:bananadance: Ok, I have been asked to submit a review. I have a '04 Mazda 5dr stick shift with 119,340 miles on my car. Purchased May of '04. I can't count the number of times my CEL was on. Numerous trips to the dealer included replacing the purge valve 2 or 3 times and the gas cap 4 times. Several times I know they just reset the light without replacing anything. I was so sick of the dealer, I drove my car for over 30,000 miles with the CEL on. 2 of the last 3 times my CEL light came on the dealer again replaced the gas cap & purge valve (don't remember the order) as well as flashing the ROM. I was still under the 100,000 mile extended warranty then, but the extended warranty does not cover updating the ROM so I was charged (ripped off?) $85.00. The last time the CEL came on ( less then 10 days from the previous visit & now out of warranty) they claimed a bad thermostat & I had to pay for that too.
With less the 12,000 miles on the car, the drive belt idler pulley exploded on a rainy Sunday night, leaving me stranded in South Central Los Angeles!!! Thanks to AAA & Mazda towing I was able to get to a dealer, but had to spring for the rental car & a taxi because it was Sunday night.
The rear brakes have been excessively dusty from day one, the dealer & Mazda claim this is normal. I have replaced the rear pads three times while the fronts are original & still going strong, although I know my front rotors are warped & have been for a long time. I will soon be replacing the front & rear rotors.
Around 30,000, miles my front end & steering wheel were creaking & was covered under warranty. They replaced the front lower control arms per the TSB
The rear of the car has settled & I now have about 3.0 degrees of negative camber. The suspension on my car is still stock. I plan on installing a rear camber adjuster soon. Will also get the MazdaSpeed Sport dampers & probably RacingBeat springs.
The original Goodyear POS's lasted about 25,000 miles & I just installed my 3rd set of Kumho Ecsta ASX's 225/45R/17. The Kumhos stick better when nearly bald than than the Goodyear POS's ever did & they ride much better, not bad for 1/2 the price! Hopefully getting the rear camber fixed will make the tires last longer.
The front struts make a fluid pumping noise when going over speed bumps. While under warranty the dealer said they were OK, but I'm sure they have been shot since before 50,000 miles.
My A/C has never reliably blown cold air. It is nearly as bad as my '74 Pinto was (no A/C!). The dealer & Mazda claim it is fine, but they don't drive it when it's 119F outside. I will MOD the A/C sensor before this summer.
The crap that Mazda calls carpet is the cheapest sh#t I have ever seen. I wore holes in the rear seat back within 2-3 months.
I change my oil every 8-10K miles using either synthetic blend or full synthetic. Engine internals have been flawless as far as I know. Clutch & tranny have no issues. I usually go to Jiffy Lube, although their "techs" almost always set my tire pressures to the maximum printed on the sidewalls (50 psi) instead of the Mazda recommended psi. I normally run 34-35 psi.
Exterior styling is 10+. Interior styling 10+. Visible workmanship, IE: body gaps & interior fit & finish a 7-8. Interior materials quality a 4-5. Carpet & headliner material a 1.
I have owned: Used '74 Pinto, drove over 50K miles until I was cut off in the rain.(RIP) Used '71 Spitfire drove over 30,000 miles as a daily driver, still have & will one day restore. Used '78 Toyota 2wd P/U drove over 70K miles until traded in. (it was purchased by a local gas station employee who drove it for over 2 years before I lost track, spotted it 10 years later being used as a gardeners truck!) New '82 Toyota Celica GT-S, drove over 110K miles until sold. New '88 Toyota 4wd Extra Cab P/U. drove over 110K miles until traded in. New '92 Toyota 4Runner, sold with 197K miles (recently seen driving around). New '01 Toyota Tundra 4wd Access Cab Limited, traded in @ 115K miles. New '04 Mazda 5dr MT currently over 119K miles. New '83 Honda Ascot VT 500, rode over 30K miles. New '91 Honda CBR 600 F2, rode over 45K miles. I believe that's around 875,000 miles of driving!
Due to the poor dealers I have used around here, as well as Mazda's piss poor response to several issues I have had, I doubt I will ever buy another Mazda again. Except for the Spitfire, you could combine all my vehicles together & I never spent as much time getting my vehicles serviced as I have on just the Mazda. I have serious doubts about Mazda's engineers when they can't design a gas cap that stays sealed or an A/C that blows cold!
I get average 26-28 mpg. My low:24 High 32
If you think this was a long read, you should have tried writing it! LOL!
Hope yours are better than mine.
Paul