you do realize you replied to a post from 2003....6 YEARS ago....
Mazda 3 Reliability...After all it's just a Ford
- Thread starter neomonkey
- Start date
you do realize you replied to a post from 2003....6 YEARS ago....
Does it make the point less valid? Should I have started a whole new thread on the same topic?
noobinacan
Member
The car is 'MADE IN JAPAN' by a company that's funded/owned by FORD.
oh...and by the way, stop buying Land Rovers...cause its not owned by a indian company.
same goes for jaguar too...
g'luck with that one
oh...and by the way, stop buying Land Rovers...cause its not owned by a indian company.
same goes for jaguar too...
g'luck with that one
The car is 'MADE IN JAPAN' by a company that's funded/owned by FORD.
oh...and by the way, stop buying Land Rovers...cause its not owned by a indian company.
same goes for jaguar too...
g'luck with that one
Ford ownes 13% of mazda, not a controlling stake at all...it's enough to say "hey, can we maybe borrow an idea or two from YOU", not the other way around. And Land Rover is owned by TaTa motors, and Indian company, along with Jaguar.
Probably. Half the comments in this thread are no longer relevant.
Ford owns 13% of Mazda, which amounts to little more than a few shared components in the parts bin. The MS3, for example, has the same chassis as the Volvo C30 and Euro Focus. It also has Ford side AC vents. It has Volvo front brakes, and the same rear suspension as the Euro Focus. There's little more that's shared between these cars.
I always laugh when people say nice FORD, because their comments are built on internet myths and asssumptions. The Euro Focus is one of the most highly rated FWD cars overseas, something its American counterpart is lacking. And while the U.S. Ford Duratec motor is based off design specs of the Japanese MZR, they use different suppliers for its core components. That's makes for a HUGE difference in long term performance/reliability.
Nliiitend1
Member
There is WAAAAAY more commonality with the C1 Focus and Volvo S40/C30 than the brakes, rear suspension, and a few bits and pieces...
The cars share an entire chassis platform. While many individual parts are not necessarily shared, I think you're under-representing the platform similarities...
Also, while Ford currently owns only 13% of Mazda, this is a rather recent development. Until last Fall, Ford owned a controlling stake, meaning that when the Mazda 3 was designed, there was quite a bit more involvement than there is now.
Just wanted to clear those things up...
So, am I misunderstanding that a company A has to buy stock in another company B for company B to purchase the rights to use parts from company A rather then create/manufacture said parts?
Reliability is based on parts put on the car.
Back to the Dodge I had, I remember that the breaks where Ford brakes. But some other stuff was actually other manufactures as well. Its all in what they can use from other companies + cost of rights vs cost of manufacturing/designing out of their own pocket.
Reliability is based on parts put on the car.
Back to the Dodge I had, I remember that the breaks where Ford brakes. But some other stuff was actually other manufactures as well. Its all in what they can use from other companies + cost of rights vs cost of manufacturing/designing out of their own pocket.
Nliiitend1
Member
Companies don't need to share ownership in order for them to have platform/part sharing agreements, but it's usually how it works (or at least gets started).
For instance the parts/platform sharing between Chrysler and Mitsubishi started back in 1970 when Chrysler acquired a 15% stake in Mitsubishi, but by the mid 90s Chrysler was no longer part of Mitsubishi's ownership equation. That didn't stop the parts/platform sharing though, and a relationship has continued under contracts since then...
For instance the parts/platform sharing between Chrysler and Mitsubishi started back in 1970 when Chrysler acquired a 15% stake in Mitsubishi, but by the mid 90s Chrysler was no longer part of Mitsubishi's ownership equation. That didn't stop the parts/platform sharing though, and a relationship has continued under contracts since then...
Actually Ford still only had 33% recently, not the controlling stake, not for quite awhile. There are lots of other Global Platform agreements as well, such as the motor in the variations of Lancers compared to the Caliber or Hyundai. Shared platforms do not mean they are the same at all.
Agreed, when a company has a stake in another company its only wise for them both to cut as much cost as possible as it increases profits for both. So, it pretty much eliminates or greatly reduces the cost of the cross part use.
That said, its still a Mazda on the outside, and Mazda warranties the parts.
Why should a different supplier/vendor make any difference in reliability?
Are you saying that Ford does not qualify their vendors whereas Mazda does?
Nliiitend1
Member
That ~33% WAS a "controlling interest."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlling_interest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda
squidmotion
Member
ah, do your research... i did, and i drove a lot of cars. and the MS3 was the winner for me... if i wasn't looking for something with kick, i would have went with the MZ3 hatch... hands down...
my gramps used to get on me and my sisters cuz we loved our shared toyota so much.... 'i had to FIGHT those bastids, after all!' oh when we found a nissan sentra hatch behind his camper, we let him have it! 'mr. see down the road sold it to me, too good a deal to pass up' he grew to love that little POS sentra.
i'm as patriotic as anyone, but i don't feel i owe the UAW dick! i love my japanese TV, my japanese cars.... i'll never lose my love for old american muscle, and i really like the new GM rides like the camaro, Z06, and G8... but if i'm spending my hard earned money, i'm going with my gut... and that usually steers me to the japanese cars (even though they might be built here)....
i wouldn't let the fact that i didn't like ford (and i don't care for them either) steer you away from this car. people who say this car is nothing but a ford are talking out of the sides of their ass. just a way for them to justify how their POS civic is better than your car. one of my best friends has a focus, and drives the CRAP out of it.... never a problem. go up to a volvo S40 owner and snicker out 'it's just a ford' and they will laugh as hard as we do!
like i said... if you do your research, you can find out all you want to know about longevity. i heard these cars blew up engines... and that was always coming from some honda or VW chap know it all who really just heard that somewhere and makes it easier to justify why his GTI is in the shop all of the time (at least my motor didn't blow)...... as it turns out, these cars just don't handle extreme mods that well... they are more fragile as you get away from the intended design.
i plan to squeeze well over 130k out of my MS3. turbo and all. i take care of it... it gets babied most of the time, but i will put some miles on it...
drop your 'i hate ford so this mazda has to be a stinker' idea.... go buy one. i bet you will like it!
my gramps used to get on me and my sisters cuz we loved our shared toyota so much.... 'i had to FIGHT those bastids, after all!' oh when we found a nissan sentra hatch behind his camper, we let him have it! 'mr. see down the road sold it to me, too good a deal to pass up' he grew to love that little POS sentra.
i'm as patriotic as anyone, but i don't feel i owe the UAW dick! i love my japanese TV, my japanese cars.... i'll never lose my love for old american muscle, and i really like the new GM rides like the camaro, Z06, and G8... but if i'm spending my hard earned money, i'm going with my gut... and that usually steers me to the japanese cars (even though they might be built here)....
i wouldn't let the fact that i didn't like ford (and i don't care for them either) steer you away from this car. people who say this car is nothing but a ford are talking out of the sides of their ass. just a way for them to justify how their POS civic is better than your car. one of my best friends has a focus, and drives the CRAP out of it.... never a problem. go up to a volvo S40 owner and snicker out 'it's just a ford' and they will laugh as hard as we do!
like i said... if you do your research, you can find out all you want to know about longevity. i heard these cars blew up engines... and that was always coming from some honda or VW chap know it all who really just heard that somewhere and makes it easier to justify why his GTI is in the shop all of the time (at least my motor didn't blow)...... as it turns out, these cars just don't handle extreme mods that well... they are more fragile as you get away from the intended design.
i plan to squeeze well over 130k out of my MS3. turbo and all. i take care of it... it gets babied most of the time, but i will put some miles on it...
drop your 'i hate ford so this mazda has to be a stinker' idea.... go buy one. i bet you will like it!
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squidmotion
Member
i think what he is saying is that the mazda engineers may specify different grades of materials for qualities sake, as the ford engineers may specify different materials for values sake.
i firmly believe that is one of the reasons the japanese reliability (and some american and european manufacturers as well) won out over the years.... i guess you could call it 'allocation of resources' where one manufacturer might put utmost concern to the reliability/longevity of the engine/drivetrain, others might use that money to add creature comforts, more expensive paint, landau roof, wire wheel covers, etc.
Metro Gray
Member
I've owned many cars over the past 15 years including several new Honda's, VW's and older MB's and Porsche's. Comparing my ownership experience, the Mazda is identical to the Honda's over the first 6 months. It's rattle free and hasn't had any problems in 6K miles. Yeah its still young but its seems to be following the same trend as the very boring Honda's we've owned (Accord Coupe, CRV, Pilot).
Definitely close to the top on my list of fun to drive cars, especially considering the family hauling capabilities. Even better that the local police don't pick up on it when you speed by!
Definitely close to the top on my list of fun to drive cars, especially considering the family hauling capabilities. Even better that the local police don't pick up on it when you speed by!
Roywhitep5
Member
- :
- 2007 350z
ah i make myself laugh
yes but they owned 33% (controlling interest) in mazda when the 3 was being developed (both generations)... so your point is irrelevant
I did some "overkill" upgrades myself to truely ensure reliability of my 3... like an OEM euro-spec oil cooler, using 0W30 synthetic motor oil (5W30 is specified for all overseas models to tolerate abuse better), synthetic ATF since these ford trannys like to run hot
everything has been solid so far for the past 4 years
Roywhitep5
Member
- :
- 2007 350z
jesus christ you're still around too?
mr_mazda329
Member
- :
- 97 Mazda Miata; 09 CWP Mazdaspeed 3
Is that a pic of Gan-San in your avatar? BTW..ford only owns 13.4% of mazda now.
