I bought the car for my disabled wife and the auto hold on light has started to flash which means it will not change gear but stays in first. The book says take it to your local Mazda dealer who will probably take me to the cleaners. Can someone please help. The book also said it could be an electrical malfunction,the car has only done 23800 mls. Sorry for the second posting but i had noticed the spelling was wrong
John
PS i live in a little town in Scotland.

It isn't only Mazda dealers who'll try to take you to the cleaners.
The problem could be in the transmission or the computer that controls it, so you need the services of an honest and qualified specialist. A computer fault code should have been generated that can be read to assist in the diagnosis.
I hope this is easier for you than it was for Diogenes.

If you can find an autotrans shop take it there ASAP. However these are probably still few and far between in Scotland, so if you cant find one, first read your handbook and then check the oil level exactly as per the instructions. If the level is low, from experience on my 929, it can have the effect you are describing. Probably won't help, but worth a try. Good luck.