I am looking to purchase a new car and have had a look at the new Mazda 3 TS. Have also been looking at the Golf and Civic.

Mazda has never been an option for me in the past and have mostly been with VW, however, I quite like the Mazda 3 and it is my main contender at the moment. As I have never own or even know anyone who has owned a Mazda can anyone offer some advise on issues or build quality and reliability sort of stuff. Also any other advice re Mazda would be welcome.

Thanks

 

Since you owned a couple of VW's you should know there main problem with there electical problem and just because it a newer car dont mean the bs has stopped (acutually current vw breakdowns are becoming more current).

As for the mazda....well it depends on what year you get, 04 is 1st gen so a couple annoices will come with it, 05 and 06 seem to be the golden year nothing major happening with them, 07-09 have been having some pretty embarrassing failures such as power steering, motor mounts, dead batteries and craptastic tires, and as for the 2010 well if you want an all around ugly pos with minor suspension and motor upgrade from previous years then thats what you can go with.

Civic....pick any year and you will be happy with it plain and simple BUT....um...o yea there mugen lines are pretty much junk, the si series is really nice though, i really cant think of anything bad to say about them, there pretty fkin reliable, look nice, handle and have decent power behind them, sporty and comfortable interior, the ONLY downside i can think of is that no matter what year you get they can be stolen with ease and in less than 10min no matter how many alarms you have on them.

 

I suppose you could pick from many different cars but, it looks like you have more than a passing interest in the Mazda.
Why else would one join a mazda forum?
I don't care for the looks of the 2010 Mazda line.
My favorite is the 2006 which I own.
The only problem (other than noisy tires) I have had was a transmission module which was an easy fix for the dealer.
I can't see spending a lot of money to get a newer version of what I already have.
I would say, you will be just as happy with a pre-owned 05 or 06 hatchback, and you will save money by not buying a brand new vehicle.
You can click on the link in my signature and see just how great these hatchbacks look, regardless of color.
Even if I had never owned this car, I would say it is one great looking vehicle.
Bob.