Opinion needed: 04 mazda 3

[chene]

hi all,

need some opinions. Thinking of buying an used Mazda 3 (04, GT, with 78000km) for about $8k. The car has no accident but I know it was once flipped upside-down in a heavy snow day and hence has some dents on the side door. I also believe it needs a whole set of new tires.

But other than that, the car is in a good condition. I know the owner (first/original owner) and he has his car under regular/recommended maintenance.

any thoughts?

[tyfriend]

hi all,

need some opinions. Thinking of buying an used Mazda 3 (04, GT, with 78000km) for about $8k. The car has no accident but I know it was once flipped upside-down in a heavy snow day and hence has some dents on the side door. I also believe it needs a whole set of new tires.

But other than that, the car is in a good condition. I know the owner (first/original owner) and he has his car under regular/recommended maintenance.

any thoughts?

[chene]

sorry if I wasn't clear, just wondering if $8000 is a right price for an 04 Mazda 3.

[tyfriend]

sorry if I wasn't clear, just wondering if $8000 is a right price for an 04 Mazda 3.

its definitely a start.

ask him:

why hes selling?
when he needs to sell by?
can he go lower?

[macnut]

Better to buy a car from someone you know than one in which the history is completely unknown.

As long as it is not a good friend.

You might want to ascertain that the proper checks and corrections were made after the "flip"/accident.
(Not sure why the door wasn't repaired along with the other damages.)

At the price and reasonable mileage, you can afford to budget for some unexpected repairs.

Was a really good deal when new, for a great handling car, so you should be able to negotiate the price down a bit more -
depending on what trim level it is and what the owner paid.

Having worn tires is good - you can check carefully for abnormal wear patterns to rule out steering/suspension/alignment issues, and buy tires of your choice.

[5dark]

Check if the door issue on the car was fixed:
http://www.mazda3problem.com/

[rockin ronnie]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2008/1...-2004-2008.htm

[rockin ronnie]

$8K sounds okay but wonder what other hidden structural damage may be lurking.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2008/1...-2004-2008.htm

[chene]

he is a good friend who is moving out of the country; that's the reason he is selling. As for the car flipped over...that's a long story. Basically he drove from ON to BC *without* snow tires in Dec and the car flipped over when he went down-hill. It was a heavy-snow-day and the entire stretch of highway was covered with heavy snow. So the car was *dented* but *not scratched*. I don't think there was any structure damage.

just wondering if $8k is in the right range. He said an used-car dealer him as much and that's why he's asking.

[tjayl]

I had an 04 Mazda3 Sport. It was great for a week or two, then in the shop for around 3 weeks, and then again off an on until they figured out the problem. It was in the shop regularly again for little things over the next few years. They seemed to get all the mechanical problems out of it, but by the time I turned it in (4 year lease), the steering had loosened up a ton and it handled incredibly poorly. It was scary taking even gentle corners at speed. Everything in the cabin rattled. It was not a fun car owning experience, and was very happy the day I gave them the keys and walked away from it.

[tyfriend]

take it for a test drive and tell us what you think

how does it feel when you drive it? take it on city streets and the highway testing its capabilities.
hows the throttle response, acceleration, steering, brakes, suspension, ride quality?
are there any funny noises?
is the gas mileage significantly poor?
is it leaking oil?
what maintenance has been performed?


you get the idea. basically do a thorough inspection before you hand your dollars over.

[MS MSP]

there's no such thing as a "gentle accident" which involves a car ending up on it's roof.

That usually results in the vehicle being written off by the insurer

Buyer beware, friend or not.

[zyphere]

Thoroughly check the car for rust as well. If there isn't any yet, there probably will be some soon. ANd it will get bad, really bad, and totally devour the car within two years.

[Piro21]

it was once flipped upside-down in a heavy snow day

I don't know about you, man, but I'd call that an accident.

Mazda3s are decent when it comes to features, but I hated the one I drove. It felt really sloppy during turns, like the dead spot in the middle of the steering doesn't provide any input, and the visibility wasn't great. My Protege felt a lot more precise, and was a lot more convenient (handbrake and gas tank on the proper side). Test drive the 3 and see if you could live with it every day.


A few things you should keep in mind if you want it though:
1) The '04 is the first-year model, and 3s didn't get side air bags until 2007
2) It'll need to have it's timing belt changed around 100k, which is pretty pricey. It also needs new tires, which are also pricey on the GT (since it's 17 inchers)
3) You can find plenty of Mazda3s for around that price range in good condition (and possibly newer). Check out autotrader and other places. There are tons of the things out there, and the newer ones are out, so you have a lot of room to bargain.
3) HE FLIPPED IT ON IT'S ROOF.

[MS MSP]

I
A few things you should keep in mind if you want it though:
1) It'll need to have it's timing belt changed around 100k, which is pretty pricey.

The 3 uses a timing chain (as opopsed to a belt) that doesn't need replacement.