Just curious. I'm thinking very hard about picking one up for a daily. My Miata is proving recently to not be reliable enough for me as a daily. It runs, but a ton of little issues are pissing me off (most recent gauge issue). For those who do drive them, how do you like them? I have heard nothing but good things. If I got one it would be '07-'09 and would most likely be a 5 door S model or S Touring. Probably not a big difference between the 2.0 and 2.3 since it will only be a daily commuter, but I like having more. I know the handling is good, but how is the acceleration? Sluggish like a stock Miata, or a bit more modern feeling? Insurance is good too. With full coverage, and bumping my Miata to liability only, it will only cost me about $40 more every 6 months than what I pay now.

 

my mom dailies a '06 (I think) Mazda3. Only the 1.6 engine but it's fairly decent. For a fwd 5-door it handles ok. Accel in the 2.0 or 2.3 should be way better. Basically, it gets you where you want to be without looking like a total idiot. Why not the mazdaspeed3 tho? Drove that too and it's about the most fun a fwd could offer me
Reliability is a non-issue with this car. Zero problems so far.

 

if you're getting the 5 door hatch they only come in the 2.3....all the hatches are 2.3.....my brother just picked up an 08 left over with 18miles on the car for 16000 out the door. not a bad deal. he loves it, a much better upgrade from his 2002 protege.

Oscar- in the US the mazda3 only came with a 2.0 or a 2.3L engine

 

that's pretty baller. We only get puny lawnmower engines here..

 

My stepdaughter has an '05 2.3. The AC sucks. If you plan on using the AC with any regularity get a different car. Do a google search. There are a million hits on poor AC.

Frank

 

My buddy had one for 4 years and just moved on to a Nissan armada a couple months ago. He liked the 3, but it wasn't anything special. They aren't fast, at all, so as long as you know that going into it no biggie.

It had adequate room inside and with the ipod hookup it always was comfortable to ride shotgun in. Also from what I remember he never had any issues with it mechanically speaking. I changed the oil a couple times and I think I did the brakes on it.

I recommended test driving a mazdaspeed3 as well. I have heard nothing but good things about them, and for the little extra cash....why not have a fast DD.

 

I got a 05 4 door S for 10k back in feb it has been pretty nice. 17 inch wheels 12+ inch brakes manual tranny full leather, 2.3L (there is a big diff), moonroof. And about 80k miles so far my only bitch is the trannys could be better on these things but other than that the interior etc is frigin awesome everything is where it should be and feels right. So far my AC and other hvac systems have been excelent but hell its r14 anyway so its not like a recharge is that hard.

 

I've got an 08 loaded 5 door. It's been a great car so far. I will probably dump it in a couple of years before any rust issues materialize. Rust has been an issue since the Proteges.

 

Test drove both the 2.0 and 2.3 about two years ago. I couldn't afford the 2.3, but it had the power I wanted. The 2.0 didn't, but was obviously much more affordable. That's why I bought my Lancer. It has a little more power than the 3's 2.0, although slightly worse gas mileage. Coupled with what I thought was better transmission ratios and suspension, it was a much more 'fun' car to drive. I also got a much better deal and since in '08 the 2.0 was all the lancer offered, you could go up and down in amenities without paying out the *** for 300cc once you went high enough in trim levels.

 

My parents have had 3... sold first one to sister, second one was identical to first, third one was an automatic. Parents-in-law have one... all 5-doors. I don't have a single complaint about them.

Interior is on par with VW's, performance is good... 17" rims and sticky rubber helps. The aftermarket gets bigger everyday. Stock 2.3 power is acceptable for all DD activities. Never used the AC before, but the AC in my MS6 would make an ice-road trucker shiver.

 

my fiance has one, it's a piece of **** if you want my opinion about it. after about 8k miles the tranny seal apparently blew, leaked out all the transmission fluid and stalled. mazda blamed it on a bad oil change that happened 2k miles before this.

the new sentra SR would be a pretty cool daily. it has the SER body, without the crappy motor they offer!

 

I've had one for 3+yrs now, not a bad thing to say.

It's an '05 5door (s/2.3/manual) I picked up off the showroom in early '06. Paid just under 15k, and its got pretty much every option.

I'll agree that the interior is same/maybe slightly under that of a VW (good thing)
I have no issues with ac (2+yrs were dd in Miami)
Plenty of pep for standard dd use, imo much more than a stock miata
With the 5door + fold down rear seats its huge in there as far as cargo room
Never a complaint from shotgun/rear seats
80k+ miles and still no issues


It's been sitting for the last 8mos, due to moving/personal issues/etc.. But I will be getting it back on the road soon and returning it to dd duty.


In short, I'm extremely satisfied with it, and would/have recommended it to many.

Go for it!

 

Don't know if this counts but I have an 07 Mazdaspeed 3 and love it to death. The wife has this as her daily driver and we have 20k miles on her.. completely flawless, great AC, fast as hell, and comfortable. Would buy another if I needed to. So far one of my best cars thus far...

Cheers,
Prospero

 

Wife just bought a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3. Had it a month. So far, so amazing. It is a great driver, huge power, comfortable to travel, decent on fuel (with light foot fuel management in place). The only issue I have seen with it is that now I've got to boost my Miata to see if I can keep up with her.