Should I change transmission fluid at 123k miles?

[jcelaya775]

I need some advice on a used car. Someone is offering me a 2007 Mazda3 (automatic) for $2400 and he said that it only had its transmission fluid changed at 50k miles; it currently has 123k miles. I should add that he was adamant about not changing the transmission fluid on Japanese cars and that it was his brother (first owner) who had changed it at 50k miles before lending it to him. So I took it upon myself to do a bit of research and from what I could tell, he was false in saying you should not change transmission fluids in Japanese cars, being that they are not an exception. Regardless, from what I have seen online, an automatic transmission should have its fluid changed in intervals anywhere from 30k to even 100k miles. The car drove pretty well in a test drive, so if I were to take the car and do a transmission fluid change right away, would that be a safe fluid change interval (73k miles), such that the car's life span would not be compromised? Also, he mentioned that the wheel may need a realignment, is this just a minor issue?

Edited August 9, 2019 by jcelaya775

[adityaroy]

As far as transmission oil changes are concerned, the modern transmission can go for years and thousands of miles before requiring a transmission oil change. As you said, the make of the car does not matter, once the interval is reached, it is always advisable to change the transmission fluid. In your case, what you can do is ask the seller for a service history of the car. If the transmission oil was changed privately, might be he has a receipt lying around. If not, then go for a transmission oil change. However, make sure that you stick to the grade and specs of the oil that are listed in the owner’s manual. You can also reach out to the company regarding this information.