2005 Mazda 3

I've owned a 2004 hatchback for 5 years, currently 117k miles. No major issues to speak of.

Minor Problems:
1. Road Noise, this is not a quiet car on the road. My first tire replacement was at 42k, got some Conti Contacts, no improvement. Next replacement was at 100k, got some Hancook V12's .. a little better...
2. Not great in the Snow. Bought snow tires for the first time last winter. Marked improvement.
3. Gas cap emissions seal failed twice. Covered while under warranty, probably only a few states are required to have this "feature".

I get about 30.5 mpg. 95% highway driving, so this is probably a little high... also explains why I just replaced the breaks for the first time last week. Comfortable inside, even for all day drives... even in the back seat I'm told. Good car all around though, highly recommended.

Overall an excellent compact car. Bought new in 2006 in California. Had a couple problems with car that were taken care of promptly by Mazda;

1. Clutch was defective right out of the box. With only 24 miles on the car (driven by a person who has had a couple m/t cars before), the clutch broke.
2. #3 engine mount broke at around 29K miles, requiring replacement of the front axles and the mount. I would suggest having the dealer take a look at your car for this - it's a Ford motor mount so quality is questionable.

Besides those problems, the car has been great. Handling is responsive and the car is very easy to drive. Engine is powerful enough for a small car but if you like performance then the 2.3 or 2.5L is a better choice.

Bought new in 2004. Have 61000 miles now. Have owned 4 Hondas before this since 1977.
Would NOT buy another Mazda.
1. Transmission had "hard shifting" from 1st-2nd gear. Required 3 trips to dealer finally to find out the computer needed to be "reflashed" to solve problem.
2. rear brakes needed replacement at 40k miles while front brakes where maybe 30% used, Never had a car so biased to the rer brakes and obviously not equally distributing brake pressures.
3. Air conditioner has been marginal at best. I do not expect it too much but the unit has a very hard time just keeping interior at a bearable level.
4. Most important......The idle speed about 9 months ago dropped down to about 500-600rpm. This is a speed where I get engine shake when in gear (its an automatic). When I approached the dealer they said the idle speed COULD NOT be adjusted higher. I went o another dealer and they said that 3 of the 4 engine mounts were cracked and needed replacement at over $700. I seriously doubt the mounts to be cracked because I drive this car VERY gently. If they are in fact cracked, then this is extremely POOR quality of the mounts.
On the PLUS side, the engine has plenty of power and runs smooth at cruising RPMS, the enterior is good, handling is excellent.
As the economy improves I will be getting rid of this car and will return to Honda again.

2+ years, 37000 miles on our 3s 5 door, and we still love this car. Not very roomy (a bit of a challenge with the small kids) but fun to drive, relatively economical. Chews through tires, but that probably says more about the driver and the tires than the car itself...

I've had the car for nearly 3 years and haven't had any issues with it. I've just done normal maintenance and it's been very reliable. It's fun to drive and I get 35mpg on the highway.