Faults:

Transmission failed at 74,000 miles, luckily we had purchased the extended warranty, but the Mazda dealer would not honor the warranty. We had to take the car to a transmission shop. The transmission guy said that the transmission is actually built by Ford.

The motor mounts were replaced at 90,000. The front tires wear out quickly, 30,000 miles. The engine idles roughly.

General Comments:

We will never buy another Mazda. We had a similar problems with Chysler products, and will never buy another Chrysler...

Faults:

My air conditioning went out at about 150,000 miles. I've had to keep replacing tires. I had to get spark plugs put on, fan relay put in and a tune up (all in 1 year). I've only had the car 1 year.

General Comments:

This car rides a little rough. It also needs a paint job.

Faults:

I had to have the Ford transmission replaced at about 63000 miles. It was replaced free of charge (except for labor).

I finally had the original front struts replace at 361000 miles. I have a bit of play in the control arm of the right front wheel.

General Comments:

This car is the most reliable car I have ever had. The engine is excellent and still purrs like a kitten (it does have a lifter that sticks sometimes). I have always had the required maintenance done and I change the oil every 3000 miles. This car has never broken down on me. I never had this type of performance with the prior cars that I owned.

Faults:

* Am on 3rd set of tires.

* Had all CV axle joints, etc. replaced - still do not feel they are correct.

* Breaks replaced.

* Oil leaks repaired.

* Major problems with Mazda's paint for this model and years around my 1995 - Mazda has admitted the problems, but will not help in cost to have car repainted. Personally, I don't feel this is right. The paint is peeling / wearing away, and not by any abuse to the car. I have driven the car a bit more in-town vs. highway driving, but definitely not in any type of harsh environment to warranty the embarrassing sight my car displays now. I've been quoted an estimate of $1,750 to properly re-paint my vehicle. Ridiculous!

* My clutch will not release (began 2 days ago) and I fear I'll be saddled with another huge cost when I phone Mazda tomorrow morning. Aside from that, I must also have another $1,800 worth of work done to complete repair of the oil leaks, etc.

General Comments:

The Good News:

* My car looks brand new inside, I have taken great care of it (even my Mazda dealer has commented on it)

* It has been a great car up until the mechanical failures began.

* Great on gas mileage.

Faults:

Replaced plug leads;

Replaced rear door lifters;

Many faults with handbrake.

General Comments:

Bought this car for it's looks. I really loved the color (teal) and rear spoiler, plus the large boot of the hatchback was useful for family trips.

On driving, you discover it is actually a pretty tame car. It accelerates fine, but is not going to be the first away from the lights. Fuel economy is good for the engine size, but only a bit better than average around town. It is really comfortable under about 200 miles, but then the seat starts to feel a bit stiff.

My big bug-bears with the car were the plug leads, which could only be bought from Mazda (no aftermarkets) and 50 pounds each, and the handbrake. This started binding after about 6 months and repeated trips to the garage and over 1000 pounds did not improve matters at all.

I would say its plus points are:

Quietness

Fuel economy

Interior layout

Reliability.

Downside:

Expensive spares

Too many optionals and not enough standard fittings.