Are you guys Mazda loyalists?

[065]

My first Mazda was a '03 Mazda6. It's been a terrific car, hardly any problems at all. Great dealer service. Then, hoping for the same experience we bought a 2006 5. What a mistake. Horrible quality. Worst car I have ever owned, Me and the wife basically like (love?) the car but it's such a pain to have to take it to the dealer all the time even though they've been pretty good to work with.
I think this may be my last Mazda, but we'll see when the time comes...

 

[remarquian]

I duuno about loyalists, but cultists maybe:

 

[offset_98]

+1 Currently drive a f150 and a msp!

+2

Traded our '96 Explorer w/ almost 200k on it for our CX-7. We've also owned a Crown Victoria ('90), SHO Taurus ('92) and Expedition ('98). Our family as a whole also had an Aerostar ('87), Crown Victoria ('86), Cougar ('79), Grand Marquis ('85), Mystique ('97), Escape ('08).

Mixed in that mass was a Camaro, a Malibu and an Acura TSX. Also, my company cars (Jeep, Kia, Pontiac, Chevy).

Guess we'll see where this Mazda takes us.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

6 Mazdas and going Strong

I read in an automotive magazine that Mazda is really good at getting new customers but not good at keeping them. With how fun to drive their entire line-up is, I had to wonder how or why that could be. Dealer service scams, sour deals with the business office, maybe broken warranty promises, maybe reliability issues.

I'm basically new to Mazda as my 5 is the first Mazda I've personally owned. Are you guys repeat customers? Or will you be?

Just curious because I'm going to start shopping for a new set of wheels for myself and the first place I plan to look is right here on this side of the fence.

I've said it to my 1st class dealer and also two Mazda Reps: if Mazda continues on their current trajectory i.e. first class designs, vehicle dynamics and reliability I'll never buy anything but a Mazda product. Sure I've lusted after the Euro counterparts but dollar for dollar Mazda builds some of the best looking and driving cars in the world. Add in a great service and dealer experience (Mazda Sentry West in MA) and there's little reason not to be loyal.

Those bananaheads who complain that the cars break when they install bigger turbos and do brain dead mods with their mechnicals have no perspective on what it takes these days to build a solid car at a competitive price. It's all about balance and knowing where to spend money. It's not built to be indestructible it's built to be reliable within it's given design parameters. Change one variable and the system will no longer be balanced.

Those who complain about warranty are the same idiots who blow up their cars and expect someone else to clean up the mess. No one should expect a company- any company to fix something if they intentionally ignore the manufacturers recommendation.

I'm not into modding and always bring my Mazdas in for required maintenance and have never had reliability issues. It's a machine people and if you don't take care of it then it won't take care of you.

Sure there are dishonest dealers out there but if you do your homework you can figure out who the crooks are. Stay loyal to the good guys and those dealers who recognize your loyalty with take care of you. Jumping from dealer to dealer because of a few dollars is ignoring the big picture. Sure no one wants to be robbed but these dealers are in business to make money and as long as they charge a fair price then what's the problem?

Toyota, Honda can keep their over-priced look-alike, boring designs. They can also keep the commercial propaganda waxing hyperbole about reliability and quality that, for those who do their homework, is no different than Mazda. I'll stick with my zoom zoom and stay happy.

Am I a loyalist- hell yes! And I'm proud of it.(rockon)

 

[JDM-P5]

I duuno about loyalists, but cultists maybe:

That crossed my mind a few times...just never decided on what body part.
(nana)

 

[bilzfan]

Sometimes, Mazdas, sometimes Hondas.

I like the Hondas more but the Mazdas are always on my radar.

 

[Katner]

I've had three Mazdas to date. My first was 02 Tribute Lx V6 which was a pretty good vehicle and never gave us any trouble for the 5 years we owned it and had just over 100 000 kms when we sold it for my wifes used Odyssey.

I've also had an 04 Mazda 6i with the 5 speed and never had any issues as well. It had some personally quirks like the clutch was a bit wonky in cold weather as it would clatter and because the throttle was drive by wire there was a little delay so it took awhile to master. It had a great trunk but the car did little to excite me but now that I am driving an auto Mazda 5 4 speed there is a big difference in my opinion between auto and man tranny.

To date I like the 5 proably the best of the three but the 5 has a few quirks as well but nothing major to make me hate it.

Loyalist in the making...maybe.

First Mazda in my family was in 1969, it was the Mazda 1500 (Luce), my grandfather bought it brand new. Then they sold that one and bought in 1971 Mazda 1500 SS (sport model ))... The only period we didnt have one was when my father bought Chyrsler Grand Voyager so we can take road trips... In the last 5 years we have two Mazdas.

Patron.

lol. im beyond a loyalist...
i currently own 4 mazda's. and even spent the time to convert my ford explorer, to a mazda navajo. so thats kinda a 5ht mazda. lol

ive owned over 15 mazda's. and no, im not kidding.

Pure loyalist.

 

[Katner]

I duuno about loyalists, but cultists maybe:

Holy crap is that legit?

 

[Foolish]

My dad had a Miata when I was in High School, and my mom had a 323.

When I got married, I finally got to scratch my own convertible itch, and bought a '97 Miata. Loved it, still miss it.

When my wife and I saw a friend's P5, we realized it was the solution to all the problems we had with her Imprezza wagon. She scored an '03.5 P5 new at the end of December '03. Screaming deal, great car.

As we got further into autocross with the Miata, I wanted to start doing track events, so we found an '87 RX-7 to use as a track toy.

When the kid came along, we got rid of the Miata and RX-7, and since we were so happy with the P5, I picked up a Protege sedan to be my driver.

In '07 we found a need for a Mini-van, and after shopping around the various options, we picked up a 2000 MPV, because that van at that age offered the most features for the best price.

Finally, this summer I bought a Mustang. Yeah. A Mustang. I wanted to have a convertible again, but now I have a kid, so I couldn't just go back to a Miata like I'd prefer. If Mazda offered anything in a 4-seat convertible, I probably would have bought it, but they never have in this country, so I climbed the corporate ladder and wrangled a pony off of the mothership.

So, yeah. I'm pretty damned Mazda loyal, but perhaps just shy of being fanatical about it. If Mazda offers a vehicle in a segment I'm shopping in, they seem to meet my needs better than just about anyone else. Unfortunately, this time around they didn't offer what I was looking for, and I went elsewhere.

 

[xxxmonoxidechil]

i can add to it now that i think about it. my ring tone is Zoom Zoom, i have a MazdaSpeed push mower, and even my bmx bike has a zoom-zoom sticker. lol.

 

[Donas64]

I'm a fan of the Flying M. My wife owns a Protege and wants a last Gen 6 for her next car (she thinks the new one is ugly) and I own a P5 and would love to get my hands on a pre-loved MS6 or MS3 when the time is right. Mazda offers the perfect blend of practicality and sport for us.

 

[skyhawk]

my relatives and friends noticed all of our recent family photos I've shared with them has a phantom blue mazda5 in the background.

 

[mazdadude]

Well, while I have owned some other cars like VW, Nissan, Honda, and Acura, over my 20+ years of driving, the Mazda brand appeals more to me as it is a mostly a producer of niche vehicles that reward the driver experience, and at a price level lower than most of the competition.

That being said, I am a loyalist, and a Mazda enthusiast.(headbang)

 

[johnnyB5646]

Between my wife and I, we traded in the Protege5 and Mazda6i that we absolutly LOVED for a MazdaSpeed3 and a CX-7 that we can't say enough good things about. There is nothing in our price range, and not alot out of our price range, that we would even consider driving. I have always been a vintage Ford guy, and have envied many imports, but now I'm a Mazdaholic and we are a Mazda family. As long as they keep bringing fun, style, and best bang for the buck pricing, we are here to stay.

 

[xxxmonoxidechil]

ive thought about this before. and i always thought of us as one of the MORE brand loyal car groups. but thats also going back over a decade. there's been an entire wave of newcomers the last 4 years with the new releases though!

 

[doctorz]

We've had three Mazdas. I wouldn't call us loyalists because we'll consider other products but Mazda seems to make vehicles we just want. While our Mazdas have been good designs and are generally reliable, there's always room for improvement. But competition is a good thing for everyone.

 

[Katner]

Well, while I have owned some other cars like VW, Nissan, Honda, and Acura, over my 20+ years of driving, the Mazda brand appeals more to me as it is a mostly a producer of niche vehicles that reward the driver experience, and at a price level lower than most of the competition.

That being said, I am a loyalist, and a Mazda enthusiast.(headbang)

That's exactly what I love about Mazda. I see the Japanese Domestic Market as a spectrum of FTD (fun to drive) vs. Reliability. At one end you've got Toyota with max reliability and minimum FTD. Then Honda moves a little closer to the middle (with a few exceptions to the rule ie. S2000, NSX). Then Nissan, then I'd say Mitsubishi/Subaru, then Mazda at the other end of the spectrum with the most FTD but not quite the bullet-proof reliability. Although I believe that even Mazda offers superior dependability to anything from the US or the European imports we have. But Mazda knows what they are doing. They don't try and pose as a Toyota or a Honda. They sacrifice a little MPG and tire wear for a much more engaging, organic driving experience. And I will ALWAYS buy a car that's fun to drive over a car that gives me 3 extra MPG.

ive thought about this before. and i always thought of us as one of the MORE brand loyal car groups. but thats also going back over a decade. there's been an entire wave of newcomers the last 4 years with the new releases though!

I think that's exactly right. I knew so many people back in Highschool (10 year reunion this year) who swore by there 626's and 323's and were, well, fanatical about the brand. But I think since Mazda joined the Ford family and have had access to Ford's buying power the brand has made huge strides into a real consumer car. But I applaud them for not giving up what they do best in the wake of the bureaucracy: build fun cars that look sporty and cool.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with now that Ford has lost controlling share in them. That sounds like a whole new discussion all together.

My 5 is my first Mazda and I am TRYING to stay looking in the family for my next one.

 

[P2K]

I'd probably say I'm a loyalist. I've owned 5 consecutive Mazdas and loved every one of them. 00 Protege, 99 Millenia S, 04 6i, 08 MS3, and 08 Mz5. No other brand really appealed to me and ever since buying the Protege brand new off the lot, I've been hooked. I sat in so many others, test drives, and went to all kinds of auto shows and no other brand makes me feel like my money was worth it. Everything else just feels so bland, especially Honda and Toyota.

I know some members have had experiences with Mazda as far as bad customer service and faulty issues with their cars, but I've been lucky enough to not have experienced any of these issues and I know for a fact that I'll continue to buy Mazdas until I feel otherwise. I don't understand how or why members are having issues with customer service. My dealership gives me the best service I've EVER experienced.

I know there are good and maybe ever better deals out there with other brands, but I have yet to find one. The only other brands that I even considered was Audi and BMW. I only like the 06-08 RS4 and E90 M3 sedan. Needless to say, both are out of my price range but are attainable with some time, money, and unblemished credit. I was going to stray away from Mazda before I bought my MS3 because I had a rare opportunity to get a 07 RS4 cheaper than KBB through a freind, but I decided to go the cheaper route and get 2 new cars for the price of one.

 

[x10dude]

I previously owned a 626 in the 80s but definitely not a loyalist. Owned a Toyota and Honda for many years. Currently own a Toyota and Mazda5.

I actually worked for GM for a few years and that convinced me not to buy American. Not to start a flame war but the UAW really ruined the American car companies.

 

[Katner]

I'd probably say I'm a loyalist. I've owned 5 consecutive Mazdas and loved every one of them. 00 Protege, 99 Millenia S, 04 6i, 08 MS3, and 08 Mz5. No other brand really appealed to me and ever since buying the Protege brand new off the lot, I've been hooked. I sat in so many others, test drives, and went to all kinds of auto shows and no other brand makes me feel like my money was worth it. Everything else just feels so bland, especially Honda and Toyota.

I know some members have had experiences with Mazda as far as bad customer service and faulty issues with their cars, but I've been lucky enough to not have experienced any of these issues and I know for a fact that I'll continue to buy Mazdas until I feel otherwise. I don't understand how or why members are having issues with customer service. My dealership gives me the best service I've EVER experienced.

I know there are good and maybe ever better deals out there with other brands, but I have yet to find one. The only other brands that I even considered was Audi and BMW. I only like the 06-08 RS4 and E90 M3 sedan. Needless to say, both are out of my price range but are attainable with some time, money, and unblemished credit. I was going to stray away from Mazda before I bought my MS3 because I had a rare opportunity to get a 07 RS4 cheaper than KBB through a freind, but I decided to go the cheaper route and get 2 new cars for the price of one.

You express my thoughts almost exactly. Mazdas just have character. They thread their Zoom Zoom mentality into everything they build. They are for people who are willing to trade a little bit of bland toyota/honda reliability for a strait shot of driving fun. I respect that there are people who just want the most reliable thing on the road and so they shop two dealerships and come home with a Civic or a Corolla, but every time I drive my sister's 3 GT I tell her "I'm so glad that you didn't get a Civic! The thing is just so engaging to drive.

I previously owned a 626 in the 80s but definitely not a loyalist. Owned a Toyota and Honda for many years. Currently own a Toyota and Mazda5.

I actually worked for GM for a few years and that convinced me not to buy American. Not to start a flame war but the UAW really ruined the American car companies.

Wow! It was WORKING for GM that tainted their rep to you? That's saying something about the genuine crappy-ness of that manufacturer. But in fairness I'm starting to find some of the recent domestic creations a little bit appealing. Namely the new CTS. The upcoming Camaro, the 2010 Mustang, the 2010 Fusion, the upcoming Fiesta, and...I can't believe I'm saying this, the 2010 Taurus.

When did you stop working for them?