Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Hey,

Sorry, sure you get this a fair bit. Need to get a replacement car in a hurry and just wanted some view as am not a 'car-man'. I've looked over this car for around an hour and interiors and bodywork incl. panels look really good. All latches doors switches and functions work. Engine has no oil/leaks or rust visible and only light rusting on underside of car.

It's got a 12month MOT from Ford dealership & 3month warranty. The engines got the louder cold-start sound, but the two queries I have are: -

- rattle/ and separate high end clicking noise when running. Dealership engineer has confirmed is normal' but sounds similar to slack T.Chain tensioner noise on you tube

- cracked dashboard display, is still readable

Just wondering if this sounds a fair price from a dealership.

(Am not confident enough to buy privately or from auction, so appreciate will be higher cost here). Price non-negotiable.

Any time on this is really appreciated. Is it low risk and a fair price?

Thanks

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - misar

Is it petrol (generally trouble free) or diesel (history of DPF issues)?

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Yes, 2ltr Petrol. Sounds a little raw, but understand that's normal.

Does it sound pretty fair from a garage with 12month MOT?

Thanks for this

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Adampr

Sounds like a reasonable price for a dealer. Have you watched this video re noise?

youtu.be/cdjIF4jYQow?si=rLZhgxcSS30xesgM

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

I have, this is a few years older and more high end rattle tbh. Have found mazda engineer who'll take a few quid to listen to my recording if the engine to see if it sounds OK. I Guess I'll take it yo him for a service now it sounds a good price.

Cheers for the help

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Andrew-T

Just wondering if this sounds a fair price from a dealership.

(Am not confident enough to buy privately or from auction, so appreciate will be higher cost here). Price non-negotiable.

You say price is non-negotiable, but you could ask about waiving their warranty, It's 10 years old, so any warranty they offer is unlikely to cover any serious problems you might meet. Might save you a few hundred ?

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - skidpan

Thinking about this the car is 10 years old and having read about rust issues with Mazdas on here could be an MOT fail away from the sc*** yard. Replacing the timing chain could be costly, its going to be far more involved than a cam belt.

So in 1 years time would you be willing to write of £6000 and start again.

To put this into perspective my first car when I was aged 17 in 1974 cost me £80 and came with loads of free rust. But that £80 was about 4 weeks take home pay so having to sc*** it after a year was not a worry. It actually made the year out and I sold it for about £80, only costs were an exhaust (£5 - self fit) and a clutch (£20 - mates rates).

These used cars prices are totally stupid but there are bargains to be found and I cannot see how this could be one.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Xileno

The engine noise would be enough for me to look elsewhere.

If you post an approximate postcode area then I'm sure some of our helpful contributors would see what's available locally.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - nailit

If really serious about buying then also budget for rust proofing the underside, anywhere between 250 to 1200 quid, depending on how and where. Obviously raises the price, so negotiate the asking price. I've still got my 2015 mazda 6 and mot after 9 years flagged surface rust, got it treated for around 450 quid. Passed all mot,s BTW.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Engineer Andy

Thinking about this the car is 10 years old and having read about rust issues with Mazdas on here could be an MOT fail away from the sc*** yard. Replacing the timing chain could be costly, its going to be far more involved than a cam belt.

So in 1 years time would you be willing to write of £6000 and start again.

To put this into perspective my first car when I was aged 17 in 1974 cost me £80 and came with loads of free rust. But that £80 was about 4 weeks take home pay so having to sc*** it after a year was not a worry. It actually made the year out and I sold it for about £80, only costs were an exhaust (£5 - self fit) and a clutch (£20 - mates rates).

These used cars prices are totally stupid but there are bargains to be found and I cannot see how this could be one.

Rust issues with Mazdas are really confined to cars before the 3rd gen Mazda3 and particularly those gen-1 cars before the mid-life improvements of the 1st gen car. Even then, most (as is on mine) is confined to the wheel arches, and my local main dealer commented as to how low the amount of rust on the underside of my car when serviced / MOTed.

What the OP appears to be describing is minimal corrosion underneath, which is likely common to all cars of that age, and not really an issue.

I would be somewhat concerned if the engine noise issue is inspected and determined to be more than just that 'cold startup' noise (as described in the video), plus the cracked dash might indicate previous owners weren't so careful.

I agree that I personally wouldn't buy a car with a timing chain (like this) that didn't have a documented full service history with the right oil on schedule, and from a main dealer during its warranty period. I would also check the MOT history for issues that might indicate a poor ownership attitude, such as using the MOT to pick up obvious / major failure (and thus dangerous) issues such as bald tyres, etc, or servicing not being done on schedule, 'missed' MOTs, and such.

It would be interesting to see when the last MOT was and if any items were picked up / attended to by either the previous owner or dealer. If I were thinking of buying such a car and the last MOT was more than 6 months ago, especially if it appeared the last owner had only owned it for a short period of time, I'd at the very least want the seller to put it through an MOT and get it independently checked for issues.

It may turn out that the car is fine. My local Ford dealer was selling a slightly newer one (2016/17 SE-L auto) about 18 months ago for about £8.5k. Autos are in demand at the moment, at that car only had done around half the miles, so the price is reasonable if its ok.

I would be also wary of cars that have had lots of owners, say more than (on average) 1 every 3-4 years, and especially if the last owner had for less than 1 unless it could be proven that there was a reasonable explanation, e.g. poor health made them stop driving.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - nailit

Oh, BTW I cracked my info display too, my dash cam dropped (as it does from the suckered to windscreen) and swung on the cable, hit the corner of the ,infotainment, screen, doh. Still readable and I've cable tied the dash cam.

Ps. Aircon wasn't great, Halfords offered free check and squirted a drop of refrigerant in for no charge.

Other than this no trouble, all normal service items, which I have been doing for a number of years, after falling out with the main dealers.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Steveieb

My daughter has a Mazda 3 of the same reg . Petrol.

Such a brilliant car and it was her first choice five years ago.

On the subject of inefficient air con , I decided to check the cabin filter on my RAV 4 and it was pretty well blocked .

it’s made a big difference to the air flow and it’s the one filter that is often overlooked at service time . Being Toyota it was simplicity itself changing it !

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Engineer Andy

My daughter has a Mazda 3 of the same reg . Petrol.

Such a brilliant car and it was her first choice five years ago.

On the subject of inefficient air con , I decided to check the cabin filter on my RAV 4 and it was pretty well blocked .

it’s made a big difference to the air flow and it’s the one filter that is often overlooked at service time . Being Toyota it was simplicity itself changing it !

Often one of those things that 'gets overlooked' at service time. The good thing is that most are usually accessible so you can check as you did. IMHO it's a good indicator of how honest or diligent a service agent (main dealer or not) is.

As regards the A/C, most service schedules rarely do anything other than check to see IF its working and little more. Most car owners aren't even aware that they should use their A/C for about 15 mins at least twice a month (even in winter, and obviously on cold) in order for the system lubricants to circulate in the refrigerant gas/liquid and not to dry out, which causes leaks, an increasing loss in performance, and eventually equipment failure (not cheap).

For the sake of a few pence per fortnight, that's a small inconvenience / price to pay to save a lot of (expensive) hassle.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Folks,

Overwhelmed with the responses, genuinely thank you.

In short, although would love a bargain, happy to be selective and pay a fair rate for a reliable car. The rust is light and would go for treatment recommended above. But engine noise bothers me and is.closer to clatter, and not findijg it easy to find much in my budget that doesn't have obvious flaws. (Sellers market I feel).

Guess you can't post links here but the car is at ford garage in bridgend s. Wales for 6k and on auto trader. There is another just come up.in Cardiff local to me AV63 AAU for 5.8k. If any advice on the website spec. Would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - FiestaOwner

But engine noise bothers me and is.closer to clatter,

Trust your own judgement. If you're concerned about the engine noise, then leave this car at the dealer and look for another.

Trust your own instinct. If any car or seller doesn't seem right, then walk (or run) away!

Guess you can't post links here but the car is at ford garage in bridgend s. Wales for 6k and on auto trader.

You can post links to car adverts here. People do it all the time.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - badbusdriver

Guess you can't post links here but the car is at ford garage in bridgend s. Wales for 6k and on auto trader.

Not showing on Autotrader and according to the website the car is reserved.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - paul 1963

Jon, I'd honestly leave it, a rattle/ clatter isn't going to get better, they'll be a car out there within budget that ticks all the boxes.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Orb>>.

www.bridgendford.co.uk/used-cars/?manufacturer%5B0...0

Looking at the MOT history and the advisories/fails I would be inclined to think a lack of maintenance/care by the previous owner(s) and probably a lack of servicing.

Personally I'd walk away, but others may have other opinions.

Check if tyres are ok though, were brakes dealt with, but unless that rattle is dealt with I'd leave it.

Edited by Orb>>. on 20/04/2025 at 08:14

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - paul 1963

www.bridgendford.co.uk/used-cars/?manufacturer%5B0...0

Looking at the MOT history and the advisories/fails I would be inclined to think a lack of maintenance/care by the previous owner(s) and probably a lack of servicing.

Personally I'd walk away, but others may have other opinions.

Check if tyres are ok though, were brakes dealt with, but unless that rattle is dealt with I'd leave it.

Well found ORB, does look clean but as you rightly say it does need that rattle sorting....

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Thanks guys, going to ask the dealer to reolve/ investigate or taking deposit back.

Will.let you know hown9t works out.

Thanks

J

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Gents/Ladies,

Thanks for your patience on this, I want one give it one last go having found nothing as suited in my budget at present.

I have a high quality video recoding of engine with good audio alongside timing chain is there any way of sharing it here that I could get a gut instinct on how bad it is? Appreciating it'll need a some stripping to check I'll go that far if there's some concensus on what it could be.

In honesty I'd be willing to spend a few hundred quid putting something right but not a few grand?

Thanks.again for any time you can spare.

J

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - badbusdriver

I have a high quality video recoding of engine with good audio alongside timing chain is there any way of sharing it here that I could get a gut instinct on how bad it is?

I'm sure there are many other ways, but the only one I've done is to upload it on YouTube and post a link.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - badbusdriver

What actually are your requirements?

I find it hard to believe the only choice in your area is a possibly iffy Mazda 3?

Using the postcode of Bridgend Ford, I had a look at some cars on Autotrader within a 50 mile radius and came up with these:

202504040948989 Kia Sportage, reliable and much more spacious than the slightly cramped (for its size) Mazda 3. Smaller engine but more powerful.

202503290717570 Another Kia, a Venga. These are small cars, barely bigger than a Fiesta, but with way more interior space due to being such a tall car. Same engine as the Sportage and also very reliable.

202404038227927 Hyundai i30 with the more powerful (118bhp) version of the 1.0 turbo. We had a Hyundai Bayon with this engine and it has plenty of muscle for most.

202502279564861 Suzuki SX4 S-Cross is a very reliable option. Less trendy than the Vitara so tend to fetch less money, but more practical with a bigger boot.

202503290730294 Suzuki Baleno is a small car but pretty spacious with a long wheelbase for its size. Boot has a decent volume, but the opening is quite small so not as practical as it could be. The 1.0 turbo is a cracker and the baleno is a light car (as are most Suzuki's), so plenty of punch.

202503270638197 Vauxhall Astra estate. This top spec (Elite) and low miles Astra has what is possibly the most reliable engine option with the n/a 1.6.

202405230011366 This Ford C-Max seems exceptional value and has the reliable Yamaha designed n/a 1.6. Just be aware that the dealer reviews aren't great.

202502078858993 Focus here, again with the na 1.6.

202504101192981 This Toyota Auris will no doubt prove endlessly if you are willing to go a little further (5 miles) than my 50 mile radius.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Badbus thank you so much super helpful. looking at these while hopefully get a steer on sounds and then make a call.

Thanks once again

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Never knew it was that easy. Here's the engine noise ...

youtu.be/cUrpZ0-CT-U?si=ZEQ3rsStm0jA2t-N

Views welcome

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - paul 1963

Sounds like a tractor tbh...

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - badbusdriver

Hmm, I'm no mechanic and have never listened to a 3 (or other Mazda with this engine), but doesn't sound great to me!

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Orb>>.

I thought we had said get it fixed by the dealer or walk away?????

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - gordonbennet

I'd be walking away from that pronto having heard the noise.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - misar

I have a Gen4 Mazda 3 with the 2L engine and previously had the 2L in a Gen2 for 10 years. Both notable for quiet, smooth running and such a noise would have worried me greatly.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - kiss (keep it simple)

I too have had a couple of 2 litre Mazdas. That noise is not normal.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - corax

The Massey Ferguson 35 tractors I used to drive sounded better than that.

Forget it and look at something else.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Thanks all, yes I will be walking away unless dealership agrees to a proper overhaul, following these views.

Saved me lots of heartache. Thanks

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Adampr

Not sure I'd be too bothered by the rattle, but that sc***ing noise is a worry.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Maxime.

Thanks all, yes I will be walking away unless dealership agrees to a proper overhaul, following these views.

Saved me lots of heartache. Thanks

Please tell us that you are NOT buying it. It seems from your post that you'll try to get them to fix it.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - gordonbennet

Can't believe a dealer is trying to sell a car that sounds like it's about to terminate in a spectacular smoking manner.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Engineer Andy

Can't believe a dealer is trying to sell a car that sounds like it's about to terminate in a spectacular smoking manner.

I wonder whether the previous owner took it for a very nice long run to get it fully warmed up that may have lessened the noise, and/or the dealer didn't bother checking that hard other than for the obligatory smoke from the exhaust and physical damage/rust?

Not saying that was the case, but I'm starting to wonder if they are now trying to palm it off onto some unsuspecting punter and hope it doesn't expire before their likely 3 month warranty runs out.

Surely there must be better examples (and other cars from other makes) out there to choose from within budget for the OP? BBD gave a good few examples.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - gordonbennet

Surely there must be better examples (and other cars from other makes) out there to choose from within budget for the OP? BBD gave a good few examples.

Indeed, i'd not be betting my last fiver on that engine being put back to perfect running order by its seller.

Mazda3 2.0 SE Nav 5dr - Buying Mazda3 2015 @80k £6,000 cash? - Jon Morgan

Nope. these comments have me running a mile from it. Thank you