I dont know about the Mazda 3 clutches but on the contour my family has had more problems with the ATX needing to be rebuilt than needing to replace the clutch.
96 ATX Mystique - One rebuilt ATX during the life - Car dead at ~ 120,000 miles from engine overheating.
95 MTX Mystique - 5 kids learned/relearned how to drive stick on this car. - Car dead at ~ 160,000 miles from an accident - Still had orginal clutch.
00 Contour SE - My car. Sees high revs all the time
- Car still alive at 131,000 miles - Still on orginal clutch.
