Why is the Mazda brand still so "under the radar".
Discussion
OldGermanHeaps said:
They aren't more popular because they have a stellar reputation for rust and engines going pop at low mileage, the reason you put up with nasty cheap plastic ugly interiors on many jap motors is their reliability and longevity, when you don't have that at least reputation wise they lose their appeal, which is a shame, as its only a few of their motors that destroy themselves but in chinese whispers the whole range gets tarred with the same brush.
You hit the nail on the head with your last comment. The diesel problem affects a relatively small number of diesel motors yet Mazda has a bad reputation. On the other hand the BMW 2 litre N47 diesel engine had major issues with terminal engine failure and the swirl flap problem on its 3 litre diesel engine yet people still idolise the BMW brand...Ditto the problems on the PD TDI 2.0 VAG engine a few years back. Didn't stop people thinking VW were extremely reliable brand.Why is it that the German marques can get away with these sorts of problems yet Japanese brands (and those from other countries) struggle to shrug off bad press?
OldGermanHeaps said:
They aren't more popular because they have a stellar reputation for rust and engines going pop at low mileage, the reason you put up with nasty cheap plastic ugly interiors on many jap motors is their reliability and longevity, when you don't have that at least reputation wise they lose their appeal, which is a shame, as its only a few of their motors that destroy themselves but in chinese whispers the whole range gets tarred with the same brush.
What a load of "cods wallop"I have seen many Corollas/Camry's with up to 4-500,000 Ks on the clock.(they can be a lot more long lived than many "Euro's) at well under half for parts & servicing costs.As far as "interiors" go the Toyota's assembled here in OZ are fine(as well as the "imported"Hiluxes")Mazda has also a very good reputation for reliability & durability.Rust? Utter rubbish!Cheers
OldGermanHeaps said:
They aren't more popular because they have a stellar reputation for rust and engines going pop at low mileage, the reason you put up with nasty cheap plastic ugly interiors on many jap motors is their reliability and longevity, when you don't have that at least reputation wise they lose their appeal, which is a shame, as its only a few of their motors that destroy themselves but in chinese whispers the whole range gets tarred with the same brush.
What a load of "cods wallop"I have seen many Corollas/Camry's with up to 4-500,000 Ks on the clock.(they can be a lot more long lived than many "Euro's) at well under half for parts & servicing costs.As far as "interiors" go the Toyota's assembled here in OZ are fine(as well as the "imported"Hiluxes")Mazda has also a very good reputation for reliability & durability.Rust? Utter rubbish!That's is why they do so well in sales.CheersOldGermanHeaps said:
They aren't more popular because they have a stellar reputation for rust and engines going pop at low mileage, the reason you put up with nasty cheap plastic ugly interiors on many jap motors is their reliability and longevity, when you don't have that at least reputation wise they lose their appeal, which is a shame, as its only a few of their motors that destroy themselves but in chinese whispers the whole range gets tarred with the same brush.
What a load of "cods wallop"I have seen many Corollas/Camry's with up to 4-500,000 Ks on the clock.(they can be a lot more long lived than many "Euro's) at well under half for parts & servicing costs.As far as "interiors" go the Toyota's assembled here in OZ are fine(as well as the "imported"Hiluxes")Mazda has also a very good reputation for reliability & durability.Rust? Utter rubbish!That's is why they do so well in sales.CheersEdited by Hackney2 on Thursday 28th July 00:32
You sound foreign. In the uk mazdas rust like hell with all the salt on the road, they aren't as well rustproofed as the other asian brands. Also the majority of normal cars are diesel here, and the diesel mazdas have a well deserved monumental reputation for terminal expensive borkage, as do the rx8s. The other petrol ones are fine cars, but they arent very popular. I had a 2.0 626 and it was fine but it was rusty, and the interior while hard wearing was ugly and not luxurious, which i forgiven it as it was very cheap as no one wants to buy them.
Yes i fully agree european cars are s
t too, but they have character and feel nice and luxurious which goes a long way.
I personally like the kias the best.
At what point did i say toyotas weren't reliable? They are the most reliable things going. st interiors though. I have fond memories of getting my hole in the back of a hilux so not all the interiors are bad.
Yes i fully agree european cars are s
t too, but they have character and feel nice and luxurious which goes a long way.I personally like the kias the best.
At what point did i say toyotas weren't reliable? They are the most reliable things going. s
t interiors though. I have fond memories of getting my hole in the back of a hilux so not all the interiors are bad.Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Thursday 28th July 01:19
Kia's sell "bucket" loads here as well(personally I don't like them,)but ... They are under the same "umbrella"as Hyundai motor Corp.Just think "Euro's are way over priced for what they are.With Toyota("Whitegoods on wheels") I was giving an example.(sorry if you took it the wrong way.)Mazda has had no issues with Diesel as far as I am aware in this country(petrol is still by far and away the bigger seller in all brands.)Cheers
Edited by Hackney2 on Thursday 28th July 02:03
Rust. Rust. Rust.
The damn things turn into flaky heaps within a few years. The BiL had a 6 that died because the tin worm got in around the bulkhead and caused it to flex under acceleration and braking so that was the end of that. The 2l petrol engine was still sweet as could be at 120k however.
A guy at work had an 04 plate 3 that just erupted in rust patches all over itself like boils on a crack wes face. No way a respray was saving that. Scrapped.
Couple that with slimy shiny plastic interiors and your money buys a lot more zoom zoom elsewhere.
Oh, and if you buy an MPS model you get sent to Mazda UK HQ for reprogramming to turn you into the guy that has to tell everybody how it's the fastest thing on the roads ever.
The damn things turn into flaky heaps within a few years. The BiL had a 6 that died because the tin worm got in around the bulkhead and caused it to flex under acceleration and braking so that was the end of that. The 2l petrol engine was still sweet as could be at 120k however.
A guy at work had an 04 plate 3 that just erupted in rust patches all over itself like boils on a crack w
es face. No way a respray was saving that. Scrapped.Couple that with slimy shiny plastic interiors and your money buys a lot more zoom zoom elsewhere.
Oh, and if you buy an MPS model you get sent to Mazda UK HQ for reprogramming to turn you into the guy that has to tell everybody how it's the fastest thing on the roads ever.
Hainey said:
Rust. Rust. Rust.
The damn things turn into flaky heaps within a few years. The BiL had a 6 that died because the tin worm got in around the bulkhead and caused it to flex under acceleration and braking so that was the end of that. The 2l petrol engine was still sweet as could be at 120k however.
A guy at work had an 04 plate 3 that just erupted in rust patches all over itself like boils on a crack wes face. No way a respray was saving that. Scrapped.
Couple that with slimy shiny plastic interiors and your money buys a lot more zoom zoom elsewhere.
Oh, and if you buy an MPS model you get sent to Mazda UK HQ for reprogramming to turn you into the guy that has to tell everybody how it's the fastest thing on the roads ever.
..ahh, but these were cars made in the early 2000s. Is it fair that Mazda still gets slated for rust issues when as far as I know the models built after the mid 2000s (When Ford input was less) are not afflicted in the same way? In fact the phase 2 Mazda 6 from 2005 onwards is generally much better, the gen 2 Mazda 6, well I haven't seen a rusty one yet and the earliest ones date from 2007. The E46 BMWs had issues with rust but I don't hear people saying BMWs are rust buckets...The damn things turn into flaky heaps within a few years. The BiL had a 6 that died because the tin worm got in around the bulkhead and caused it to flex under acceleration and braking so that was the end of that. The 2l petrol engine was still sweet as could be at 120k however.
A guy at work had an 04 plate 3 that just erupted in rust patches all over itself like boils on a crack w
es face. No way a respray was saving that. Scrapped.Couple that with slimy shiny plastic interiors and your money buys a lot more zoom zoom elsewhere.
Oh, and if you buy an MPS model you get sent to Mazda UK HQ for reprogramming to turn you into the guy that has to tell everybody how it's the fastest thing on the roads ever.
Rust aside, the point I was trying to make in my post is that Mazda have been building fine handling cars for a few years now, but unlike Peugeot in the 90s and Ford in the 00s, it seems to have largely gone un-noticed by petrolheads.
IMHO The newer mazdas are among the best looking car ranges on the road. I think its a sort of badge snob/heritage culture thing. Pre conceived ideas in GB say, you want a cheaper, middle of the road vehicle buy Vaux/Ford/Nissanetc.
I never even remembered mazda when I was buying 3/4 years ago. I have recently decided the next family car will prob/possibly be a mazda due to reliability and lately looks.
I never even remembered mazda when I was buying 3/4 years ago. I have recently decided the next family car will prob/possibly be a mazda due to reliability and lately looks.
X5TUU said:
MX5 - feminine and hairdresser
Exactly what I said to my friend when he bought one back in 2007, when we both had front-drive hot-hatches we were crazy about.He embraced the image and made self-depreciating jokes to go along with it. But every now and again, he'd go on about how good it was to drive. He later got an S2000, kept it for a year, and then went back to an MX-5, which he still has and has now won two AutoSolo events outright in; a completely stock NB S-VT. Something the AP1 S2000 came close to but failed to acheive due to the rear-diff and whole rear end just not being as consistent.
Last year while my FD was being rebuilt, I spent a few weeks in an NB, and they really are fantastic. It's just mad how a Fiesta ST 150 with the same power to weight ratio, but with a nose heavy chassis, shonky rear suspension setup, and front wheel drive seems to have some kind of awesome sporty lads car reputation, and yet an MX-5 still has some dated 90's one. Amongst 'car people' anyway, not amongst drivers.
And I always thought the same until I drove one on track. They punch well above their bhp/weight.
Hainey said:
Rust. Rust. Rust.
I wonder who's responsible for sealing them for the UK? I have a 20 year old RX-7 that was imported in 2005, and it's spotless, but it was also expertly undersealed by whoever imported it, as the Japanese climate, and how the deal with snow just doesn't need it as much as we do.Edited by routari on Thursday 28th July 13:15
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