Expat opinion

I've written you in the past, when we lived in the UK, but we’re now in Maryland. I'm considering selling my two aging vehicles - a 1994 Honda Civic with 200k miles and a 1999 Nissan Sentra - for a 2010 Mazda 3. I think the new Mazda 3s are much sharper, but my mechanic says stick to Honda and Toyota since Mazda parts, he claims, are pricier and the cars in general aren't quite so reliable. That surprised me. Your thoughts? My real issue is the car I want: 40mpg, sporty, and under $22k - is not yet available on the diesel-loathing US market. Should I hold out 2 years and hope my trusty Civic continues to perform, with the Nissan as a backup?

Asked on 5 September 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

1.6 litre Mazda 3s use UK made PSA/Ford diesel engines. 2.2 litre Mazda 3s use Japanese Mazda made diesels. In testing we all actually preferred the 1.6 petrol engine (with manual transmission, of course), and that will average 40+ miles per imperial gallon in nor per US gallon. Honda, too, does its own chain cam 2.2 diesel. But I'd have thought the best model for you would be the Honda City 4-door version of the Jazz/Fit, with 120PS 1.5 engine and 5-speed automatic transmission. I got about 43 imperial mpg out of one of these testing in Thailand, which is about 36 US mpg. Test and video at: www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=363

Tags: buying buying abroad new cars

Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:

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