2006 Mazda 3 Grand Touring Review - The FIRST Mazda 3!

[@Grayskull77]

I'm still driving my 05 Mazda 3 2.3 hatchback with a 5 speed manual trans. It now has 230K miles and still going strong.

[@IgoZoom1]

Great review! I still have a 2006 Mazda3 s Touring 5-door that I bought new in 12/05. It's the 2.3L and 5MT with 178k miles on it. I've leased several other cars during the 16 years I've owned it, but I just can't seem to let it go. It's still a blast to drive.

[@bricegraham8256]

Finally someone else done a review on this. And its you. I always run into your videos on occasion. I own one these Mazda 3's and I friggin love it. Mine is the 2.3 as well, and honestly I kinda enjoy the tiptronic. Though I wanna do a manual swap in the future. Mine is an 05 so it's not quite as fancy as this one but it's simple and I love simple

[@thetiagomatos]

I love this car, my grandpa owned one.. he crashed it but I still got to drive it, and now they are really hard to find them, people who have them know what they have, it is a very relliable car, not a single problem until the crash, it's done over 300k miles and was still going like a charm

[@paulpellico3797]

i still have one of the first sold in the chicago area. i had actually never seen one. but driving off the east west toll outside north aurora, i spotted a used sunset orange on a dealer. 5,000 miles on it. somebody had failed to keep for financial purposes. i bought on the spot...for my brother...but kept it for myself!! after driving a few newer models while my mazdas (have a few) serviced here in texas, i was overjoyed each time i got back into any of my older cars. the new generations lost all feel. in fact as they took driving joy away, they added weight and took away any vision out the rear. can't see outa them and they feel hoggish when compared to my 05.

[@lecoureurdesbois86]

It looks like they never sold much in the US, but in eastern Canada those were very popular. Now they're rare because they all went into rust after 10-12 years

[@smartman123]

I use to have one it s look beautiful this style never get old looks more modern from some modern cars

[@Legitsniper10]

I just had mine totaled and I’ll be the first to tell you that I loved this car. I had the Bose speaker system, heated seats, everything. I will tell you though, good F’ing luck with the power steering pump. For nearly 3 out of 5 years of owning one of these it never worked. I checked it with a DMM and a voltmeter and it always registered as having voltage. Always had normal fluid levels and everything. It just never worked. Along with that, the ATM in the automatic variation went out on me 3 times. I’ve loved this card since I first got it but it’s FOMOCO flaws can’t be ignored. Along with that, the battery cables corroded so quickly that I had to keep a 10mm wrench and wire brush on me at all times because it would start and run normally, but if you got out and went inside somewhere for 5 minutes without thinking, the corrosion would stop the engine from turning over. All in all, it gave me some of the best experiences a high schooler could ever have growing up. It was awesome for the most part but when those problems happened, they happened in force. Mine only had 186k on it and the engine was fine but the ca

[@thevideogamer0mg99]

fun fact: not all 3's have leather seats

[@hondamanvtec2894]

Even mazda 6 speed the seats Suck

[@thevideogamer0mg99]

@@hondamanvtec2894 tried a mazdaspeed 6 recently, did not like the leather seats, when i sat back in my mazda 3 i felt relieved

[@PoM-MoM]

I own this car, loaded it up as I am spoiled and the car was so inexpensive that I just kept adding interior and exterior and audio options until I had them all all wrapped up in Black Mica. I run TOYO tires on it, extra grip for this feather weight car. Purchased in 8/2006! It works for me and I ♥️ it and my M3 GT has actually been the best car (as far as cost to own and reliability) I've ever owned. I get offers from 18-20 yr olds that want it for parts but they can't afford my counter offers 😉 MINE!

[@bricegraham8256]

That's true. Mine has the cloth red and black seats. Some of these Mazda 3's have blue and black seats, tan seats, and gray seats.

[@lecoureurdesbois86]

I miss this auto era so much

[@applepoop10]

Didn't mention that the transmission has a manual mode or the full independent rear suspension in the rear which makes it great for cornering.

[@KenjiBiH]

for anyone wondering you can get bluetooth module for the car i think it costs around 110$ not sure, alternatively you can get a FM Bluetooth transmitter that plugs into cigarette lighter XD

[@attilavidacs24]

Got a 2005 SP23 as my daily workhorse. It's decent looking, good mileage and reliable. I only wish it had a sunroof like this one.

[@thevideogamer0mg99]

i got my first car not long ago, a 100k mile mazda 3 gt sedan (2.0) for about 2 grand (euros) and for what it is, its suprisingly solid. i doubt you can find too many close competitors in the price range that these are in currently. rust is an issue though. probably the only issue in mine. and there is a bunch of visible rust on nearly all corners of the car.

[@SunshineStateCoasters]

I have that blue 2006 2.3 GT as well. My first car I got in 2017 and still driving it today.

[@damilolaakanni]

Ford didn't own Mazda outright at any point in time. They had a controlling stake in Mazda which allowed them to share a lot, from engines and transmissions to platforms and even entire cars with different badges. Also, since Ford owned Volvo at the time, this was also developed alongside the Volvo S40 (second generation, the first was a joint development with Mitsubishi) and V50, as well as the C30. So, this Mazda 3 is also technically a Volvo, just that Volvo used their own engines instead of taking from Ford's parts bin.

[@barianelozano2614]

My first car. Im enjoying it

[@thevideogamer0mg99]

i've had one for over a year now, gt but it's a 2.0 manual without leather seats, honestly for being my first car this thing has set the bar really high for my next car. only car that i felt more at home in was a saab, and if you know saabs, there isnt really anything better when it comes to driving comfort. this thing drives ten times better than a mazdaspeed 6 as well

[@gk924]

I had a 2005 Mazda3 S for 12 years. I purchased a 2016 Mazda3 i Touring and still like the first model of this car better!!

[@GLxGL]

I’ve got an Australian SP23 which is a similar spec, except we didn’t get the headlight adjusters or heated seats as options (I don’t think sunroofs were an option either). That’s a series 2 car which had audio input via the centre console bin. Some Australian manual cars are 6 speeds in the series 2. Series 1 manual 5 speed cars are horrible on the freeway - they definitely got the gear ratios wrong for international markets. Leather was only in series 2 Australian cars. SP23 series 2 cars got the purple stripe trim

[@holmd90]

I learned manual in my mom's 04 cavalier, and later on bought an 05 mazda3. There is absolutely zero comparison between them, the Mazda feels a decade better at least

[@thecarexpert21]

Wow! Clean, fully loaded first gen 3's are kinda hard to find!

[@RandomVids823]

I’m glad I just bought my 06 3 with everything in this video 😃

[@applepoop10]

Be prepared to have the TCM module repaired or replaced. They are known to fail, due it heat related issues; Mazda stupidly decided to mount the TCM below the battery where it absorbs all the heat from the transmission.

[@PoM-MoM]

Because they're awesome... us owners do not ever want to sell them!

[@n300zx931]

I have this car, but in the manual transmission. I’ve driven both and must say that the manual transmission makes a huge difference on the car’s performance. It seems to be much faster than the automatic. I should also include I’m over 200k miles on the car. This car beat out similar Honda and Toyota models for reliability and features. One of the many reasons these are so popular.

[@doug6191]

5:13 - the worst part of that trunk is the opening. It's so small for bulky items. The space inside the trunk can fit the bulky item, but it won't get through that mai slot.

[@dave11686]

I’m so torn between wanting one of these for my next car or getting a Subaru wagon

[@thecarexpert21]

Dave, I genuinely think you'd be happier with the Mazda!

[@dave11686]

thecarexpert21 I did drive a Protege and a Protege 5 and loved it

[@justultrra3568]

Same! My family has always been Subaru with both my parents. And I love Subaru and I enjoy hot hatches but I also love Mazda. Who knows. Maybe one day I'll own a hatch from both companies

[@hoomanAdnan]

One of my fav looking car ❤

[@autofigure00]

My 06 MAzda3 is the base i 2.0l version, so none of the extra / special features. Me and my brother own first gen mazda3s. A big component to most of their issues is because they were from the era when ford owned Mazda, so I had tons of rust issues with mine though (it was my first car and i didnt check for rust when buying it and I live in Ohio right on Lake Erie) but my brother didn't because his was from Arizona and of course a lot of the parts were ford components because of that. Our cars have had some issues and are both currently at about 130k miles and I'm about to buy a 2017 Mazda 3 to replace mine. Working on those first gen Mazda3 had plenty of engine room and were easy to fix most things and the newer ones also have lots of engine bay space (only difficulties with repairs I had with my first gen Mazda3 is rust and replacing the PCV valve, that was not fun to replace. I bought mine at 90k miles so I had to do a lot of the 100k mile replacements: the temp sensor went bad and needed replaced so I replaced that, the belts, and the coolant pump. Then later down the line I had issues with a rough idle, took a while to nail it down and fix it but it ended up being my PCV valve which was NOT a fun repair. Then I replaced the engine mounts and the shocks. I had an Issue with one of my CV axles and the boot ripped so I had to replace those, then finally I replaced the transmission fluid pan due to rust and then I think my car had a leak which caused the transmission to die unfortunately, hence why Im now buying a new car.) Every repair other than the PCV valve I only had issues involving rust / stuck bolts. Those first gen Mazdas are also VERY fun to drive and Im going to miss it a lot. They feel really sporty but there is a bit of road noise. Mine also didn't have an aux port (or bluetooth) so I had to add an aftermarket one. They also had hydraulic steering which made steering feel amazing and the car always feels really planted on the road and very responsive and great in corners with enough torque to make it zippy. With winter tires on this thing handled snow like a beast, I later switched to all season tires instead and it definitely wasn't as good in the snow than with winter tires on. I did not like that it was only a 4 speed automatic (I wish it was a 6 speed, it can struggle accelerating on the highway at 70/80 mph to overtake but it will do it, it just isnt instant acceleration and the car really has to push itself and downshift to 3rd to get going if you REALLY need to speed up) but it being a 4 speed was kind of just an issue involving the time / engines during that time. Even though I had to do a handful of repairs on it, I still LOVED this car, I really am going to miss it. Most of the repairs were normal wear and tear 100k mile things though aside from the temp sensor and PCV valve which are common issues for the first gen Mazda3s.

[@lecoureurdesbois86]

They were very popular in Canada, it was one of the most sold cars behind the Corolla and Civic. Now they are just impossible to find, they rusted way too easily, but gosh were they fun to drive, without mentionning the Mazdaspeed 3. My first car was a 2005 Mazda 3 GS that blew up after a month at 200'000kms and few years later got a 2007 Speed 3, loved this car, but as mentionned, they were falling apart, rust

[@martinfiala2712]

4:56 Bro started BUGGIN 😂😭 Still love you Bro

[@smartman123]

great review

[@darnellwilson6836]

What u think 2008 Mazda sport 99k miles or 2006 Mazda with 80 k miles both sport

[@aceyorktordecilla8933]

Mazda 3 1st Gen - the best of the Mazda 3s

[@mustasheolll2020]

It’s actually not bad

[@Xpressnorton]

I own this vehicle and I love it but it has a lot of issues, specially the suspension is too weak, keeps getting damaged constantly, the engine is fine but the motor vibrates

[@lecoureurdesbois86]

Suspension is very well calibrated but it breaks all the time, fragile yes

[@godemperormeow8591]

Motor vibrates means motor mounts. Suspension too weak? Every suspension fails at some point. Sounds like very small issues.

[@thevideogamer0mg99]

did somebody say rust?

[@isaactorres9071]

Honestly the worst

[@PoM-MoM]

Only 65k miles at time of video, if this car only had one previous (original) owner then this ride is a FIND ... maybe rock it to 200k

[@ahrsh8850]

you make us afraid🤪 with your rising sound

[@robertcroft2352]

Nice car.

[@lspivey1207]

The Mazda 3 was designed and built by Mazda. It shares some Ford parts, but to say it's a Ford is a stretch.

[@GLxGL]

It's all Ford underneath. Or Volvo. It's a Ford Focus with Mazda's engine.

[@doug6191]

​@@GLxGLNo...

[@its_edboy]

Don’t know if I want a Ford. 😐

[@travismikkicolvin8691]

Funny how somebody can get in a car for 10 minutes and act like they know everything about it.

[@caltvvideos_hd9939]

Everything is decent sides for u mad big for what

[@Cantguardme-gx7qm]

First