Hi All,

I'm starting a family on 9th April 2019.

???...I'm amazed you can be so precise.???..lol

Personally I think I'd want to see less miles but that doesn't mean it ain't a good car..what would be your p.a. mileage.?..and how long might you keep it.?

Nowt wrong with Mazda much either...particularly the petrol versions...they are one of the more reliable makes....along with Honda and my own favourite..Toyota...and they tend to hold value better than some.

You are right to go petrol, no turbo...and Japanese.!

Don't rush it...there are plenty out there.

Edited by nellyjak on 15/02/2019 at 15:43

I own a gen-1 Mazda3 and mine is still fine as regards rust. The gen-3 should be a lot better on that score. Its always worth a phyiscal check for rust, body repair/damage, etc. Ironically this car has done far more miles than mine (65k) - the main things I would check are:

Has it been serviced at a main dealer throughout its 3 year warranty and as per the handbook - that's every 12.5k miles or one year, whichever comes first, AND the type of service required for those mileages. This car has done 20k pa, quite high for a petrol, but perfectly manageable if well cared for.

If the previous owner(s) scrimped on servicing by doing it every 20k/1 year or reducing the level of servicing (missing things out to save money), then I'd be worried. I would want to see evidence of what was done - the current owner can give permission to obtain the electronic service record from Mazda for what was carried out if that work was done at main dealers.

I would also want to know how many owners it has had (don't take the seller's word if its not being sold by a main dealer) - if it has had more than two, then I'd start to be concerned (for a car that new), especially if the service history was not a full main dealer one.

[edit/update] Given the decent tyres fitted all around (same as mine - CCs) - this might be a well-cared for car, as the 205/60 R16 tyres are an unusual size and cost about 25% more than the more standard 55 profile version mine came with originally, so those CC tyres would probably cost £100 each, maybe £115. I'd still check them to see how worn they are - they normally wear well, especially the newer CrossClimate + tyres.

BTW - the claim that this car can achieve 65.7mpg is false. If it IS truly a 2.0 petrol, then that has a tested max mpg of that for the artificial extra urban cycle, but the average tested figure is 55mpg, whilst in the real world will likely get an average of about 44 or so, maybe high 40s if you do more motorway type driving (almost all modern cars have similar drop-offs in mpg from the tested figures). Still good for a 2.0 petrol, and better than my older 1.6 whilst being more powerful and quicker.

Edited by Engineer Andy on 15/02/2019 at 17:28

Until you've had one, you won't believe how much gubbins babies need to be carried around with them when you travel.

As suggested above, a Mazda 3 isn't all that much more roomy than your Fiesta, apart from having 5 doors, which are essential. The petrol Auris estate would be ideal if you can find a good one within budget: also think about a (petrol again) Ford Focus estate. There are more of these to choose from and lots of garages to service them. Or for even more room, a Skoda Octavia estate, but avoid any with DSG transmission.

You could also think about something more 'upright' like a Toyota Verso or Ford C-Max.