Mazda 3 MPS

[NitroDann]

Honestly i know everyone wants to believe that their superior german car is superior but no one who works on this stuff for a living will agree.

John Cadogan is 110% spot on, but few are as brave as he is, its a big risk to rubbish the luxury euro manufacturers as a journo, they will just cut your access to the cars.

Even base model VWs like my partners 2005 beetle (golf) is a complete shitbox and thats without all the complication of a higher end model. From interior hinges made of hungry jacks toy plastic to unnecessary complications in the engineering causing it to overheat in anything but the mildest weather, to beinh incredibly difficult to work on and electronics where they never needed to be causing it spend half its life in limp mode it just sucks all around. These issues are rampant in euro luxury brands but unheard of in japanese appliances.

I know how obtuse i am being but its dead honest. You can buy an entire reliable toyota family car for the cost of timing belt and water pump replacement on most current gen euros. Now you can argue that you dont want to drive a 2008 corolla all you want and thats fair but in terms of practical use its just as good as 90% of what is out there at getting your kids to school safely and your partner to their work or the shops.

Dann

[speed]

One of the things that led me to buy used VW's is the way that they are built.
I started out by buying written off cars and repairing them.
The golf's were much stronger than jap cars and that was clearly seen in the salvage yards.
I've never come across weak door hinges but maybe because my experience is with older models.


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[lucmor444]

I am continuing the off topic discussion on VWs and door hinges. Owned a few VW over recent years including 2 Passats, a Mk6 Golf and now a Mk7 Golf. Son also just purchased a V6 Passat CC, which, as noted, has a high quality interior and while not a sporty drive still better than many comparable vehicles.

I do know the Mk7 door hinges are crap - thin little metal pieces that do not hold door open at a half way point and struggle to hold door open on any kind of slope.

VW, like many manufacturers, are cutting costs while appearing to add quality. Common touch points on the Mk7 are nice but less so than the Mk6 (eg rear door card tops on Mk7 are hard plastic compared to soft plastics on Mk6). Money is being saved on those items you are unlikely to immediately notice in the showroom or over general driving. Car manufacturers will play the game to make the most money they can and cut costs where they think the consumer can bear it - that's their business. Look what Mazda did with their door handles after the NA series.

[jaycrab]

Now you can argue that you dont want to drive a 2008 corolla all you want and thats fair but in terms of practical use its just as good as 90% of what is out there at getting your kids to school safely and your partner to their work or the shops.

Dann

This.

I agree that Japanese (and some Korean) cars are more reliable and cheaper to run than Euros, but for me, life's too short to waste in a boring car... It's the extra 10% that makes all the difference, nothing to do with 'wank' factor or trying to impress people. The beauty of the MX5 is that it has mazda reliability as well as character, which I found severely lacking in the Mazda 3.

The quirks and weird features of French/Italian cars may be costly to repair but similarly make them interesting and fun to own. My next (third) Alfa will hopefully be a Giulia QV in 10 years after the initial owner takes a 150k depreciation hit. Sure - I'm likely to spend 5-10k per year in service and repairs but to me it's more than worth it.

The Passat is my first German and so far I can't fault it. It's quicker than both the Aurion TRD and stock VE SS, with heaps more tech and standard features. Buying used I saved 50k on the RRP so the way I see it, if it needs a DSG rebuild or any major work, I'm still well ahead AND I get to enjoy a nicer car in the process.

[JBT]

Our cars are collectively worth about $35,000 but I love them all for different reasons. The MX-5 was the only one bought new.

2009 Mazda6 Hatchback 5 speed auto- great for carting grandkids, family, loads of stuff and general boring daily driving. Very nice to drive along the highway too. An excellent appliance and Mrs JBT calls it hers.
2007 MX-5 6 speed manual - best fun two can have with their pants on and the top down.
2008 BMW E82 135i 6 speed manual -an absolute blast as a twin turbo, RWD, pocket rocket, coupe with 225 Kw, 400 Nm and sun roof. Pure driving pleasure anywhere and it can still carry the golf clubs and up to 4 people - preferably little ones in the back seat. It'll probably break my heart one day but, I try to stay ahead of maintenance issues. Mrs JBT is scared of it so I get to drive it all the time.

[NitroDann]

Extra 10% more recalls, dsg failures, roadside assist callouts..?

[Lokiel]

I agree with a lot of nitros comments. The trouble with the car world is that truth is often one of the casualties about vehicles and their makes and faults service etc. I still have a copy of the Dog and Lemon Guide which few averages punters would read ,or if they did perhaps reckon it was all fairy tales. A mate bought a Euro used 4WD at considerable cost and told me that the well know model got terrific reviews- he never read the D&L and there was no way I would have mentioned it after the event-. The modern equivalent is John Cadogan Auto expert- Australian guy. If nothing else his on line commentaries are highly entertaining and at times eye watering. His views on VW don't seem to bear any resemblance to the sycophant main stream RACV etc who rap up cars that dont deserve it. I guess the writers have to be careful otherwise they dont get work as journos etc. Its all about business.

Japanese cars in general have a good reputation but there are exceptions where Japanese ownership has been watered down- you know .. dont you.

John Cadogan's YouTube videos are quite enlightening and really opened my eyes on the car industry (eg. Kia and Hyundai have really lifted their game, German brands lowering quality to chase the lowest-end of the luxury market, Nissan dropping the ball completely).
He's the guy that first alerted me to the woes of the Holden range, aside from the Commodore which is at the very least a decent car, and several employees at Holden dealerships have subsequently confirmed this to me.

If you want to buy a new car, it's definitely worth seeing his opinion of the car for an honest "warts and all view" of the car and better/worse alternatives.
eg. You want to buy a Ford Explorer or whatever the Holden equivalent is. After reading Cadogan's opinions you'll end up with a Kia or Hyundai, they slaughter the Ford and Holden in every category.

If you're after a Mercedes C class, you obviously wont settle for anything less than a European mark, but Cadogan's review will make you think more than twice about paying that much for the car just because it has the Mercedes emblem on it.

[jaycrab]

You could make the same argument about modified cars being less reliable and having higher running costs. It's all risk vs reward.

[NitroDann]

You certainly can, but you wont find a guy in a thousand horsepower gtr pretending its more reliable than an i30.

[NitroDann]

but Cadogan's review will make you think more than twice about paying that much for the car just because it has the Mercedes emblem on it.

x 10

"Its just... better quality... you know..?"

Lol ok mate, enjoy your 4th gearbox.

[jaycrab]

You certainly can, but you wont find a guy in a thousand horsepower gtr pretending its more reliable than an i30.

Who's pretending Euro's are more reliable? I'll I'm saying is I'm aware of the potential issues and accept them as a cost of ownership.

[JBT]

Extra 10% more recalls, dsg failures, roadside assist callouts..?

Yeah, that reminds me...the Mazda6 driver's seat has to be checked lest it fail during operation. https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mazda-australia-pty-ltd-mazda2-mazda3-mazda6

[NitroDann]

You certainly can, but you wont find a guy in a thousand horsepower gtr pretending its more reliable than an i30.

Who's pretending Euro's are more reliable? I'll I'm saying is I'm aware of the potential issues and accept them as a cost of ownership.

Lots of people. I can see youre being honest and realistic but that isnt the norm in my experience.

[Lokiel]

Extra 10% more recalls, dsg failures, roadside assist callouts..?

Yeah, that reminds me...the Mazda6 driver's seat has to be checked lest it fail during operation. https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mazda-australia-pty-ltd-mazda2-mazda3-mazda6

You had me worried there for a minute about my SP23 - the recall applies to the BL thankfully (SP23 is BK series - ie. the earlier model with the less try-hard exterior/interior and no-dopey Mazda grille grin)

[Lokiel]

Honestly i know everyone wants to believe that their superior german car is superior but no one who works on this stuff for a living will agree.
:
Dann

Many moons ago, when I just started work, I had to go to our Sydney office for some training.
Luckily for me, one of the managers was also on the flight so offered to drive me in his rental BMW 5 series rather than catching a cab.
I still remember throwing some stuff into the back seat and shutting the door - that sound was magical and I did it twice more just to hear it again.
The manager knew exactly what I was doing and said "Never been in a Beamer before have you?"
I come from working class stock so an early model Holden Calais was the most luxurious car I'd ever been in to that point - the 5 series was leap-years ahead in terms of build quality.
After that I decided that one day I'd own a BMW.

After talking to mechanics through the years, who all said the same thing, I decided that I would NEVER buy a BMW. They're difficult to work on, are hideously expensive to fix, the electrics are dodgy and the plastics do not hold up well in the Australian sun.

That's why I love Japanese cars - reliable (the Japanese have always nailed electrics better than most), easy to work on (I'm always impressed when I need to remove/replace something and see the engineering that was used to make it possible without needing to disassemble a bazillion other components to get at it), cheap to fix and the plastics tend to hold up better than most.