I've had my Mazda for about 3 years and have had no major problems with it so far. It seems to be a pretty sturdy vehicle. It's also reliable in that it doesn't randomly break down at all. There are warning sensors and lights for everything so you are able to catch an issue before it becomes a problem. I also like the car because of its safety features, I have a toddler that I take in my car whenever I'm driving it and the latch to frame for her seat, as well as the extra air bags in the back on the sides, provide any new parent a good peace of mind. I'm paying far too much for the car because of having bad credit but other than that I believe it was a good purchase. I wouldn't buy a brand new Mazda but from the options I had to choose from (VW and Honda being the other two) this was the nicest overall. The VW was a yellow bug and I wouldn't personally drive a yellow car if I had the option to, or a bug. I do like GTi but that's it from VW. The Honda was the same price as the Mazda but only had basic options, was the base model and had no extra safety features included like the Mazda did. I didn't know I was going to have a child at the time the car was purchased but being in my early 20's I figured it was a good plan.

I bought this car seven years ago and drove 185k with it. It is at 255k now and still running on the original engine and transmission. It has always been fun to drive, and it still is, even though many systems are starting to show their age. Plastic and rubber parts are also falling apart. The interior is well designed, and I love the hatchback. It gives you a lot of cargo space. The V6 engine definitely contributes to the great drive as does the sport suspension. Feels like you can do anything on the road.