Hello

I'm new here, in fact this is my first post. I currently have a 2001 MINI Cooper which has been my pride and joy for the last 4 and a half years. The time has however, come to move on and have been looking for something newer, cheaper to run, but I still like the look of and want to drive. Having considered a lot of other brands/models the Mazda3 seems a good option.

Have aprox £6k to play and seem to be able to get a 2006(ish) with 30-50k miles on the clock. 2 claims in 6 months last year (after 10 years of clean driving) has screwed my insurance so the 1.6 seems like a good choice. It's time for me to grow up having a 15 month old boy, so speed is no longer an issue but mod cons, comfort and practicality are. Any nice extras to look out for?

So, is there anything I should look out for? Any ****les, problems, rattles, squeaks or anything that may cost me money? Having been around the MINI scene for a long time I'm more than aware that cars have their unique sets of issues so a heads up an anything Mazda3 related would be great. I'll be having a good browse around here later as well.

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions.

James.

 

Go in know what you want and how much you want to spend. A Mazda 3 is a great car. My 2007 has 117500 miles and the only work other than oil changes and new windshields because i drive a lot, is changing out a coolant sensor. My Mazda has been good to me. But if you go to a dealership knowing what you want and what you will pay I almost guarantee you will get a few grand knocked off the price. Don't pay for all those "fees" they charge. Lot fees, sitting fees, transportation fees. It's all crap. I love my Mazda and it has been really good to me.

 

Thanks very much. Mazda 3 1.6 TS2 is what we're after. Possibly 2 litre sport depending on insurance. But it's those models that have the auto air con, multiple function wheel and multi cd changer which are the options we'd like. Does anyone know where the cd changer is located?

Any options that I should be looking out for?