2025 Mazda3 Hatch
TL;DR My 2000 Ford Ranger with 280k miles had the battery light come on after already funneling $600 into it in repairs since February, so I bought a 2025 Mazda3 with 5400 miles on it, and I LOVE it. Absolutely zero buyers remorse, and I can't believe I haven't owned a Mazda before now.
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Been eyeballing Mazdas for a while because they still make them with automatic transmissions, not the CVT. Maybe I'm jaded or flat out wrong, but I feel like CVTs aren't as reliable as auto trans. They're designed for comfort, not reliability. Almost every other make has moved to the CVT by default. I think Toyota still makes some with the auto trans, but they've mostly moved to the CVT as well. I also did some research and saw that Mazda is consistently rated highly for reliability and maneuverability.
I was driving a 2000 Ford Ranger before this. I had funneled probably a good $600 into it in repairs since February, then on my way home a couple weeks ago, the battery light came on as I was hitting the off ramp. Made it home, but my heart was thumping because I knew I had about two minutes before I was gonna stall. Also, it had almost 280k miles on it.
When the battery light came on, I decided that I am DONE funneling money into a truck that's old enough to rent a car.
So I went car shopping. Went to the Mazda dealership first since I had eyeballing them, and I left with this absolute gem - 2025 Mazda3 hatchback. Never thought I'd drive a hatch, but here we are lol. It was their loaner car that they had just put up for sale that day. It had a grand total of 5400 miles on it.
Y'ALL. This thing is AWESOME. I have ZERO buyers remorse because I be WHIPPIN in this thang. I have a 30 minute commute one way to work, and this car is a far cry from the Ranger.
From the test drive, I knew I was going to love having screen controls being knobs instead of touch screen. That is such a lit feature that you don't understand how great it is until you have it. So convenient amd tbh a lot safer than trying to deal with a touch screen. Rides amazing and zoom zooms everywhere. I feel comfortable taking it anywhere, which is nice since I didnt trust the Ranger to make a trip longer than an hour.
Going to Nashville in August from central Arkansas, and I can't WAIT to take this car on a six hour road trip like that.
UGH (in the good way). Sorry for the length, but I just absolutely love this car, and I have no clue why I didn't join the Mazda party earlier.