo. It gets 250 hp on premium fuel, and I use a JB4 tune and Corksport intake with a cold air box that allegedly pushes it closer to 300. The extra power made me realize how much I lacked in my NA gen 3 model. Fuel economy is pretty terrible though. Personally I prefer the look of the sedan over the hatch, but it doesn't really make a difference, though rear visibility in the hatch is much worse. Mazda did improve sound insulation with each progressive generation. I think the gen 4 model is not that noisy inside, but I also did take the time to apply sound deadening in the doors and roof. And there can be rattles. Mine not so much, and I've also mitigated by applying foam tape for various clips under certain panels. Yeah, it's stupid to have to do that.Generally it's sort of a faux-luxury looking car for a much lower price, but yeah overall you will notice cost saving shortcuts that are annoying like a torsion beam (in the 4th gen), thin paint, no power passenger seat, and other little things. I do have fun modding and improving my car though.
>>28870719The torsion beam suspension makes me sad. The multilink suspension was one of the reasons I bought mine. I've always meant to upgrade shocks and rear swaybar on mine but it's getting old now. Light aftermarket alloy wheels and summer tires have been wonderful though.
>>28864444Checked
one of the cars of all timealso maybe the only instance where you should go for the sedan over the hatch
>>28869341He copy pastes the same shit every time someone mentions the 3 in any thread
its fine i guess, mazda is the least gay normie brand.
>>28870950those back pillars block nothing you can't see with your side mirrors.
