ZODIACQ

I have never owned a mazda, I haven't even owned a car. But when we talk about japanese cars, like Toyota and Honda and such, we always talk about the quality of the car, how it lasts for a lifetime so to speak. Does the same goes for mazda. Are there any hooked Mazda fans, who can give me an answer to this?

Zuhalter Vati

I would say they are right up there. My Miata is at 106k and it is a 1992. Still going strong.

Old Rotor

I agree about the quality, but the Mazda has one thing the others don't, it communicates with you. They are balanced and just more fun to drive as a whole.
This is my 12th Mazda and I will be getting my 13th in a few weeks.
1971 RX-2
1973 RX-2
1974 RX-4
1975 RX-4 wagon
1979 RX-7
1981 GLC L
1984 626 LX
1985 626 LX
1987 Turbo II RX-7
1993 626 LX
1994 626 L
2004 RX-8 T

ZODIACQ

Yeah and looks ok the s2000 is a nice car, but Toyota and Honda normally make boring cars (that's here in Europe, I don't know if there are other models in the USA)

midlife crisis

I'd probably still be driving the 89 626 we had if the kid hadn't totalled it at 95K but he's still driving the 87 mazda pickup he bought from me. It's not pretty (T-boned last winter and lots of rust but 120K almost all town miles and he doesn't do ANYTHING to maintain it. It still gets better milage than his GF's SER. He calls it a Super truck.

yandrs

I've owned 2 626's previously with very few problems. Currently, one is my "back-up and winter car" at 11 years old and 86,000 miles. Work over the past 11 years includes:
1) 2 mufflers (and a third needed) which is my only complaint :p
2) Tires (expected)
3) 2 batteries (it sat for a year while I was overseas)
4) New spark plug wires
5) New alternator
6) The odd light bulb

Younger US citizens and 1 deer have managed to hit just about every part of it at one time or another. I've gotten to know the body shop guys well........

As for my 8, Iv'e only had it for a month.

Overport

yes, a mazda is just as reliable as the other major japanese manufacturer's.

even the rotary powered cars like the rx7 and rx8. actually, it can be stated factual that the rotaries get even better with age, as cars with more miles on them have been tested at quicker et and 0-60 times than when they were brand new. mazda makes top quality products. just last week i drove a customers 1996 miata that was a woman's daily driver since new and had almost 200,000 miles on the original engine/chassis. the car shifted beautifully, and the gearbox worked as if it were new. i wasnt surprised.

pcimino

My 8 is my 4th Mazda. Two Protege's, each with over 100K miles, and a 626 that was totalled when an oncoming car jumped a turn signal to turn in front of me (56K miles). Very happy with the quality of build and features of all 4 cars.

Nubo

Mazda hooked me with the original Miata. I'd been wanting an MR-2 but Toyota tried to jack me around with options. The Mazda salesperson was straightforward and once I drove the Miata I knew it was the right car after all. I wasn't disappointed. I drove the snot out of that thing for over 150,000 miles and it never stranded me. Other than a clutch and shock replacement at about 95,000 miles it was never in the shop -- normal wear items at that point. I never drove a more poised, balanced, enjoyable or more reliable car. That led us to lease a couple of 626's and they were also fine cars, also a Mazda pickup. Note to Toyota - you lost 5 vehicles to Mazda because of a hardball salesman.

brightnova

I have an '04 RX8, an '04 MPV and '96 Miata in my garage right now. Yeah - I'm a Mazda fan :D

6speed8

My first Mazda, a 1990 Protege went 150,000 miles before I traded it in on a 96 626. It had the original clutch in it and except for normal maintenance (and a new radiator at 101k miles) it was trouble free. My 1996 626 never spent one minute in the shop for repairs in 50k miles, then I traded it in on a 1999 Protege, which had one problem, a defective steering wheel. I traded it it at 25k miles for a 2000 Celica GT-S, and that Toyota spent more time in the shop for repairs than ALL my Mazda's so far, including my RX-8 with 30k miles.

Currently at my house is my RX-8, My 'beater' 2000 Protege, My GF's 2000 Miata and my Daughter's 2005 Mazda 3/5door.

EyeBall Fixer...(o)(x)

My 1st Mazda was a Black on Black 93 RX7.
My 2nd Mazda is my current 94 RX8.

As for "build quality", Mazda is right up there Toyota.
My only "real" complaint is with the quirkiness of the rotary design.
...should I say anything about poor gas mileage, oil consumption and lack of torque / HP?
Naw!
.
.
.
.
This will probably be my last Rotary unless Mazda can get their head out of their **** and
produces a rotary engine that addresses these issues.

mattzen

In 89 my mom got a gold 323. In 90 it became mine. In 95 it became my brothers. In 2002 It became my youngest brother's. In 2003 it was totaled by a van running a red light. 120k at the end of service for my whole family. We sure got our money's worth.

Tigster

I have had a few Mazdas and I love them all. I have had:

1. Maxda MX6 (in College until someone rearended it) 100K + miles
2. 2002 Miata 30K miles (I traded it in for the 8)
3. 2004 RX8 so far 17K miles nothing more than a few minor fixes

I am a big fan of Mazda and have refered alot of people to go look at their cars.

neit_jnf

1990 Protege - stolen

1984 RX-7 - overheated at 160,000 miles (my fault) then totalled a month after the rebuild, a teenager rear ended me

1986 RX-7 - burned due to previous owner's shitty mods, had it 5 weeks

2003 Protege5 - just turned 30,000, only problem is that it was keyed on the driver's door, here in the Detroit area everybody hates you if you drive a japanese car

1993 RX-7 - just turned 44,000 - THE WEEKEND BEAST, never had a problem, I'm very strict with maintenance and proper mods

Frostee

i owned a '94 MX3 Precidia. loved it. i beat the hell out of it too, and it never ever gave me a problem. even on the coldest days (-45C) where my dads brand new car wouldnt start, the mazda would fire upp without a fuss. i loved that car.

and when i totaled it going heac-on into a cement pole at 70kph (see attached pics for the outcome) well, im here typing right now, which to me, says a helluva lot about build quality.

ive been sold on mazda from the day i bought it. everything else just increased my belief in the company and quality.

edit: i forot to mention also that mazda has always been far ahead in designs (miata, MX3, RX8, 3, 6) and in innovation (they had the smallest ever production V6 in the MX3). IMHO

Krankor

Add me to the list. My RX-8 is my second Mazda; first was a '95 MX-6, which I loved. Had it about 8 years and over 100K miles, never had a serious problem with it. It was still going strong and I was still quite happy with it when an idiot totalled it-- while it was *parked*.

Krankor
05 Shinka 6MT

Zuhalter Vati

In my first post I didn't really mention detail.

I started out with a Mazda B2000 pickup. It was used to haul industrial supplies that I delivered. It got pretty used, it started to have some electrical issues, that were probably easily fixed, but I was only 17 and decided to sale it, I know it had well over 100k.

I moved on and tried a 1981 Toyota Celica GT hatchback. Ugly as hell, but it had some get up and go, cornered like a 78 Mercury cougar. :p

Then I found the Miata and came back around to Mazda. They are just as reliable. They are one helluva safe car, aside from not being visible. I have owned three of them. One was Tboned by an illegal alien in a stolen car without insurance who fled the scene. The other was rear ended by a College girl who didn't see me or the red light I was stopped at in front of her. That was a sad day, but out of all that I have never been hurt. For being so small it is still a little tank.

I haven't had the 8 long enough, but I can tell it is well built and I expect it to last a long time like my other Mazda's

nzarnow

This is the very first Mazda in my whole family. Lets just say, they all envy me...

herbert

I've only owned two cars, with the latest one being the '04 RX-8. My first car - which I still have - is a '92 MX-3 (the V6). It now has 270,000 kms on it. It's a little rusty at the bottom of the doors (because I did nothing to prevent it) but aside from regular maintenance items, it's been an amazing car. It's still on its first clutch by the way. Had they still been making them a few years back, I would've bought another one.

Flop

Well, I've always been a 'Honda guy' and I have to disagree with the post about 'Mazda probably has the most fanatical following of any Japanese company.' From my experience, I think Honda has that crown, unfounded or not.

I have owned 7 Honda products in the past 12 years (Civics, Integra, Prelude, RS-X). They are EXCELLENT cars, and I have NEVER ever had any problems with them, not even ONE problem that wasn't normal wear and tear such as brakes, tires, etc.

My family has owned a Mazda (only one, a 1991 626) and it was very reliable and took the wrath of two teenagers learning to drive standard! Very good car, although not that pretty.

Traded in my latest Honda for the RX-8 purely for the design and price/performance ratio. Honda has NOTHING that is close, IMO, and trust me - I looked long and hard for a Honda product that would satisfy my desire for a modern sports coupe (Please don't tell me the RS-X because that is what I traded in).

So far, the '8' has been great. I love it, and I have done a lot of research on Mazda cars - they are pretty much on par with the other Jpn automakers in most segments.

The quirks (if you want to call it that) of the rotary are what I like. Strange, I guess... but I like that I have to keep a watchful eye on it, keep it cool and well fed with oil. I will cherish this car for a long time to come, and hopefully it will work out well for me.

msrecant

I have owned 7 Mazdas over the past 30 years, so obviously I am a Mazda supporter. They provide a good quality, reliable car that you can expect to last. A Mazda has never left me stranded.

However, I would agree with Flop. Mazda products do not have the near-flawless quality that I have seen with Honda products. Periodically things break and need repair on Mazdas. Not a lot but some. Some models are above the Mazda average (like the Miata) but in general you can usually expect a few unscheduled problems in a car's lifetime.

My experience with several Hondas has been the only time they see the shop is for regular maintenance.

IMHO.

DreRX8

I've only driven Mazdas--with the brief flirtation with a Mitsubishi 3000GT SL (sucked). My mom had a 95 929 from 1995-2001 or so. I had a 1997 Miata, 1993 RX7 Touring, 1998 Mazda Millenia S, 1999 Mazda Millenia S, and my 2004 RX8. My RX7 was pricey to fix but I rarely had problems out of it--surprisingly--I actually sent my Millenia S to the shop more than my FD (which still wasn't alot). I must say though that where Mazda lacks is in dealer service network and cost of parts. The Millenia S is an $$ car to maintain (tune up et al). So far my RX8 has been my 2nd most trouble free car--the Miata seemed so simple that it was bulletproof.

frequentflyer

My family (including parents, brother, sister, etc) has had maybe 10 Mazdas over the years. My wife and I have personally had 3, including the new RX-8. But when I choose Mazda, it's not for the quality. It's for the fun factor. I'm pretty sure Honda and Toyota have us beat on quality, unfortunately. Mazda is close, but if my Honda-owning friends are telling me the truth, they NEVER have unexpected problems, whereas my Mazdas always have.

Now, to be fair, we keep our cars a long time, so a lot of people wouldn't see the problems I'm talking about. My 1990 Protege is at 192,000 miles right now, with the original clutch. In my experience, Mazda's engines and transmissions (I've only owned manual, so I'm not speaking for automatic) are bulletproof, but the surrounding stuff is not. I've replaced a heater core, a radiator, several axles, and several mufflers, in addition to dealing with a lot of engine oil leaks. I also had to recharge the A/C after 10 years. Now that I look at that list, maybe that's not all that bad. In fact, other than the heater core, you might call those items all routine maintenance.

In any case, I think you usually pay a little less up-front for a Mazda (vs. Honda or Toyota), and a little more along the way for maintenance, so I think it all evens out in the end if you keep the car for a while. If you buy that argument, then yes, the 3 companies are "equal," and you should just get whatever car you LIKE the most, because they will all probably cost about the same over the long run.

Aratinga

Wow... I thought I was bad, but some of you folks are even more Mazdamaniacal!
I've had four Mazdas -- '79 RX7, '91 Miata, '00 Miata, '04 RX8 -- and still own three of 'em (and wish I'd kept that RX7!). The old Miata has 130K+ miles and still runs as well as the day she was new; I've had her for 14 years and intend to keep her for at least that much longer. Absolutely the most reliable, trouble-free car I've ever owned. The RX7 was also a Timex car -- it took a licking and kept on ticking!