Bought this car about a month ago and couldn’t be happier. I love it!!

Nearly 14.000km and 20 months down. Still love looking at her like on day 1.

And fighting one rattle at a time lol

If you are still rocking a gen 3.. how has it been treating you so far? How many miles do you have on it? Average mpg? Any quirks you’ve been experiencing? Anything cool you found out about the car after you purchased it?

I’ll go first:

2018 Mazda 3 Sport Sedan
70k miles
34 AVG MPG
Oil change every 5k miles. Transmission fluid between every 60-75k. Brake fluid every 2-4 years. Coolant (manual says 10 years?)
One weird thing I noticed about it. The rotors seem to rust very easily with any amount of moisture. As a result brakes always squeak when coming to a stop
Recently found out about Mazda’s G vectoring or whatever they call it after I was driving a friends ford fusion. Just not as sharp in the turns felt more like a boat than a car.

It's coming up on a quarter million miles

Stupid corporate minimalism

Two friends and I made the trip to Townsend TN again and ran US129, NC28, and the Cherohala Skyway among some less exciting but incredibly beautiful routes. Sharing some pics because why not. One of my favorite areas to drive, even if you aren't sending it, especially at this time of year.

Just got a 2026 preferred with 3k miles today!

It sucks to get the 3 clean, only to drive up a long, dirt driveway lol

My car was making a noise when turning right and it progressively got worse quickly so I took it to a dealership to see if it’s under warranty and it’s not, it’s from a wreck from the previous owner apparently they didn’t repair the car properly the transfer case is bad (saw ring hanging on cv axle with my own 2 eyes )is it worth putting $6000 into a car I paid $22,000 for less than a year ago? The mechanic says there’s nothing wrong else with the car but I was also told that by the dealership I bought the car from and it’s had an oil change since I bought it and someone was under the car and didn’t notice obvious damage? The sleeve was completely off a part under the car

Just curious if any of y'all love your Mazda 3 Hatchback so much that you went ahead and joined the cx-30 subreddit so you can mingle/discuss/learn/etc. with our cx-30 cousins?

Sure, they're different models, but, in more ways than not, they're very closely related vehicles.

Hi everyone! Greetings from Mexico. Yesterday, I got home and noticed my engine making a noise. I'm not sure if it's normal and I just hadn't noticed it before, or if it's something I should be worried about. It's a 2025 Mazda HB (no turbo). I know Mazda's have that typical noise from the Skyactiv engine, but along with that noise, there's an extra chirp sound that I don't find normal. There's no oil leakage, the oil level is correct, and I don't see any visible damage underneath the engine. Also, there are no warning lights on.

I just did all 4 doors and a trunk on 2017 sedan. Road noise is a bit better. Did anyone do the floor? Or front wheels deadening? Any tips? How to rwmove the floor is it tricky?

hey all! i’m new to the club. i bought a 2016 mazda3 i grand touring 3 weeks ago now and love it!

i noticed its been shifting hard for the last couple weeks. at first i chocked it up to not being used to an automatic, since my last car was a 0spd cvt. i checked the fluid level and noticed it was a bit high, and came back the next day to do it again to check the color with a white paper towel and its brown.

this was done at a mazda dealer in seattle for the 60k mile service. i’m assuming it was “compatible” red fluid. it had been driven 2k miles by the previous owner and 1.5k miles by me since service. i’m going to mazda today to get aft fz and do a drain and fill and am planning to do another one in about 10k miles

do you guys think i’ll be fine? or am i screwed?

So in July I had my oil changed at the Acura dealer where I bought my Mazda used 19k miles. I have a maintenance package with them so oil changes are free. However, after driving a few thousand miles and 3 months later I check the dipstick and it’s up to the twist.

No issues, noises, or check engine lights but I still took it up there to have them check and confirm. Dude checked it when I pulled up said he didn’t know exactly where it should be but confirmed it was higher than the top dot for max. They drained a little oil and said it was good to go. After getting food nearby and letting it sit 5 min I checked it in the parking lot. There’s a slight downward grade but negligible. It’s still reading a hair above max, is this fine or do I need to hound the dealership folks more? I really don’t want to but also I like to maintain my car correctly, and well. Image included for oil level and car levelness lol.

Guess I'll try again at 400k

hi all any advice you can give me is helpful on this scenario- i have sloshing water behind the drivers seat of my car, carpet is wet because the sun roof drains got clogged. went to mechanic and got the drains de logged but carpet is still wet and sloshing water when i press my hand on it. how much should it be to dry the carpet if i have a car detailer do it? i dried it down as much as i could with towels but there stills water trapped that went below ….say if they have to go under the carpet and sponge/padding to remove water… how much should that cost? can anyone offer some insight, thank you 🙏

Wanted to give my perspective on owning this car after 6 months. Overall, I am very pleased with this car. I previously owned an Elantra N-Line, and while I did enjoy that car, there were major concerns and drawbacks that you really had to try your best and ignore.

That is not the case here - there isn’t a single major concern or drawback about this car. Fuel economy is good, handing and acceleration is great, overall build quality is great, and I really appreciate the minimal design compared to some of the competition.

Furthermore, this is arguably the most reliable new vehicle you can purchase in the USA today. Proven 2.5 naturally aspirated engine, standard 6 speed automatic, no cylinder deactivation or start stop technology. The car isn’t over stressed either - this engine is also used in some of their SUVs, so you’re getting the same power with less weight.

If you’re looking for a long term reliable, quality, and comfortable vehicle, I really don’t see any other option as good as a Mazda 3.

spunky and always catches eyes, no regrets