I owned a Subaru up til the end of last year when it was unfortunately written off by floods. 8 years, smashed around a race track frequently, not a thing went wrong with it.
The AC might only seem to be an issue if they don't understand how HVAC works.
So he recommends a Nissan which more than likely has a shitty CVT but says Mazda is a no go? Mazda is the second best seller in Australia you shouldn't have any issues should something go wrong with the amount of spare parts and support on the market.
My brand new Mazda 3 SP25 (2009) (manual) was flawless for ~9 years. Then it basically shat the bed in the space of 2 years. Multiple parts replaced then eventually ABS/Traction control broke and was too much to repair (even tried replacing the module with a second hand part).
Had to sell it at ~175k on the clock.
Bit of a shame, loved that car. Loved driving manual (when I didn’t live in the city)
But I know loads of people that have had them for way longer than me and swear by them. It really is luck if the draw sometimes.
I like mazdas but i can see why a mechanic would say avoid them.
Their parts pricing is kinda shit. So for long term I wouldnt chance it if you had an alterrnative.
Like I do quite love the current Mazda 3 SP25 especially with the manual and if you love it then you pay the price.
But if you're an NPC then I would go with one of the majors and not bother.
My sister's CX-7 did similar with running fantastically for a stretch and then needing code resets regularly because the ECU would have it running like dogsh*t.
Mazda 3 SP23 (2008) here and we had the exact same issue, was great until 10 years in and all of a sudden it seemed to turn into a piece of shit overnight, donks coming from everywhere, seats falling apart, sensor issues the list goes on. Don’t know how we are even going to sell it now, I might just dump it somewhere.
yeah this fucken sub reddit is no different from any other motoring forum
so many self proclaimed 'experts' who maybe have driven one.... once... five years ago.
to me i kind of dont want to 'get to know' certain cars but thru work and what have you i have to learn the ins and outs and as far as the T32 Xtrail goes, the CVT is pretty damn good, in fact a LOT better as far as reliability goes than many other brands...
the only caveat is you should do a $200 service at say 75,000km
and that's it... it'll outlast the car. There's nothing really in the T32 to go wrong because the car has no fucken decent tech in it.
If you run the car over 100,000km WITHOUT a service then you run the risk like any other car. Further Nissan do themselves no favors by saying that dont need service. They do grenade at 150,000km if you do nothing and then expect a $4,000 bill.
However I will caution that by saying every other Nissan CVT is trash EXCEPT the T32. I wouldnt touch any other CVT.
Source. i worked with a company that had fleet of them. My wife has one. My dad has one and my inlaws has one. And I've become a defacto T32 expert.
btw. they also drive like just about any other auto except when you hammer it and then it rubber bands a bit.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people
you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.
Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.
the 'problem' with many one make forums is theyre full of one eyed cockheads who think their brand is the best and everything else is trash.
if you're truly interested in a car you really need to become a quasi expert in that model if you want to save money and not get ripped.
Most people on this sub have legit no idea
👍👍 Spot on mate. It’s just like the EuROs aRE ExPEnsIvE To FiX crowd. Almost all are just regurgitating something they heard or read here.
Like wise those that no little always complain about CVT but in reality, they’re fine. My wife’s old outlander had over 120,000 and we only got out of it because I wrote it off. And I towed a bit in it without issue
And I have a few in the fleet of cars I maintain that have done well over 200,000 with no issues.
Yeah I’ve had the old failure but I’ve had plenty of regular automatic transmissions fail as well
We had the original x trail as one of the family cars. It was manual and it was flawless. I should have bought it off my dad but he traded it in for a 2nd gen Outlander with CVT. It was gutless and I hated it whenever I drove it but it also gave no trouble.
I have a 2018 nissan with cvt done 330k klm and cvt is still totally fine, people just jump on the bandwagon when they don't actually know anything about the product.
Engine went before the cvt but that is because first owner (rental company) did not do its first or second service before I bought it with 40k on the odo and whoever they had leased it to had put some sort of additive to the engine oil but still got over 300k before failure. I do service the cvt every 50-70k too though
I’ve got firsthand experience with a 2018 Pulsar CVT (which admittedly had a rough life as a rental) and it straight up felt like the pedal, transmission and engine were communicating across different timezones. There was such a delay in inputs and they were so vaguely followed.
I understand that it’s a cockroach which will never fully die, but man that car was rough.
One doesn’t need to experience something first hand to accept it as fact.
Nissan Jatco CVT’s are absolute garbage. Your one good experience doesn’t nullify the mass failures these transmissions have experienced, and the horrific ownership experiences they have inflicted upon their unfortunate buyers.
https://www.hotcars.com/heres-the-terrible-transmission-that-might-kill-nissan/
Ok, that’s just one article out of hundreds on the net.
You can defend it as much as you like (confirmation bias perhaps?), but there is more than ample evidence out there to suggest that these transmissions are hot garbage.
Comparing them to competitors is a nonsense argument, it doesn’t make Nissan’s any less shit just because the competition have failures as well.
Why are you so hell bent on people having to experience something for themselves before being able to provide commentary on the subject?
In that case, I guess I can safely presume you believe nothing of what you read on the internet, see on TV or hear on the radio unless you yourself have first hand knowledge and experience?
Do I need to saw off my leg to know that it hurts?
Interesting point of view I must say.
I’m happy to accept the multiple sources I’ve read about the rubbish CVT’s in Nissans.
Fuck me, there’s even [a website](http://www.nissanproblems.com/cvt/) dedicated to the subject. ‘Nissanproblems.com/cvt/ 🤣
To be fair, "over 100,000km" is nothing outstanding these days. Pretty much any car will manage that easily even if you skip services.
Over 200,000 isn't even unusual if it has been serviced properly.
I mean, there's also people who have had experiences with them and would rather ride a bike in the tasmanian winter than rely on them. Just because your experience is different doesn't mean somebody elses isn't also true.
This may be a circle jerk, but you're almost acting like we're all being paid off to not like Nissans...
> I've got a 2020 Nissan Xtrail and have put over 100,000km on it
So, barely used then? If it needed repairs by that point it'd be a totally lemon. You're celebrating the bare minimum expectations.
These are notes from my family’s trusted mechanic. His comments seem to fit the general consensus - except for the Mazda..?
What does CarsAustralia think? Mechanic just had a few unusual bad experiences? I believe it’s in reference to some engine replacements.
I was looking at purchasing a 3-6 year old Mazda CX-5 (so won’t be covered by warranty by long, if at all) but this is putting me off. I have talked to quite a few owners and researched online but have not found any significant evidence.
Found this online but hardly seems a reliable study… https://www.bandt.com.au/mazda-is-australias-least-reliable-car-model-according-to-google-searches/
I only know of a few people who bought Mazda’s with that diesel engine and all of them had problems with it. One of them had to get the engine replaced in their 6.
Their methodology is ridiculous. Using Google searches per approximate cars sold to generate a rating; totally irrelevant when discussing the severity, cost, or consequences of a fault.
Both Canstar and Choice have given Mazda high marks based on surveys for years. Mazda in Japan, Europe and US also have a good reputation. The only consistent concern I've seen is that their paint is remarkably thin and needs to be maintained more than others. Otherwise reliable, driver focused, somewhat luxury cars. I am biased, because I like my 3.
My sister has a diesel CX-5 and has a lot of issues with the engine so I would avoid any diesel models. I had a few 80s and 90s Mazdas and they were fantastic but too long ago to be relevant I guess.
My diesel 6 wagon has also had some super weird issues. It’s been blamed in electrics, but I’m still not super convinced. Fuckin thing cut out whilst driving. Not fun. I’d Deffo avoid Mazda diesel OP
Their diesel engines are weird.
I've had two Mazda's, both 2012's, both with the MZR-CD 2.2 turbo diesels. The Mazda 3 has 730,000km on it and drives perfect with its origional engine. The other is a CX-7 with 84,000km and the engine had bottom end bearing failure.
I had a Mazda 323 SP20 when I was young and it was an awesome little car. Big burley guy in a yellow hatchback was a sight to behold.
The Skyactiv diesels had oil displacement problems.
From memory, this was caused by the DPF cycle (which uses extra diesel in the ignition chamber to raise exhaust temps and complete the DPF) causing excessive fuel to bypass the piston rings, diluting engine oil and raising the oil level, potentially resulting in catastrophic engine issues.
Eg-
https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mazda-cx-5-54/cx5-d-engine-oil-level-high-44788/
Yes, this is true, but I believe the issue has been resolved. Ours didn’t have a problem until nearly 30,000km and was fixed at the next service. No catastrophic engine issues here.
I am biased though, and would pick a Mazda everyday of the week.
That’s great to hear they got a fix for it. I remember reading all sorts of horror stories at the time on whirlpool- I was in the market for a 6 wagon at the time and couldn’t figure out if I should go petrol or diesel, and went with petrol in the end.
My experience has been the same as yours - 4 of the 5 cars I have ever owned have been Mazdas and they have all been trouble free.
I have 140,000 on my diesel CX-5. It had an issue with the engine relating to particulate build-up that was repaired under warranty, and it’s been fine since. The only other issue I’ve had is that the first battery failed within warranty, and was replaced by Mazda. The second one lasted five years.
I've known five owners of first gen Mazda 3s and the only time they've gotten rid of them is when the car's been crashed and written off. The others still have them - myself included. No issues other than general wear and tear.
I can't speak for all Mazda models but overall the more "simple" (i.e. 4 cyl petrol) models seem to be very reliable.
A friend of ours is running a beat-up 1st gen Mazda 3. The exterior is trashed but the mechanics are sound. She said she'd run it until it dies, but at nearly 400,000 ks I think it'll outlive us all. Just an anecdote though
Yeah, someone wrote off my one, but only juuuust enough to damage the frame and make it uneconomical to repair. I got one with a clapped out motor and suspension for cheap (looks like someone didn't do oil changes on time) and I'm swapping it all over in my spare time.
It's pretty nice to work on when you take your time with it.
If cars which are easy to fix and for not too much money or have part availability problems, and don't break down too much is his business, then sure .
Subarus are a pain in the ass and have issues
Nissans always have trans issues
The asx has a thing on electrical issues according to goog outlander seems fine
Hyundai have big engine issues rn
RAV4 seems to be the least reliable Toyota ever with A SINGLE ISSUE someone’s getting fired from that 🤣🤣🤣🤣 only 02 sensor
Mazda named most reliable brand in 2022 but a known clutch issue on some cars
Euro cars are hard to get parts on so people tend to not repair them same with Chinese cars people tend to ditch em because they’re cheap and not repair them
>If a mechanic actively avoids working on euro cars...
Or maybe they don't want the hassle. Euro cars can be more complicated, particularly with electrical features. So when things start to go wrong they can be a bit "buggy." I take my old C class Merc to a Mercedes specialist, because he's only dealing with them he's familiar with what goes wrong and how to fix it. As an example, I got an error message that a tail light bulb had blown. Turns out that after a while (about 200,000km) the wiring at the light wore through where it rubs the bodywork. The "official" fix was to buy a new section of wiring harness at $300 per side, my mechanic just soldered a new length of wire in with an extra insulator so it would last longer, and charged me $50 for both. A non-specialist would just read the code and replace.
I drive a European car. 2019 Audi.
My husband who’s an automotive electrician and owns his own workshop hates working on European cars mostly because a) the parts are more expensive than a lot of other vehicles b) those parts are also hard to *source* so you’re paying big coin, stuffing around trying to find a supplier, then probably waiting an eternity. They have a lot of electrical parts (higher end cars? More technologically advanced?) and therefore when something goes wrong with the electrics it’s more likely to be a headache compared to say a Japanese car.
So whilst he accepts work that comes in on European cars and will book the jobs in, and is happy for me to drive one, he’s really not a fan of working on them and does an internal eyeroll whenever one comes into the workshop. But if the parts are pricier, you just pass that cost onto the customer, and if the job is more fiddly, you just explain to them that the labour cost is going to include all the time it takes to mess around with it. And you’re solid, doesn’t matter so much. 💯
This is BS. Subarus have unreliable engines, but their AC is famously great.
Why specifically the Outlander and ASX for Mitsubishi?
Why specifically the RAV4?
How about the numerous problems for certain Korean cars, and then how some models are great?
Why just the X-Trail? It has its problems, other models aren't much worse or better generally, of course there are loads of exceptions.
Blanket "No euro" statement when some VWs are decently reliable, not all of course.
Mazda has rust issues and questionable diesel engines but unless you live in a very snowy area (which not many people do) then that isn't an issue. The diesel has problems but then so do Nissan CVTs which are more widespread...
Entirely depends on where they are and what age. The older ones were regarded as unreliable but the failure points were limited and now cheaper to fix. Not that I'd ever buy one because they are still shitboxes. But most mazdas are shitboxes too.
Got to a different mechanic,
WTF? Toyota is expensive but out of all the brands compare it this way.
Over 200,000ks of ownership, how many times does the car leave you on the roadside (tyres and battery not counted). Or leave the customer with a service bill with 4 digits.
It would simply be anecdotal - this bloke has probably seen a few more mazdas than the mechanic down the road. A better sample would be the general consensus, Mazdas are great cars - just avoid the diesel ones.
How new are you looking btw? Old X-Trail - good. New X-trail (whatever year CVT started) - bad.
Anything Japanese is good as long as it’s been treated well and has a full service history. As a mechanic it’s my duty to say stay away from anything American or french and expect to pay on anything german.
Mazda nerd here, the Skyactiv diesels motors that have been around for a decade had a serious design flaw and are destined to fail, petrol cars from this period though are some of the most reliable vehicles on the road, biased opinion but the stats seem to favor them
We had to use one as a hire car while ours was in for repairs, worst car I’ve personally driven. The cruise control would fluctuate 10km under or over the set speed if there were any inclines, steering felt loose, interior was super glossy and blinded me in any sunlight. Even the brakes felt really spongy, and this car was 10 years younger than my car
That's because they end up in a scrapyard because it's more cost effective than keeping them running.
It's a dumb cliche that they simply need maintenance. So many design decisions and cheap plastic parts make it clear they aren't intended to last beyond the warranty and aren't supposed to be serviced by anyone but dealers.
Mazda Australia bend you over and screw you for parts availability and price. Ridiculously expensive for spares. Cheaper to buy the parts in NZ and bring into Australia (mind you, if you are thinking of doing that, its even cheaper to buy from Japan and import).
That might be the reason for your mechanics advice.
But, generally, it's specific models of cars you need to avoid, not brands, and it depends on vehicle age and mileage.
Recalls are a sign of aftersales support. Avoid the brands that rarely issue recalls - those are the brands that don't acknowledge problems with their product.
Buying anything is a compromise. Everyone can have their opinion, but it is your decision. You should just buy the car that best meets your needs.
Modern cars are more reliable than ever, despite the bullshit peddled out there.
A mechanic will tell you to buy the car that they like to work on. A race car driver will tell you to buy the car that they like to drive. An accountant will tell you to buy the cheapest.
For the record, I own a 2014 Volkswagen Golf. It has also been the most reliable car I’ve ever had. And I’ve owned Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi before.
I had a Diesel CX-5. It was a lemon and turned me off ever owning another Mazda. Had four Subaru’s and if they hadn’t bloated in their pursuit of the American market I’d recommend them again.
ASX’s I’ve only had as hire cars and I’d consider them unsafe at any speed. Never have I felt less in control of a car.
I usually trade before I hit that distance but I did have a Forester once that leaked out of both end seals and the Welch plugs, plus had the interior of the back box blown out as rusty dust, and still got $5k as a trade in. Chirped like a nest of baby birds after that one holiday to KI too. Shoulda kept it tho since I traded it on the CX-5, and well the Forester never left me stranded like the Mazda did on a nearly annual basis.
I should add - on the Mazda I had the oil dilution issues and even after the software update I found the only thing that kept the check engine light off was to do double the recommended oil change frequency. I had a turbo solenoid jam which ruined a snow holiday an hour into the drive, Mazda were kind enough to do that under warranty but I couldn’t fit chains on the other car (BMW) so no snow. Had the brakes replaced several times under warranty because they were under spec for such a heavy car and kept failing in ways that should have caused a recall for the model. I had the drivers seat replaced when it broke, hubs replaced when wheel bearings failed (sealed units).
Basically it was engineered down to be the very least they could get away with and if they got a lot of use it just fell apart. Put me off ever buying a Mazda again because I felt I was getting the least car, the least brakes, the least reliability and durability for the money they felt they could get away with. Never again.
Personal experience with a sample size of 1, and the Mazda dealers were great, but I was pleased to see it go.
X trail , no good. CVT models avoid like the plague.
Subaru , I would personally not buy unless I needed AWD and can afford more expensive maintenance. Bit thirsty on gas around town. Decent cars but avoid if you can’t see service history. Timing belt jobs are a bit more pricey than a regular 4 cylinder and rocker cover gaskets and spark plugs are a little bit more of a pain to do.
I have a 25 year old mazda in my garage and it still starts first pop every time , gets driven hard and spent all day at a race track and gave me no problems.
Suzukis are also very reliable.
This is always the issue with asking mechanics what car to buy. More often than not they recommend what is easy for them to work on and is the most reliable, not what is the best car.
Anyone that recommends an ASX should not ve listened to, such a terrible car
Hyundai & KIA are good value for money but AFAIK their petrol engines tend to shit themselves (there’s a class action suit in US, 500000 cars affected).
Chinese, depends. Chery? Sure, that’s horrible. LDV? Deliver 9 van is pretty good (and Ford Transit is as/less reliable as LDV Deliver 9)
As a Mazda owner I concur with this sentiment I'll never buy another Mazda after the president issues I've had with my 3 and the complete lack of fffs from the dealership or service centre.
Eh I think this is highly dependent on years and models. My 2004 Mazda 3 is still going well after about 20 years. However in the early 2000s I drove an older (90s?) Mazda 626 which was a piece of junk. Highly entertaining to drive though.
Edit: I was also driving a Subaru L Series for a while, the radiator caught alight one day and it was bye bye car.
I don’t think GR Yaris is bland. Nor the Morizo edition GR Corolla. They also listened to the market and are bringing the GR supra back in manual. One of the few companies still making cars for enthusiasts / race tracks
I don't care for the diesels of the either brand but H/K seem to always have issue with their petrol 4 cylinders.
Wouldnt have a clue on support but if H/K here is anything like the US, theyre great at turning buyers to the competition.
Better looking? Hyundai have some of the ugliest looking vehicles on the road, Kia has some good looking models.
And theyre Korean..? I see you have a bit of a thing for Korean stuff so youre biased anyway.
I have a thing for Korea and Japan, particularly the food, as I travel to both regularly. Both are similar in their ability to out compete rivals, with Koreans slightly more so. That is reflected in their automotive industries. H and K continue to edging ahead.
Wouldn't recommend a Kia as far as I could throw it. Had a 2020? Rio as a loaner and the thing felt like it would fall apart in a stiff breeze, acceleration was rubbish, gearbox shuddered when it changed gears.
Toyota's are reliable and easy to work on. Mitsubishi's are great in my experience. My best mate's parents had an X-Trail for 10 years until they downsized.
What are you after is the big question.
I’ve had an i30 diesel, and a Rio 1L turbo - both no major failures (total 10+ years). Yes, some niggles in each, but nothing big wrong so far. Big fan of Korean cars.
I mean, I had it for two weeks, it had <30xxxkms. My BIL, also a mechanic, writes 'em off too.
Something that is effectively BRAND NEW that felt that dangerous to drive wasn't fun.
Change your mechanic. Here's the correct list
1. Toyota
2. Mazda
3. Mitsu (Careful with the CVT models. It's the same shitty Jatco CVT that fails in Nissan)
4. Hyundai/Kia (prone to engine problems)
5. Everything else is risky.
Personal bias? Consider it an opinion, add it to as many other opinions as you can get then establish what the general consensus is.
Mechanics can be just as prejudiced as anybody else when it come to cars.
We have a 2017 CX5 and it has been fine. I had a couple of instances where the electrics randomly went weird (lane assist, emergency brake etc showed faults) but I turned the car off for 10 mins, back on and it was fine. My in-laws had a 2007 Mazda 3 from new to about 200k and it was no problem. A bit loud in the cabin at the end but fine otherwise. Wouldn’t hesitate to get another mazda.
I have a 2010 Impreza which is starting to cost us money with quite a lot needing replacing all at once. But that seems to be an age thing. Otherwise it has been very reliable too.
I’ve driven quite a few Mazdas and they have been good; so good I ended up buying one. The only exception was a diesel CX5 which clearly had major problems with the engine when I was test driving it. The petrols seem rock solid…
Agree to avoid European and Chinese. I’d add that you should also avoid American. If you want quality, Toyota is still king. Really though, any of the Japanese brands are good. Except for Nissan.
Anecdotally, my Mazda ownership experience has been brilliant. 2.5 non turbo 6 GT, basic maintenance + a trans oil change, 200,000km passed fairly recently, only complaint is a bit of noise in the center stack when the AC is hammering - and initial AC performance kinda sucks.
Subarus Re problematic
Mazda's are good, I assume he means avoid the Diesel Mazda's with DPF issues.
I've got a Mazda 6 and a Mazda 3
Hyundai is probably the best they're probably just better than Toyota and a bit cheaper, I got the Mrs an i30 and was really impressed by it, the steering is just incredibly tight you or anyone else (wife or daughter) is going to hard a hard time crashing a Hyundai as they have this little counter balancing type steering If you floor it one way it sort of pulls you back the other so you can never loose control (I tried around corners)
I've got a VW currently and it has many insane stupid problems other cars don't experience because they have normal parts in them, VW have science experiment parts in that stuff up and are super expensive
Any car post 2006 you want as it will have 6+ airbags and stability control
Probably only recommends avoiding Mazdas because he doesn't make enough money repairing them.
Owned 1 Mazda, it was good and other than the ex-wife taking it as financial settlement, was a perfect car.
Owned 3 Fords and the first 2 were cheap to fix but needed more frequent fixing. The 3rd is a Ford Transit van and hasn't needed anything fixed but when they do can be very expensive (from other people's experiences).
Owned 2 Toyotas that rarely needed fixing but when they did it wasn't always cheap.
Owned 2 Mitsubishis which have been very reliable and when they get old and need fixing have been reasonable to fix.
Owned 1 Nissan ute, it was honest and cheap to fix but wanted to kill me (no traction control and handled like shit in the wet).
Owned 2 Subarus, the first was cheap to fix although parts could be expensive. It needed the normal old school Subaru things to fix (head gaskets, wheel bearings), the second and current hasn't cost a cent in things to fix. Never heard of a Subaru with Air-con problems and between me and my sister's family, we have had 6 Subarus.
Used to be Mazda Fan here
CX7 2007 was my most troublesome cars to date.
Turbo issue, air conditioner issue. Two major issues
CX5 2015 having minor issue with a retractable side mirror, both side, broken lock center console glove box, rear brake pad
As a Mazda tech of 23 years, I can quite honestly say that with the exception of the Ford based BT50 and the problems with the CX5 diesel, not a lot went wrong with the car's.
I owned a 2006 Mazda 3 MPS that lasted 300,000 klms, and in the end (before it got written off by a p plater) looked and drove like a new car - Although it did have a fully forged engine built by myself and tuned by Justin at Freektune putting out 340hp. My Wife currently drives a 2014 Mazda 3 SP25 with electric pack that's done a trouble free \~150,000 klms and still drives like a new car - Although I did notice a strut was just starting to weep the last time I was under there...
...Which reminds me, I need to order two front struts.
It’s all personal preference. All cars have issues, when your buying you need to compare issues with the price.
I had a Mazda 6 diesel, one of the best cars I ever owned. It was a dream on the freeway and used almost no fuel. They are known for absolutely massive service bills every 180k kms, but the guy before me had spent $4500 on engine maintenance before I bought it.
I own a ve commodore now, got it cheap because the gearbox was questionable and is prone to failure, but it’s been replaced so it’s rock solid now.
Sounds like your mechanic has worked on 10 cars, and that is the list of them right there.
Toyota's and especially RAV4's are more on the expensive side but for a reason - they are that good
Hyundai, Kia - check Theta II engine recalls
Nissan - CVT debacle anyone? Hard pass on that one
Subaru - I'm a fan of the older ones but what? Of all the issues, AC? I have never had AC issues with any Subaru i have owned.
Mazda - some of the bigger fancier older CX series are problematic but their basic cars - hatches sedans etc are up there with Toyota.
Euro/Chinese - Sure. But Mazda definitely does not belong there with them on that list.
Bottom line is, as experienced as your mechanic might be, you can’t just throw a blanket over an entire car maker to sort into the avoid/buy box. It really comes down to the model and the year.
My advice, as a young hobbyist mechanic, stop listening to other mechanics. They don't know their ass from their head, they bitch and moan about European cars when majority of the time its just a different way of doing the same thing.
On top of that, its astronomically stupid to avoid brands because brands. There are bad toyotas and there are good mercedes. Look at the model, look at the engine, look at the service history. Do your research on a case by case basis.
This guy is an idiot.
This is absolute generalised garbage.
Find something you like and do your own research, there are so many third party reviews and tests online now for most cars that can help make your decision.
If you're looking for a good second hand car, just get a Toyota or Honda and move on with your life.
Also most European cars are excellent, they're just expensive to repair (which is a totally valid reason to not get one, but does not make them bad cars)
Mechanics have opinions. I guarantee there's one out there with the opposite and thinks working on Porsches is a joy and that the Mazda BT-50 is the epitome of working vehicles.
Pretty much all of them agree that Toyota have very good quality control though.
Yep, Mazda are like Mercedes or BMW. Glorified garbage. What every other car company does with 5 bolts, they will do with 35 and barely get the same end result.
Not my experience as a Subaru owner. Everything except the aircon has broken down so far.
Everything else is fine BUT the AC. But that’s just cause it’s sub 200k km.
You see, that's where BMWs are good. They put the problems of owning a Subaru into perspective.
Atleast a subaru doesnt have subscription seats tho
Bro you made me chuckle 🤭
Haha yeah I was thinking picking on Subaru for aircon seems very strange.
I owned a Subaru up til the end of last year when it was unfortunately written off by floods. 8 years, smashed around a race track frequently, not a thing went wrong with it. The AC might only seem to be an issue if they don't understand how HVAC works.
Haha! My 2009 Subaru had more oil leaks than my 2001 bmw… I feel your pain
Yeah, I’m waiting for my 06 XT Forester head gasket to blow, so I’m glad to hear that maybe the only thing that will break is my air conditioner.
So he recommends a Nissan which more than likely has a shitty CVT but says Mazda is a no go? Mazda is the second best seller in Australia you shouldn't have any issues should something go wrong with the amount of spare parts and support on the market.
I don't think I have ever had anyone recommend an X-Trail with CVT as a second hand purchase.
I feel like even non car people know to avoid those things…such is the reputation of the Crapco CVT.
I love my Mazda. But I gotta be honest it’s been a bit of a wildcard with issues. But that’s what you get with second hand I guess.
My brand new Mazda 3 SP25 (2009) (manual) was flawless for ~9 years. Then it basically shat the bed in the space of 2 years. Multiple parts replaced then eventually ABS/Traction control broke and was too much to repair (even tried replacing the module with a second hand part). Had to sell it at ~175k on the clock. Bit of a shame, loved that car. Loved driving manual (when I didn’t live in the city) But I know loads of people that have had them for way longer than me and swear by them. It really is luck if the draw sometimes.
I like mazdas but i can see why a mechanic would say avoid them. Their parts pricing is kinda shit. So for long term I wouldnt chance it if you had an alterrnative. Like I do quite love the current Mazda 3 SP25 especially with the manual and if you love it then you pay the price. But if you're an NPC then I would go with one of the majors and not bother.
My sister's CX-7 did similar with running fantastically for a stretch and then needing code resets regularly because the ECU would have it running like dogsh*t.
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Mazda 3 SP23 (2008) here and we had the exact same issue, was great until 10 years in and all of a sudden it seemed to turn into a piece of shit overnight, donks coming from everywhere, seats falling apart, sensor issues the list goes on. Don’t know how we are even going to sell it now, I might just dump it somewhere.
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Put well over 100k on a 2017 Nissan and shift lock has been the only issue.
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yeah this fucken sub reddit is no different from any other motoring forum so many self proclaimed 'experts' who maybe have driven one.... once... five years ago. to me i kind of dont want to 'get to know' certain cars but thru work and what have you i have to learn the ins and outs and as far as the T32 Xtrail goes, the CVT is pretty damn good, in fact a LOT better as far as reliability goes than many other brands... the only caveat is you should do a $200 service at say 75,000km and that's it... it'll outlast the car. There's nothing really in the T32 to go wrong because the car has no fucken decent tech in it. If you run the car over 100,000km WITHOUT a service then you run the risk like any other car. Further Nissan do themselves no favors by saying that dont need service. They do grenade at 150,000km if you do nothing and then expect a $4,000 bill. However I will caution that by saying every other Nissan CVT is trash EXCEPT the T32. I wouldnt touch any other CVT. Source. i worked with a company that had fleet of them. My wife has one. My dad has one and my inlaws has one. And I've become a defacto T32 expert. btw. they also drive like just about any other auto except when you hammer it and then it rubber bands a bit.
Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense. Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.
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Welcome to the matsudah circlejerk
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the 'problem' with many one make forums is theyre full of one eyed cockheads who think their brand is the best and everything else is trash. if you're truly interested in a car you really need to become a quasi expert in that model if you want to save money and not get ripped.
Corollas are good, though.
Weird that you know what we're all driving. Was that you at my window last night?
Most people on this sub have legit no idea 👍👍 Spot on mate. It’s just like the EuROs aRE ExPEnsIvE To FiX crowd. Almost all are just regurgitating something they heard or read here.
Like wise those that no little always complain about CVT but in reality, they’re fine. My wife’s old outlander had over 120,000 and we only got out of it because I wrote it off. And I towed a bit in it without issue And I have a few in the fleet of cars I maintain that have done well over 200,000 with no issues. Yeah I’ve had the old failure but I’ve had plenty of regular automatic transmissions fail as well
We had the original x trail as one of the family cars. It was manual and it was flawless. I should have bought it off my dad but he traded it in for a 2nd gen Outlander with CVT. It was gutless and I hated it whenever I drove it but it also gave no trouble.
I have a 2018 nissan with cvt done 330k klm and cvt is still totally fine, people just jump on the bandwagon when they don't actually know anything about the product.
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Engine went before the cvt but that is because first owner (rental company) did not do its first or second service before I bought it with 40k on the odo and whoever they had leased it to had put some sort of additive to the engine oil but still got over 300k before failure. I do service the cvt every 50-70k too though
I’ve got firsthand experience with a 2018 Pulsar CVT (which admittedly had a rough life as a rental) and it straight up felt like the pedal, transmission and engine were communicating across different timezones. There was such a delay in inputs and they were so vaguely followed. I understand that it’s a cockroach which will never fully die, but man that car was rough.
One doesn’t need to experience something first hand to accept it as fact. Nissan Jatco CVT’s are absolute garbage. Your one good experience doesn’t nullify the mass failures these transmissions have experienced, and the horrific ownership experiences they have inflicted upon their unfortunate buyers. https://www.hotcars.com/heres-the-terrible-transmission-that-might-kill-nissan/
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Ok, that’s just one article out of hundreds on the net. You can defend it as much as you like (confirmation bias perhaps?), but there is more than ample evidence out there to suggest that these transmissions are hot garbage. Comparing them to competitors is a nonsense argument, it doesn’t make Nissan’s any less shit just because the competition have failures as well.
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Why are you so hell bent on people having to experience something for themselves before being able to provide commentary on the subject? In that case, I guess I can safely presume you believe nothing of what you read on the internet, see on TV or hear on the radio unless you yourself have first hand knowledge and experience? Do I need to saw off my leg to know that it hurts? Interesting point of view I must say. I’m happy to accept the multiple sources I’ve read about the rubbish CVT’s in Nissans. Fuck me, there’s even [a website](http://www.nissanproblems.com/cvt/) dedicated to the subject. ‘Nissanproblems.com/cvt/ 🤣
There are also going to be results on google when I search "vaccines cause autism proof." What's your point
The point is that anyone with a modicum of critical thinking ability is able to see past crap like that. Same goes for all info on google.
*talks about site named nissanproblems/cvt* *also talks about critical thinking.* choose one
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Must be tough for you never using google to discover information about something? I mean, you obviously disregard everything it has to offer right?
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To be fair, "over 100,000km" is nothing outstanding these days. Pretty much any car will manage that easily even if you skip services. Over 200,000 isn't even unusual if it has been serviced properly.
I mean, there's also people who have had experiences with them and would rather ride a bike in the tasmanian winter than rely on them. Just because your experience is different doesn't mean somebody elses isn't also true. This may be a circle jerk, but you're almost acting like we're all being paid off to not like Nissans...
> I've got a 2020 Nissan Xtrail and have put over 100,000km on it So, barely used then? If it needed repairs by that point it'd be a totally lemon. You're celebrating the bare minimum expectations.
These are notes from my family’s trusted mechanic. His comments seem to fit the general consensus - except for the Mazda..? What does CarsAustralia think? Mechanic just had a few unusual bad experiences? I believe it’s in reference to some engine replacements. I was looking at purchasing a 3-6 year old Mazda CX-5 (so won’t be covered by warranty by long, if at all) but this is putting me off. I have talked to quite a few owners and researched online but have not found any significant evidence. Found this online but hardly seems a reliable study… https://www.bandt.com.au/mazda-is-australias-least-reliable-car-model-according-to-google-searches/
Just make sure you get a petrol and you’ll have no problems with a Mazda
I only know of a few people who bought Mazda’s with that diesel engine and all of them had problems with it. One of them had to get the engine replaced in their 6.
Their methodology is ridiculous. Using Google searches per approximate cars sold to generate a rating; totally irrelevant when discussing the severity, cost, or consequences of a fault. Both Canstar and Choice have given Mazda high marks based on surveys for years. Mazda in Japan, Europe and US also have a good reputation. The only consistent concern I've seen is that their paint is remarkably thin and needs to be maintained more than others. Otherwise reliable, driver focused, somewhat luxury cars. I am biased, because I like my 3.
My sister has a diesel CX-5 and has a lot of issues with the engine so I would avoid any diesel models. I had a few 80s and 90s Mazdas and they were fantastic but too long ago to be relevant I guess.
My diesel 6 wagon has also had some super weird issues. It’s been blamed in electrics, but I’m still not super convinced. Fuckin thing cut out whilst driving. Not fun. I’d Deffo avoid Mazda diesel OP
Their diesel engines are weird. I've had two Mazda's, both 2012's, both with the MZR-CD 2.2 turbo diesels. The Mazda 3 has 730,000km on it and drives perfect with its origional engine. The other is a CX-7 with 84,000km and the engine had bottom end bearing failure. I had a Mazda 323 SP20 when I was young and it was an awesome little car. Big burley guy in a yellow hatchback was a sight to behold.
The Skyactiv diesels had oil displacement problems. From memory, this was caused by the DPF cycle (which uses extra diesel in the ignition chamber to raise exhaust temps and complete the DPF) causing excessive fuel to bypass the piston rings, diluting engine oil and raising the oil level, potentially resulting in catastrophic engine issues. Eg- https://www.mazdaforum.com/forum/mazda-cx-5-54/cx5-d-engine-oil-level-high-44788/
Yes, this is true, but I believe the issue has been resolved. Ours didn’t have a problem until nearly 30,000km and was fixed at the next service. No catastrophic engine issues here. I am biased though, and would pick a Mazda everyday of the week.
That’s great to hear they got a fix for it. I remember reading all sorts of horror stories at the time on whirlpool- I was in the market for a 6 wagon at the time and couldn’t figure out if I should go petrol or diesel, and went with petrol in the end. My experience has been the same as yours - 4 of the 5 cars I have ever owned have been Mazdas and they have all been trouble free.
I have 140,000 on my diesel CX-5. It had an issue with the engine relating to particulate build-up that was repaired under warranty, and it’s been fine since. The only other issue I’ve had is that the first battery failed within warranty, and was replaced by Mazda. The second one lasted five years.
The diesel motor in the CX-5 is a ford motor so makes sense why it is giving issues.
No it's not.
>Found this online but hardly seems a reliable study… that's an understatement... google searches don't mean shit.
I've known five owners of first gen Mazda 3s and the only time they've gotten rid of them is when the car's been crashed and written off. The others still have them - myself included. No issues other than general wear and tear. I can't speak for all Mazda models but overall the more "simple" (i.e. 4 cyl petrol) models seem to be very reliable.
And the issues that old Mazda's do have are relatively cheap to fix. Things like engine mounts.
A friend of ours is running a beat-up 1st gen Mazda 3. The exterior is trashed but the mechanics are sound. She said she'd run it until it dies, but at nearly 400,000 ks I think it'll outlive us all. Just an anecdote though
Yeah, someone wrote off my one, but only juuuust enough to damage the frame and make it uneconomical to repair. I got one with a clapped out motor and suspension for cheap (looks like someone didn't do oil changes on time) and I'm swapping it all over in my spare time. It's pretty nice to work on when you take your time with it.
Sounds like he’s recommending buying something that gives him the most business
If cars which are easy to fix and for not too much money or have part availability problems, and don't break down too much is his business, then sure .
Subarus are a pain in the ass and have issues Nissans always have trans issues The asx has a thing on electrical issues according to goog outlander seems fine Hyundai have big engine issues rn RAV4 seems to be the least reliable Toyota ever with A SINGLE ISSUE someone’s getting fired from that 🤣🤣🤣🤣 only 02 sensor Mazda named most reliable brand in 2022 but a known clutch issue on some cars Euro cars are hard to get parts on so people tend to not repair them same with Chinese cars people tend to ditch em because they’re cheap and not repair them
Anecdotes are meaningless. If a mechanic actively avoids working on euro cars then their opinion about them is uninformed and probably biased.
>If a mechanic actively avoids working on euro cars... Or maybe they don't want the hassle. Euro cars can be more complicated, particularly with electrical features. So when things start to go wrong they can be a bit "buggy." I take my old C class Merc to a Mercedes specialist, because he's only dealing with them he's familiar with what goes wrong and how to fix it. As an example, I got an error message that a tail light bulb had blown. Turns out that after a while (about 200,000km) the wiring at the light wore through where it rubs the bodywork. The "official" fix was to buy a new section of wiring harness at $300 per side, my mechanic just soldered a new length of wire in with an extra insulator so it would last longer, and charged me $50 for both. A non-specialist would just read the code and replace.
I drive a European car. 2019 Audi. My husband who’s an automotive electrician and owns his own workshop hates working on European cars mostly because a) the parts are more expensive than a lot of other vehicles b) those parts are also hard to *source* so you’re paying big coin, stuffing around trying to find a supplier, then probably waiting an eternity. They have a lot of electrical parts (higher end cars? More technologically advanced?) and therefore when something goes wrong with the electrics it’s more likely to be a headache compared to say a Japanese car. So whilst he accepts work that comes in on European cars and will book the jobs in, and is happy for me to drive one, he’s really not a fan of working on them and does an internal eyeroll whenever one comes into the workshop. But if the parts are pricier, you just pass that cost onto the customer, and if the job is more fiddly, you just explain to them that the labour cost is going to include all the time it takes to mess around with it. And you’re solid, doesn’t matter so much. 💯
Talk to 5 different mechanics and they will all contradict each other telling you that certain manufacturers are reliable and others are garbage.
This is BS. Subarus have unreliable engines, but their AC is famously great. Why specifically the Outlander and ASX for Mitsubishi? Why specifically the RAV4? How about the numerous problems for certain Korean cars, and then how some models are great? Why just the X-Trail? It has its problems, other models aren't much worse or better generally, of course there are loads of exceptions. Blanket "No euro" statement when some VWs are decently reliable, not all of course. Mazda has rust issues and questionable diesel engines but unless you live in a very snowy area (which not many people do) then that isn't an issue. The diesel has problems but then so do Nissan CVTs which are more widespread...
Is your Mechanic even a Mechanic…
Can’t be a good one if he/they recommended a X-Trail
Yeah. He really doesn’t know his trade well if he advises you to buy an XTrail.
Entirely depends on where they are and what age. The older ones were regarded as unreliable but the failure points were limited and now cheaper to fix. Not that I'd ever buy one because they are still shitboxes. But most mazdas are shitboxes too.
What about Honda or Suzuki?
I'm sure the 6 new Honda owners this last Financial Year would be outraged.
I'd consider the new Civic if I had a few chests of gold bars to flog off.
CRV VTi 7 going at $41k. Pretty good buy, I reckon.
Got to a different mechanic, WTF? Toyota is expensive but out of all the brands compare it this way. Over 200,000ks of ownership, how many times does the car leave you on the roadside (tyres and battery not counted). Or leave the customer with a service bill with 4 digits.
It would simply be anecdotal - this bloke has probably seen a few more mazdas than the mechanic down the road. A better sample would be the general consensus, Mazdas are great cars - just avoid the diesel ones. How new are you looking btw? Old X-Trail - good. New X-trail (whatever year CVT started) - bad.
Anything Japanese is good as long as it’s been treated well and has a full service history. As a mechanic it’s my duty to say stay away from anything American or french and expect to pay on anything german.
Mazda nerd here, the Skyactiv diesels motors that have been around for a decade had a serious design flaw and are destined to fail, petrol cars from this period though are some of the most reliable vehicles on the road, biased opinion but the stats seem to favor them
For the love of God don't buy an ASX. So bad to drive it's borderline dangerous.
We had to use one as a hire car while ours was in for repairs, worst car I’ve personally driven. The cruise control would fluctuate 10km under or over the set speed if there were any inclines, steering felt loose, interior was super glossy and blinded me in any sunlight. Even the brakes felt really spongy, and this car was 10 years younger than my car
I have a 250k km polo gti. People who say European cars are bad just don't keep up with maintenance.
That's because they end up in a scrapyard because it's more cost effective than keeping them running. It's a dumb cliche that they simply need maintenance. So many design decisions and cheap plastic parts make it clear they aren't intended to last beyond the warranty and aren't supposed to be serviced by anyone but dealers.
I'd recommend avoiding your mechanic lol. Kia engines are grenades
Mazda Australia bend you over and screw you for parts availability and price. Ridiculously expensive for spares. Cheaper to buy the parts in NZ and bring into Australia (mind you, if you are thinking of doing that, its even cheaper to buy from Japan and import). That might be the reason for your mechanics advice. But, generally, it's specific models of cars you need to avoid, not brands, and it depends on vehicle age and mileage.
Any tips on how to go about getting parts from NZ/Japan?
Have a look at the web site amayama or equivalent
Yep, Amayama.
Hahah, says Mitsubishi is good but avoid Mazda's? He's a mechanic all right, he wants ongoing business obviously.
There were a few mazda recalls?
I mean if that’s the bar, never ever ever buy VW
Recalls are a sign of aftersales support. Avoid the brands that rarely issue recalls - those are the brands that don't acknowledge problems with their product.
Oof, Honda so forgettable it doesn’t even make the list.
Buying anything is a compromise. Everyone can have their opinion, but it is your decision. You should just buy the car that best meets your needs. Modern cars are more reliable than ever, despite the bullshit peddled out there. A mechanic will tell you to buy the car that they like to work on. A race car driver will tell you to buy the car that they like to drive. An accountant will tell you to buy the cheapest. For the record, I own a 2014 Volkswagen Golf. It has also been the most reliable car I’ve ever had. And I’ve owned Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi before.
I had a Diesel CX-5. It was a lemon and turned me off ever owning another Mazda. Had four Subaru’s and if they hadn’t bloated in their pursuit of the American market I’d recommend them again. ASX’s I’ve only had as hire cars and I’d consider them unsafe at any speed. Never have I felt less in control of a car.
Subarus great till it hits 200k, then forces you to sell a kidney to keep it running.
I usually trade before I hit that distance but I did have a Forester once that leaked out of both end seals and the Welch plugs, plus had the interior of the back box blown out as rusty dust, and still got $5k as a trade in. Chirped like a nest of baby birds after that one holiday to KI too. Shoulda kept it tho since I traded it on the CX-5, and well the Forester never left me stranded like the Mazda did on a nearly annual basis. I should add - on the Mazda I had the oil dilution issues and even after the software update I found the only thing that kept the check engine light off was to do double the recommended oil change frequency. I had a turbo solenoid jam which ruined a snow holiday an hour into the drive, Mazda were kind enough to do that under warranty but I couldn’t fit chains on the other car (BMW) so no snow. Had the brakes replaced several times under warranty because they were under spec for such a heavy car and kept failing in ways that should have caused a recall for the model. I had the drivers seat replaced when it broke, hubs replaced when wheel bearings failed (sealed units). Basically it was engineered down to be the very least they could get away with and if they got a lot of use it just fell apart. Put me off ever buying a Mazda again because I felt I was getting the least car, the least brakes, the least reliability and durability for the money they felt they could get away with. Never again. Personal experience with a sample size of 1, and the Mazda dealers were great, but I was pleased to see it go.
X trail , no good. CVT models avoid like the plague. Subaru , I would personally not buy unless I needed AWD and can afford more expensive maintenance. Bit thirsty on gas around town. Decent cars but avoid if you can’t see service history. Timing belt jobs are a bit more pricey than a regular 4 cylinder and rocker cover gaskets and spark plugs are a little bit more of a pain to do. I have a 25 year old mazda in my garage and it still starts first pop every time , gets driven hard and spent all day at a race track and gave me no problems. Suzukis are also very reliable.
This is always the issue with asking mechanics what car to buy. More often than not they recommend what is easy for them to work on and is the most reliable, not what is the best car. Anyone that recommends an ASX should not ve listened to, such a terrible car
Maybe RX-7s
Never had airconditioning problems with my Subaru.
Hyundai & KIA are good value for money but AFAIK their petrol engines tend to shit themselves (there’s a class action suit in US, 500000 cars affected). Chinese, depends. Chery? Sure, that’s horrible. LDV? Deliver 9 van is pretty good (and Ford Transit is as/less reliable as LDV Deliver 9)
As a Mazda owner I concur with this sentiment I'll never buy another Mazda after the president issues I've had with my 3 and the complete lack of fffs from the dealership or service centre.
I love the rav 4-ok I can’t help but exclaim all the time, our 2001 rav 4 has had 3 previous owners, and has 417xxxkm on it, drives like a beauty,
X-Trail "good" but RAV4 only "ok". "Avoid" Mazda but Nissan's "good". Yeah, nah, he doesn't know whatever the fuck he's talking about.
toyota, expensive for a reason... the only better car is an AU falcon
Never taken any of my European cars to a mechanic….
Do they straight to the scrap yard?
I would say so, because they never went to a mechanic for a service.
AVOID: This mechanic
Nissan x-trails automatics fail.
Eh I think this is highly dependent on years and models. My 2004 Mazda 3 is still going well after about 20 years. However in the early 2000s I drove an older (90s?) Mazda 626 which was a piece of junk. Highly entertaining to drive though. Edit: I was also driving a Subaru L Series for a while, the radiator caught alight one day and it was bye bye car.
I have a 97 Mazda mx5 which gets used and pretty hard. Never had any problems with it. 90s / 2000s Mazdas are great (not you RX8)
* cries in rotary
But does said mechanic recommend AU Falcon?
This mechanic thinks an X-Trail is good 😂😂😂😂
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Is yours a manual?
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100,000km is not much, any major issues by then basically makes it a lemon, any car these days, even the cheapest Chinese POS should achieve this.
this mechanic is a HUGE L toyota has fantastic bang for your buck and mazdas are fantastic. goofy mechanic
Bang as in bland?
I don’t think GR Yaris is bland. Nor the Morizo edition GR Corolla. They also listened to the market and are bringing the GR supra back in manual. One of the few companies still making cars for enthusiasts / race tracks
90% of car owners are happy with bland, because to most people they're just transportation whitegoods
at least 2 of those cars have a cvt
So?
why not VV?
Hyundai/Kia good but Mazda bad? lol
Hyundai and Kia have awesome diesels, better reliability, support, and look better than Mazda's and they are Korean.
I don't care for the diesels of the either brand but H/K seem to always have issue with their petrol 4 cylinders. Wouldnt have a clue on support but if H/K here is anything like the US, theyre great at turning buyers to the competition. Better looking? Hyundai have some of the ugliest looking vehicles on the road, Kia has some good looking models. And theyre Korean..? I see you have a bit of a thing for Korean stuff so youre biased anyway.
I have a thing for Korea and Japan, particularly the food, as I travel to both regularly. Both are similar in their ability to out compete rivals, with Koreans slightly more so. That is reflected in their automotive industries. H and K continue to edging ahead.
Rotary Mazdas ‘avoid’, all others ‘ all good’.
X-Trail is definitely not good. The CVT in that car is a piece of shit.
Wouldn't recommend a Kia as far as I could throw it. Had a 2020? Rio as a loaner and the thing felt like it would fall apart in a stiff breeze, acceleration was rubbish, gearbox shuddered when it changed gears. Toyota's are reliable and easy to work on. Mitsubishi's are great in my experience. My best mate's parents had an X-Trail for 10 years until they downsized. What are you after is the big question.
I’ve had an i30 diesel, and a Rio 1L turbo - both no major failures (total 10+ years). Yes, some niggles in each, but nothing big wrong so far. Big fan of Korean cars.
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I mean, I had it for two weeks, it had <30xxxkms. My BIL, also a mechanic, writes 'em off too. Something that is effectively BRAND NEW that felt that dangerous to drive wasn't fun.
A mechanic didn't write that. That's stupid.
Literally everything said here is wrong, pretty sure it's a joke
I agree with your mechanic on avoiding Mazda, when I worked in hotels I’ve driven probably close to 1000 new/old/high kms, and they all seemed off.
Change your mechanic. Here's the correct list 1. Toyota 2. Mazda 3. Mitsu (Careful with the CVT models. It's the same shitty Jatco CVT that fails in Nissan) 4. Hyundai/Kia (prone to engine problems) 5. Everything else is risky.
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Buy whatever you want, who's stopping you, mate. But facts are facts. There's a reason these brands have higher market percentages.
I wouldn’t take advice from whoever this mechanic is. Seems clueless.
Personal bias? Consider it an opinion, add it to as many other opinions as you can get then establish what the general consensus is. Mechanics can be just as prejudiced as anybody else when it come to cars.
We have a 2017 CX5 and it has been fine. I had a couple of instances where the electrics randomly went weird (lane assist, emergency brake etc showed faults) but I turned the car off for 10 mins, back on and it was fine. My in-laws had a 2007 Mazda 3 from new to about 200k and it was no problem. A bit loud in the cabin at the end but fine otherwise. Wouldn’t hesitate to get another mazda. I have a 2010 Impreza which is starting to cost us money with quite a lot needing replacing all at once. But that seems to be an age thing. Otherwise it has been very reliable too.
I’ve driven quite a few Mazdas and they have been good; so good I ended up buying one. The only exception was a diesel CX5 which clearly had major problems with the engine when I was test driving it. The petrols seem rock solid… Agree to avoid European and Chinese. I’d add that you should also avoid American. If you want quality, Toyota is still king. Really though, any of the Japanese brands are good. Except for Nissan.
Need some context here…. It seems like you’re asking about compact SUVs?
in my xp, Subarus break while Mitsubishis and Mazdas never break
How old is your mechanic? This looks like some pretty iffy advice for the most part.
Anecdotally, my Mazda ownership experience has been brilliant. 2.5 non turbo 6 GT, basic maintenance + a trans oil change, 200,000km passed fairly recently, only complaint is a bit of noise in the center stack when the AC is hammering - and initial AC performance kinda sucks.
Mazda's are great cars
Mechanicals can be full of shit just like everyone else.
Get a new mechanic
I concur with your mechanic.
Can we all just agree for OP to avoid Chinese brands. Hallelujah
I'm sorry but they've recommended an xtrail and not a Mazda? Steer clear of your mechanic haha
I find it hard to believe a mechanic would put that in writing. Are these your notes of his comments?
Subarus Re problematic Mazda's are good, I assume he means avoid the Diesel Mazda's with DPF issues. I've got a Mazda 6 and a Mazda 3 Hyundai is probably the best they're probably just better than Toyota and a bit cheaper, I got the Mrs an i30 and was really impressed by it, the steering is just incredibly tight you or anyone else (wife or daughter) is going to hard a hard time crashing a Hyundai as they have this little counter balancing type steering If you floor it one way it sort of pulls you back the other so you can never loose control (I tried around corners) I've got a VW currently and it has many insane stupid problems other cars don't experience because they have normal parts in them, VW have science experiment parts in that stuff up and are super expensive Any car post 2006 you want as it will have 6+ airbags and stability control
Probably only recommends avoiding Mazdas because he doesn't make enough money repairing them. Owned 1 Mazda, it was good and other than the ex-wife taking it as financial settlement, was a perfect car. Owned 3 Fords and the first 2 were cheap to fix but needed more frequent fixing. The 3rd is a Ford Transit van and hasn't needed anything fixed but when they do can be very expensive (from other people's experiences). Owned 2 Toyotas that rarely needed fixing but when they did it wasn't always cheap. Owned 2 Mitsubishis which have been very reliable and when they get old and need fixing have been reasonable to fix. Owned 1 Nissan ute, it was honest and cheap to fix but wanted to kill me (no traction control and handled like shit in the wet). Owned 2 Subarus, the first was cheap to fix although parts could be expensive. It needed the normal old school Subaru things to fix (head gaskets, wheel bearings), the second and current hasn't cost a cent in things to fix. Never heard of a Subaru with Air-con problems and between me and my sister's family, we have had 6 Subarus.
Used to be Mazda Fan here CX7 2007 was my most troublesome cars to date. Turbo issue, air conditioner issue. Two major issues CX5 2015 having minor issue with a retractable side mirror, both side, broken lock center console glove box, rear brake pad
Mazda = Ford sometimes.
definitely avoid mazdas with rotary engines, if you dont know what a rotary is, that might be why they suggested you steer clear all together
Ive always heard toyota is the best and most reliable, so sellers pushing the price up makes sense i guess.
As a Mazda tech of 23 years, I can quite honestly say that with the exception of the Ford based BT50 and the problems with the CX5 diesel, not a lot went wrong with the car's. I owned a 2006 Mazda 3 MPS that lasted 300,000 klms, and in the end (before it got written off by a p plater) looked and drove like a new car - Although it did have a fully forged engine built by myself and tuned by Justin at Freektune putting out 340hp. My Wife currently drives a 2014 Mazda 3 SP25 with electric pack that's done a trouble free \~150,000 klms and still drives like a new car - Although I did notice a strut was just starting to weep the last time I was under there... ...Which reminds me, I need to order two front struts.
It’s all personal preference. All cars have issues, when your buying you need to compare issues with the price. I had a Mazda 6 diesel, one of the best cars I ever owned. It was a dream on the freeway and used almost no fuel. They are known for absolutely massive service bills every 180k kms, but the guy before me had spent $4500 on engine maintenance before I bought it. I own a ve commodore now, got it cheap because the gearbox was questionable and is prone to failure, but it’s been replaced so it’s rock solid now.
I would avoid this mechanic
LoL what? Have two Mazda and knock on wood they have been cheap to service and maintain.
never seen a reliable hyundai, always some weird transmission problem.
Sounds like your mechanic has worked on 10 cars, and that is the list of them right there. Toyota's and especially RAV4's are more on the expensive side but for a reason - they are that good Hyundai, Kia - check Theta II engine recalls Nissan - CVT debacle anyone? Hard pass on that one Subaru - I'm a fan of the older ones but what? Of all the issues, AC? I have never had AC issues with any Subaru i have owned. Mazda - some of the bigger fancier older CX series are problematic but their basic cars - hatches sedans etc are up there with Toyota. Euro/Chinese - Sure. But Mazda definitely does not belong there with them on that list.
Bottom line is, as experienced as your mechanic might be, you can’t just throw a blanket over an entire car maker to sort into the avoid/buy box. It really comes down to the model and the year.
Or you could just buy a Tesla and avoid mechanics all together
RIP Honda
My advice, as a young hobbyist mechanic, stop listening to other mechanics. They don't know their ass from their head, they bitch and moan about European cars when majority of the time its just a different way of doing the same thing. On top of that, its astronomically stupid to avoid brands because brands. There are bad toyotas and there are good mercedes. Look at the model, look at the engine, look at the service history. Do your research on a case by case basis. This guy is an idiot.
This is absolute generalised garbage. Find something you like and do your own research, there are so many third party reviews and tests online now for most cars that can help make your decision.
If you're looking for a good second hand car, just get a Toyota or Honda and move on with your life. Also most European cars are excellent, they're just expensive to repair (which is a totally valid reason to not get one, but does not make them bad cars)
Mechanics have opinions. I guarantee there's one out there with the opposite and thinks working on Porsches is a joy and that the Mazda BT-50 is the epitome of working vehicles. Pretty much all of them agree that Toyota have very good quality control though.
The Nissan's are very popular in ukraine, I won't say they are bulletproof but they are solid.
Yep, Mazda are like Mercedes or BMW. Glorified garbage. What every other car company does with 5 bolts, they will do with 35 and barely get the same end result.
Xtrails are fucking garbage hahaha absolute trash