Looking at a Mazda 3 2004 GS

[mazdenium]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a Mazda Millenia owner...it's an alright car but I'm looking to buy a 2004 Mazda 3 GS that has a Manuel transmission. I'm going to look at the car tonight and I just wanted to know what are the most common things to look for on these cars...especially a car of that age..what routine maintenance do they need?

What type of quirks do they have? or should I look out for when looking at this car? Any weird things?

If anyone who's an expert on these cars could give me some feed back it'd be really appreciated.

The car has 83500 KM very low for a 2004. Is there a timing belt that needs to be changed? What is the typical engine size...I will do some of my own research just thought there might be some experts on here.

[seeandbe]

You probably got the car already, but for future reference, always get the car inspected by someone. Whether it's your own personal mechanic or a third-party company like AiM Mobile Inspections or Carchex, it'll save you a great deal of hassle and ease your worries. They'll be able to tell you how the gears shifted, any transmission noises, previous damage or repairs, etc. Definitely a beneficial investment. Enjoy your new Mazda!