Overview & Reviews

The Mazda 3 is an all-new economy sedan and hatchback that replaces the Protege in Mazda's lineup.

• Fun-to-drive character, stylish interior design, strong engines, hatchback utility.

• Ride might be too stiff for some, a few ergonomic quirks, tight rear legroom.

User Reviews:

Showing 51 through 60 of 645.00

• 

  Mazda3isgood - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By Bob2 - November 13 - 2:00 am

  This car floored me when I first learned about it at the dealership. I was actually looking at the RX8, but at 62", was too tall for the RX8. The 6 is nice, but this car is more nimble, fun to drive, and allows you to spend your extra money saved elsewhere!

• 

  Sporty yet luxurious!! - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By Dawn Grutzius - July 8 - 2:00 am

  This car is fabulous! I am very excited about owning this vehicle. I have now had my car for three weeks and it feels like it has been months.

• 

  Great car, when everything works... - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By perrito - June 11 - 12:23 pm

  I am overall quite pleased with my 2004 Mazda3 5 door with automatic. I would agree with others that the manual may be a safer choice; my automatic just died with only 13,000 miles on it - very unusual. And it stranded us between Colorado Springs and Denver. It handles nicely, is quiet (with replacement tires), and has a great, functional interior. I love the steering wheel controls; use them all the time. Its a fun car, but this automatic problem, and an early ignition fault, make me doubt the long-term reliability of the Mazda3.

• 

  Mazda 3s Sedan - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By jhuttner - April 2 - 10:00 am

  Picked up my Mazda 3s sedan in black mica one month ago. Car offers good bang for the buck and the engine pulls hard...best towards the top of 2nd gear. The 5 speed shifts smoothly although the clutch could be a little heavier. Car looks good and the rear end is sporty I think. Sound system is good (get the moonroof 6 CD package!) and the glovebox is roomy too. Four wheel disc brakes with nice wheels are a welcoming feature that not many cars in this price range offer. The console is good and the trunk has plenty of room.

• 

  Mazda has just about did it - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By Macadonious - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Engine is a 2.3L with 160 crank HP. With this displacement, you could produce at least 200 crank HP by reworking the head and remapping the ECU. Exterior is unique and modern. The tire selection is the only drawback as they do not perform well on any vehicle. Interior is clean and easy to view. Material seems to be of high quality. Driver cockpit is a little tight. Performance is a little lacking. Though cornering is nice, the rear slips at high speeds. This is due to the tires and maybe the small rear sway bar. Power to the wheels is a bit hesitant while already moving at normal speeds, but on the other hand, speed does increase without even noticing.

• 

  2.3L Engine Prone to Failure - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By mazdaharp - February 13 - 5:59 am

  Ive owned this car since day one. It is 9-1/2 years old and 103,000 miles on it. Ive done all scheduled maintenance at the dealer. Ive had a problem for a few years where this car has been chewing through oil but no one could out where it was going (no leaks, no visible burning, no blown head gasket). Im adding about a quart every 750 miles. Insane. I finally took it to another dealer with a better service department when the first failed to identify the problem. The piston rings have failed. The only solution... a new engine for $7,200. The more research I do, the more I see this is a common problem but Mazda is refusing to acknowledge it.

• 

  Wonderful - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By ksmazda - January 9 - 2:16 am

  This has been a great family vehicle, its reliable and extremely fun to drive. Weve moved twice since weve owned it and could not believe how much we could cram inside. The interior cleans up nicely with a vacuum or carpet cleaning. The only issue weve had with the interior is that the cloth on one of the doors wasnt glued well.

• 

  Fun to drive and WOW the power !! - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By dep292 - January 2 - 10:00 am

  This is my fourth Mazda so it goes without saying that I enjoy the reliability of them. This; however, is the most fun car Ive ever driven, ok so its tied with my RX7. The sport package (2.3) is worth the extra money and the look of this car gets really turns heads.

• 

  Very good car - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By OnMySecondMazda - October 19 - 2:00 am

  This is one GREAT car. Very stable cutting corners. Here are only few "negative" observations; everything else is GREAT. Headrest is a bit awkward as it pushes your head towards the front (I was told this is good in the case of a crash?). Snow handling is very poor. My old Protege w/Michellin X1s could go up a steep hill covered with 7 inches of snow without a problem. My new M3 has a very hard time handing smallest amount of snow. OK it has sportier tires but I wish I did not have to get winter tires. Air bag light (red one in front of the driver) just started coming on (will have to investigate if this is a known problem).

• 

  Love this car! - 2004 Mazda Mazda3
  By BluZoom - September 21 - 7:16 pm

  Factory ordered Jan04; picked Strato Blue out of the book. What a looker! Will never find another paint this beautiful; even Mazda changed it after 2004, probably because it scratches so easily. Still turning heads after 75,000 miles though. Absolute fun to drive on tight back roads, but really tough on tires. Easy to spin even from a stop sign. Gas mileage with aftermarket roof rack is around 23-25 mpg mixed, but 30-33 mpg on long trips using cruise control. Good reliability; only three unscheduled trips to dealer that was the cars fault...dash cracked, CD player fried, and transmission programming issue. Most difficult is thinking of trading it off! Might just have to buy another one!