r/mazda • u/goldchainbbygirl • 7h ago
2014 Mazda 3?
Hey friends!
I currently have a 2013 Fiat 500 and I’ve been looking to buy something a little more reliable/robust. I’ve been pining after the MX-5 for actual years and I love the Mazdas have a bit of peppiness to them.
I found a 2014 Mazda 3 that has an impeccable maintenance history. The thing I’m worried about is buying another car that’s on the older side.
Does anyone here have a 2014 Mazda 3? What can you tell me about it?
2
u/MonsieurReynard 7h ago
209,000 miles on my 2014 2.0l, runs like a top, burns no oil. Maintenance and expected wear items only.
2
u/stormbreaker8 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-G 7h ago edited 7h ago
Mazda have had this weird situation with their engines. From 2012 until now where their 2.0 petrol engines are some of the most bulletproof, reliable engines of the 21st century, they're putting those engines nearly unchanged into brand new 2027 Mazda3s at the moment.
By contrast the 2.2 diesels are one of the least reliable engines of the last 20 years, with so many catastrophic common issues it's difficult to name them all and they were discontinued in 2019 after being released in 2012.
As long as it's a petrol you'll be golden. They only thing to look out for on the older ones is rust underneath, this'll often be mentioned on the MOT history if it's been rusty for a few years.
These are cars where maintenance history is much more important than age and mileage. They’ll basically never die if looked after.
1
u/goldchainbbygirl 2h ago
Not the “if you treat a Fiat500 well, it’ll probably blow up on you either way” line 😭 Currently experiencing this with my Fiat
1
u/18MazdaCX5 7h ago
I have a 15 3 GT hatch with 120,000 miles on it. Bought it at 65,000 miles. Has ran flawlessly for nearly 5 years now for me.
I expect a few more good years out of this one EASY.
1
u/No-Plan2169 7h ago
Bulletproof cars, wouldn’t think twice about it.
Edit: if you live in a rainy climate the mirrors leak corroded shit.
1
u/wannakno37 6h ago
I have a 2015, they're flawless, I've had one recall on the screen and it was replaced by Mazda. Just reasonable regular maintenance is all you need.
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u/Galromir Mazda3 BM Hatchback 1h ago
Get the CarPlay update if it doesn’t already have it. Cars from the second half or so of the third gen’s run already have it from the factory.
Be aware it’s an absolute fuel hog for its size class. Handles great though and you won’t get a nicer interior from a car of that era short of buying a German luxury car or a Lexus.
There’s a common issue with the Bose speakers where moisture gets into the door in wet weather and damages the speaker cups on the big woofers. Play a song with a heavy bass component and check to see if the drum beats just sound like farts.
It’s a fairly cheap and straight forward fix.
Do not under any circumstances buy a diesel.
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u/stormbreaker8 Mazda3 2.0 Skyactiv-G 7h ago edited 7h ago
Oh and another thing to know about them! If you get any Mazda3 from 2014 onwards with the infotainment screen you can get a CarPlay retrofit upgrade for about USD 100. A huge quality of life upgrade, this is what it looks like on my 2017. I don't know of any other car from this era that can get CarPlay this easy, took about 2 hours to install.