Racebrewer
Member
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- Mazda, Mazda 2 Touring MT
Only in severe frontal impacts.
John
John
Newbie to Forum Seeking Advice That will Steer me to Purchase Mazda2
- Thread starter SubCompactor
- Start date
No. The low weight of the car makes it a dream when it comes to handling, but that's where the similarities end. If we're all honest, we might not be making the comparisons if the Miata and the 2 weren't both made by Mazda.
Probably that they're both internal combustion
So far I love my 2. I've had it a week today, but already have over 650 miles on the odometer because I enjoy driving it that much. Only 22 miles of that was commuting- the rest was pleasure driving. So far I only have two minor gripes:
1. The door armrests aren't soft.
2. It's too loud on the highway, but I've never driven a lightweight car that isn't.
I had an 02 Protege before my 2, and it was even more noisy on the highway! My only gripe with mine after 18,000+ miles (bought it in August of '10) is the lack of a center armrest, but I don't want to lose the tray I keep my iPod in so I'm not going to put an armrest in it.
Red2, I copied this next quote from another thread:
It's an excellent deal. $35 off the original price + free shipping and you lose ZERO cup holder and storage space. There is a demo video of the install on the site. It's really straight forward and a great, sturdy design.
SubCompactor
Member
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- mazda 2 touring
Mazda2 I just finished checking out your gas/mpg journal. It is outstanding! I wondered what your driving habits are typically like. Do you "really" try hard to get the best mileage possible? Do you drive it hard? ....typically use the A/C on hot days?
Also, I note that most of the driving is on the highway but still those figures crush the Epa estimate. I would love to see what the little car would do with like 95% or more city driving using no A/C and driving it conservatively in an attempt to get the best possible MPG. I wonder if it would go over 32. My friends '06 Corolla 5-speed got 30.1 mpg with all city driving.
Also, I note that most of the driving is on the highway but still those figures crush the Epa estimate. I would love to see what the little car would do with like 95% or more city driving using no A/C and driving it conservatively in an attempt to get the best possible MPG. I wonder if it would go over 32. My friends '06 Corolla 5-speed got 30.1 mpg with all city driving.
To be honest, I'm an overly aggressive driver. And while I'm always conscious of how my driving is affecting my fuel mileage, I don't drive around constantly trying to squeeze every last mile out of every drop of fuel. And I often find myself driving it pretty hard. On really hot days, I do use the A/C... and pretty much any time it's above 80 degrees and my wife is in the car, I'm using my A/C. Also keep in mind that for the last 2 months all of those MPG calculations were with a roof rack on the car.
Don't pay too much attention to the percentage of highway to city. Not only did Fuelly just recently come out with that feature, I typically just type somewhere between 25 and 45 percent city. In reality, there are probably tanks that are all city that I only put 45% city because i didn't feel like thinking too hard about it.
I do my best to do little things to keep the mileage up like: tire pressure is 40psi front and 38psi rear, try to keep it clean and waxed, don't keep too much extra stuff in it to keep the weight down, keep the air filter clean.
The current generation Miata has a Ford Duratec engine. Same one that was used in the 2005+ Focus until they changed body styles. That being said, the Miata starts with that engine and modifies. It comes in two different HP versions for the Miata that exceed any HPs found in the Focus. The M2 is a pure Japanese engine. While the Fiesta and M2 share the same frame, with Ford/Mazda disengaging...that's about where the similarities end.
The 1st and 2nd generation Miatas are 1.6 or 1.8 Japanese engines that rev high and like it. The only downside in my opinion, those engines have timing belts which I detest since they have a 60k change interval. The M2 has a chain while the 1.8 Fiesta has a belt. I just changed the belt on my 9 year old Miata at 68k miles. While you're in there, might as well change the water pump, rollers, front engine/cam seals, belts, hoses, etc. Then if you're lucky like me, you'll get the belt off by one notch on a cam gear which requires a quick tear down to do it over again. An 8 hour job that turns into 12 hours.
True. The M2 is almost the same length and does like to hug the road in turns. It does act a bit Miata-ish. But the lack of HPs and what I call an idiot proof clutch is different. I've never seen a clutch like the M2 since it has no pressure and almost a staggered delay to prevent any jerkiness. It also won't drift.
Buy the Mazda2.
I have been a Datsun/Nissan driver since I started driving 35 years ago. Nissans still treat me very good, my current '99 Nissan truck has 195,000 very low maintenance miles on it, but I caught the Mazda fever in 2008 when I bought a Mazda3, I loved how that car drove. I drove the wheels off the Mazda3 for 2 years & then upgraded to a '10 RX8. The RX8 took my Mazda driving pleasure to a new level, but it's not very economical for my 50 mile commute. My nissan truck already has tons of miles & our V6 Sonata doesn't do the best on gas either so I justified getting a small gas miser. After a lot of research, driving different makes & starting negotiations on my terms (email communication only until the deal was all finalized), I picked the Mazda2 as my # 1 choice, Hyundai Accent as # 2 & Nissan Versa third. Fortunately I cut the deal that worked for me on the Mazda2 & basically pay for 75% of the car with my gas saving alone.
Between the Mazda3, the RX8 & the Mazda2, the only maintenance I've had to do has been routine oil changes & mileage related checks. So far, no issues on any of the Mazda's I've owned. Mazda vehicles drive way better than any comprable car out there, by a big margin!
ZOOM ZOOM
I have been a Datsun/Nissan driver since I started driving 35 years ago. Nissans still treat me very good, my current '99 Nissan truck has 195,000 very low maintenance miles on it, but I caught the Mazda fever in 2008 when I bought a Mazda3, I loved how that car drove. I drove the wheels off the Mazda3 for 2 years & then upgraded to a '10 RX8. The RX8 took my Mazda driving pleasure to a new level, but it's not very economical for my 50 mile commute. My nissan truck already has tons of miles & our V6 Sonata doesn't do the best on gas either so I justified getting a small gas miser. After a lot of research, driving different makes & starting negotiations on my terms (email communication only until the deal was all finalized), I picked the Mazda2 as my # 1 choice, Hyundai Accent as # 2 & Nissan Versa third. Fortunately I cut the deal that worked for me on the Mazda2 & basically pay for 75% of the car with my gas saving alone.
Between the Mazda3, the RX8 & the Mazda2, the only maintenance I've had to do has been routine oil changes & mileage related checks. So far, no issues on any of the Mazda's I've owned. Mazda vehicles drive way better than any comprable car out there, by a big margin!
ZOOM ZOOM
SubCompactor
Member
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- mazda 2 touring
hmm. ??? hmm.???
As for my Mazda's reliability. I bought a 96 Protege DX 1.5L with the 5 speed transmission and 121,000 miles for $1900 6 years ago. It had 92 HP and 96 torque. Carfax report said it started out life as a rental car. I still drive it every once in a while with 160,000 miles. I used it as a delivery driver as well driving 100 miles per day in the city, 3-4 days per week. -The delivery driver position helped pay for my 00 Porsche Boxster that I got for $9700 with 76k miles. And I have taken it on many long trips as well. It is a very simple car and I did all of the maintenance myself. It is a blast to drive throwing it into corners at high speeds with no tire squeel or sliding. It is a 2384 lb car. It is the best comparison to the new Mazda 2 in terms of weight and performance.
In the past 6 years, the only problems I had was a bad A/C compressor, which overheated because the compressor cooling fan motor hooked up to the radiator was not working and the other problem I had was with the interior dome light bulb burning out quickly. I also needed the clutch replaced at 140,000 miles. And now I got an offer for the car for $1500 so I am selling it to the interested buyer. It was a great car and now I want a Mazda 2 to replace it.
I also knew two other people with 92 and 94 Protege's. One had 210,000 miles and one had 245,000 miles. They sold them because of growing families and they sometimes tell me they regreted selling it.
In the past 6 years, the only problems I had was a bad A/C compressor, which overheated because the compressor cooling fan motor hooked up to the radiator was not working and the other problem I had was with the interior dome light bulb burning out quickly. I also needed the clutch replaced at 140,000 miles. And now I got an offer for the car for $1500 so I am selling it to the interested buyer. It was a great car and now I want a Mazda 2 to replace it.
I also knew two other people with 92 and 94 Protege's. One had 210,000 miles and one had 245,000 miles. They sold them because of growing families and they sometimes tell me they regreted selling it.
I just picked up a red 2011 Touring 5 speed 2 days ago and am enjoying it quite a bit. It reminds me of the Mazda3 I used to have and a 2005 Civic Si I had as well. The shifter on the dash is great. It is a bit of a turd in terms of power, but it's fun to run through the gears in a "single cam Civic" kind of way. In normal driving, the supposed power deficit isn't apparent at all. I test drove a couple of cars, including the handsome Fiesta, before the Mazda2 and I just liked the simplicity of the Mazda more.
I can't see reliability being a big problem, it's a pretty basic little car.
I can't see reliability being a big problem, it's a pretty basic little car.
