Mazda

[buster]

My wife's 2007 Mazda 3 has been a great car. Over the last 6 years the car has been extremely reliable and very fun to drive. The car handles extremely well and it's pretty quick. A very agile, relaible combination. Good looking car too.

I believe the 3 trumps every car in it's class. Mazda has been doing a nice job of blending reliability and performance into a nice economic package.

If I was in the market for a family sedan, the 6 would be high on my list. Not only does it look better than the Accord, it performs better. Honda's designs have been very poor lately. I also think they are falling behind a bit. Do they even make the S2000 anymore? No sports cars? No turbo other than the RDX?

The only regret I have about her car is it's an automatic. It's not that BAD, but it could be better. I would have preferred she get teh MT. I would love to thave that car in a MT.

The 2.3L is up there with the Honda 2.4L IMO. Great engine. It's also very easy on oil. Engine wear is always low in most used oil analysis.

 

[badtlc]

I like my current one and my old 2006 Mazda6i. As soon as the Mazda5 gets a skyactiv platform, the wife will be in a mazda, too.

Unless something changes, it will be nothing but mazda for my household for the foreseeable future.

 

[Eddie]

My Mazda CX7, 2007 at 67,000 miles has be a reliable delight to drive.

 

[dparm]

Agree that the 3 is a phenomenal car. I owned a Mazdaspeed3 GT and it was a real hoot.

The 2014 model was just revealed today and it looks to be another winner.

 

[buster]

The Mazdaspeed3 is ridiculously fast.

 

[suspiciousmind]

I discovered the first generation miata about four years ago. I doubt I'll ever be without one again.

It's 24 years old and I can't think of anything I'd rather have for my daily driver....reliable, practical, efficient, fun!

You can thank the Mazda eXperiment -5 for a lot of what you like about your Mazda3

 

[surfstar]

I was won over by my 1993 Mazda MX6. That thing was long-lived, reliable, fun to drive, comfortable, and felt like a big step up from a similar Civic coupe. Took it from 80k to 340k+ miles over ~11 years. I was dead-set on replacing it with a Mazda3 hatch. Just missed one that fit my criteria a couple years ago. Ended up not wanting to spend that much $, as they have held their value quite well around here (I really like the '07-09s the best, but wanted the 2.0 in the hatch). May pick a skyactiv hatch up in the future or a CX5 diesel if that ever happens.
I think Mazda delivers a great balance in their cars for value and fun to drive!

 

[buster]

My friend has a Miata. I like it a lot. Too small for me, but I wouldn't mind having one. Nice looking car too.

 

[rjundi]

My wife/I got a chance recently to drive the Accord Sport 6mt and Mazda6 6mt.

I liked both a lot actually. Both had really nice engines when coupled to a 6mt.

 

[Smokescreen]

I was considering one, however a good chunk of them have what I deem to be premature rust appearing in the same spots on the body. Since I usually buy cars and run them until they die I didn't want to have to worry about that so I moved on to other makes.

 

[k24a4]

New 2014 Mazda3 looks good:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/first-looks/first-look-2014-mazda3

Looks like they will initially be built in Japan but supplemented by the new Mexican plant in 2014:

" Buyers will be able to get their hands on the new Mazda3 around September, and the car will be built in Japan. A Mexican plant will supplement Japanese production starting in spring of 2014.

The Miata puts this

on my face every time I drive it.

 

[Nederlander75]

After my Speed 6 I got an 2010 RX8 which I still have along with my wife's 2013 CX-5 MT. For an SUV its quite sporty to drive. In my experience Mazda does an excellent job of putting sports car into whatever they build and the build quality so far by my experience is impeccable. Of all the cars Ive owned from new which includes BMW, Audi, Chevrolet, Dodge, Pontiac, and Subaru (I think thats it) Mazdas have had the fewest visits to the dealer for warranty issues.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I will be very sad if they ever stop making the Miata.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: buster
Not only does it look better than the Accord, it performs better. Honda's designs have been very poor lately.


Well the looks are subjective, I thought the 2013 Accord sedan was gorgeous as soon as I saw it. I prefer the Accord over the overstyled Mazda stuff any day of the week.

The one thing I do prefer about the Mazda though is the awesome interior, I love the simplicity of it. If they made it look that good on the outside, it would be totally awesome.

 

[k24a4]

Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Originally Posted By: buster
Not only does it look better than the Accord, it performs better. Honda's designs have been very poor lately.


Well the looks are subjective, I thought the 2013 Accord sedan was gorgeous as soon as I saw it. I prefer the Accord over the overstyled Mazda stuff any day of the week.

The one thing I do prefer about the Mazda though is the awesome interior, I love the simplicity of it. If they made it look that good on the outside, it would be totally awesome.


I agree that the new Accord looks good, especially from the rear. The styling is contemporary; like most Accords, it will improve with age.

 

[Maximus1966]

Originally Posted By: buster
the 6 would be high on my list. Not only does it look better than the Accord,


Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but the creepy, clown-mouth front end of the Mazda costs it a lot of sales. Also, the build quality of the Mazda is similar to Mitsubishi and not near Honda standards. The 6 I test drove had a couple of creaks & rattles and some mis-matched plastic panel junctions.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: buster
My wife's 2007 Mazda 3 has been a great car. Over the last 6 years the car has been extremely reliable and very fun to drive. The car handles extremely well and it's pretty quick. A very agile, relaible combination. Good looking car too.

I believe the 3 trumps every car in it's class. Mazda has been doing a nice job of blending reliability and performance into a nice economic package.

If I was in the market for a family sedan, the 6 would be high on my list. Not only does it look better than the Accord, it performs better. Honda's designs have been very poor lately. I also think they are falling behind a bit. Do they even make the S2000 anymore? No sports cars? No turbo other than the RDX?

The only regret I have about her car is it's an automatic. It's not that BAD, but it could be better. I would have preferred she get teh MT. I would love to thave that car in a MT.

The 2.3L is up there with the Honda 2.4L IMO. Great engine. It's also very easy on oil. Engine wear is always low in most used oil analysis.


I tend to agree. Honda and a few other makes in the compact and to some degree midsize class are basically redundant. Maybe not as problem free but the Ford Focus is also a viable option.

If you don't care so much about sporty driving feel and value quiet comfort, I think the Chevy Cruze and Malibu are a top choice for value, solid construction, styling and good reliability. Toyota is kind of redundant there.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: suspiciousmind
You can thank the Mazda eXperiment -5 for a lot of what you like about your Mazda3


I would say the 2nd generation RX7 and maybe the 5th generation Mazda 323 were more influential.

 

[buster]

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1075165_honda-civic-vs-mazda-mazda3-compare-cars

Quote:
The Civic might remain nimble and responsive compared to most other subcompacts, but it's clearly the second choice in terms of performance; its 140-hp, 1.8-liter four is still one of the best, but the steering isn't as precise or as well-weighted as the Mazda's


Quote:
Overall, if you simply go by the numbers and consider only value for the money--or want a simple commuting car--you could be satisfied with either the Civic or the Mazda3. And this year's improvements make the Civic a much more agreeable sedan for commuters. But especially if you like driving, and want a sharp-looking, sharp-performing car, the Mazda3 remains the clear choice


http://blogs.automotive.com/infiniti-and...you-137533.html

 

[rjundi]

I wonder if Mazda got their rust issues sorted out. The old ones I do see from early 2000's are very rusty in weird places like the pillars and definitely the wheel wells.

Most folks I know who have them run into the 250k-300k range and crush them due to excessive rust including the Mazda MX-6, Mazda Protege5, and Mazda 323.