Potential owner of possibly gen2/3

[hsyasin]

Hey all,
Thought the best way to do a bit of research into a used one would be to ask you guys here, who've done all sorts of diys/improvements on your mazdas.
Actually, currently have an 03 accord, owned it since 2013 and absolutely love it, have done all sorts of diy job on it and 2litre engine has decent enough power when you need it.. and is in really good condition, can't really fault it even though now its got nearly 180k on the clock. But since I switched jobs and moved closer to new work, I now only cycle as its the best option i.e, driving takes around 15-20mins and if you get stuck in traffic then a bit more whereas cycling takes 8-10mins, so can't really justify damaging the environment... and its good for your health.. so anyways, haven't been driving it much, she usually just sits there and only gets used sometimes over the weekend..
But now, wife is going to be the main driver and she doesn't like driving big cars, so she's been in the case to get rid of the accord and buy something smaller..
my problem is, I only like the looks of a handful of cars where this mazda 3 comes in, as its got good looks and size wise, its small, but not that small so should be able to put 2 child seats at the back. So my question to you gurus/owners is, I'm looking at 08-11 mazda3 used ones, so what should I look out for?
how good is it reliability/diy wise(not really afraid to get hands dirty, have done loads, worst one rebuilding driveshaft after an accident)?

did look at a few on autotrader and when checked their mot history, most of them were coming up with suspension related advisories/failures, are they common to fail?

[StevenRB45]

Gen 2s are in general fine, if you want an easy life and don't do many miles avoid the 1.6 diesel. It's the PSA 1.6 and has all the fun and games associated with that particular engine. So dpf problems, leaking injectors, turbo problems. The 2.2d can suffer the same + timing chain issues but are generally more reliable than the 1.6d. The petrols are bullet proof but a bit old school, with average at best economy and not much torque, entirely liveable though. Basically diesels are probably the more capable engines but also less reliable, petrols if looked after just run on.

Suspension wise mines had 3 of 4 drop links done at 7 years and 70k miles..but with the state of the roads it's no surprise to me. Just listen for rattles on uneven surfaces. Most modern cars will suffer suspension issues now with speed bumps and holes in the road everywhere. Also due to having independent rear suspension it's got 2 more drop links than a car with rear beam suspension.

I've only ever had to replace bulbs on mine which have decent access..otherwise there's not really been anything to diy..it's just worked.

Will say make sure you try your seats in the back though, I've got an isofix group 0 seat in and it means you have to run with the passenger seat either slid a bit forward or bolt upright. This should be better with forward facing seats though. Also the isofix points are between the seat pads so can be hard to get to.

Make sure to run your hand around the rear arches and check for rust bubbles.

[hsyasin]

Awesome reply steven…
Actually I'm more after petrol engines, as they're easier to work on if they develop a problem. Have been looking at 1.6 engines so later on, I can justify having a 2nd big car if money allows, that is...

By the way, any good ones on sale here that are around Ipswich area?

[StevenRB45]

I have the 1.6 petrol, basically look for generic second hand car stuff. So make sure it's had regular oil changes to keep the timing chain happy, look for as much history as possible. These cars have digital service records though so it could prove annoying to track pre-purchase if the previous owner isn't forthcoming. There's no common failures as such other than aforementioned suspension issues. Body damage should be easy to detect as every exterior panel has the cars vin on it, if it doesn't or is mismatched then it's been replaced.

Edit: While I remember the age you are looking at all cars should have had spark plugs done it's once every 6 years. However the parts are expensive due to being irdiium and they come as part of the 400 quid at a main agent year 6 service. As a result you might find a few cars about where this hasn't been done so if you do get service docs have a look to see if it's mentioned.


Less generic stuff:
If you have one with sports seats expect wear on the drivers door bolster, par for the course unfortunately, also check seat heating elements heat both the back and base work as fixing them is expensive. Otherwise press all the buttons and use all the stuff and make sure it works, there's no particular reason it wouldn't but for example if the fan for the Climate control is broken the whole front of the interior needs to come out..so better to buy one that's fully working.

Oh and the 1.6 has "variable tumble control" what does this mean? Nothing other than on moving off on cold start it sounds terrible somewhere between timing chain death rattle and a diesel. As long as this clears within about a minute or less and does not happen at all on warm start it'll be fine.

I'm up north though so no local cars I know of.

[audioslaven]

Gen 2s are in general fine, if you want an easy life and don't do many miles avoid the 1.6 diesel. It's the PSA 1.6 and has all the fun and games associated with that particular engine. So dpf problems, leaking injectors, turbo problems. The 2.2d can suffer the same + timing chain issues but are generally more reliable than the 1.6d. The petrols are bullet proof but a bit old school, with average at best economy and not much torque, entirely liveable though. Basically diesels are probably the more capable engines but also less reliable, petrols if looked after just run on.

Suspension wise mines had 3 of 4 drop links done at 7 years and 70k miles..but with the state of the roads it's no surprise to me. Just listen for rattles on uneven surfaces. Most modern cars will suffer suspension issues now with speed bumps and holes in the road everywhere. Also due to having independent rear suspension it's got 2 more drop links than a car with rear beam suspension.

I've only ever had to replace bulbs on mine which have decent access..otherwise there's not really been anything to diy..it's just worked.

Will say make sure you try your seats in the back though, I've got an isofix group 0 seat in and it means you have to run with the passenger seat either slid a bit forward or bolt upright. This should be better with forward facing seats though. Also the isofix points are between the seat pads so can be hard to get to.

Make sure to run your hand around the rear arches and check for rust bubbles.

I think they improved the 1.6 PSA diesel engine in Gen 2 and it doesn't have the same level of issues as the Gen 1. Servicing is the key and fixing issues when they occur and not leaving them causing bigger issues like turbo failure (leaking injectors).
I have a Mazda Gen 1 1.6 diesel serviced every 6k miles. The main issues I had was glow plugs and leaking injectors (in the 9 years of ownership). The DPF was getting clogged (30K miles ago) so I took it out and washed it (yearly event now  ), so outside of the regular stuff (drop links, bushings gone in wishbone), it has been a really good car at 120k Miles now. Will be moving it on in new year for a lexus 200h.

[hsyasin]

Cheers for your replies chaps.
Gonna go and have a look at an 09 mazda 3 ts2 1.6 petrol, in metallic red, with 107k on the clock.. lets see how it goes

[hsyasin]

So went and saw it, it looks good, only few things I'm slightly concerned about...
The rust on driverside lower control arm is quite bad, passenger side was changed as it looked new.
The A/C compressor didn't kick in at all, as they said they haven't used AC at all and needs regassing, and the AC clutch would work/kick in once its been regassed. Is that true?
Overall, its the rust issue front and back on the link rods, antiroll bar bush clamp and main one bubbles on the rims.
What do you guys recommend then, should I go for it?

[hsyasin]

also, I've got some 225/45/R17 rims, will they fit this?
as its got those normal ones, think 205/60/r16 or 205/55/r16 something like that

[StevenRB45]

Sounds pretty average, and while a regas might fix the A.C. lack of use may have rendered it a very expensive fix if the compressor or clutch has seized. Wheels do corrode, the underside is not a huge surprise.

But If you buy it then I'd proceed on the basis the aircon will never work again without major expenditure.

Are there any Sports or Takuyas locally? They get the Factory Fit 17s and sportier bumpers but are still pretty cheap. As this one sounds pretty average I'd be tempted to see a few more.

[hsyasin]

ah right..
well this one had bluetooth, cruise control and climate control.. plus heated front windscreen. Is that normal for gen2 mazdas to have?
bearing in mind this was ts2

also, how much expensive can ac compressor fixing get, is that diyable?
asking coz seems like I'm getting an okish deal on it, was advertised for 3200 and have brought them down to 2500

[StevenRB45]

All the gear listed is standard on a TS2. Takuya is slightly lower spec in some ways but higher in others (no heated front window or self dipping interior mirror but sport body kit wheels, l.e.d. rear lights and sports seats with heaters). Sport is the highest trim available so has everything both specs include and a bose stereo.

Regards the A.C. I'm being pessimistic, it could be absolutely fine but lack of use in these systems can lead to problems as the refrigerant also contains corrosion inhibitor. So if it's not circulated then the interior of the system doesn't get that.

I'm just very suspicious of the phrase "just needs a regas" if it was that easy why wasn't it done pre sale? especially if it's at a dealer.

Not sure if A.C. is diyable tbh..but a compressor alone is about 130 quid. Not saying you will need one, they could be being straight up but I'd not assume it's going to spring to life with just some gas.

[hsyasin]

Awesome Steven, thanks a lot for your reply.. its a private seller, but yeah you bring very good points to the table..
I'll text the seller asking if they could get it regased or somehow show that the compressor is working, but yeah I'll likely steer clear of this one then

[hsyasin]

or I could ask him to drop the price further to cover the AC fixing costs, would that be sensible?
like for instance, if the compressor needs changing then ask them to drop it to 2300, will 200 be able to cover the new compressor?

[StevenRB45]

Thing is it's at dealer money.

Search within 50 miles of IP1 1AA brings up this with lower miles (although not a fan of the tow bar).

Theoretically with a dealer you'd have more come back.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201810051202635?advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=2009&postcode=ip11aa&model=MAZDA3&page=1&aggregatedTrim=TS2&make=MAZDA&year-to=2015&fuel-type=Petrol&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used

With it being a private seller unless they are happy to help I wouldn't necessarily make a bunch of demands. But they aren't rare and unusual so if they don't want to try the regas there's plenty more about.

[hsyasin]

Yeah tow bar got me too...
could've been used to tow a caravan meaning abused clutch, but theres a way to check clutch/gearbox condition isn't it.. something like, pull the handbrake, put the car in gear and slowly release clutch, if the tries to stall then the clutch is on its way but if it bites and tries to move the car forward then its good. is that correct?

Can give the one you've posted a go as well, what do you reckon?