I got my Mazda off a used car lot, she was my first car, from the start she needed a little help(80,000 miles), new tires, alignment, and a throttle body to keep the idle in check. She ran like a new car, getting 28-30 mpg, when the model is estimated to have 25mpg, smooth and easy to handle, perfect for a beginner driver. She came with those silly low profile "summer" tires, and since winter in Ohio was coming they had to go, the tiny wheel size was very limiting in what brands and types of tires I could get, but ended up with mid-grade "Wal-Mart tires" with a full warranty, and they were a huge help when the snow started to come down. Had to get the alignment done, cause I noticed the steering wheel wasn't straight anymore, turned out my tie rod was busted, a trip to the garage revealed my tie rod was busted, after getting that fixed and aligned (along with a wheel balance) I could hardly believe how smooth and straight my car was driving again. I needed to replace my throttle body due to the sensors being shot, and it telling the car it needs to have the throttle OPEN, running at higher RPMs than it should be at (2000rpm), after a simple remove, and replace, she went back down to a purring idle (700-800rpm)

The car gets some 40 MPG and I drive a lot, so this is number one in my book. Repairs are not too bad either. The parts are reasonably priced and I can do a lot of the work myself.

I bought this car in 2006 and finally traded it in in 2013. It had close to 200,00 miles by the time it reached the end of my ownership, and when I sold it, I was told that the mechanics of the car were still in excellent condition and I would've gotten even more trade-in value had the body been in better shape (my fault that it wasn't). This car survived several years of commuting 2+ hours a day to school, as well as commutes to work and several 8+ hour drives for vacation. The only real issues I ever had with the car were the brakes, and even then I was just replacing brake pads. The car survived going into a ditch in a winter accident, a few bumps on a college campus, and the general wear and tear that a 20-something will put on a vehicle without necessarily providing it with the greatest care. The only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of features, like no power windows or power locks. In addition, the sound system and ability to use an IPod or smartphone in the car was limited as it didn't have a speaker jack.