2009 Mazda 3, thoughts?

[Mukky]

Parents have managed to find a friend of theirs selling a 2009 Mazda 3, selling for $3k, I know there's a lot a car-heads here, so wondering if anyone knows if that's a good deal or not?

I like the look of the car.

 

[brawler]

If it is a hatchback, thats not a bad price. The sedan is fine too, but I (and many others) think the Hatchback is where its at in terms of looks. They are reliable if maintenance has been kept up with. Also they were a staple of our local car scene 2013-2016, so i have a fondness for them haha. Used to see em everywhere.

But if it is high mileage, you should probably avoid it-- 160k miles is probably the limit, anything higher I would avoid.

Also, for those first generation models, the automatic transmission is a known weak point. Crappy Ford auto transmissions. If maintenance has been kept up with, you might be fine, but just know that it could become a problem. The manual transmissions are quite good, though.

Wishin you luck!

 

[Mukky]

If it is a hatchback, thats not a bad price. The sedan is fine too, but I (and many others) think the Hatchback is where its at in terms of looks. They are reliable if maintenance has been kept up with. Also they were a staple of our local car scene 2013-2016, so i have a fondness for them haha. Used to see em everywhere.

But if it is high mileage, you should probably avoid it-- 160k miles is probably the limit, anything higher I would avoid.

Also, for those first generation models, the automatic transmission is a known weak point. Crappy Ford auto transmissions. If maintenance has been kept up with, you might be fine, but just know that it could become a problem. The manual transmissions are quite good, though.

Wishin you luck!

I was told the kilometers were pretty high, but I'll have to double check once I get more info. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[ethos]

Chiming in to say I’ve been driving a Mazda 3 hatchback since 2018 and I love it - might be sold on sticking with Mazdas for a long time.

Though like Brawler said, I’d caution the high mileage/km. 2009 could mean the engine is 15 years old - you don’t want to spend $3k now to have a $2k engine job in the near future. Mazdas hold up fairly well if they’re taken care of though!

 

[Mukky]

Chiming in to say I’ve been driving a Mazda 3 hatchback since 2018 and I love it - might be sold on sticking with Mazdas for a long time.

Though like Brawler said, I’d caution the high mileage/km. 2009 could mean the engine is 15 years old - you don’t want to spend $3k now to have a $2k engine job in the near future. Mazdas hold up fairly well if they’re taken care of though!

It's got some high mileage but for my circumstances I reckon this will be a done deal, it's gonna be seeing mostly light suburban driving, not expecting to take it for anything longer than a half an hour drive, with the rare 1-2 hour drive if I wanna see the parents.

 

[inlinesix]

forgot to add to this - my friend has a 09 Mazda 3 sedan and he had no issues with it. he's left to go to the army last year and his brother drives it now, have heard no issues since.

and honestly, a little 4-banger hatch/sedan is perfect for light drives, really fuel efficient and enough power for anyone.

 

[Mukky]

Here she is!! Drives like a dream, won't be home with me for another 1-2 weeks cuz my parents wanna take it to their mechanic. Screens in the back with in-build DVD player, sat nav, a real beauty and a steal.
//

 

[brawler]

congrats! looks to be in great condition! stay on top of the basic maintenance and it should last a good while! very happy for you

 

[aetherphase]

Here she is!! Drives like a dream, won't be home with me for another 1-2 weeks cuz my parents wanna take it to their mechanic. Screens in the back with in-build DVD player, sat nav, a real beauty and a steal.
//
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always loved the mazda 3, stay on top of maintenance and she'll operate like a tank, super happy for ya!
one of the most popular hothatch culture cars here in FL so ive always kinda had a thing for em haha

 

[inlinesix]

niceee. btw you should try and get those headlights de-fogged, makes them look WAYY nicer and doesn't give away their age as much, cause i think these have held up fairly well.

 

[Mukky]

niceee. btw you should try and get those headlights de-fogged, makes them look WAYY nicer and doesn't give away their age as much, cause i think these have held up fairly well.

Yeah my parents said they're gonna give it a big clean before handing it over (headlights included), very thankful

 

[Mukky]

Patiently awaiting the detailing of my car so I can finally take her home. (Late next week, seems like) Apparently she's already got a name; Raven. That's what the previous owner called her. It'd be rude to rename her, and I think Raven fits just fine! All I gotta do now is find some Armoured Core stickers to slap on the rear windows...

 

[brawler]

we need Raven updates.. naooowwwwww

 

[Mukky]

we need Raven updates.. naooowwwwww

Okay so not exciting, kinda annoying.

The front-left door isn't recognised by the car as "closed" when it is in fact, closed. This causes a lot of issues. Not unroadworthy, but just annoying. Means I gotta manually lock the car, gotta manually turn the inside lights on, etc. The handbreak? The cable is broken. This is a part that is apparently gonna take a few more weeks to come in. Again, doesn't mean I can't drive her home, but it means I gotta drive her back up to the shop when it part finally comes in, I'll just need the chock the wheels if I park on an incline.

Now, I would have been picking her up today, but the mechanic hasn't gotten around to fixing the door yet, and keeps saying "I'll have the parts in a few more days" so I've just decided to leave her up with my parents until she's fully fixed and ready to go.

I am SO desperate to get her down here, whenever I'm up at my parents place I driver her around and it's so smooth, best car I've driven (only driven big bulky cars before this, Raven is a small sports model), and I really wanna just drive her to a park on a sunset and chillax.

I will be providing many updates when I finally get her home... I'm as desperate for an update as you are haha

 

[inlinesix]

do the doors have a manual lock override? you might be able to just lock that door temporarily until its fixed.

my car had this which was helpful when I had central locking issues.

if it does, just be careful not to activate the manual lock + child lock otherwise you'll be in a lot of pain.

 

[Mukky]

do the doors have a manual lock override? you might be able to just lock that door temporarily until its fixed.

my car had this which was helpful when I had central locking issues.

if it does, just be careful not to activate the manual lock + child lock otherwise you'll be in a lot of pain.

The door itself does close and lock, but the car doesn't really detect it, like all the systems relating to "Hey, this door is open, turn the lights on and all that"

Probably some sensor issue. Mechanically it's fine. I'll keep this in mind tho in case it decides to act up in the future!

 

[Digitab]

Here she is!! Drives like a dream, won't be home with me for another 1-2 weeks cuz my parents wanna take it to their mechanic. Screens in the back with in-build DVD player, sat nav, a real beauty and a steal.
//
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They made 3 Mazdas!?

 

[Mukky]

She's finally home

 

[inlinesix]

YEAHH

 

[brawler]

YEAAAAAAAAA