Used Mazda Mazda3 for Sale in Bend, OR

Mazda takes a great amount of pride in the notion that their cars are designed with the driver's experience at the front of their minds. I upgraded to a 2012 Mazda3 from a 2008 Honda Fit, which was also a good car, but not in the same category as the Mazda3. When I started looking for a replacement for my Honda, there were a few requirements: the car had to seat 4 people comfortably, be able to carry some cargo (have a hatchback), get reasonably good gas mileage, and be fun to drive. The Honda did those things, but barely. I chose the Mazda3 because 2012 marked the first year of their Skyacitv technology, which was focused on making a gasoline engine more efficient, rather than employing a more expensive hybrid-electric drivetrain to improve fuel economy. That entailed lightened engine internals, a new 6-speed manual transmission, and a stiffer frame to name a few features. The entire package made for a car that handles very well, is fun to row the gears in, and gets upwards of 40 miles to the gallon on the highway. The car literally checked all the boxes for me. The build quality is quite good for a car in its price range. The fit and finish of the exterior panels is perfect – no odd gaps or height differences. The same is true of the interior. When I test drove the car, I was surprised at how close the interior came to my friend's 3 series BMW in terms of quality. My only gripe is that there's a good amount of hard plastic inside, but that's difficult to avoid without bumping the price up. And even though the materials aren't top-shelf, the execution is as good or better than I've seen in any other car – especially American cars, which I almost never even consider because the interiors are so cheap feeling. I love the suspension on the car. 4-wheel independent suspension is part of what makes the car handle as well as it does. A lot of other carmakers use a torsion beam for the rear suspension in cars that compete with the Mazda3 and was something I disliked about my Honda Fit. The only thing I wish was different about the Mazda3 is the horsepower. 155 is certainly sufficient and it gets out of its own way just fine, but I feel like a 2.0 liter engine is capable of more these days. Granted, there's a balance to be struck between power and fuel economy, and this car leans in the economy direction, which is one of the reasons I purchased it. But as most car enthusiasts will say, more power is (usually) never a bad thing.

I purchased my 2006 Mazda 3 used with 123k miles on it. It is the base trim package with the 2.0 liter engine and a five-speed manual transmission, which has started to give me problems after putting 32k miles on the car myself. The third and fifth gear synchronizers have started to go out causing gear mesh problems and grinding when shifting. I have forgotten many times to change my oil on schedule with the longest mileage between changes being over 9k miles. The car has yet to give me any issues regarding oil changes. The interior is decent, nothing to write home about, slightly sporty. The build quality is not the best but decent. Overall, I am happy with my purchase aside from buying the sedan versus hatchback which would make my car camping easier.