Thinking About Buying a Mazda2 -- Reliability?

[John W]

Yes and no. The local dealers -- and I mean local within an hour's driving distance -- are pretty much saying $500 off MRSP OR 0% financing. However, if I travel 3 hours to Northern Virginia, I can get a 2 Sport for ~$13,475-13,950, depending on what color it is, or pay about $14,700 and get 0% financing. I'm actually planning to put down $5-7,000 so I may just skip the 0% financing and go straight for the low price. Interest rates are super low right now anyways. Or I may just pay cash money and be done with it. I've never paid interest on anything before, other than a mortgage.

 

[eyeballs]

Wow your really getting screwed over there. Try telling them if they want to sell a car you'll pay $15,000 financed at 0% and nothing more. Thats what I paid, and didn't even have to negotiate (I used truecar). Or $14,500 cash. That's a decent deal for the sport though if thats the financed price. If you have to do that, then just throw a springset and wheel/tire package on it with the money you save by not going with the touring.

 

[JOE MAMA]

Our 2 has 10,000 miles on it and we've had a few minor problems. The front rotors needed to be replaced because they were rusting. I noticed this on the test drive and mentioned it to the sales guy, who said it would wear off after a few days. It didn't, so they replaced them. The radio had a recall (would not work when it was cold outside). The dealer fixed this no problem. The only other problem I've had is the rear suspension creaking in the winter. I'm sure what the dealer did, but the problem is gone and hasn't come back. I presume they lubricated everything though.

To be honest, the problems I've experienced are very minor and I love this car. It feels very tight and overall I think its of good quality. I also read the Car & Driver long term test and was concerned, but so far my experience has been much different.

Mazda is very big on service and are very responsive to problems. Their tech support folks are very active and try to prevent problems before they arise. We also have a Mazda 5 (only 6,000 miles) and its been absolutely flawless!

 

[John W]

Wow your really getting screwed over there.

Lol. That's why I haven't bought anything -- because I don't like getting screwed over. And I honestly don't want to pay a lot for this car. When I am ready, I'm 95 percent certain I am traveling to No.Va. to purchase a car. The savings make it well worth a couple of extra hours. If I can't get a good price, I'm just going to get a used 05-07 Ford Focus.

 

[John W]

Our 2 has 10,000 miles on it and we've had a few minor problems. The front rotors needed to be replaced because they were rusting. I noticed this on the test drive and mentioned it to the sales guy, who said it would wear off after a few days. It didn't, so they replaced them. The radio had a recall (would not work when it was cold outside). The dealer fixed this no problem. The only other problem I've had is the rear suspension creaking in the winter. I'm sure what the dealer did, but the problem is gone and hasn't come back. I presume they lubricated everything though.

To be honest, the problems I've experienced are very minor and I love this car. It feels very tight and overall I think its of good quality. I also read the Car & Driver long term test and was concerned, but so far my experience has been much different.

Mazda is very big on service and are very responsive to problems. Their tech support folks are very active and try to prevent problems before they arise. We also have a Mazda 5 (only 6,000 miles) and its been absolutely flawless!

Yeah, I've read about a lot of people having problems with the front rotors. It's more of an annoyance than a big concern. And maybe the aftermarket -- or Mazda -- will come up with a permanent fix.

My brother and sister-in-law have a 2012 Mazda5. It's a great vehicle. The steering is fantastic for a "mini van" and at ~$20k it's a bargain compared to other vehicles of its kind.

 

[Racebrewer]

Hi,

Where do the front rotors rust?

John

 

[arcxer]

I'm curious about that too.

If the rotors rust on their friction surface and driving doesn't remove that -- I'd really start worrying about brakes not working But then, I'd assume that on any car front brakes not working would be quite noticeable even without rust (if you're lucky to manage stopping the car at the first red light you encounter, that is).

If the rust is on the edges and other non-friction places -- well, the thickness of the rotor is such that it'd take a lot longer then rotor's lifetime to corrode them enough to cause any real effect...

 

[JOE MAMA]

I'm curious about that too.

If the rotors rust on their friction surface and driving doesn't remove that -- I'd really start worrying about brakes not working But then, I'd assume that on any car front brakes not working would be quite noticeable even without rust (if you're lucky to manage stopping the car at the first red light you encounter, that is).

If the rust is on the edges and other non-friction places -- well, the thickness of the rotor is such that it'd take a lot longer then rotor's lifetime to corrode them enough to cause any real effect...

The rotors were in fact rusted on the friction surface. I think the vehicle sat for a while on the dealer's lot which may have caused the rust to penetrate the rotor causing some minor pitting, which never went away over time. I don't think it really affected overall braking, but the steering wheel feel while braking was not desirable.

 

[Racebrewer]

Try pushing harder on the brake pedal a few times to clean up the rotors?

John

 

[Racebrewer]

"I'm just going to get a used 05-07 Ford Focus"

Bless you. Somebody has to buy and dispose of them properly. Leaving them to rust into puddles on the dealer's lots seems cruel.

John

 

[EconoBox]

The rotors were in fact rusted on the friction surface. I think the vehicle sat for a while on the dealer's lot which may have caused the rust to penetrate the rotor causing some minor pitting, which never went away over time. I don't think it really affected overall braking, but the steering wheel feel while braking was not desirable.

Yikes! My car sat on the lot for 4 months and it got no action whatsoever (4 miles on the odometer)... How do I know if my rotors are bad or gonna fail? They feel fine to me when I brake... no squealing and it doesn't seem weak or slow to shave off speed...