Mazda Awesomeness - a short rant

[Katner]

After visiting Honda and Toyota dealerships this evening, I thought it prudent to browse through some threads on OdyClub and SiennaChat to see what people talked about pertaining to their beloved minivans. After 3 hours of reading I've determined two things:

1. This little Mazda 5 community is soooooo much better than we realize.

2. We ought to be grateful for our Mazdas. They are truly exceptional little vehicles.

Let me explain number 2. Number 2 is when you go to the bathroom out the back, not the front.

Sorry I'm suffering from sleep deprivation and may as well be drunk right now.

What I meant to say about the second point is that every now and then we complain a little about some minor (or major I suppose) reliability issues with our cars. Rear camber/tire wear issues, transmission fluid wearing too quickly, brake wear, or other little suspension issues. But all of us, at the end of the day, like or LOVE our cars. Hell, I'd say a good number of us feel down right emotionally attached to our little sport-wagon.

Over at OdyClub there were many threads about reliability issues. And these issues were every bit as serious as ours...and beyond! Poorly applied paint from the factory, seriously suspect transmission symptoms including heavy vibration, frightening alignment issues right out of the factory causing pull/road migration, power-sliding door problems, climate control not working, and burning oil! Plus others. There were several TSB's of course but several owners reported very poor dealership cooperation. I read the words "I will never buy another Honda" from 3 different users.

SiennaChat wasn't as bad, but there were DEFINITELY their fair share of issues with their vans as well. The people seemed to be more content with their cars though.

Now before I get flamed let me just say that YES, I know the Odyssey is a good car and that there are reasons for this that and whatever. Yes many reliability issues are one-in-a thousand type issues. But it seemed to me that the disenchanted Honda people were so upset about reliability because Honda has built a reputation on their brilliant cars of yesteryears. People seemed to feel dooped having bought a Honda for no other reason than counting on it being bullet-proof and I think they left disappointed because the car had no other emotional quality.

This made me realize. Mazda has a good rep for reliability, although not quite on the level of Honda and Toyota. But our cars are actually very, very reliable, especially relative to the competition. Our short list of problems seems at least petty, and at most NORMAL.

PLUS, and most importantly, these cars have the X-factor. That sense of coolness and character that is void on most of what the "reliable" car companies are offering. That thing that, even after you've replaced your bushings for the 4th time, lets you love your Mazda every day.

 

[njaremka]

nice write-up, and i heartily agree.

i keep coming back to mazda because they have some sort of voodoo that makes them extremely more fun to drive then their competition.

 

[Robotazky]

Oh, I bought an '08 Civic Si coupe and an '09 Accord V6 coupe thinking they'd be bullet proof. Never again. Those cars both had very serious problems.

 

[ljmattox]

With our CX-7, there was some sort of cool, blue, led mind-control device that glowed from the headliner onto the front console and shifter area. It kept planting "zoom-zoom" subliminals into our minds as we drove/rode.

Owner's guide claimed it was "console illumination", but that was just a cover.

 

[Robotazky]

haha

 

[thaxman]

Had 2 past Hondas (sig tells all) but I believe that the whole "bulletproof" Honda/Toyota legacy goes back to the original buyers in the 70s & 80s.

Back then, Japanese cars were cheap to purchase and cheap to run. There is a special type of person who is attracted to that type of vehicle. Let's call him "Mr. Anyl Retentive Accountant." Of course, this is a gross sterotype, but my point is made. Anyway, Mr. Retentive likes to save money, so he buys inexpensive Japanese cars with low running costs, but because he IS Mr. Retentive, he does all preventative maintenance regularly, often even prematurely. His car lasts a long time, especially compared to the neighbor's Malibu that hasn't had an oil change or tire rotation in 15,000 miles. Fast-forward 15 years, and neighbor is tired of junking cars that prematurely wore out, so while car shopping, he remembers his neighbors 1983 Accord that said neighbor drove for 14 years and still looks brand new, so he cross-shops Honda, thinking he is going to get a car that just doesn't die. I think alot of those minivan owners in the above forums are those people, or their offspring.
True, Japanese cars were engineered better - its a Japanese culture thing, but it is cost-prohibitive to engineer car parts to last 4X longer than your competition, then sell them for less than your competition, even if your competition IS paying $80/hour to union assemblers. I have found that Hondas are typically engineered to outlast 100,000 miles for most parts. My old Legacy seemed engineered to outlast 150,000 miles, and it DID!
European cars, until globalization bit them in the fanny, seem to have been engineered to outlast 50,000 miles, while I think American cars, in the hands of true careful owners, have always been engineered to go 70,000-80,000 miles. My Ram has 174,000 and counting, and still had its original T-stat & hoses until March, and still has the original alternator, among the long list of original parts. The previous owner told me they replaced the exhaust. That's it.

 

[mpvue]

I get tired too of the "it's a honda" mentality. I'm met honda owners who were upset that the car needed brakes; "what do you mean? it's a honda, it shouldn't need brakes!". another person I knew, when going from a subaru to an accord, asked where the dipstick was. the salesman said "you don't need to check the oil, it's a honda".
I've lost count of the number of clapped out hondas I see on the road blowing blue smoke.
of course not any car is perfect. I've had a bunch of mazdas (couple of 626's, couple of MPV's) that each had issues, but overall I still like them and appreciate how they are engineered. so I'm now on my 5th mazda and I think it's the best one yet.

 

[Robotazky]

The newest Hondas made in Ohio have serious problems. You would not believe the fit and finish problems that I've seen on the two I had.

The Accord ('09 Coupe V6 with leather, top of the line) had ceiling trim that did not go all the way over to the side and tuck under the plastic, like it should, it just hung down. The passenger seat was missing two of the four bolts that hold it to the floor. Body panels around the tail lights rubbed the lights and chipped the paint off the body in three places. On the bumper the paint was so thin that you could see the black bumper through it. Three of the four rims had been hung to dry after the paint/clearcoat and had dried drips that were broken off down to the metal. The console popped constantly. The trim around the radio made a constant cracking noise. Then there were the mechanical problems. The VCM (variable cylinder management) was a nightmare. It was loud and vibrated, surged the car at constant speeds because the stupid torque converter kicks in and out when the cylinder arrangement changes. The "hill logic" or the screwy torque converter would cause the car to shutter BADLY going up even small hills, especially when cold.

Other than that, great car. LOL! Only cost me $29,000, too.

 

[thaxman]

... asked where the dipstick was. the salesman said "you don't need to check the oil, it's a honda".

I'll tell you where the dipstick was... he was the one wearing the tie!

 

[DKaz]

Simple... Honda and Toyota went from over engineering to under engineering their cars. I would no longer count on buying a Toyota for reliability, although I just bought a 1990 Toyota Celica GT with 320,000 km (200,000 miles) without being scared of the number. Their older engines are bulletproof.

Mazdas are engineered enough, no more, no less.

 

[x10dude]

I'm a pretty avid follower of this thread and I'm not really a car guy.
I usually only follow car threads shortly "before and after" I buy a car just to get a better idea of what people are thinking.

I bought my Mazad5 nearly 2 years ago. enough said.

 

[Robotazky]

I was driving mine around parkways and packed city streets for the first time in a while with the windows down and some good dance tunes flowing tonight. The 5 is a great car.

 

[Katner]

With our CX-7, there was some sort of cool, blue, led mind-control device that glowed from the headliner onto the front console and shifter area. It kept planting "zoom-zoom" subliminals into our minds as we drove/rode.

Owner's guide claimed it was "console illumination", but that was just a cover.

This is the kind of mind-control that I really enjoy. Keep on mesmerizing me Mazda.

Had 2 past Hondas (sig tells all) but I believe that the whole "bulletproof" Honda/Toyota legacy goes back to the original buyers in the 70s & 80s.

...I think alot of those minivan owners in the above forums are those people, or their offspring.

I think that this is SOOOO true!

Simple... Honda and Toyota went from over engineering to under engineering their cars. I would no longer count on buying a Toyota for reliability, although I just bought a 1990 Toyota Celica GT with 320,000 km (200,000 miles) without being scared of the number. Their older engines are bulletproof.

Mazdas are engineered enough, no more, no less.

Couldn't agree more. Mazda hasn't made the strides in market share that Toyota has and since they are still small they have to be very efficient, engineering their cars right to standard, and that's all. In this economy I can more than accept that type of business model.

 

[Katner]

nice write-up, and i heartily agree.

i keep coming back to mazda because they have some sort of voodoo that makes them extremely more fun to drive then their competition.

Even though a Mazda engineer could tell us exactly what that voodoo amounts to in design, I prefer to look at it exactly the way you've put it. It's voodoo magic I tell you.