I'm planning on buying a sub $2000 Mazda 3 (something from model years 2004 - 2009) to maintain and drive it as a project car.
What are the most common issues I should look out for and which year would you guys recommend to get?
Thanks!
Transmission and body rust.
@yaser Thanks for the reply! Are you talking about both manual and automatic transmissions or is one more reliable than the other in those model years?
The manual transmission is good.
I don't recommend people buy sub $2,000 cars at all. Unless you know exactly what you're getting into, and you're skilled mechanically. (but then you probably wouldn't be asking for help).
{blackemo}:laughtertotears: True... but I do have a daily driver car already. I want to learn some basic to moderate car maintenance and I don't want to experiment on my daily driver. I feel something like a $1500 10-12 year old car in good to fair running condition will be a good bet. If in case I do some irreparable damage to it, I can just junk it or part it out.
I see.
@razmig might know.
Hey there. I'd say $1500-2000 for a 2004-2009 Mazda 3 is good, but have someone check it out to make sure there aren't any major issues with it (trust me, there will be some issues with a 12-17 year old car, but as long as the main components like the engine and transmission don't have problems, then that's fine). Here's the biggest thing...if you know how to drive manual, then definitely get one with a manual transmission. The 5-speed automatics Mazda used on those were terrible. They are actually Ford transmissions, and they aren't the best (Scotty made a video on this as well). I have a 2008 Mazda 3 right now (190k miles), and the auto transmission has been having some issues. Just last weekend I did another fluid change on it and the fluid was already black (last time I changed the fluid was at ~170k). But other than that, the engine itself is super solid in my opinion. I haven't had any issues with the engine other than a leaky valve cover gasket and a blown radiator hose from super hot California summers lol (plus the car being black just makes it worse lol). Oh, and as a heads up, Mazda's suspension on those 2004-2009 cars weren't the best either (it was probably Ford too). My Mazda's suspension started to make some clunking sounds at around 150k miles (the strut mounts are bad, but I don't mind the noise at this point). Anyways, I think it would make a perfect project car in my opinion just as long as the engine and tranny are fine! There's TONS of working room and super easy to work on (I do everything myself with just a jack and jack stands). Maybe you can learn how to fix the suspension yourself if it has some issues as a project idea 💡 Good luck!
@razmig, thanks a ton for the info!! The reason I'm leaning toward Mazda is because I've owned 3 Mazda's till date ranging from 2007 to 2014 and they all ran trouble free (maybe because I was always up to date on regular and preventive maintenance... :D). I like the way they drive and handle. Another option I was considering was a 2007 - 2009 Civic.
My son in law works on old cars and flips them. His comment: "You can't get anything reliable for under two thousand dollars." We owned a Mazda 323, bought brand new from the dealer. The engine lost a freeze plug at 8K miles, dropped a rod at 90K miles, and so, we've never owned another Mazda. We have had good luck with Toyota, especially Corolla.
@@jeffzekas yup, Toyotas are a good choice, but the problem is that they don't need maintenance... 😀 (i know I'm sounding crazy but I need some stuff to fix to learn!!). Anyway I plan on keeping it for no more than 1.5 to 2 years and then once I'm confident I can fix something a bit more complex, I'll move to something else...
At this point maybe find a car that will cost you barely anything and that barely runs so you can test your maintenance skills and bring it back to life. To answer your question, the madza 3 in these years usually rust easily.
I wish I could... {black}:laugh: but unfortunately since I'm just starting at this point, i don't have the resources or the technical know-how to bring back a car to life (although I can imagine the satisfaction in doing that). At this point, I'm looking more at just basic stuff like regular maintenance, suspension, brakes, spark plug changes, brake flushes, various fluid changes, some interior/exterior detailing, easy to fix OBD codes, etc... nothing too complicated.
Mazda 3? Sub $2,000? To drive?
Unless you live down the road from Billy Bob's Protegé Wholesale Lot, don't count on getting that vehicle in any great condition. And if you do, you will likely have to dump more into it for the things old cars always need - tires, brakes, wipers, etc
Overall, that generation of cars was pretty good, just don't end up with one of those 2010's with transmissions that blow up like the Steelers in the playoffs this year.
@@7-3punchina3-4 yup, during my research, I saw with the 2010 redesign came a lot of transmission problems.... I'm steering away from 2010s for now!
@sdawar You ever considered any other sub 2K vehicles? Looking at local inventory here in the IL/MO/KY tristate area, there are some really nice fixer vehicles, like 96 F150's, Monte Carlos, Grand Am's.
Is there something you really like about the Mazda3?
Other vehicles I've looked into are 2007 - 2009 Civics. I live in metro Vancouver area and there are plenty of specialty Japanese auto part stores/recyclers that part out Toyotas, Hondas, Mazdas etc so getting cheap parts is not an issue. The reason I'm leaning towards Mazdas is that I've owned 3 of them previously and they are pretty good to drive. During that ownership, they've been pretty reliable, except for petty issues here and there. Another reason is that Toyotas and Hondas are too reliable (:D)... I can't fix it and learn if it doesn't break!! 😀
Another reason is that there are plenty of mid to late 2000s Mazda 3s available here for $1500 - $2500 CAD with average of 120k - 130k miles on them.
Have you checked out a 2003-2008 Corolla? Running driving in good mechanical shape can be found for around 3000USD so for a project car you should be able to find a good one, plus there are tons of them out there.
you wont like it over time parts cost more because not mass produced like toyota/ honda. you're better off in a civic or corolla where when something breaks u can go down to the u pull and fix it up cheap.. look around man
