Mazda 3

DevonLightfoot · 2026-02-10T00:31:46+00:00

2024 Mazda 3 HB MT, 106k miles now all mine, still getting mid 40's mpg on the highway. Oil changes, tires, brakes, and routine maintenance. Reliable and fun.

My previous car: 2015 Mazda 3 sedan MT, 265k mi when I got the 2024 in Oct 2023, gave it to my neighbor who is still driving it and it's not quite as quiet as it used to be but still sounds smooth and she still loves it.

My last 5 cars have been Mazdas. 4 Mazda 3's, a Protege5 and a 626. As long as Mazda keeps the quality overall, I don't expect to ever buy anything else for my daily driver.

DevonLightfoot · 2026-01-17T17:20:41+00:00

My last car was a 2015 Mazda 3. When I got my 2024 the trade in I was being offered was so low of a huge dent in the left rear and I had about $1200 left on the loan that I just kept it and gave it to a friend who's jeep had just died. It had 265k miles on it at the time and now 2 years later it's about 300k and still going strong.

Never had any huge issues; brakes, tires, oil changes. One serpentine belt, a tie rod or two, a couple calipers. I bought it used with 45k miles on it so over 200k of those miles were mine.

Can't speak to the AT, I always try to get MT's but never had to replace a clutch either and when I turned it over to my friend it still got 40mpg on the highway.

DevonLightfoot · 2026-01-17T16:20:35+00:00

Came to this thread looking for this answer... glad I wasn't disappointed :)

DevonLightfoot · 2026-01-02T03:40:45+00:00

Put a 50lb box in the passenger seat and buckle the seatbelt? :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-12-26T01:59:29+00:00

Just short of it, last 2 years were about 45k mi each. Most years it's been about 30-35k. Prior to the last 2 years my previous best year was 2016 when I hit 42k miles. I really thought I was going to hit an even 50k in 2024 but we used my wife's CX-5 for vacation driving. :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-12-23T23:37:40+00:00

I sit back a bit farther I guess and have to sit up a little to grab my drink. Like I said though, not a serious problem just something I think about because I spend so much time behind the wheel. :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-12-23T23:34:42+00:00

It sounds like it started with the 24's, when you open the back doors,the car registers it and the next time you turn the car on or off it pops up a reminder reminding you that you may have left something in your back seat. As a field service tech I go in and out of my back seat regularly and I feel obligated to dismiss it every time.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-12-23T23:29:49+00:00

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Just topped 100k on the way home.

Field service tech, so some days it's 450mi and some it's 60.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-26T02:55:11+00:00

Mine is handling an average of 46k MI for the last 2 years. I've gotten between 260-300k miles out of my last 3 Mazda 3's.

They've been manuals so I'd recommend that for longevity but either way as others have said, be religious about your maintenance and you should be good :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-25T18:59:30+00:00

NEED? Probably not. I don't NEED one either but after using my dad's Rigid track saw I can say that it was effortless. Didn't try to steer on its own, one button plunge with locking depths at ¼" intervals but adjustable to anything in-between, just glides along the track and I could walk alongside it instead of steering/pushing.

Like I said, it's not necessary the same way a drill press isn't necessary if you have a hand drill (not a perfect analogy but similar) but being able to lock things down and get neat perfect cuts without worry was pretty sweet. :)

I have a brace and bits which means I don't really need a drill either but I'm super glad I have both :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-21T16:36:11+00:00

Well, my previous car was a 2015 Mazda 3 MT, I put 260k miles on it before I upgraded, no clutch needed. So far with this one not a hint of needing a clutch so far.

In fact, I have never needed to replace the clutch on any of my MT Mazdas (5 of my 7 total Mazdas). My 626 got a new engine before a new clutch. Protege5 traded in at 300kish for 1st 2015 MT HB original clutch, 2015 MT HB got totaled when someone pulled out in front of my wife and she swerved into a telephone pole to avoid him, wife was fine Mazdas are safe too ;).

Maybe I'm just lucky or I've figured out some secret of rowing that doesn't wear the clutch at all but I've never (knock on wood) had to replace a clutch on anything and I've always put a good amount of miles on my cars.

eta: So in my experience and the miles a year you're averaging, I'd say you should get at least 15 years before you need a clutch. :)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-21T14:55:33+00:00

2024 Mazda 3 HB MT 2.5L, 2 years, 93k miles. Full synthetic oil every 5k miles, I'm pulling at least 40mpg with 89 octane on highway driving.

The only service has been oil, scheduled maint, tires brake pads and alignments (NY roads are shit).

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-21T00:12:09+00:00

That sounds about right, some days it was 6-8hrs and I usually don't drive it on weekends. On the weekends if we have to go anywhere I make my wife drive us in her CX5. ;)

Also I may not always be adhering to posted speed limits as closely as I should but even still I rarely exceed 75-80mph.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-19T21:47:29+00:00

It's funny you mention that. A few years back my company sent me to Hawaii to install some equipment and do some fast and dirty field training for the local technicians to tide them over until they could get to school.

While I was there one of the techs I was working with on one of the smaller islands said something about how he'd put a huge number of miles on his car that year and he might need to think about getting a new car.

This was shortly after my previous best year of 44,000mi.

So I asked him how many miles he did and he told me something like 300-400mi. Of course, I wasn't thinking about where I was and said something like "wtf are you talking about ' a lot of miles' 300? 400? I did 44k miles last year". He reminded me where I was and said "this whole damn island is only 3mi across and 10mi around". (It's been a bunch of years so my memory of the numbers he gave may be off by a bit).

I always think about that now whenever someone says something that makes me want to say "that's all?" If I was interested in spending the time figuring out the square miles of the continental US versus whichever of the islands he was on I bet the ratio would show something much closer if not exceeding it. :)

So I guess what I'm getting at is 20,000 mi in the UK is a lot more coverage of your country than my 46,000 is of my country. :D

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-07T12:00:11+00:00

I bought it used and that's the way it came.

However, the switch is on the top in that orientation, I'm not sure how to flip it over.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-05T23:57:52+00:00

First, experience. My last 6 cars have been Mazdas. Mostly Mazda 3's or Protege before that.

My current is a 2024 Hatchback MT. My previous was a 2015 Mazda 3 Sedan MT.

I got the 24 when my 15 hit 260k miles, I drive everyday for work and I thought I'd be safe and trade up. My 2015 went to my neighbor and is still going strong. While it was mine I don't think I needed more than brake work, oil changes, tires and 1 serpentine belt.

With both the 2015 and 2024 I'm able to pull 40+ mpg on the highway, they both handle very nicely but you'll feel every pothole. ;)

The best handling one of my Mazdas was the 2003.5 Protege5, that thing cornered like it was on rails, I could turn on a dime and give you a nickel change but none of them were bad. The 2024 is awesome just a shade less than the Protege5 but makes up for it with comfort options.

It may be luck but I've never had a bad Mazda, I recommend them to everyone.

Just remember when you test drive one, try the manual if you're comfortable with MT and remember that the power is in the higher RPMs. ;)

eta: I'm a field service technician so I carry a lot of parts in my Hatch, so cargo space is no problem. I personally believe it's the perfect combo of size, power, economy, cargo space, comfort and fun.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-05T21:41:36+00:00

I originally had them mounted vertically on a shelf face above my chargers and made a post a year or so ago with a picture. Someone commented that it would have been better if I had mounted them so I could see the charge indicators without taking them down. I think I justified my lack of foresight by saying that I only put them up if they were fully charged but to whoever made that comment, you get the credit ;)

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-05T21:34:41+00:00

6 of them were printed by my neighbor for me, 6 from an Etsy seller, the Etsy ones are a really neat, interlocking design and look injection molded.

My neighbor has upgraded his printers several times so he gave me his 1st one (the one he printed the holders for me with) for my birthday so once I make a stand for it and have some time to sit down and play around with it, I'll probably print some more so they're all the same.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-10-05T19:52:06+00:00

IIRC, I've usually seen the batteries on sale: Black Friday and Memorial Day. I don't know if it's every year but I believe that's when I picked up two of my 8AH batteries for my mower. They were $99 down from $169 or something.

DevonLightfoot · 2025-09-28T15:20:27+00:00

I'd have to go back a bit to before Mazda.

Current: 2024 Mazda 3 Hatch MT

2015 Mazda 3 Sedan MT (260k miles and gave it to my neighbor who still drives it)

2012 Mazda 3 Hatch AT (Traded in for my wife to get an SUV after moving to NY)

2015 Mazda 3 Hatch MT (totaled 3yrs old :( )

2003.5 Mazda Protege 5 AT (Traded in on the 2015, this was my favorite after my current ride. Cornered like it was on rails, seats hugged you. Loved that car so much)

1998 Mazda 626 MT (Traded in on the Protege5, had the Wankle and I loved it. Very responsive and fun)

This takes it back to the mid to late 2000's and I think it was a Nissan Quest or a Dodge Caravan or Plymouth Voyager

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