Some help please, interseted in first gen 3 hatchback
 

I used to own a protege5 that I loved, now I need to buy a car for commuting.

I'm looking at first gen Mazda3 hatchbacks, non-turbo models. I need a reliable daily driver which I'll put on the regular 12K or so miles a year on.

I'm mechanically inclined, I can change the alternator and things like that if they screw up, I just don't want to have to swap the engine.

I read terrible stuff about the 2.3, but is the in the speed3 that have the problems or is it all 2.3 3s?

How many miles are these cars good for? If I bought one with 150K that was in good shape and maintained it, should I be able to hit 200K without any major hangups?

Just need some buying advice and what to look for. I would also like to drive the family in it so my wife's newer Focus could stop racking up so many miles.