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get another car?

Gibson486

Gibson486

Lifer
My last thread on transmission fluid got me thinking...

should I get another car (does not have to be new)?

I have an 07 Mazda 3 with 68K...I just made my last payment. The thought of being payment free is awesome....but the car is far from problem free due to it's crap parts.

Looking at the latest bills that will come from the car, here is a run down...

rear struts need to be replaced...

car supposedly needs tranny and coolant flush

pass. side engine mount is failing

Throttle Body needs cleaning

I would do it all my self, it should cost me $400, but I really do not have the time and I live in the city, so I do not have the comfort of a garage.

If I bring this to a mechanic to do, it comes out to about $1500 (actually, $1300 since I can do the throttle body). I do not mind, but I am just worried...worried that once I fix these issues, more issues will come.

So, if I sell it, edmunds says I can get 10,500. That leaves me with 10,500 to buy something else....the only car that really stands out at the moment is a 5 door Impreza...so...I would imagine 17K would be the cost of it (would probably switch to manual tranny since the auto is an abysmal 4 speed).

Financially, I think it's a dumb move. But this car has given me so much stress for the past year....and it's only 3 years old.
 
It would make financial sense if you can get another car without too much out-of-pocket costs. You'll have to resist the lure of a brand-new car!

I'm surprised at the problems that your Mazda has given you. Would you be able to sell it for $10K due to the needed repairs and maintenance that's due?
 
Mermaidman said:
It would make financial sense if you can get another car without too much out-of-pocket costs. You'll have to resist the lure of a brand-new car!

I'm surprised at the problems that your Mazda has given you. Would you be able to sell it for $10K due to the needed repairs and maintenance that's due?
Click to expand...

I was just gonna fix the struts....I am gonna see if I can borrow my buddies garage. Everything else....that is the next owner's problem.

As for a new car, yeah, I was actually trying to force myself to buy used....
 
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You seem to have unrealistic expectations...

Struts are due to leak anywhere from 75K-100K depending on the road conditions you drive in.

Engine mounts are just rubber things (usually, unless you have a luxury car) that should not take much to replace.

Tranny and coolant flush seems early, but these things would need to be done at like 100K anyway.
 
MJinZ said:
You seem to have unrealistic expectations...

Struts are due to leak anywhere from 75K-100K depending on the road conditions you drive in.

Engine mounts are just rubber things (usually, unless you have a luxury car) that should not take much to replace.

Tranny and coolant flush seems early, but these things would need to be done at like 100K anyway.
Click to expand...

If you read his other thread you'd see that the recommended interval for Tranny flush is 20K miles. That's Mazda hiding a problem.
Personally, as I stated before, get out of the car. Though buying used is a crap shoot because you could be getting someone elses problem.
 
MJinZ said:
You seem to have unrealistic expectations...

Struts are due to leak anywhere from 75K-100K depending on the road conditions you drive in.

Engine mounts are just rubber things (usually, unless you have a luxury car) that should not take much to replace.

Tranny and coolant flush seems early, but these things would need to be done at like 100K anyway.
Click to expand...

Um... no. My dad's '96 accord still has good struts (182k miles). My sister's '02 sentra (120k miles) has good struts, my mom's '06 mazda mpv has good struts (only 33k though), and my '05 legacy has good struts (85k miles). We haven't had to replace any motor mounts, either.

OP: don't do a flush, just change coolant and ATF. If you are paranoid you can shorten the intervals.
 
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alphatarget1 said:
Um... no. My dad's '96 accord still has good struts (182k miles). My sister's '02 sentra (120k miles) has good struts, my mom's '06 mazda mpv has good struts (only 33k though), and my '05 legacy has good struts (85k miles). We haven't had to replace any motor mounts, either.

OP: don't do a flush, just change coolant and ATF. If you are paranoid you can shorten the intervals.
Click to expand...

Those types of things differ massively depending on environmental/road conditions, just like rust is a huge problem in some parts of the country and not at all in others.

OP, sounds like you've really been through the wringer with that 3, sorry to hear it. My Focus is going on 3 years old and ~50k miles, and even after being wrecked it still has yet to give me a lick of trouble with anything. No creaks/rattles/CELs or goof-ups of any type. Not saying to get a Focus at all (new one is coming soon after all), but rather that I think it's unreasonable to get a new car and have it constantly give you grief. A couple things here and there are normal, but it seems that perhaps you're getting more problems with yours than is acceptable to you.

That leaves a quandary :

new car (more payments / bleh) : no guarantee you won't have unusual/excessive issues with a new car either.

used car : (similar cost could mean little to no $ for initial investment/trade) : trading the devil you know for the devil you don't. You can just never tell. Could be a perfect mint car, or it could only appear that way and soon eat new holes in your wallet/time.

If it were me I'd fix the various small things you've mentioned and then evaluate it for about 6 months. If some new issue that isn't normal wear and tear pops up I'd start making the plan to dump the thing on someone else. A motor mount at your mileage is a little early in most parts of the country, although road salt/humidity can affect them in some parts.

Then again, it's tempting to take that ~$10k and jump towards something else. If you're able and willing to drive a 5-speed then it could really pay off for you (cheaper to maintain and more fun).
 
alphatarget1 said:
Um... no. My dad's '96 accord still has good struts (182k miles). My sister's '02 sentra (120k miles) has good struts, my mom's '06 mazda mpv has good struts (only 33k though), and my '05 legacy has good struts (85k miles). We haven't had to replace any motor mounts, either.

OP: don't do a flush, just change coolant and ATF. If you are paranoid you can shorten the intervals.
Click to expand...

Yea, if your struts are never used (aka, your car doesn't actually go up and down) then they can last 1 million miles for all that matters.

It's a wear item, and they will fail. And most likely, your family members just *think* their struts are still good, but they are heavily worn anyway and the difference between a new one and the ones that were never replaced would be like 100% better absorption or dampening.
 
I would say this: Don't think for a second that if you got another car, whatever it is, it will be problem free. Even another new one.
 
On some cars, changing motor mounts is a pain. Motor needs to be jacked up or supported with a lift. And I have seen mounts for even a cheap Lexus go for over $200 each. When you change struts, it is a good idea to change the bearing plate or strut mount as well (at the top of the strut) as they will be worn out as well. I suggest a check of the wheel alignment as well. At this point, I would get the work done, IF the rest of the car, interior / exterior is still in good shape. You can probably get 2-3 years out of it, depending on how many miles per year you drive.

Looking over your list, skip the throttle cleaning unless you are seeing a rough idle. I would change the spark plugs at this time and plug wires. Cap & rotor if used.
Since you are doing coolant, put new T-Stat, radiator hoses, radiator cap. Cheap insurance against other issues later. Check the belts as well while you are at it.
 
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You're thinking of getting a new car because of a few hundred bucks in repairs? If that's all the car needs then you'd be nuts to get rid of it.

I hate to break it to you but cars need to be maintained. Buying another used car is no guarantee that that car won't need a few hundred dollars in repairs in the next year. I think your expectations aren't really grounded in reality. If you're expecting a car to last for 200k, or even 100k without some work being done you're going to be disappointed.
 
Keep it for at least another 4 years. If you bought it new, you've paid for depreciation and any interest that was included too. So it's not very good value from the day you bought it up to today, if you sell it now.

Since it's paid off, fix it and keep it as long as you can. Then with the money you've saved, you can do all kinds of things (instead of tying yourself down to another 4-5+ years of payments). Maybe in a little while buy a fun toy. Then you'll still have a recent car in good shape + a fun toy instead of just a (slightly more) recent car in good shape and no toy.

See what I'm sayin?

On a car like that, the next 4 years should not be costly unless you're really hard on the car or it's going through very rough conditions...
 
I decided that i am going to keep it.

There is nothing on the market I want. Impreza is alright, but the thing looks so bland and dull.

As for "it's a wear item", well....sure. I never said I did not expect to not do maintenance.

Motor mounts do not go after 45K, period. Even the replacements go fast because it's the same unmodified part. Shame on Mazda for not looking into that part more closely. Some peopel have to change them every 30K. Sad thing is, lots of people are driving around with failed motor mounts...they do not know it.

Struts should last atleast 75K, but I am not really upset about that because I really do not like the Mazda struts anyway. MJinZ is also correct. People who have over 120K on their struts more than likely need them replaced, but they do not know it. Mine are not even leaking. the passeger side rear is just completey worn and makes this vibrating sound. The spring could also be damaged also.

Tranny flush...yes, it is needed. Keep in mind....Tranny Fluid on Mazda 3's needs to be changed frequently, especially if you use the Mazda brand stuff. CHanging intervals in the manual are none. It simply tells you to bring into the dealer for inspection. Go on to a Mazda forum....they are changing on crazy intervals....like 15K. After 15K, the stuff looks horrible.

Throttle Body....Yeah, it's causing idle problems and it has for the past 30K. Throttle body gets dirty (I mean covered completely) after 40K. That is not normal, but Mazda says it is.

Essentially, from here on out, it's no more Mazda (ahem...Ford) parts if I can help it. And come my next car, it is not going to be a Mazda, but i am hoping that is atleast 4 or 5 years off.
 
Gibson486 said:
I decided that i am going to keep it.

There is nothing on the market I want. Impreza is alright, but the thing looks so bland and dull.

As for "it's a wear item", well....sure. I never said I did not expect to not do maintenance.

Motor mounts do not go after 45K, period. Even the replacements go fast because it's the same unmodified part. Shame on Mazda for not looking into that part more closely. Some peopel have to change them every 30K. Sad thing is, lots of people are driving around with failed motor mounts...they do not know it.

Struts should last atleast 75K, but I am not really upset about that because I really do not like the Mazda struts anyway. MJinZ is also correct. People who have over 120K on their struts more than likely need them replaced, but they do not know it. Mine are not even leaking. the passeger side rear is just completey worn and makes this vibrating sound. The spring could also be damaged also.

Tranny flush...yes, it is needed. Keep in mind....Tranny Fluid on Mazda 3's needs to be changed frequently, especially if you use the Mazda brand stuff. CHanging intervals in the manual are none. It simply tells you to bring into the dealer for inspection. Go on to a Mazda forum....they are changing on crazy intervals....like 15K. After 15K, the stuff looks horrible.

Throttle Body....Yeah, it's causing idle problems and it has for the past 30K. Throttle body gets dirty (I mean covered completely) after 40K. That is not normal, but Mazda says it is.

Essentially, from here on out, it's no more Mazda (ahem...Ford) parts if I can help it. And come my next car, it is not going to be a Mazda, but i am hoping that is atleast 4 or 5 years off.
Click to expand...

Well you learned the lesson - only economical Japanese cars worth (as in to save money) buying are Hondas and Toyotas, and I don't know yet about Nissans.
 
Hmm. I have a Focus that I've flogged the hell out of for 50k miles, and haven't had problem 1, and it's a 2.0 MZR. It is the MTX-75 5-Speed though.

I have heard about the motor mounts being an issue on the 3s, I have a friend with an 07 Speed3 and he's replaced them twice, despite having even less mileage than me. I think he's mildly modded up to around 270whp.
 
Gibson486 said:
Tranny flush...yes, it is needed. Keep in mind....Tranny Fluid on Mazda 3's needs to be changed frequently, especially if you use the Mazda brand stuff. CHanging intervals in the manual are none. It simply tells you to bring into the dealer for inspection. Go on to a Mazda forum....they are changing on crazy intervals....like 15K. After 15K, the stuff looks horrible.

Throttle Body....Yeah, it's causing idle problems and it has for the past 30K. Throttle body gets dirty (I mean covered completely) after 40K. That is not normal, but Mazda says it is.

Essentially, from here on out, it's no more Mazda (ahem...Ford) parts if I can help it. And come my next car, it is not going to be a Mazda, but i am hoping that is atleast 4 or 5 years off.
Click to expand...

OK, so even though the car requires abnormal maintanence, people still think they are good cars? Sorry, but Changing transmission fluid in 15-20K miles is retarded. Either Mazda has a f-ed up transmission or they are spec-ing the wrong fluid. IF your throttle body is covered (in carbon deposits) you have another issue to address. The throttle body brings air IN, Carbon deposits on the throttle body blades is indications of blow back or valve timing is off causing exhasut gases to escape out of the intake port into the intake manifold and get on the blade of the throttle.
I have some high milage vehicles and none of them have deposits or anything on the throtlle body blades. A good running engine shouldn't.
 
JeffreyLebowski said:
OK, so even though the car requires abnormal maintanence, people still think they are good cars? Sorry, but Changing transmission fluid in 15-20K miles is retarded. Either Mazda has a f-ed up transmission or they are spec-ing the wrong fluid. IF your throttle body is covered (in carbon deposits) you have another issue to address. The throttle body brings air IN, Carbon deposits on the throttle body blades is indications of blow back or valve timing is off causing exhasut gases to escape out of the intake port into the intake manifold and get on the blade of the throttle.
I have some high milage vehicles and none of them have deposits or anything on the throtlle body blades. A good running engine shouldn't.
Click to expand...

It's issues I brought up to Mazda when my power steering pump was crapping out. They simply deny anything is wrong. There answer is simply, "You are out of warranty, there is nothing we can do". Now, I am not going to go as far as to say the car is unreliable (it's not), but the it does require alot of maintenance (there is even a TSB to clean out the throttle body).

The one thing that is sucky is the transmission fluid issue. Some people on the Mazda board use the excuse, "Well, our cars are hard on the transmission". It's a pretty bad excuse, but what else do you expect them to do? Even though it's an economy car, it still cost money and they just want to protect their investment.

In my opinion, Mazda is going to have to explain alot to people when a bunch of these cars begin to hit 100K. When it gets to that point, alot these issues will simply come back and hit them. Am I going to feel sorry? No way. It is what they get for simply ignoring the problems.

As for being a good car, I stopped recommending this car to people when I hit 45K. It's not bad by any means, but lots of the issues are unacceptable.
 
JeffreyLebowski said:
OK, so even though the car requires abnormal maintanence, people still think they are good cars? Sorry, but Changing transmission fluid in 15-20K miles is retarded. Either Mazda has a f-ed up transmission or they are spec-ing the wrong fluid. IF your throttle body is covered (in carbon deposits) you have another issue to address. The throttle body brings air IN, Carbon deposits on the throttle body blades is indications of blow back or valve timing is off causing exhasut gases to escape out of the intake port into the intake manifold and get on the blade of the throttle.
I have some high milage vehicles and none of them have deposits or anything on the throtlle body blades. A good running engine shouldn't.
Click to expand...

Nope, Mazdas are pretty crappy cars. I don't know a single model that doesn't have significant problems crop up consistently.
 
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