Learn Me Mazda 3 (2009 in particular)

Going to take a look at a 2009 Mazda 3 this afternoon (brother-in-law needs a new ride, or maybe for the kid, not sure yet).

Touring model, 97K miles, 5-spd manual, current owner says lots of documented history. They're asking strong money ($4,500/b.o.), but if it's really clean, is it worth it?

What says the hive mind about these? 

They are great cars, I've keep a fleet of them practically for the family for years, one is now a heavily modified race car, one is basically an automotive cockroach that just keeps going despite all odds.  Mileages are 180k-260k.   No major mechanicals ever that were not race related (and even that one is holding up well).  
 

The weak points are rust primarily.  Sway bar endlinks are consumables, and motor mounts are every 100k.  Everything else is durable with normal maintenance and all fairly easy to work on.  Handling is above average for the class, fuel economy is decent.   Hatches have a ton of room.   
 

If anything specific comes up, please ask, I've probably done it.  

In reply to Sonic :

Thanks for the info. Any spots particularly susceptible to the tin worm? 

Rear shocks are bad juju on the speed versions, don't know if that translates to the regular ones. 

I had a 2008 Mazda3 with a 5-speed. Absolutely loved it. Had it for 150,000 miles.

The only thing that went wrong with mine was the door actuator. That's it.

They are prone to rust underneath. I lived in New England with it for only a couple of years, but it showed.

In reply to nlevine :

Rear wheel arches and dog legs seem to get it first.  Rockers can get it too hidden behind the side skirts.  

Son has one, had to replace motor mount, shocks and brakes so far that's it.  Parts are pretty cheap 

From what I have been seeing, that's a pretty good price for a car with that many miles.

I second what Sonic has said. They are solid. I have nearly bought one on several occasions, and wish I did, but got given a Camry instead.

I too will agree that under $5k for under 100k is very good pricing in this new world for any "ready to drive" car.  

I like the 3s and highly suggest.  A few notables are:

The 2.3L engine is pretty big for the this class of car which makes it quite peppy but also returns just mediocre mpg.  Likely will not break 30mpg and combined will be like 25 mpg.  

Rear seat is small by class standards.  However, front interior feels "much classier" than other similar offerings like Corolla or Ford F0cus

Thanks, all, for your feedback. Gotta love the GRM hive mind.

Drove the car and was pleasantly surprised at how much scoot it had. Kind of sorry I never looked at them when they were new. Shifted well, handled fine, and genuinely pleasant to drive.

If it was for me, I might have made an offer, but there were a few too many little things wrong with this car to have me recommend it for somebody else to buy, most notably the rust at the rear of the car - like, the tabs that the rear bumper cover was supposed to bolt to weren't there, and some of the rear hatch floor was not long for this world. The car was street-parked in Cambridge, MA for most of its life, so there were bumps and bruises everywhere, all the wheels were curb-rashed (and tires missing TPMS sensors), and there were a couple of minor clunks here and there while driving. Nothing that couldn't be resolved with a little effort, but this isn't a car I would be working on.

Yeah, a MA street car is not what you want. Smart pass. Rust is the main issue with them. 

There really are a pretty nice driving car. And the 2.0 isn't that much less powerful than the 2.3, so either way you can't go wrong.