I have been watching a private party listed 2012 Mazda 3 Hatchback Grand Touring with the Skyactiv-G engine having ~155,000 miles on it The sellers highest asking price was $5,500 about a month ago but he is now asking $4,000 for it. There is some damage on the left rear bumper such that it is held to the quarter panel by duct tape. I have two main questions, firstly should I be concerned about the high mileage on the engine? And secondly, would you say it is a good purchase?
For the age of the car, it got high mileage. You should figure out how much of these miles are city driving. If mostly city driving, it is too much stress on the vehicle and I do don’t think it is a good deal.
Also check Consumer Reports for reliability ratings for that particular model and year. The body and electronics should be reliable as they had been in production for a couple of years but the engine was brand new for 2012 (it's been pretty reliable long-term, but there may be "teething troubles" in the first model year).
