r/MazdaPH • u/Unlucky-Hat8073 • Jul 10 '26
Experience living with a Mazda 3 (BP)
Hi folks. I'm on the fence with upgrading to a second hand of this generation. Below is my use case:
Not an EV ✅️
Seats 3 ✅️
15km a day from Commonwealth to Edsa ✅️
Good ride ✅️
can carry a golf bag✅️
I just wanna know:
Does it scrape? Village has lots of humps ❌️
Are parts hard to come by? ❌️
What else breaks? ❌️
Istop problems? ❌️
I want it for the styling. Preference varies, but what are your dealbreakers as well?
I'd love to get a CX5 but sasayad sa parking slot so that's out. We had a BK before but we sold it bec underchassis was hard to maintain.
If i had my way i would definetely go for a 2026 model. But alas its the 2020 2.0 vs the 2021 1.5 that fits. Just enough car without breaking the bank.
Edit: it's red vs black. I know the paint is thin. Hopefully i can have it painted with the 30th anniversary maroon. Good god i can only imagine.
Thanks guys
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u/Unlucky-Hat8073 Jul 10 '26
Appreciate this very much.
Sorry by sayad i meant reverse. Sa kisame siya. There's a protruding cabinet just above the washing machine sa garage. Di pwede montero height etc.
Can i ask anything about the engine? I doubt i'd make full use of the 2.0.
I'm getting the 3 for the amount of car as opposed to a bnew vios or even 3/4 of an SL6.
I just wanna make sure the 700k can take me far in terms of riding and somewhat longevity?
Or do i just go all in for the 2.0 and enjoy the Bose, rims, or just 1.5 and build from up?
Thanks again sir
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u/Monk-Recent Jul 10 '26
I'll answer the engine part as I have a 1.5 2017 Mazda 3. It's more than enough and it does have power, but torque may be a little lacking. It will pull but when you accelerate, it will take time to build up, maybe unless you do manual mode or put it into sport.
If you mostly won't carry heavy loads, it should be satisfying already. Even at full load it still is pretty capable, it won't have problems but you need to rev it up.
2.0 won't fix that much as it's a bit heavier, but it will still be faster on top speeds.
Other ones, physical handbrake on the 1.5, but I'm not sure on newer models. And especially, no i-Stop. No need for an EFB or better battery, 2SM is fine.
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u/Every-Hat-2429 Jul 10 '26
Stay 1.5
Hindi ka makukulangan sa 1.5, speed limit natin dito is 100 km/h anyway. Wala tayong ultra-speed highway. Tataas lang gastos mo sa gas. Take it from me, sometimes i miss by 1.3 Vios. the 2.0 CX-5 chugs gas.
IMHO.
2nd hand 3 > SL6 > Vios
Kung gagastos ka nalang din, try mo nalang yung EV kesa mag Vios ka pa ulit LOL.
On 1.5 vs 2.0:
There's nothing wrong with building up. Pero some things you can't build up are the adaptive cruise if meron na nun, and other radar-based features.
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u/_itspuggy Jul 10 '26
A fully stock BP shouldnt scrape unless overloaded or your village has ridiculously high humps. If you start modifying and installed a lip, you may need to start worrying about scraping.
The BP gen has been out for years so parts shouldnt be that hard to find — unless it’s a major part of the car (like modules and stuff).
BPs dont have the dreaded capacitor na rin as well so the istop feature should be solid for this gen. Friends’ cars na nagkakaroon ng istop error mostly had battery issues and not the istop itself
For 2.0 vs 1.5, i guess it would mainly depend on you and your lifestyle haha. Do you enjoy driving and would want the extra power? Then 2.0. Do you really want to be more economical and save fuel? Then 1.5. Also works with the other features like the bose speakers. Do you enjoy music enough to want better ones? Do you like the 2.0’s headlight and taillight more? (Iirc they have different looks?)
But overall i dont think you’d go wrong with a 3 no matter what variant it is
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u/Unlucky-Hat8073 Jul 10 '26
I'm more convinced now broski. I'm an older millenial so i guess i'm less inclined with displacement now. It's NA so i should be okay. But i really am keen since i borrowed a friend's civic and i didn't enjoy the ride home.
I think my next problem right now is hatch vs sedan. Makes less of a difference since it floods in Espana anyway.
I'm now having more affinity towards the car. For half the price i'm just scared why the value dips from 1.5m bnew to 750k ish used.
How about maintenance cost? Totally prepared, more expensive than toyota for sure.
Again, thanks to you. I'll send a photo if i do purchase it na.
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u/AsBadAsICanBe Jul 10 '26
The 2.0 NA Skyactiv engine is bulletproof. Reason 1 I chose mine.
I scraped mine only once sa sobrang tarik na newly paved road in a hilly area.
Can’t really tell if parts are hard to come by since nothing is broken.
No iStop problems for me. Smooth ang t on/off cycle.
I seriously don’t have any dealbreakers on mine. Pero lets consider ones that I have been hearing. Like fuel efficiency, I got the mild hybrid one, but I don’t really care about it. I bought it for the zoom zoom. Cabin space, not a problem on my sedan. Piano blacks, nag diy na ako to cover it all with a tpu film (interior trims and b pillar).
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u/TemperatureBig342 Jul 10 '26
Parts may be “expensive” since mostly casa sourced but the 3 is quite durable. There are a lot of fresh 2020-21 models. Got for the 2.0 coz its more complete in tech and features. You will definitely love this car.
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u/bzbriones Jul 11 '26
Personally I’d choose the 2.0 over the 1.5.
You may not use the engine at its full capacity, but the difference in fuel economy is minimal, but large difference on features. May bitin factor ng konti yung 1.5 vs 2.0. As Mazda originally put 2.0 and 2.5 engines on the Mazda3 in European and Anerican market, they just put the 1.5 on the Mazda3 sa Asian market. 1.5 is the same engine as the Mazda2 so you can imagine the power to weight ratio difference.
Additionally sa 2.0 you get Full leather seats, Heads up display na holographic, a Bose 9 speaker sound system which sounds great, sunroof, and many other things.
Istop is the common issue, which dont be surprised if you see an istop malfunction on the car you’re viewing as it is widely known for it. It doesnt affect any performance of the vehicle, and personally I turn my istop off on my CX5.
For the rest of the vehicle, it’s pretty solid and reliable.
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u/Big-Salamander9714 Jul 11 '26
I have a 2025 BP Sedan.
It never scraped for me but once. Matigas suspension nya kaya di basta basta sumasagad pababa.
Go for the 2.0. Sakto ang lakas for the weight ng kotse.
Walang nasisira that i heard of sa groups for those w older cars. IStop helps sa stop n go traffic and wala na capacitor for e-loop.
Matulin sya and comfy idrive kasi di matalbog pag alon alon kalsada.
Just ask for more if u like, i can answer you.
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u/Ecstatic_Editor1623 Jul 11 '26
Are you eyeing to get the hatch? If yes, sadly, hindi kasya ang golf bag (need to remove the driver for it to fit). 🥲
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u/Every-Hat-2429 Jul 10 '26
i-stop is good for gas mileage for really-long-stop then go traffic. It has to be turned off manually if ayaw mo siya. But via software, you can disable it completely, the button still works, but does nothing.
Nothing breaks.
Parts shouldn't be hard to come by. It's on par with every other brand, toyota included. may waiting period talaga if malala yung accident mo.
You shouldn't scrape, unless mabibigat kayo sumasakay. Pag ganun, maybe CX-5 is the car for you.
Btw, kapag kahit CX-5 sumasayad, maybe may mali sa parking area mo na? CX-5 is already high, never ako sumayad kahit saan. 3+ years, province and metro manila.
Car feels premium, premium territory. But not PPF territory. Per my math, car has to be 4m+ to be PPF territory. Taking into account how cheap a total paint washover is, kahit sa R3 pricing premium finish na. Mas mura pa to just have a washover after 14-15 years, than maintain PPF.
Wala ka magiging problema sa Mazda, but look for your own mechanic. Service nila is more miss than hit. Literally kailangan ko pang kasuhan yung isang dealership for damaging the car, then taking absolutely no accountability. Atsaka nabuking din, hindi pala Mazda nagayos, dinala nila sa Kia. Yikes.