Which 2-liter Car to Buy?

[jut703]

Depends really on how you use the car. If you use it the way many taxi drivers use their Accent CRDi's, it wouldn't need 5 years to break down. If you take good care of it, I'm sure it'll still run like brand new 15 years later. As they say, you take care of the car, the car takes care of you. Perform maintenance religiously every 5000 kms, load up with clean diesel, preferably Unioil (Euro 4) or Seaoil (Euro 3 + STP additives), and let the turbo "cool down" by idling for a couple of minutes before shutoff. And then again, the Focus employs the Bosch CRDi system if I'm not mistaken. It's known to be much more reliable than the finicky Japanese Denso units.

I also really doubt that you'd be able to find a Mazda 6 2.3 for just 320k. They're rare in the 2nd hand market, and have significantly higher resale than a Camry or Accord of similar vintage.

Thing is, I don't know how the previous owner used it. Which makes it risky to get a turbodiesel secondhand.

For Mazda 6s, I've seen 3 priced at 295k, 310k, and 328k. Very un-filipino to price it more than a Camry or Accord.


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[GTi]

double post

[Egan101]

*jut703 - are you looking at the Fiesta 1.5L NA or the 1.0L Ecoboost?

[jut703]

Thanks for the input Niky. As much as I like the Civic 2.0 as well, it's too expensive and it's not cheap to run so you can't recoup it. Plus, manuals are very few and far in between.

I agree with your point that the clutch/turbo will depend on how much the previous owner took care of it. Which makes me think this is such a risky proposition. At best, the Focus will be about 40-80k cheaper in 5 years compared to the 3. However, it's quite unlikely that the clutch and/or turbo won't begin acting up during my ownership. And in case I decide to make it a keeper, the 3 will be much simpler to maintain in the long run. That said, the TDCi I'm looking at right now has 60k kms on clock, which is pretty young.

Earlier today I was already leaning towards the Focus because it's so damn fast and practical that I can overlook its ugly duckling styling. But then the higher maintenance risk practically erases its practicality in the long run.

My heart still beats for the 6, but I wouldn't feel so bad settling for the 3 just to lessen running costs a little. The Focus is really a decision of the mind alone and I'm still having a hard time liking it..


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[niky]

Having driven all three...

The Mazda3 is the least fun to drive. Not saying it isn't fun... but the steering isn't as good as the other two, and... four-speed automatic... it just doesn't have the goods to go.

The Mazda6 has the best steering and the most "buzz" when it comes to hooning around. Again, though... AT only. So you've got the best steering on the market (better than the NC Miata), but you don't have that fine control over your speed.

That generation Focus has fantastic steering. Not quite as sharp as the Mazdas, but it has that sublime touch you get with the great ones, like the dual-wishbone Accord or the Lynx.

Hard decision... personally, I'd go for the Ford, because at least I know what to watch for and where to get it... and given how I drive nowadays (strict 80 km/h... only once a week past 160 km/h... no heavy braking... proper warm up and cool down... etcetera), I can make it last a long time.

[jut703]

Hard decision... personally, I'd go for the Ford, because at least I know what to watch for and where to get it... and given how I drive nowadays (strict 80 km/h... only once a week past 160 km/h... no heavy braking... proper warm up and cool down... etcetera), I can make it last a long time.

Even if it has the ugliest interior among the 3? I can't imagine being happy driving it on a daily basis even if it's a thrifty, quick manual. Only my pocket will be happy, but even that's uncertain because turbos are expensive to replace.

At least with the Mz3, I know I'll be happy to use it as a daily driver, even if it's not as quick as the other 2. Replacing shocks isn't as painful as a turbo/intercooler replacement.

I'm fairly certain the Mz6 will bring the most smiles to my face, but maintaining a gas-guzzling midsizer seems very impractical.

There are some good Focuses and 3s available in OLX right now, but I feel like I should wait just a bit longer to stumble upon a decent 6 first just to be sure...



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[[archie]]

It really depends on how it's being used.

Turbo is a big worry for the focus. It's not cheap to maintain because you need to be religious on change oils. Burnt motor oil does nothing good for the turbo turbine.

If it's used regularly and not at insane speeds, it's going to last. But in all reality, one turbine might differ even on the same specs and made.

150k mileage... It's a toss up. With people I know who are boosted, some last long than others regardless of how expensive.