Hi all! Long time lurker, first time poster.
I currently own a 2014 Mazda 3, the fastback version with the 2.2l diesel engine. I bought it roughly a year ago at 68k miles, and it's currently on 80k. At the time I thought it would be a wise investment - almost all of my driving is up and down the motorway, and the car had a good MOT history and full Mazda service history. I'd read lots of positive reviews about that generation of 3s but made the mistake of not looking at reviews of that specific engine, which I've now seen is regularly described as something to avoid at all costs. It's only the second car I've owned so I'm learning, it's not a mistake I'll repeat!
My 3 is currently a paperweight on the drive as I wait for someone to change the fuel pump. Had an issue where it cut out while I was driving it - one garage just diagnosed the problem as 'engine's knackered', until another mechanic reckoned changing the fuel pump will sort it. His diagnostics also showed a few of the injectors were misbehaving but said that's likely related to a weak pump.
So, my questions:
-I really like the car. I find it comfortable, pretty economical engine repairs aside, and more engaging to drive than most other hatchbacks I've driven. But I am worried about the engine's reputation. Should I stick with it, or switch to a petrol, possibly the 2.0l?
-for those of you that own/have owned a petrol Mazda 3, how have you found reliability long term?
-and do you think the reputation of Mazda's diesel engines is fair?
Thanks so much for your thoughts.