It's been an exciting year so far in regard to taxes and such, but I think I finally have this issue ironed out. Between a meager raise and adjusting my take home to cover most of the tax burden for next year, I think I actually have enough to go and buy a car. Pam and I have gone back and forth on what options we have, so I think we've come to a consensus and we're ready to press forward. That said, I need some down payment money, so the mazda 3 is for sale.
I purchased this in Nov of 2012 from Matt who bought it from the original owner. Let me state this is not a perfect car by any stretch, but it's a nice car for it's age and mileage. So here we go.....
The indifferent....
> 2004 Mazda 3s hatch
> red exterior w/ black cloth interior, no sun roof
> 5 speed
> fold down rear seats
> 2.3L motor, all stock
> oil changes from me every 5k miles
> takes regular gas and I average about 27-28mpg mixed driving. You can get just over 300 miles out of a tank.
The not so good....
> 180k miles, but the motor is strong w/ no oil leaks and no clatter from the timing chain. I bought the car w/ 162k on it.
> plenty of nicks and bumps on the exterior, but over all in decent shape. Would need Karl's touch to make it nice and shiny...
> Over all the interior is in good shape. I had read where the carpets don't hold up and that's pretty true. no holes, they're in OK shape
> AC works but some times won't come on. Not sure what the deal is, may be low on that AC fluid stuff....
The good....
> New clutch. When we took the transmission apart, Rex said it all looked good, no odd wear on the gears.
> New control arms and tie rod ends
> all new motor mounts
> brakes are in good shape
> iPod player
> all electrical items work
> owners manual
> both keys
> Conti DWS tires have ~10k on them
> Bilstien dampers have ~10k on them
> corksport rear sway bar
> mazdaspeed 3 exhaust
> rear control arms marked for 0 toe and 1/8" out.
> K&N air filter
EDIT:
> forgot about the tow hitch. Assume this is rated at 2k and was installed by Matt. I've added the 4point power hitch
> new battery
This is a pic of the car before I bought it from Matt

I've added the 3 stripes over the front fenders, but those can be removed w/ a heat gun. I've also painted the wheels black w/ 3 red stripes on one spoke. Coat of paint can put those back stock. Other than that the 3 is mostly stock and is fun to drive.
I'm offering it to a club member for 5k taking into account the overall condition and new(ish) parts on the car and the mechanical condition. It goes on CL in a few weeks for $5700 if it doesn't sell. Let me know if you're interested. You can buzz me at either.....
autox328@gmail.com or 919.602.3348
I also have a set of kosei wheels w/ R-S3's mounted for about 400 extra. They are nice and light and look good on the car. I'm up for making a package deal.... =)