2011 Mazda 3 sport thoughts?

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Looking to retire the rusty Maxima for my brother and replace it with a Mazda 3 sport 2011.

Haven't seen it myself but i believe its the 2.0L motor with the auto trans. Any big issues with this motor? Anything to stay away from or make sure it was done before buying? Google didn't tell me too much on common problems.The sport trim is like either base or 1 above base.
 
I drove a 2010 sport with manual transmission for 5 years and 115k miles. It was pretty easy. It needed a blower motor resistor and the LCD screen went back under warranty. I will say use a sun shade if you park in the sun. The soft rubbery dash gets hot and tacky and now that they are getting some age I see warped dashboards. The motor mounts are a problem area but that's not too bad. The engine was good to go and didn't use oil. The cabin air filters are pain to replace. Can't say much about the automatic transmission since I didn't have one. The interior plastic scratches pretty easily too. Other than that I can't remember too much being wrong with it. Served me well and I never even did brakes on it.
 
I think they are quality cars. Some had rusting issues so of course watch out for any signs of excessive corrosion.
 
Originally Posted by dareo
I think they are quality cars. Some had rusting issues so of course watch out for any signs of excessive corrosion.


Being in IL, everything will rust. I dont know what is excessive anymore. I know i hate watching youtube videos of people working on cars in AZ/TX/CA tho.


How are these cars in the BITOG mindset? Normal 5 speed auto, i assume simple drain and fills. As long as they dont burn oil or need anything major i'm good with it. I'm just going to go look for anything horribly wrong and its a done deal.
 
Rust. Seems like many of them are gone around this area, and I've seen a few rust away pretty quickly. Get up underneath to check first.
 
Pretty reliable car mechanically. Some issues reported with fuel tank vent/purge valve and gas cap seal around 100K miles; can cause intermittent CEL display.
 
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