Jus like to say im new to the whole mazda car scene and so far the mazda 3 is a promising chassis. Question as to how reliable the car is as in:recalls, recurring problems and such...reason why i ask is before i start modding id like to kno wut im getting into

WHOOPS! completely ignored the fact that i should search, now my question is, what performance parts are out there already and how much of an improvement number wise i own an 06' 2.3 s trim

 

hey dude,..i own a 2006 mazda 3 GT ..and let me tell ya..i am REALLY suprised at how hard it is to find performance parts for it..it got GREAT reviews from all the car magazines, but for some reason,..all the tuners have their eyes on the hondas, and nissans. I can't say enough good things about my car,..bought it origanlly as a commuter,..but i'm haveing such fun with it, that i couldn't help myself....already did a AEM cold air intake,..exhaust,..rims and tires...and i'm loooking to put a turbo,..or nitrous kit on it as well....i think more tunning companies are starting to make more for it,..but as of right now..not alot out there.

[IMG]local://upfiles/2968/D6636E4EEE5E4071B32F66EB203C4C18.jpg[/IMG]

 

yeah i kinda noticed that i wanted to put on headers, high flo cat, and maybe a rs-r exhaust or greddy but i cant find anything on them and its makin me mad! im fixin to jus go to a machine shop and get a 2.5" piping for the cat-back system and jus wait till the high flo cat frum apexi and then look for dc sports headers, wut exhaust co. did you get? they jus posted up a topic for turbos so theres a kit already

 

yeah the 3 is great car and all, the reason why its hard to find aftermarket parts for it is because, one its not really popular amongst the tuners because its its only a 3 year old model, and more computer than motor so its very hard to do serious engine work (trust me) and the reason why companies pay more attention to Hondas and Nissans (i love Nissan the most) is because the they are the most bought and very easy to work with, (ford likes to make things difficult, yes unfortunatly we are considered domestics btw), but heres what i think is unfare but understandable, aftermarket companies are making parts for Mazdas but they are going in order of popularity and power, so yes the hatchback version comes before us sedans (you can thank Hondas civic hatchbacks and the CRX for that) and although the Mazda6 is also as new as us it outranks us in vertually every catigory (yes i know i spelled that wrong) except maybe gas mileage, so there ya go the facts if you cant deal with it get rid of it (not trying to be rude).

 

im pretty sure the internals and intake for the sedans and hatchbacks are going to b interchangeable but i dunno about catback simply because the rear is different but im pretty sure the engines are the same and i've expercienced part patients before wit my old 240's before they got really popular and that pissed me off so i switched brands

 

i need a pic of anybodies engine bay on there hatch to see the difference.

 

I don't see how we're considered domestics when 100% of the car comes from Japan. If my memory serves me right, after looking at the window sticker in the dealership - the 2006 2.3l engine is Japanese, the transmission is Japanese, and the 3 was assembled in Japan with Japanese parts...smells like an import to me. Ford may have the controling part of Mazda, but i refuse to believe I'm a domestic...

 

Well, I believe the 3 is built in the US. The 6 is. I even have a UAW stick on the side. I have the 6 and it was built and designed by Mazda, but there are several Ford parts on it. Thats the only bad thing about Mazda's. Ford has their hands on their cars. I had a 2001 Mazda B-series truck. It literally was a Ford Ranger with a Mazda logo on it. It had some minor styling differences, but the engine was Ford, the chassis was Ford. I had nothing but problems with that piece of .... you know what. At 11,000 miles on my Mazda 6, I havent had any problems. At 8,000 miles on my truck I had a starter go bad, shocks went out and had a bad seal in my rear window. During the winter I had to scrape the inside of my windows! I didnt drive it hard at all. But anyhow, enjoy your Mazda 3. There is not alot to mod. But have fun trying!

 

pretty much all parts in the engine bay would be interchangeable, with the exception of thing around (including) the header. the exhaust is just enough differnent that people sell hatch systems and not sedan systems...i don't know to what extent the difference is though.

 

yeah i hate to be domestic to,but technically if its still under Fords name then...