Mazda 3 2.0 Sport Petrol

Good points - Great looking car, build quality, reliability, excellent handling and very good standard spec.

Plenty of storage spaces, comfortable in the back and good sized boot.

Bose 6 CD audio, xeon headlights, cool pop up headlight washers!

Not so good points - Engine needs to be worked hard to get decent performance.

Could do with an auto dipping rearview mirror.

Seats ok, but not the most comfortable.

Slightly too much road noise.

Purchased my car when 3 years old on 12000 miles.

Got excellent service from main dealer.

Reasonable economy for a 2 litre petrol - 38/39 mpg

My previous car was a Focus 2.0TDCI.

Tha Mazda is based on the Focus but the Ford is no where near as reliable, plus your unlikely to find yourself next to one in the car park - unlike the Focus.

Road testers dont seem to like them much, but read some owners reviews and you will get a different story.

I bought a Mazda 3 2.0 Sport hoping for a nimble, fun, petrol sports hatch that would be cheaper to run than my aged Volvo T5. At less than 3 years old, and under 25,000 miles I have just traded it in for another Volvo.

My advice? Be very, very careful and have a long test drive - a good car, but I really didn't like it.

I usually keep cars for at least 5 or 6 years.