Blown shock question

[pearcar32]

Hey guys,
I left my parking spot the other day and noticed a pool of oil near my left rear tire. Ever since there's an awful cluncking noise from the left rear any time I go over any bumps so I'm assuming my shock blew out. My car is scheduled to go into the dealership on thursday and I'm going to have them look at it. I have 37.5k miles on the odo. If it's covered under warrenty I'm going to let them replace it, if not, I'll purchase some and do the work myself.
The couple of questions I have is:
I heard that just replacing one shock is a bad idea. When replacing one, it's required to replace both(both front or both rear). The reasoning is that I don't want a shock with 0 miles on it and one with 37 thousand miles on it because it will effect the handling and overall ride of the car. Is this true?
Second, if the dealership declines replacing it under warrenty, is it safe to drive it around for a little while while I save up the money for new shocks? It's a 65 mile drive to the nearest mazda dealership from where I live.
Last question is, if the dealership declines coverage, I'll be buying and installing my own. Can anyone recommend a good replacment brand? I would like to keep the same driving characteristics of the car so I would like the same type of shocks, just better quality.
Thanks all for the help.

[mspeed3 617]

Ran into the same situation... Long story short I ordered Koni Sport Yellows (front/rear)

However, to make an even longer story short. I may have 2 full sets and will be looking to sell the extra set. They are backordered everywhere. But, they are also the best solution. PM me for more details

[5port]

There now exists an affordable alternative to the dealer shocks for the Mazdaspeed3. SenSen shocks for the mazda5 available at APX Auto. $160 for a set of 4. Also available as single shocks. They are very popular so you may have to wait for them to restock. Good reports from peeps that have used them I.E. better damping than stock.

APX part number # 1460-2 for the Mazda 5 set

[TEKWATCH]

Replacement shock, better than stock and great price, thank me later

2004-2009 mazda 3 = KYB Part # 343412 GR-2 / Excel-G

$41.79 each, just replace both sides.

2010 Mazda 3 = MONROE Part # 5607

$29.79 each.

Just go to http://www.rockauto.com/

Navigate to your year model and look up parts, all the stuff you need.

I bought everything from shocks, struts, mounts, ball joints, bellows, bushings, replacing all 4 corners for less than $500

[5port]

Pretty sure the OP was talking about the Mazdaspeed3 but thats cool.

[JLee1469]

Same story, warranty will be denied as its only covered in the 3yr/36k bumper to bumper. I splurged and went with coilovers, but its easy to replace the rear shocks.