Mazda3 and Ford Focus Zetec (relation?)

[VIT_06]

I have a 2000 Focus, and even though it's been a fun car to drive, I had my share of problems. Right now it's parked at a supermarket lot with some electrical problem (no battery juice, but the battery is 1 yr old) The mileage is up there (~91K), but a lot of it is freeway commuting.

So, I am thinking of buying a Mazda3 today, and I read nothing but great reviews as far as driveability, handling, etc. But am a little worried that it may share too many Ford parts. With the Focus, I had the motors mounts go at about 75K, the plastic thermostat housing (that can't withstand heat) went, rear drum brake cylinders, Brake Master Cylinder, etc.

I had a Mazda 323 in the 1990s that was a great little car and relatively free of problems until I gave it to a family member with about 130K. I had good luck with Acura as well.
So, how closely related are the Mazda3 and ZETEC Focus? thanks

 

[thefatman]

I have a 2000 Focus, and even though it's been a fun car to drive, I had my share of problems. Right now it's parked at a supermarket lot with some electrical problem (no battery juice, but the battery is 1 yr old) The mileage is up there (~91K), but a lot of it is freeway commuting.

So, I am thinking of buying a Mazda3 today, and I read nothing but great reviews as far as driveability, handling, etc. But am a little worried that it may share too many Ford parts. With the Focus, I had the motors mounts go at about 75K, the plastic thermostat housing (that can't withstand heat) went, rear drum brake cylinders, Brake Master Cylinder, etc.

I had a Mazda 323 in the 1990s that was a great little car and relatively free of problems until I gave it to a family member with about 130K. I had good luck with Acura as well.
So, how closely related are the Mazda3 and ZETEC Focus? thanks

The Mazda3 has more in common with the Euro Focus and Volvo S40



than the American Focus.

It does have FoMoCo parts on it but I don't know if they are shared from the American Focus or the European one. The MZ3 is still relatively new, so long term reliability is still up in the air, but if it is like the Protege5 I am guessing it will be good. Motortrend has a longterm test going on one, I think there are 3 articles you can find on their website.

Main complaints I have read are MPG can go to hell, if you have a lead foot, and the A/C isn't the strongest around. From personal experiance the A/C works fine but you have to have the windows all the way up and the recirculate button on.

Good luck car hunting.

 

[VIT_06]

Thanks for the reply. That's useful info. I went to a couple dealers today, and I called the manager and made an offer on a Turing hatch model at Galpin Mazda here in SoCal. I'll go in tomorrow and see if we can close the deal.

 

[Prodigy]

My girlfriend has one of those focuses...
I wish I could post a list of the number of problems that its had....
there's atleast 50 different major things that have gone wrong in the past YEAR.

 

[icspots]

Other than FoMoCo owning 33% of mazda, and them sharing some generic parts there aren't any similarities between the US focus and the Mz3. Completely different design/platform/engine, etc. Ford didn't design the MzR engine either, they paid mazda to develop it, and now......... oh look, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan has a new 2.3 engine.

The Euro focus, the S40, and the Mz3 are all built on the C1 platform so have some similarities. even beyond that though those three are pretty different cars.

There's a list of TSBs on finishlineperformance.com for the 3, but most of those are from the 2004 (first build) model. The A/C as mentioned can be a little depressing, so make sure you test drive on a hot day for a good comparison. Also try to have had the car sitting outside in the sun with the windows up before you turn it on. I seem to remember CA having lame tinting laws, but any tint you put on the windows will help a lot with the heat.

that being said I absolutely love my car.

 

[know_no_limits]

Other than FoMoCo owning 33% of mazda, and them sharing some generic parts there aren't any similarities between the US focus and the Mz3. Completely different design/platform/engine, etc. Ford didn't design the MzR engine either, they paid mazda to develop it, and now......... oh look, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan has a new 2.3 engine.

The Euro focus, the S40, and the Mz3 are all built on the C1 platform so have some similarities. even beyond that though those three are pretty different cars.

There's a list of TSBs on finishlineperformance.com for the 3, but most of those are from the 2004 (first build) model. The A/C as mentioned can be a little depressing, so make sure you test drive on a hot day for a good comparison. Also try to have had the car sitting outside in the sun with the windows up before you turn it on. I seem to remember CA having lame tinting laws, but any tint you put on the windows will help a lot with the heat.

that being said I absolutely love my car.

5% all the way around and i wouldn't have it any other way. It Really is amazing the difrence the tint makes on a hot day(its a trade off cause i can't see s*** at night(notcool) )....Its true though, the A/C keeps it cool but not cold.

 

[icspots]

5% all the way around and i wouldn't have it any other way. It Really is amazing the difrence the tint makes on a hot day(its a trade off cause i can't see s*** at night(notcool) )....Its true though, the A/C keeps it cool but not cold.

Tints have both light transmission rating, and heat reflectivity ratings. If you can find a lighter tint with an equal or greater heat reflectivity then you can still get a cool car, just with more visible light at night.