Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 34

Thread: Mazda as a brand.

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh, Australia
    Posts
    2,700
    Mazda are the market leader in Australia and now have no affiliation with Ford from this year now the Ford based BT50 has ended to be replaced by the Isuzu platform which is just a rebadge sales thing. Their SUV range are totally their own design with the interior a very nice place to be in compared to most brands as they have retained button control for most functions instead of screen control. The Ford connection that ended this year was just a rebadged sales partnership that everyone who worked for Mazda was glad to see the back of given the problems it had. My son has worked for Mazda for 15 years so I see and hear a lot that others don't. I think all manufacturers are starting to rebadge or use other manufacturer's platforms, Ford and VW are an example of this, Toyota and BMW also have current models which are platform shared.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Parks View Post
    Mazda are the market leader in Australia and now have no affiliation with Ford from this year now the Ford based BT50 has ended to be replaced by the Isuzu platform which is just a rebadge sales thing. Their SUV range are totally their own design with the interior a very nice place to be in compared to most brands as they have retained button control for most functions instead of screen control. The Ford connection that ended this year was just a rebadged sales partnership that everyone who worked for Mazda was glad to see the back of given the problems it had. My son has worked for Mazda for 15 years so I see and hear a lot that others don't. I think all manufacturers are starting to rebadge or use other manufacturer's platforms, Ford and VW are an example of this, Toyota and BMW also have current models which are platform shared.
    I mean, Ford and GM partnered on a transmission. None of this really matters anymore.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    Neighbor has a Porsche volkswagon Bentley Lamborghini SUV. His is badged as Porsche. It does not have the Lamborghini doors.
    Bill D

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
    Posts
    3,495
    Blog Entries
    1
    I've had 3 Mazda cars and all were good, but for one Achilles heal - rust. A Mazda will rust out faster than an '70s Honda. If you drive where the roads are salted, you can expect major rust by the time the vehicle is 5 or 6 years old. If I lived in a warmer area I'd get another Mazda in a heartbeat.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    2,652
    They have a good reputation around here. I almost got a CX-5 last purchase, and would love to have a Miata or old RX-7 as a fun car, if I had garage space. My main hesitation is there a so relatively few dealers that I wonder about service.

    I've been following them since the '70s when they introduced the innovative rotary engine. I thought that was pretty cool.
    < insert spurious quote here >

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    5,428
    I didn't realize Toyota and Mazda have some sort of relationship. I was watching a Youtube video recently showing a mechanic at a Toyota dealership working on a 2017 "Toyota". The car, while branded Toyota, was actually a Mazda product. The replacement parts had Mazda logos on them. I thought it seemed strange that a large auto manufacturer like Toyota was having a vehicle made by Mazda.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,690
    Brian, this kind of thing has been going on for a long time and all the manufacturers participate. Remember the Pontiac Vibe? It was a Toyota. What's kicked up a little more in recent years is more design collaboration, not just rebranding for convenience. And yes, there are manufacturing plants out there that have multiple brands running down the lines from time to time and that's easy to do with shared platforms. In a way, this is all good for the industry.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    5,428
    I owned a 2009 Pontiac Vibe and was well aware it was a Toyota. It even had the famous Toyota recall for the accelerator pedal. Both Toyota and GM were partners in NUMMI, but it appears only Toyota was making cars at the NUMMI plant towards the end. It makes sense that the Vibe was simply a Toyota Matrix with different body panels.

  9. #24
    had a used GLC many years ago and it was excellent or as some said a Great LIttle Car. Last 20 years I rust proof all my cars as any ive lost in the past were to rust. When they put new tires on the saturn they said it was the best saturn they have ever lifted, the we talked about rust proof.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,551
    Quote Originally Posted by Stan Calow View Post
    They have a good reputation around here. I almost got a CX-5 last purchase, and would love to have a Miata or old RX-7 as a fun car, if I had garage space. My main hesitation is there a so relatively few dealers that I wonder about service.

    I've been following them since the '70s when they introduced the innovative rotary engine. I thought that was pretty cool.
    I don't find a lack of dealers being a big deal, my Ranger hasn't seen the inside of a Ford dealership in many years. Finding a local shop that knows the brand's foibles without charging dealer shop rates is key.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Minneapolis, MN
    Posts
    5,428
    Quote Originally Posted by Curt Harms View Post
    I don't find a lack of dealers being a big deal, my Ranger hasn't seen the inside of a Ford dealership in many years. Finding a local shop that knows the brand's foibles without charging dealer shop rates is key.
    When buying a new vehicle access to a dealer for any warranty repairs is certainly a consideration. Most new vehicles have at least a 3/36 full warranty and a powertrain warranty of some type. My current vehicle had at least one warranty repair and a major recall on the transmission. I can't recall what the warranty repair was for.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    fayetteville Arkansas
    Posts
    629
    I've owned a lot of cars over the years but never anything Mazda. I planned to buy a Honda Civic for my daughter entering college in 2019. She wanted a Mazda3 because one of her friends had one. Well, I got to checking inventories and prices, we purchased her a 2018 Mazda3 Gran Touring with 20K miles for $16K OTD. I was happy because it was about $4K less than an equal Civic. She loves the car, has had no problems with it into her 3rd year of ownership. It is too small to be comfortable for me but she is petite and fits her perfect. I've been impressed with Mazda.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,596
    Blog Entries
    1
    I currently own a 1996 Mazda Miata, red of course. I have owned this car since it was new. It gets stored in the winter due to the snow and road salt. It has 89,000 miles and the only wear parts that have been replaced are the clutch & throw out bearing, brake pads, tires, battery, fuel filter, spark plugs & air filter. All recommended maintenance has been done when it was needed. The cassette deck broke so I changed out to a nicer new radio and I changed out the stamped steel wheels for some nicer aluminum one. It still has the original paint and soft top. It is a lot of fun to drive and is easy on gas, 32-35 mpg.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  14. #29
    I’m a long time Ford tech. I started working at a Lincoln/ Mazda dealer over a year ago. The latest Mazdas have 0 percent Ford in them. I see no similarities whatsoever. You go back one or two generations and they are full of Ford parts. -Ben

  15. #30
    I've owned a couple of Mazda cars. Found them to be good, reliable cars. Much better than a Nissan I once owned.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •