Good places / prices?

[Halex]

Hey folks. I've been without a car for the last couple years. I sold mine when emigrating to Canada from the States. Now I'm moving out to the burbs and I know my spouse is going to need a car to commute. After having a long conversation with a friend of ours that works as a mechanic for Toronto PD we decided that the Mazda 3 (preferably the hatch) is right for us. So here's a couple questions...

We're in the process of buying a home and as such we don't have a lot of cash. Would it be possible to get a used, reliable Mazda 3 for under $10k?

Is there a reliable dealer that we should check out in the North York area? I've seen a lot of used car listings on auto trader for Downsview Auto, but I really know nothing about them and don't know if they're a shady place.

Is there anything that we should look to avoid when purchasing a Mazda 3?

Any additional advice you folks can give would be really appreciated!

[trulankan]

I would avoid Downsview Auto as there has been alot more negative than positive feedback about them and they seem to be quite shady. I would check out GTA's Finest (they are a sponsor on here) who are in Vaughn. Lots of positive reviews.

[S.F.W.]

I would check out GTA's Finest (they are a sponsor on here) who are in Vaughn. Lots of positive reviews.

GTA Fine Cars is who he is referring to..

[O1Kanoby]

Yes its possible to get a reliable Mazda 3 for under 10k (that was my budget when i bought my car). Reliable dealers....check the forums, i bought mine off of a private sale on kijij. Problems that i can think of when it comes with obtaining mazda 3's are Rust and engine mount failure. Try to stay away from rust tho.
My advice, when buying a car research research research..... What trim do u wanna buy (GX,GS,GT) , Colour, Kilometers...that sorta thing, heck i brought a friend of mine (who is a mechanic) to check out the car B4 i bought it.

Hope this info helps and good luck on the car search.

[Halex]

Unfortunately, according to their website, it doesn't look like they have any Mazdas in inventory currently and I'm looking to buy in the next couple weeks. Any other suggestions?

[S.F.W.]

Unfortunately, according to their website, it doesn't look like they have any Mazdas in inventory currently and I'm looking to buy in the next couple weeks. Any other suggestions?

might be worth calling or emailing them, they likely come across vehicle opportunities regularly. Perhaps they will be able to secure something that interests you.

[asyed]

GTA fine cars isnt carrying any first gens anymore ( I bought their last 1st gen) since they only buy directly from mazda. According to another post, they are looking into Gen 2s now ( I would wait since their prices are some of the best value for money you can get)

Another option would be Good Fellows Autos in North York as they have alot of 3s for under 10 k.... but they seemed as shady as downsview autos and most of their cars are not so clean or are somewhat repainted.....oh and dont listen to the BBB acredition BS.... they really just paid for the rating....



but ya, stay AWAY from Downsview Autos..... Im still suprised they still exist


PS: my 3 cost me about $11,300 and I have had no problems with it ... apart from a bad battery ( battery was ok at time of purchase just old) and not so good tires ( Eugene kindly offered to fix this issue for us at half price)

[peterm15]

Had a decent experience with goodfellows auto.

They were straight with me and I got a solid car for a great price. So I can't complain. Salesmen had an attitude but staff has changed.

I remember the post about GTA fine cars not selling gen 1's but couldn't find it.

[Halex]

Had a decent experience with goodfellows auto.

They were straight with me and I got a solid car for a great price. So I can't complain. Salesmen had an attitude but staff has changed.

I remember the post about GTA fine cars not selling gen 1's but couldn't find it.

Thanks guys! A couple people here have recommended Good Fellows Auto so I'll be sure to check them out here in the next couple weeks! Thanks for all the advice.

- Peter

[peterm15]

Just be sure to get the carfax and check everything out carefully.

In my case I knew the car was an off lease 3.

The fact of the matter is. If you don't feel right about something. Walk away.

[asyed]

Just be sure to get the carfax and check everything out carefully.

In my case I knew the car was an off lease 3.

The fact of the matter is. If you don't feel right about something. Walk away.

agreed.


there can be GOOD and BAD cars at ANY dealership..... Also the reason why i felt weird about Good Fellows Autos was that their prices seemed too low for an otherwise great car....


Car proof is a must but so is carefully inspecting the car....look for any signs of fresh/newer paint and any major parts that may have been replaced due to a front end collision. ( rear end incidents arent so bad but still be careful)... They had an 08 City Golf there that was extremely clean and was most likely painted...but the sales rep said it was original paint....

[Halex]

Hey folks. Just wanted to give a follow up.

GTA Fine Cars – No longer stocks Mazdas.

Goodfellows – when I contacted them by email they claimed that most of their inventory is from Ontario, but they do have some cars from Quebec. They also said that if I found a car that I liked that they could arrange to get it inspected by a Mazda dealer. When I got there I couldn't find a single car that wasn't in a wreck of some kind, that wasn't from Quebec, and they said that if I found a car that I liked that they would give me a temp tag so I could drive it to a Mazda dealership and arrange to have it inspected on my own time / cash. I passed on this one.

So now I'm back to square one and hoping that I might be able to find a deal from a private seller. I have been able to find some certified pre-owned from some of the dealerships in the area, but only at a couple thousand less than it would cost to get one brand new, so I really don't think that's worth it. If we end up not finding anything we may opt to go new, but if that's the case we may go with Ford as the Fiesta is a couple thousand cheaper than the 3.

If any of you folks know where I could find a good deal or know of anyone trying to sell a decent mazda 3 privately, please let me know.

[peterm15]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/sh...ad.php?t=67826
A little above your range. It could work though. To bad the biz doesn't sell used.

[Halex]

We've lined up meetings with a couple private sellers over the weekend, but if that doesn't pan out I might get in touch with these people. Thanks for the info!

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/sh...ad.php?t=67826
A little above your range. It could work though. To bad the biz doesn't sell used.

[asyed]

Hey folks. Just wanted to give a follow up.

GTA Fine Cars – No longer stocks Mazdas.

Goodfellows – when I contacted them by email they claimed that most of their inventory is from Ontario, but they do have some cars from Quebec. They also said that if I found a car that I liked that they could arrange to get it inspected by a Mazda dealer. When I got there I couldn't find a single car that wasn't in a wreck of some kind, that wasn't from Quebec, and they said that if I found a car that I liked that they would give me a temp tag so I could drive it to a Mazda dealership and arrange to have it inspected on my own time / cash. I passed on this one.

So now I'm back to square one and hoping that I might be able to find a deal from a private seller. I have been able to find some certified pre-owned from some of the dealerships in the area, but only at a couple thousand less than it would cost to get one brand new, so I really don't think that's worth it. If we end up not finding anything we may opt to go new, but if that's the case we may go with Ford as the Fiesta is a couple thousand cheaper than the 3.

If any of you folks know where I could find a good deal or know of anyone trying to sell a decent mazda 3 privately, please let me know.

ya i kinda got that vibe from them the first time i went.... some of the cars had more obvious damage than others.... hence why i didnt buy from them....



but check auto trader and kijiji and also the classifields section here ....

[Halex]

Just wanted to do a final follow up with you guys. After checking several different sites I found that going the used car lot was not right for me. I did a couple searches for independent sellers via Craigslist, Kijiji, and Autotrader and within a couple days was able to find a private seller that had just the car we needed. Thank you to everyone that assisted with my search! I look forward to pestering you more when it comes time to maintain my new (new to me) Mazda!

[SKYMP3]

Just wanted to do a final follow up with you guys. After checking several different sites I found that going the used car lot was not right for me. I did a couple searches for independent sellers via Craigslist, Kijiji, and Autotrader and within a couple days was able to find a private seller that had just the car we needed. Thank you to everyone that assisted with my search! I look forward to pestering you more when it comes time to maintain my new (new to me) Mazda!

Good to hear, private sale is always the way to go when comes to buying used. You just have to know what you should look at and do your homeworks.

[Mazzy2012]

Hey guys, im looking to buy a Mazda 3 in ottawa for about $3000-$3500 any ideas? anywhere from year 2004 and up.