Used car opinion

Hey folks, I'm looking for your (obviously biased) opinions. I'm getting my first car and am trying to see what my options are.

I'm interested in the first-gen Mazda3, and have heard that it's a fun car to drive. There's a certified 2007 in immaculate shape with only 114,000km for sale but it's listed at $5,000 which I feel may be a tad high (thoughts?).

There's also a Honda CR-Z in my area that looks interesting, listed at roughly $5,500 CDN. However, it's a 2011 and I'm conscious about the hybrid battery system needing replacement a few years down the road. On the other hand, it's a Honda and I've heard great things about both their reliability and manual shifters. It's got about 225,000km on it and apparently has everything needed for a safety. It has a couple dings in the front and rear bumpers but I'm cool with that.

Insurance costs seemed somewhat similar for the two. I'm unfortunately a 21-year-old male so my rates are pretty dumb, but I've had a clean record since I got my license at 16 and will be relocating to a small town away from the Toronto area where I currently reside.

I'm moving up to rural Central/Northern Ontario, which will make snow handling a big concern. Storage capacity shouldn't be as much of an issue, though it would be nice to load the car up when I move to minimize the number of trips I'd need (point for the 3). My job will also have me on the road a fair bit doing interviews and such.

What are your thoughts on either of those two cars? Anything I should be looking for on a test drive? Thank you very much!

2008.5 and up dont have the rust problem

You can probably find a gen 2 for the same price if you look around

Would stay away from the Honda. The hybrid stuff is no where near “ready” in my opinion. Such a limited range, extreme high cost of battery replacement and you are forced to find someone certified to work on it. Not just any shop can do it. Keep in mind that if it has electric motors, they to will require maintenance.
In my opinion you are better off with a Mazda 3. Like mentioned above, you can find a second gen in roughly that price range. No where near as many problems with rust issues and if you get the sky active engine, they are supposed to be pretty good on fuel especially on the long haul.

Don't bother with the honda, they didn't know what they really wanted to do with the cr-z and it does nothing well. (besides being heavy and slow) Insurance would also be a bit more since its a coupe.

Go see the mazda if you like it, offer them what you feel comfortable with and work it. Everyone low balls on kijiji so no one is expecting to get their listed price, and if usually if you are serious about buying asap that helps negotiating too.

Thanks for the input, all! I personally like the looks of the first gen better so I'm sticking with those despite the rust stuff, though I've seen a few that look remarkably rust-free (underneath may be another story haha). I also started thinking about the harsher winters in Northern Ontario and how batteries of all shapes and sizes tend to dislike the cold - that'd probably significantly impact the longevity of any hybrid. I'm still shopping around but will post whenever I have any definitive updates. Any particular things with the Gen1 3 to look for on a test drive?

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Originally Posted by Scully201

Thanks for the input, all! I personally like the looks of the first gen better so I'm sticking with those despite the rust stuff, though I've seen a few that look remarkably rust-free (underneath may be another story haha). I also started thinking about the harsher winters in Northern Ontario and how batteries of all shapes and sizes tend to dislike the cold - that'd probably significantly impact the longevity of any hybrid. I'm still shopping around but will post whenever I have any definitive updates. Any particular things with the Gen1 3 to look for on a test drive?

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RUST and i read somewhere that the 2.3 have an issue where i think the oil sensor in the engine comes out and drains all the oil thus seizing the motor.
If you're serious about buying any car, have it inspected at it's proper dealer. They know the cars and what to look for

I ended up pulling the trigger on the Mazda3. Got it down about $500 so my final on-the-road price ended up being a bit over $5,200. I take ownership of it next week! Thanks for all the input!

Awesome buy. I own a gen 1 gt 5 speed which I just overhauled the suspension at 250k because it is such a great car. Ignore all the stupid posts about the 2.3 being a junk motor. Everyone who comes on here with an issue makes 5 posts total and that is all you hear from them. Driven not gently for that long and it pulls like it is new.

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Originally Posted by Scully201

I ended up pulling the trigger on the Mazda3. Got it down about $500 so my final on-the-road price ended up being a bit over $5,200. I take ownership of it next week! Thanks for all the input!

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Congrats!

I had a similar time dealing haha, dude had a loan to pay off so couldn't negotiate much.

Post pics when you get it!

+ 1 for the 2008.5 to avoid rust. $5000 seems like a bit much.

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Originally Posted by wildace

+ 1 for the 2008.5 to avoid rust. $5000 seems like a bit much.

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I've seen 2008-2009 Mazdaspeed3s for nearly that much :)

But agreed on the 2008.5+. My 2008.5 MS3 has nearly zero rust (just a small bit on the rear hatch by the clip, can't see it unless the door is open, and is mostly just surface).

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Originally Posted by jeff7670

Awesome buy. I own a gen 1 gt 5 speed which I just overhauled the suspension at 250k because it is such a great car. Ignore all the stupid posts about the 2.3 being a junk motor. Everyone who comes on here with an issue makes 5 posts total and that is all you hear from them. Driven not gently for that long and it pulls like it is new.

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I've owned 2x of the 2.3L motors (one of them boosted) and a 2.5L motor. Never had an issue with any of them (2006 Mazda 3, 2010 Mazda 3, 2008.5 Mazdaspeed3).

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Originally Posted by wildace

+ 1 for the 2008.5 to avoid rust. $5000 seems like a bit much.

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not my 2008.5... rust AF

Rustproof your new car this year & congrats OP on the purchase.

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Originally Posted by Kiewan

not my 2008.5... rust AF

Rustproof your new car this year & congrats OP on the purchase.

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Must have been the symtech :)

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Originally Posted by jeff7670

Awesome buy. I own a gen 1 gt 5 speed which I just overhauled the suspension at 250k because it is such a great car. Ignore all the stupid posts about the 2.3 being a junk motor. Everyone who comes on here with an issue makes 5 posts total and that is all you hear from them. Driven not gently for that long and it pulls like it is new.

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agree with the engine. it's a fun and zippy car. if you luck out with a car with no rust issues, it's a fun/great ride!

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Originally Posted by Kiewan

Rustproof your new car this year & congrats OP on the purchase.

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Kinda too late now (11-year old car), and the Mazda rust problem is perforation rust so no rustproofing will help.

A Mazda 3 is a lot more practical than a CR-Z, so it's the right choice for most people.

This is crazy late, but especially for SkyActivR, here's a shot I took a while ago from pretty much the end of my driveway. I moved up north where the air is clean, the stars are bright and the bugs cover your car in an instant so why bother washing it before taking photos? :D

Here's my '07 GS (which I'm mildly confused about because it has the tweeters which I thought were only on GT models, though there isn't any Bose branding). I haven't really found any names I adore, but I'm thinking of calling him King - bonus points if you can figure out how I arrived at that.

https://imgur.com/a/KoVSHmm

Thanks everyone once again!