Hi Scotty,
I have recently test driven multiple Mazda 3s, and am considering a 2016 2.0L Mazda 3 with an odometer reading around 102k km ("Car A").
Prior to my "final" inspection at the dealer, I had arranged for the Car A to be inspected by a 3rd party mechanic, who reported that Car A is in a good condition.
But when I did the final inspection, I found an observable issue and a potential issue, which could be alarming.
I notice that Car A has greater noise on startup and idle state, in comparison to the other Mazda3s (of the same year of manufacture). This is because when I test drove another Mazda 3 (which got sold before any chances of 3rd inspection; car B), my friend commented that that car B is quiet in consideration of the mileage driven and the age of the car. I found that car A is not quiet at all. I also have test driven another Mazda 3 of lower mileage and believe it is quieter than car A.
Since Car A is by no means cheap, I do not want to buy the car and spend too much on repairing it. I would love to hear what in your opinion should be done to figure out if the car is worth-buying. I also have a video of the car taken by the dealership which captures parts of the engine noise. But for privacy reasons, I would rather to provide individually.
Would you kindly provide me with some guidance? Thank you.
Further to Question (1), I also found the i-stop function (idling stop technology) on Car A to be not working, even when the function was switched on. The yellow "i-stop" signal light appeared on the dashboard of Car A, rather than the usual green light.
Can you shed some light in this situation and let me know what to instruct any mechanics / the dealership to look for? Thanks a lot.
Please note that posting multiple topics about the same thing is against forum rules which are posted near the top of the main page. If you have additional information to add it should be posted as a response to your topic. Thank you. (Topics merged.)
