Well, count my 2006 Mazda 3 in the 100k club. Not that this kind of mileage is impressive or anything, but in the eyes of a lot of "non-car" people, it is still a magical barrier between a good car and a beater.
My experience with this car is a very positive one. It still has that nice and solid ride with no creaks or rattles in the cabin. There are few slight squeaks that show up during very low temps, but even those are not too noticeable. My wife, for example, doesn't hear them.
In the course of almost 7 years and 100k I had driver side strut mount bearing replaced twice under warranty, as it was making a creaking sound during low speed maneuvering. I think the second replacement was due to improper installation, as it was needed within a year of replacing the original one. In any case, it's been about 4 years since, and everything is in order.
Outside of warranty, I spent about $160 in repairs not related to maintenance.
- $100 was for the passenger side engine mount.
- $20 for replacing the HVAC control light bulbs. I replaced them myself, but I got the little bulbs from the dealer, as I had a limited window of opportunity to get the job done and didn't have time to find them. It was still a highway robbery to charge $20 for such small bulbs.
- $40 was spent on replacing the serpentine belt tensioner pulley, twice. The first one only lasted two years before the bearing started making noise. Let’s hope the one I replaced this year lasts longer. But at least the job is extremely easy and takes all of 10 minutes or so.
This is about it. The rest was just regular maintenance. It doesn't consume any noticeable amount of oil and the slushbox shifts nice and smooth.
Oh, there is one very annoying and a pretty negative thing. The dash board is cracking
Fortunately it is a separate piece right under the windshield, so the crack will not make its way across the dash, but this is pretty poor design or choice of materials. One day I may feel adventurous to take it all apart and fix it, but for now it annoys me to no end.
All in all, this car has been great. I had my doubts when I was buying it, as Mazda is not exactly portrayed as a solid car maker, but I liked the ride quality and the overall look and feel of the car, plus my wife likes it as well, that I said "what the heck" and got it.
My experience with this car is a very positive one. It still has that nice and solid ride with no creaks or rattles in the cabin. There are few slight squeaks that show up during very low temps, but even those are not too noticeable. My wife, for example, doesn't hear them.
In the course of almost 7 years and 100k I had driver side strut mount bearing replaced twice under warranty, as it was making a creaking sound during low speed maneuvering. I think the second replacement was due to improper installation, as it was needed within a year of replacing the original one. In any case, it's been about 4 years since, and everything is in order.
Outside of warranty, I spent about $160 in repairs not related to maintenance.
- $100 was for the passenger side engine mount.
- $20 for replacing the HVAC control light bulbs. I replaced them myself, but I got the little bulbs from the dealer, as I had a limited window of opportunity to get the job done and didn't have time to find them. It was still a highway robbery to charge $20 for such small bulbs.
- $40 was spent on replacing the serpentine belt tensioner pulley, twice. The first one only lasted two years before the bearing started making noise. Let’s hope the one I replaced this year lasts longer. But at least the job is extremely easy and takes all of 10 minutes or so.
This is about it. The rest was just regular maintenance. It doesn't consume any noticeable amount of oil and the slushbox shifts nice and smooth.
Oh, there is one very annoying and a pretty negative thing. The dash board is cracking
All in all, this car has been great. I had my doubts when I was buying it, as Mazda is not exactly portrayed as a solid car maker, but I liked the ride quality and the overall look and feel of the car, plus my wife likes it as well, that I said "what the heck" and got it.