I've had one of these for about 3 years and it's been super reliable over 30k miles. The only issue ive had is deteriorating paintwork due to a poor repair on a rear door. The 118s were introduced to get into the low tax bracket of £30. In the real world they have been dyno'd nearer to 140bhp which explains the sub 10 second 0-60. There is a 165 version which has a different gearbox and all the toys including leather but my choice would be a sport black 118 which can then be remapped to about 170bhp for about £300. Being designed by the same team as the mx5 nd they share driving characteristics and the six speed box is one of the best I've had in a family hatch. It's an often overlooked car that isn't that commonly seen as most people go for the mainstream rivals.
Yes, I would have mentioned the 165 bhp version in the video. The six speed gearbox in these is very nice indeed. Thank you for watching and commenting!
This is such a handsome car, and seems like very good value for either the hatch or saloon version. I'm really impressed, and may well consider one when my lease car goes back at the end of the year! Top review, thank you, sir.
Yes, given the current market, I think these are quite reasonably priced. The fastbacks are quite rare, but I prefer them (of course). Definitely worth considering, thank you ever so much indeed!
Great little review as always Sir, my neighbour at my old house owned two of these and never had a issue with them, found them to be a much nicer car than the Auris' he owned before.
Yes, they are lovely cars, with seemingly very few drawbacks. I am surprised that they don't sell more of these over here. Thank you again for watching, sir.
It's one of the best cars we have ever had on Sensible Secondhand Reviews! Obviously, you can't buy one like this for under £5,000 (and this one has sold anyway), but they are astonishingly good cars for the money. Thank you for watching, sir!
I would love to have this car but I live in London where there’s is a lot of stop start traffic and im not sure a 2.0 petrol would be the best for that 😢
I'm looking to move my Hyundai i10 on and I am considering something like this Mazda 3 petrol to replace it. I miss the power of my old Nissan Almera with that type of engine we cannot discuss. Coincidentally I watched Mat Watson's CarWow review of the 2020 Mazda 3 a few days ago. I'm not too keen on the styling as it looks a bit weird around the C pillar. This older model is nicely proportioned style wise and has a mechanical handbrake. Shame about the spare wheel situation though.
Sir, we did like this one very much. It is, in fact, one of the best cars we have ever had on Sensible Secondhand Reviews. The new Mazda3 does look quite handsome compared with many contemporary cars, in my opinion, but it is much better in saloon form. This older model is very good looking in both fastback and hatchback forms. Thank you for watching!
Fun Fact! you can get Android Auto/Car play with this, just have to take it for mazda and they charge around 200 Euros to install the update and then you can enjoy that feature, I did that on my Mazda 3 2016 and can't be happier, it's so much better than the original mazda Navi/Infotaiment system.
Vehicle settings including door lock, lights, navigation, time, etc are in the screen menu. Navigation was an option. Apple iPhone audible directions sync with car speakers, but not screen. Music will sync and play from smartphone. Anti-theft immobilizer alarm. No data sharing or telemetrics with anyone!!!!!!!! Mpg too high 5%.
I did check at the time I filmed this about eighteen months ago, and there were some out there for under £5,000, but perhaps the market has since changed...
Hi Lloyd, how much did this Mazda cost? Not sure if I missed it aha. I’m currently looking around for this car and not sure what’s a decent price range for it
My late father in law had one. Head up. Petty. Petrol. Saloon. Nice. Bar thin carpets. My current forbidden trade 6 sport tourer has head up. Lifts a cabin no end. A Mazda smooth. Petrol tech lovely. Even back early 02 Mazda6s esp SkyA-G…. Diesel punchy smooth impressive but must be avoided. I just got caught pants down with just trade 3k in a £8499 retail car warm oil thin and low oil pressure comes up scanner says ok pressure. Mazda says no. Oil light EML and off. On motorway. Great. Oh we do like a forbidden
Yes, these are remarkably good cars, and actually quite good value. The first Mazda6s were also excellent, and it is a shame they have now been discontinued. We shall not discuss the forbidden fuel any further, sir, sorry to hear that you have had some problems.
Just ordered a 2014 2.0 petrol fastback. (Saloon ) , the first thingI bought is a spare wheel. Can’t stand not having one. Easy diy mechanics. No Electric handbrake. Rear disc ( better then drums). Timing chain non turbo ( unlike focus wet belt with a turbo. Would never buy one )
I would do exactly the same if it were my car. Electronic handbrakes really aren't my favourite either... Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!
I've had one of these for about 3 years and it's been super reliable over 30k miles. The only issue ive had is deteriorating paintwork due to a poor repair on a rear door. The 118s were introduced to get into the low tax bracket of £30. In the real world they have been dyno'd nearer to 140bhp which explains the sub 10 second 0-60. There is a 165 version which has a different gearbox and all the toys including leather but my choice would be a sport black 118 which can then be remapped to about 170bhp for about £300. Being designed by the same team as the mx5 nd they share driving characteristics and the six speed box is one of the best I've had in a family hatch. It's an often overlooked car that isn't that commonly seen as most people go for the mainstream rivals.
Yes, I would have mentioned the 165 bhp version in the video. The six speed gearbox in these is very nice indeed. Thank you for watching and commenting!
This is such a handsome car, and seems like very good value for either the hatch or saloon version. I'm really impressed, and may well consider one when my lease car goes back at the end of the year! Top review, thank you, sir.
Yes, given the current market, I think these are quite reasonably priced. The fastbacks are quite rare, but I prefer them (of course). Definitely worth considering, thank you ever so much indeed!
I drive one. + £30 road tax. It’s a no brainer and great to drive.😎🇬🇧👍👍
Great little review as always Sir, my neighbour at my old house owned two of these and never had a issue with them, found them to be a much nicer car than the Auris' he owned before.
Yes, they are lovely cars, with seemingly very few drawbacks. I am surprised that they don't sell more of these over here. Thank you again for watching, sir.
I would happily have a Mazda 3 as a Focus alternative. Great cars, nice to drive and good looking too!
It's one of the best cars we have ever had on Sensible Secondhand Reviews! Obviously, you can't buy one like this for under £5,000 (and this one has sold anyway), but they are astonishingly good cars for the money. Thank you for watching, sir!
Back in the days it was the best Japanese hatchback on the market, even if a little expensive.
It's a fantastic car. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
I would love to have this car but I live in London where there’s is a lot of stop start traffic and im not sure a 2.0 petrol would be the best for that 😢
They are surprisingly efficient engines, actually!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting that’s amazing, what sort of mpg do you think I could get driving around London?
It won't be that great from experience, as it wouldn't be brilliant in most cars, really,
I'm looking to move my Hyundai i10 on and I am considering something like this Mazda 3 petrol to replace it. I miss the power of my old Nissan Almera with that type of engine we cannot discuss.
Coincidentally I watched Mat Watson's CarWow review of the 2020 Mazda 3 a few days ago. I'm not too keen on the styling as it looks a bit weird around the C pillar. This older model is nicely proportioned style wise and has a mechanical handbrake. Shame about the spare wheel situation though.
Sir, we did like this one very much. It is, in fact, one of the best cars we have ever had on Sensible Secondhand Reviews. The new Mazda3 does look quite handsome compared with many contemporary cars, in my opinion, but it is much better in saloon form. This older model is very good looking in both fastback and hatchback forms. Thank you for watching!
Excellent review MR Lloyd, it is a refreshingly different alternative to the usual Fords and Vauxhalls.
It certainly is, sir, and I found it most agreeable indeed! I hope that you enjoyed the video.
Fun Fact! you can get Android Auto/Car play with this, just have to take it for mazda and they charge around 200 Euros to install the update and then you can enjoy that feature, I did that on my Mazda 3 2016 and can't be happier, it's so much better than the original mazda Navi/Infotaiment system.
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting! That sounds like a very useful thing to do indeed.
You can even buy the parts and install the parts yourself
Vehicle settings including door lock, lights, navigation, time, etc are in the screen menu. Navigation was an option. Apple iPhone audible directions sync with car speakers, but not screen. Music will sync and play from smartphone. Anti-theft immobilizer alarm. No data sharing or telemetrics with anyone!!!!!!!! Mpg too high 5%.
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!
Thanks I plan to get one can't see any for 5k these days though!
I did check at the time I filmed this about eighteen months ago, and there were some out there for under £5,000, but perhaps the market has since changed...
Superb well engineered cars . The great unwashed bought Golfs .
Yes, really well engineered, nice to drive and not heinously expensive either!
What's the deal with the Diesel? Is it worse than Petrol for the Mazda 3?
Have you ever heard of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone or any of the Clean Air Zones popping up around the country?
Mazda diesels have built up a bad reputation for reliability. But the petrol versions are super reliable.
A car I would gladly recommend. Beautiful, reliable and nice to drive. What else should one ask for?
Well, I would personally ask for the Saloon/Fastback version, but otherwise....
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Me too. But I was talking about Mazda 3 as a model in general. Cheers!
@@mikikum1 , this is one of the best cars we have ever had on Sensible Secondhand Reviews. Bar none!
Hi Lloyd, how much did this Mazda cost? Not sure if I missed it aha. I’m currently looking around for this car and not sure what’s a decent price range for it
The video was filmed in January. Can't quite remember how much it was, I am afraid.
I’m actually always looking for older cars with less electronics. This car is decent.
They are really good cars. This one of the best ones I drove last year, probably out of about 150 reviews in total!
is this black or dark blue?
It was black, I believe!
Easy to do diy on as well.
It's one of the best cars I drove last year.
My late father in law had one. Head up. Petty. Petrol. Saloon. Nice. Bar thin carpets. My current forbidden trade 6 sport tourer has head up. Lifts a cabin no end. A Mazda smooth. Petrol tech lovely. Even back early 02 Mazda6s esp SkyA-G…. Diesel punchy smooth impressive but must be avoided. I just got caught pants down with just trade 3k in a £8499 retail car warm oil thin and low oil pressure comes up scanner says ok pressure. Mazda says no. Oil light EML and off. On motorway. Great. Oh we do like a forbidden
Yes, these are remarkably good cars, and actually quite good value. The first Mazda6s were also excellent, and it is a shame they have now been discontinued. We shall not discuss the forbidden fuel any further, sir, sorry to hear that you have had some problems.
Just ordered a 2014 2.0 petrol fastback. (Saloon ) , the first thingI bought is a spare wheel. Can’t stand not having one. Easy diy mechanics. No Electric handbrake. Rear disc ( better then drums). Timing chain non turbo ( unlike focus wet belt with a turbo. Would never buy one )
I would do exactly the same if it were my car. Electronic handbrakes really aren't my favourite either... Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!