Mazda 3: seeking random comments from those experienced with

[oedipoes]

My brother drove a 323 no problems at all... (before someone crashed into it...)
Was an 1.8 ltr manual, mileage was ok, but at todays 1,435EUR/liter a smaller engine would do better...

[oedipoes]

The Mazda 3 cars (I believe...??) are sedans/wagons, and are either outfitted with a 2.0 or a 2.3 engine.

The 3 followed the 323 model, in Europe they are being sold with smaller engines, current mazda 3 2017 engines are 1.5 liter.
Conclusion:
Forget my comments...wrong continent, good cars though...

[Tubaryan12]

The only experience I have with the Mazda 3 are through friends that have owned them. The only problems were rust (which should not be a problem for you) and rough ride.
As for the Vibe (which I have owned), the only issue with that for me was the stock tires are too wide for the light weight of the car in the snow.

[Stipe]

Being an owner of Mazda 5 I can only discuss the brand in general, as I don't know the details about Mazda 3.
In general I'm very satisfied - it's reliable, it has very low maintenance costs (at least in our country) and I had no serious problems in 10 years.
The only downside, as already mentioned, is rust, especially if you live in a region with a lot of snow (salty roads). Still, after 10 years it's not a serious issue, but you can see quite some rust in undercarriage and also some rusty dots on the surface of the body - but truth to be told, I'm not particulary careful as it comes to washing the car, so this may also have some effect .

Other than that, highly recommended.

[Yane]

Don't know about the 3 but I did some work on an old girlfiiends GLC. That was one tough little car that ran on and on despite her abuse and neglect.

[Tubajug]

Good choice bloke! A band director friend of mine has a Matrix that appears to be the same "vintage" as yours and he loves it. With the seats folded down (he doesn't ever carry passengers besides his wife) he can haul tons of gear for gigs (he's a bass player when he's gigging). Great mileage and smooth ride. I'm considering a hatchback of some kind when my Taurus is no longer worth repairing.