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» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » Car Shopping: Mazda 3 Hatchback

   
Author Topic: Car Shopping: Mazda 3 Hatchback
RivalOfTheRose
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Anyone have experience with this car?
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Hobbes
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I have the sedan rather than the hatchback, but I love the car. Reliable, reasonably gas efficient, good get-up and fun to drive.

Hobbes [Smile]

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RivalOfTheRose
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Any mechanical problems?

As a new father, I have to trade in my pickup for something a bit more family friendly.

My wife already has a midsize SUV, so this seems like a good complimentary car.

From what I've researched, it gets good mileage and comes with good features for the price, especially compared to other vehicles in the same class. The only negatives I've encountered so far is that some minor shoddy craftsmanship issues due to the popularity and resulting mass production.

The 2013 models start at MSRP 20,000, but we aren't looking new. Maybe one from the last three years that has under 25k miles on it. What makes this slightly more complicated, is that I live in NJ, where decent used cars are sparse at the moment as a result of the hurricane. One bonus, is that we are not in a super mega-rush to buy this, so I am not under the gun by the swashbuckling used-car salesmen.

Any other tips, advice, or recommendations about the car-buying process in general would be appreciated too..... thanks!

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Hobbes
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I had trouble with the battery once, but that was it: it's been vary reliable for ~30k miles I've put on it. No other mechanical worries so far. Take it for a test drive: that's when I decided I wanted one. There are some good sites online that give typical prices, and it'll give you a good point to compare to.

Hobbes [Smile]

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James Tiberius Kirk
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A close friend owns one. Maybe this isn't the info you're looking for, but he said it had the best driving experience of any of the cars he investigated in that price range.
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