Hi i plan to buy mazda 3 Skyaktiv-G 120hp but i wonder are there any very serious or serious issues, and what are the most common issues?
I plan to keep the car around 10 years if it survive that much....
i will buy used car in less than 100,000 miles year will be 2014 or 2015 depends what i will manage to find, are these reliable like honda civic and toyota auris or not please tell me thanks in advance.
As other informed Backroomers have said, Mazda petrol engined cars (rotary-engined ones aside) are not a problem. Like most modern cars, some will, from time to time, have minor gripes on the electrical / gadgets front, but this is nothing much in the grand scheme.
The petrol engines are very hardy (my 14yo 1.6 petrol is still going nicely) and if you buy a car shod on sensible wheels and tyres (i.e. not a Sport model, a SE-L [Nav] on 60 profile 16in tyres) you should be fine on the noice and confort. The SE-L is well-equipped for the price as well.
Unless already done so, please go for one or more extended test drives on a range of road types and speeds (after adjusting the driving seat / steering wheel position to get as comfortable as possible) to see what the car would be like in rael life - a jaunt round the block at 30 - 40 mph max is not sufficient for a test drive.
Don't be hung up on buying X or Y car (or not) because of styling etc - it's the overall experience that matters - the drive, reliability, safety, mpg / running /lifetime cost, comfort, practicality, dealership experience, etc. Another car (from another make) may suit your needs better.
As a long-time Mazda car owner, I would also make sure that:
a) if you buy one (presumably a patrol-engined car - I'd steer clear of diesels because of reliability woes, especially when buying second hand, even from a main dealer), make sure it has a 100% proven full service history (the chain cam engines MUST have seen fresh oil of the correct grade / type on the mileage / annual schedule) and doesn't show any obvious signs of neglect by an owner;
b) before you commit, if you are wanting to have it maintained (service and replacement of wear and tear parts) at a main dealership, make sure it is a well-regarded one. Mazda dealers, especially on the post-sales side, can be VERY variable in quality. It's often pure luck if your local dealers are any good (mine is reasonable).
IMHO, reviews on Google cannot always be relied upon for thruthfulness (on both sides), so search elsewhere and on forums for Mazda car owners (I'm a mamber of one for owners of Mazda3s) for more review - obviously more people are likely to post negative reviews because that's the nature of reviews on businesses.
Don't let what I've said put you off, especially if your local main dealer or indie is a decent garage. I wouldn't have kept my car (from new) for as long as I have if I thought it was rubbish or even average.
Note that the factory-spec car will normally NOT come with a (space-saver) spare wheel / tyre and they aren't shod on runflats. The spare wheel & tyre kit can be specified - Mazda charges an extortionate £395 for the 'kit' to fit them in the underboot area (it isn't a 'generic fitment' and requires a specific 'cut-out'), but you might be lucky and a previous owner has had one fitted.
Note that fitting it does raise the boot level up a bit, which it doesn't in my gen-1 car, nor the gen-2, both which have space-saver spares fitted as standard. I certainly would NOT rely on the OEM 'tube of goo' sealant.
It might be worth you telling us what annual mileage you're going to be doing, what type of driving and your budget. Note that some makes / cars can be far more expensive to run than others over their life - some may seem so becaue their purchase cost is higher, but usage of better quality / reliable and long-lived parts mean that offsets it.
Edited by Engineer Andy on 09/08/2020 at 10:43
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