My GolfGTI-owning American lady friend is homing in on a Mazda 3 TS with 25,000 miles on it at a South London Mazda dealer. She has always fancied one of these and after driving it says she feels it's just the perfect car for her.
The dealer is asking £6.7k with a year's full manufacturer warranty and all the usual dealer flimflam. She has told the dealer 6 is top whack for her and left him a bit of time to think about it, see if he calls, that sort of thing. She hasn't even mentioned the sound but somewhat sclerotic GTI Mk 1 (or is it a 2? 1 I think) with BBS wheels, which she says dealers won't give more than £500 for in PE, but is toying with the idea of offering it plus £5,500 to see what the dealer will say. She is far better than I am at this sort of thing being an accountant.
Just wondered if any expert had any comment on any of this, or anything to add to HJ's generally very favourable CBCB material on the Mazda 3. I seem to remember someone going on about piston slap in a 3 recently.
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Nothing more than a Focus with a cheaper interior. Unless cheaper than equivalent Focuses in the area, wouldn't bother with it.
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Americans do seem to have a very different sense of style don't they ? It's probably a fine car. Wonder why she doesn't want a newer GTi or something. Deal sounds OK but no more than that really.
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"Americans do seem to have a very different sense of style don't they ?" My goodness Humph. Are you a diplomat? "Americans" and "style" in the same sentence? I wish I could come up with tactful comments like that.
JH
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Wonder why she doesn't want a newer GTi or something. Deal sounds OK but no more than that really.
One dealer was trying to get her to buy a much more recent GTI for the sort of money she has, and she was half-convinced. I argued vehemently against it on the ground that she is one of nature's mimsers and really, really didn't need a sporting sort of car. Her present GTI hasn't gone over 50 in her hands I am sure, although I gave it a blast in the country and it's still good - zipped up to 70 in third eagerly - although the valve stem seals have gone. She said as she got more used to driving she would perhaps go a bit quicker. I said she would have to go a damn sight quicker under all conditions to justify a GTI. In the end she reluctantly agreed.
She doesn't live near me and goes to local garages I don't know. My feeling is that a proper Mazda dealer, fingers crossed, will keep her car honest without ripping her off. If that is the case a deal that is merely 'all right' seems OK.
Edited by Lud on 16/10/2008 at 23:18
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I had forgotten: she checked insurance for a late GTI and it was very steep as she only passed her test recently. She knows she can afford the insurance for the Mazda. Her old GTI is on the insurance she always had with her husband, my late friend. And it's an old one.
She's already reregistered it - the old number was a saleable one but she didn't get any decent bids for it on Ebay, so she thinks it will go on whatever car she gets.
She really likes the way Mazdas look. Cute is the word.
Edited by Lud on 16/10/2008 at 23:31
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Is the GTi a "doer upper"? I mean for you maybe or some other enthusiast?
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I can't afford it, but it's a nice solid example needing a grand or two's worth of shock absorbers, engine fettling, suspension rubbers, brake bits and so on. Unassisted steering feels awful after years of Skoda Estelles and power steering, until you get the speed up to the car's proper level, then you don't notice it...
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I had one like that a long time ago when it was new. On an "F" reg whatever that was. Nice drive but as you say heavy to drive without PAS. It was replaced by another GTi 16v, that time with bigger 16" wheels I think on an "H" plate. That had power steering and was much more pleasant in slow moving situations. Last of the catless GTis. Fine car but took a lot more rev awareness than the old 8v and it was quite a bit thirstier too. Wish I still had it though. Well I wish I still had it in the condition it was when I did have it if you see what I mean.
Sounds as though your friend should be looking at the Mazda or a suitable alternative after all.
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Her old GTI is on the insurance she always had with her husbandmy late friend.
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If her GTI is on her late husband's policy, she should check that she is still insured. I assume that she is a named driver, but with her husband no longer with us, she can hardly claim not to be the main driver of the GTI, and this will be a "material fact" in the eyes of any insurer, I think. I hope the insurers will look at this sympathetically and continue cover for her at reasonable rates, but I think it's better to disclose this rather than have a prang and find that the cover has been invalidated. Hopefully, she has done this already
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I have no doubt at all that she will have sorted herself out legally. She's not the sort of person to neglect something like that.
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You can get a 12-18 mth Focus/Astra for little more than that 3 yr old Mazda
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Not so. The 3 might share the C1 platform with the Focus 2, but they drive surprisingly differently. The residuals are also better, and since they're Japanese-built - in Japan - you'd expect the build quality to be superior as well. All the surveys I've seen certainly bear that out.
The 1.6 is pleasant enough, but rather gutless, and the post 2006 facelift cars are better in terms of refinement. The saloon is much the better looker compared to the hatch though.
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Not so. The 3 might share the C1 platform with the Focus 2 but they drive surprisingly differently.
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That should be a concern then because the Focus is universally praised as being the best drive in the class.
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Firstly the Focus tends to be somewhat over-lauded by the motoring press in this regard, and "best" to drive really depends on what you're looking for.
They're both capable cars but they were developed independently of each other, and it shows. The earlier observation that Mazda 3 is nothing more than a "Focus with a cheaper interior" is nonsense.
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First the Golf. Look at off loading that through a Golf owners club.
People will still pay good money for a genuine unmolested MK2 GTi.
I hired a Mazda3 TS 5 door hatch about two years ago.
The car was different to drive, nothing like a Focus, much heavier and required working the 1.6 engine harder to make any progress, though appreciate this is not how your friend will drive.
Fuel costs were scary even then. I pretty sure I averaged less than 30mpg driving mainly on motorways. I don't normally remember every car I hire but I do remember this one for its thirst.
Edited by gmac on 17/10/2008 at 12:04
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