r/mazda3

Well the time has come! For the past 10 months I've been shopping for a car. I've considered many different makes and models, and I settled on a Mazda 3! My daily driver, 2015 Chevy Cruze LTZ RS is getting up in mileage.  I have been lurking here for almost a year. Reading up on likes, dislikes and what to do.  Drove a few cars.  But found a 23 polymetal turbo PP modded the way I would want it!  After securing the loan,  he is mine!  So now I join the group hoping to learn the love of this car.  

I recently bought a 2018 Mazda 3, and I completely fell in love with it!

I bought my 2016 in 2019 with 1,500 miles on it. I currently have 195,000 miles on it and it’s ran perfectly for all those miles. Then I realized the other day I’ve never replaced the plugs. So… I did them and the gaps on them were on the high side of spec but none were out. So if you haven’t it might be a good idea too.

I was eyeing the Mazda 3 sedan/hatchback in turbo S premium plus trim, but went with this '26 Select Sport in ceramic metallic. New or used, these are excellent vehicles for the money! Naturally aspirated 2.5L offers enough power, mated to a "real" 6-speed AT. Just installed a K&N 33-5096 air filter, and ordered a black rear lip spoiler. Very happy with this beauty, this one's a keeper.

Found me a friend!

Cheekbones on full display

I read a ton of old posts here on Reddit about this topic when researching whether this was possible or not. Everyone can decide if this works for them but this is my experience with a rooftop tent on my 2011 Mazda 3 6 speed manual.

I purchased a set of Thule Evo Wingbars and the vehicle specific mounting kit that uses that hard mount points as well as a faring. I wouldn’t try this with an Amazon rack or one that clips on the doorframe.

My tent is a hard clamshell model and weights 131 lbs. We drove from Western NC to PA for a weekend camp out on a friends farm. It was an 8 hour trip. We usually have this tent on our F250 but with gas prices the way they are that wasn’t our favorite option. My partner and I are short statured people at 165 and 125 respectively so I’m sure that’s a factor in deciding to do this or not.

All that being said, we loved camping this way and the car is totally fine. Gas mileage didn’t take a hit and the car barely sat down with the tent on top and us inside it. Thule bars didn’t even batt an eye either. Road noise was barely noticeable and even on a windy afternoon on the highway we didn’t get tossed around. So this is possible just do your research and use common sense. Happy Mazda3 camping 😊

Ps- tent is fully extended and clears the carport by an inch- it was raining the day we packed up 🙃

What's your favorite angle while taking pictures of your Mazda 3? For me, it's the front three-quarters look that highlights the long nose and beautiful lines.

I have a 23 3 TPP with CX-9/Santafe front brakes. They are awesome for this street driver machine. Im working on CX-5 rears this weekend. The stock 3 spare won't clear the cx9 calipers. I tried my wife's cx9 17 inch spare on the 3. It fit over the caliper, but not in the trunk. Also the sidewall is way too tall to fit without risk of rubbing the inner fender.

The internet tells me that a cx5/cx9 spare will work. I know now that the cx9 spare won't work.

Has anybody else switched out their spare to a cx5 with these brake challenges?