|
Not that I'm biased but I hope he enjoys the crashy ride and the awful interior of the Leon as the flat red paint turns pink. (joke)
Academic now but the performance from both the Audi and the Mazda would be meagre to say the least. Was the Audi a poverty, poverty spec 1.6 or just a poverty spec FSI? The joys of VAG cambelts and water pumps. No doubt its a nicer car to sit in, possibly a nicer ride too but when new it was probably £4-5K more than the mazda and its 2 years older now. At 7 years, maybe due a cambelt next year? How much will that cost at the dealer? ££££
The Mazda, well it will depend on whether its an early or late 2006 model but overall it is more than adequate and I've not suffered any bad dealer experiences. 'S' spec is poverty spec - avoid because of the hideous beige interior, 'TS' spec - better (dark) interior, alloys, air con, etc , TS2 - bigger wheels, more kit including ESP. My late 06, 1.6 petrol TS, chain driven cam ;) model is on 70k miles without a (mechanical) problem and I've owned it from new. Its a little worrying to find an example with only 17k miles though. Later 06 models have better kit, better claimed economy, better sound insulation. Economy will really depend on how you drive but mine only started getting regular decent returns (around 40mpg) once I got 40k miles under its belt. Even spending a several years crawling through 2miles of city traffic with a cold engine every morning before hitting the m-way still got me to average 35mpg which is fair rather than awful. You need to keep it below 3.5k rpm / 70mph in 5th on the motorway to see north of 40mpg which can slow progress somewhat. The OEM wheels will be corroded and the body and structure will rust well before the Audi too but mechanically I'd bet on the Mazda. The only potential fly in the ointment is if it was a TS2 as there is the potential for the dreaded Teves MK 60 fault with the ABS/ESP but this is also a problem on VAG cars although you're unlikely to get it on the poverty spec A3. Fortunately, dealers are now repairing at around £350 instead of replacing for £1500. If the car is 06, it will be due its 6 yr service next year whether its done 17k miles or the expected 75k miles. This will be quite pricey as there are a number of 2yr and 3 yr items that are due together. £££ (less than a VAG dealer cam belt and service I suspect)
Given the fickleness of the British public, the Audi will probably still be worth more than the Mazda in a few years time.
On a general note, it never ceases to amaze me when people say that cars like these are too slow. They are modern cars that weigh well over a ton and get approx 100hp for their small petrol engines, what do you expect? For instance, the Mazda has a fairly short 5 speed gear box and the accelerator pedal goes all the way to the floor, so use both and its got more than enough power for driving on British roads. The only time its lacking is if you are impatient enough to want to overtake on normal single carriageways but that is a problem that affects all the naturally aspirated petrol cars of this type. The 1.8 Civic is a little better in this regard but it does have the benefit of 40 more horses.
Modern turbo diesels have made British drivers lazy.
|
