Mazda is partly owned by Ford. They specialize in fun to drive cars. Except for the RX series of vehicles they tend to be reliable. Most of the engines are "noninterference", which means that a timing belt failure will not lead to major engine overhaul costs.
I own several of their products, both of which have been deemed by many to be models to avoid (1990 Miata's, and 1988 RX7). They have 140K, 150K and 250K miles on them. The RX7 (250K miles) is ready for a new engine. Both Miata's are running strong and if the previous owner had know what they were doing on the one, neither would have needed any major overhauls.
So I deem them to be reliable and powerful enough to get me into trouble.