Looking ahead 1-2 years to when we will need to replace our aging Falcon with a large MPV type vehicle and a MANUAL small car in the 1500cc - 2000cc range.
Mechanics - I want to hear your honest OPINIONS and PREJUDICES.
Are the Ford Focus / Mazda 3 a worthy 21st century successor to the true blue Laser / 323?
Would you recommend your daughter/nephew bought one of these?
[We have previously had a very good run out of an 80s Laser. so the years of good service we had from that car, plus years of random comments from garages about what good cars those are, has given us a fair bit of brand loyalty towards the smaller Fords/Mazdas. But obviously everything has changed since the 1980s. or has it? ]
richardmayes,
Jul 3, 9:25am
Background -
we live in the Wairarapa with 3 kids so I have made my peace with trading my falcon in for some sort of large V6 MPV type vehicle (which at this stage I assume will be a jap import Nissan Elgrand or a Honda Elysion or the likes. Every time we go out there are 100km/h country roads involved and I don't want to be wringing out a small engine in every gear or leaning on a boosted engine just to get up to speed. The Big jap import V6 vans just seem far more suitable for our needs than anything else in the $10k-$15k price range.
The small manual car is for solo trips over the Rimutaka hill, for this job we both prefer something compact and FWD that has a gearbox and a bit more handling, but without wanting to stretch to a GTi or anything that needs $800 tyres or gold plated special oil. Again lots of 100km/h driving so anything under 1500cc is not ideal. I would be happy with a V6 Mondeo but I think she wants something smaller. Focus and Mazda3 seem to be among the few normal cars in the $5k-$10k range that come in manual now.
andy61,
Jul 3, 9:30am
The Focus/3 are not closely related any more(Ford and Mazda divorced a few years ago), . Mazda 3 generally a good reliable dependable car.
peanuts37,
Jul 3, 9:33am
Not a mechanic but had Fords for years, last one a 2.3 Cortina owned for nearly 20 years and never had problem. Sold that a few years ago and looked at Fords and did nothing for me. In my opinion everything went down hill in the 80s. Looked at other makes and got it down to Honda or Toyota, the Honda won and I'm not a fan of Japanese cars. Very happy so far. Don't touch a Focus with auto trans.
kazbanz,
Jul 3, 9:57am
In my opinion the Mazda 3/ Axela is a darn solid bit of kit in the 1500/2000 versions. The 2.3 I'm not keen on. They don't give me any grief whatsoever. So other than "consumables"-pads/t- yres/batteries they go away and don't come back until its trade in time. Personally though I feel mazda take their mechanical cues from Toyota. When you look at the year 2000-2006 corolla hatch (alex/runx) then look at the 03-07/08 3/axella you have similarities in styling and mechanicals that are almost uncanny. In the newer product we have the same mechanical similarities but the latest generation Mazda's have that "snout" that's different. So on that basis I'd suggest concidering a corolla as an option
dublo,
Jul 3, 10:00am
New Zealand-new Japanese with full service history, that history being vital if you want long-term ownership! "Discerning people buy Hondas", my garage man told me. Manual gearbox cars are becoming harder to find and with some, if you have to replace the clutch on an fwd one it can be a major and expensive operation. Go for low-km, 10 -20 years old cars (fewer gimmicks in them, then), great bargains occasionally turn up !
tamarillo,
Jul 3, 6:44pm
For driving enjoyment over that hill I’d take a focus every time having used both a lot as rentals in about era you’d look at. Steering and feel makes it much more a drivers machine than the Mazda. I always Found the Mazda noisy on country roads and tiring, someth8ng they are well known for. Only the DCT auto was problematic not earlier autos but you’re looking at manual anyway. Both were far nice drives than Corollas. I’m not a mechanic.
poppy62,
Jul 3, 6:59pm
I had the misfortune to drive a rental Focus- Wel- Akl a few years back. Throughout the trip i kept thinking I must check the cc rating when I next stop. Finally remembered when I got home. Not knowing anything about the Focus range i assumed i was in the basic version with 1.3L engine such was the poor performance of the car. Looked at the Rego sticker and couldn't believe it was 2.0L. . I have noted a few on here complaining about the road noise in the Mazda 3. I'm sure there are better options available than these 2.
vtecintegra,
Jul 4, 6:41am
The problem with the second gen Focus is the four speed auto is absolutely brain dead - manual ones go fine.
I've had three different Mazda 3s and they've all been a bit noisier than average (just how noisy is going to depend on the tyres you're using). Otherwise they've all been good cars, reliable and better to drive than anything else in the class IMO
BTW if going for a second hand import Axela check for side airbags - most of the Japanese market cars did not have them until quite recently.
tamarillo,
Jul 4, 7:41am
You’re not wrong on first impressions but the Mazda was no better. Had to rev them which the auto discouraged hence manual for richard. Unless he stops up to the 2.3 or 2.5 litre Mazda.
vtecintegra,
Jul 4, 7:47am
No turbos on so you don't get the same amount of mid range torque as you would in the A180 poppy62 was talking about in the other thread. They're not actually any slower though, they just drive differently.
bigfatmat1,
Jul 4, 8:25am
Not saying they don't exist but I have never seen a NA Mazda 3 in manual. We have alot pass through our wshop. Only manual i have seen is in the turbo variant.
vtecintegra,
Jul 4, 8:40am
All three of my 3s were manual and only one was the turbo. You're right though, they're comparatively rare compared to the auto but that goes for most recent-ish cars.
tgray,
Jul 4, 10:26am
Engine mounts wear quickly on the Mazda Axela's - always the top right one. You feel a vibration through the steering wheel. Not a biggie and easy to replace. I love Mazda's: Demio (Mazda 2), Axela (Mazda 3), Atenza ,(Mazda 6), and find them all to be very reliable. Ford Focus? Not a fan at all.
electromic,
Jul 4, 11:33am
The last Mazda 3 that I drove was a sp25 in manual. Really nice car to drive, plenty of go with a few revs. Probably not in the OP's original budget though.
kazbanz,
Jul 4, 11:58am
dunno about a 3 but Axella manuals have been reasonably common. They were used regularly as driving school cars. One right "out there ' was the tiida manual
tgray,
Jul 4, 2:10pm
Re driving school cars, I have come across quite a few of them - all seem to be white manual sedan's. Very basic models.
kazbanz,
Jul 4, 2:32pm
There was an influx of those. They actually had pretty good "bones" 1600cc engine and went well. But were screaming to be lifted a bit. You'd be amazed what a spoiler, alloys. A half decent kiwi radio and ripping out 10km of useless wiring can do. But there were also a few colored ones. Blue and silver
horses7,
Jul 4, 3:17pm
I have a 2003 2.0L Focus ST170 6 speed manual,does have a bit more grunt than a standard Focus but what an amazing little car,17 years old and not a rattle or a squeak and lots of fun to drive,German assembled and has never missed a beat,doesnt require any special servicing and would run rings around mazda 3,Ghia version also nice little car,doesnt matter what you choose ,focus, mazda nissan or corolla all good cars ,just a matter of finding a good one
cjohnw,
Jul 4, 4:46pm
After having a Ford Focus with a “powershit” gearbox and getting absolutely appalling and disgraceful customer service for a brand new car from Ford NZ I would never buy another Ford of any type. Disgusting company solely driven by profit and certainly not customers. One notch below Volkswagen IMO.
framtech,
Jul 4, 7:07pm
Ford, that's your answer, avoid at all cost.
dublo,
Jul 4, 8:55pm
"Small manual car for over-the-Rimutakas solo driving": what could be better than a Mazda MX5? English mags compared them with MGBs: similar ride, handling, performance and above all, fun, but you could take the Mazda for a drive without having the fear in the back of your mind that it might break down!. But probably difficult to find an early one with moderate kms and which has been well cared for, and I note that many on sale here are (gasp) automatics!
richardmayes,
Jul 14, 7:58pm
You can't fit many lengths of timber, sacks of chook food, or a dog or a cello in an MX-5! This has to be a working car with fun attributes, not a toy.
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