Mazda demio

lolo62

Anyone know what these are like? I have always driven ford fiesta 1.25 zetec engine and am shopping for a small car atm.
Spotted one of these 2009 with a 2 year nct. Looks like a good deal but maybe these are just pretty to look at?
I'm shopping with about 3000 so ideally would love another fiesta but looks like I'd need about 4000 for one with a 2 year nct.

Any suggestions or tips for shopping in this price range much appreciated. My priority is nct really as have had a bad experience and would like to put off another for as long as possible!

witless_steve

I test drove one a few years ago they're a great small car. The engine is a little weedy for heavy motorway use but otherwise fine.
When on a test drive try to drive it in traffic to get a sense of how well it behaves in slow moving traffic. Also try to get it for a spin on a narrow back road and a main road.
The narrow one should have a tougher road surface so will let you hear any rattles if there are any. It also gives you some idea how it feels on a bad road.
Some people can get car sick in certain models so always worth finding out if it's going to do that to you before you buy it.

Other then that Mazda petrols are pretty much bullet proof, cheap to service too and they aren't heavy on tyres either.

colm_mcm

Demio is the Japanese market version of the Mazda 2.

road_high

Petrol Mazda are the epitome of Japanese reliability.

bazz26

Mazda 2 or Demio used the same platform as the Fiesta too. 1.25 litre engine in the Mazda 2 would be the same engine from the Fiesta too. Not sure if the 1.3 engine in the Demio is the same though.

Edit: Looks like the second generation Mazda2 uses Mazda's own 1.3 litre engine rather than the Ford 1.25 litre engine in the Fiesta.

JohnBoy26

road_high wrote: »

Petrol Mazda are the epitome of Japanese reliability.

Nah, honda and toyota do things better tbh.

JohnBoy26

lolo62 wrote: »

Anyone know what these are like? I have always driven ford fiesta 1.25 zetec engine and am shopping for a small car atm.
Spotted one of these 2009 with a 2 year nct. Looks like a good deal but maybe these are just pretty to look at?
I'm shopping with about 3000 so ideally would love another fiesta but looks like I'd need about 4000 for one with a 2 year nct.

Any suggestions or tips for shopping in this price range much appreciated. My priority is nct really as have had a bad experience and would like to put off another for as long as possible!

They rust badly underneath those mazda's so have a good look underneath before buying

road_high

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Nah, honda and toyota do things better tbh.

Where Did I say they didn't? If you could read the OP posts they actually asked about Mazda- they didn't mention Honda or Toyota...

lolo62

Thanks everyone. I decided against even checking it out as it seems a bit too small. Glad I did since you say there's a rust issue...had a nightmare with my old Ford fiesta and rust.

Looking at opel corsas 2008 now. It seems my money goes a bit further shopping for one of those over the 2008 fiesta.

Anything I need to watch with ano opel corsa? I've heard they're great small cars in the past but don't know much

colm_mcm

Corsa are just as small as Demios, if not smaller.

I personally wouldn't be a massive fan of the Corsa. I think the Fiesta is a much better car, especially if you can stretch to the newer model (that's just finishing up this year), it's still a small enough car though.

lolo62

colm_mcm wrote: »

Corsa are just as small as Demios, if not smaller.

I personally wouldn't be a massive fan of the Corsa. I think the Fiesta is a much better car, especially if you can stretch to the newer model (that's just finishing up this year), it's still a small enough car though.

Thanks. I prefer the fiesta too. There aren't as many of them available though, unless I want to spend close to 5000 which seems crazy money for a 9 year old car. Then I'm used to bangers so maybe I'm just realising the reality of non-banger used car prices!

colm_mcm

What's the budget, what do you need, and what do you drive now?

lolo62

colm_mcm wrote: »

What's the budget, what do you need, and what do you drive now?

4000 is the budget, the longest nct possible and I'm on dublin bus at the mo.

colm_mcm

Do you have any no-claims discount built up for insurance?

lolo62

colm_mcm wrote: »

Do you have any no-claims discount built up for insurance?

I think 6 years. 4000.is for the car though have extra for tax and insurance

colm_mcm

How big does the car need to be?

lolo62

colm_mcm wrote: »

How big does the car need to be?

Engine wise no bigger than 1.4 interior just comfortable really. I used to drive the older fiesta model. Got rid of it last year and knew next car would need to be a bit roomier. The new model looks just that. I think opel corsa might be a bit too cosy like you say

bazz26

2010 Suzuki Swift with NCT until April 2019 asking 4.5k:



https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/suzuki-swift-sz2-2-years-nct-taxed-/15351869

lolo62

Does this seem like a good deal?
Ford fiesta steel 2 2008
76,000 miles
Nct 07/18
€3750
Independent dealer comes with warranty

Toyotafanboi

My gut says it's a bit expensive but I could be wrong.

Those Fiestas are nice though in Steel spec. You got 16 inch alloys, sunroof and aircon which really smarten them up.

lolo62

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

My gut says it's a bit expensive but I could be wrong.

Those Fiestas are nice though in Steel spec. You got 16 inch alloys, sunroof and aircon which really smarten them up.

Thanks! It looks great. Spoke to the guy and he wasn't sure on timing belt and water pump but would find out and said if they hadn't been changed he would do so if asking price payed.
That seems like a good deal to me?

As far as I'm aware ford fiestas are very reliable. As long as there's no rust and the belts been changed...is there anything else I should look out for?

bazz26

Ring a Ford dealer and ask about the timing belt interval on those engines as Ford revised the mileage/age interval a few years back. Also price the job from them as well as a few independent garages. The selling dealer including changing the timing belt if you pay the asking price doesn't mean your getting it done for nothing.

Also what is the warranty like from the dealer on a 9 year old car? My guess is basic engine and gearbox for a limited time or mileage, there is not alot of profit for dealers selling cars of that age by slapping a decent warranty them.

lolo62

bazz26 wrote: »

Ring a Ford dealer and ask about the timing belt interval on those engines as Ford revised the mileage/age interval a few years back. Also price the job from them as well as a few independent garages. The selling dealer including changing the timing belt if you pay the asking price doesn't mean your getting it done for nothing.

Also what is the warranty like from the dealer on a 9 year old car? My guess is basic engine and gearbox for a limited time or mileage, there is not alot of profit for dealers selling cars of that age by slapping a decent warranty them.

I'm pretty sure it's every 10 years or 100000 miles. I wouldn't expect much of a warranty but for 3750 with a years nct, lowish mileage and a nice looking car, new timing belt and water pump fully serviced it seems that's more than I'd get buying private. Have been looking for a few weeks now. There aren't a lot of fiestas for sale. No comeback buying private either.

The garage got the car as a trade so someone obviously just wanted a bigger car and handed it over when buying from them.
I've never bought from a dealer before. Have always just picked something up for 600-700 and do what needs doing for nct, then the same each year until the car starts owing me.
Spending 4000 on a car that maybe hasn't been serviced or recently nct'd seems too risky to me.
Anyway going for a test drive tomorrow so fingers crossed it's all ok. Shopping for a car is exhausting!

bazz26

Dealers selling cars in that price range generally don't tend to spend big amounts of money on turning them around for resale as it eats into their profit. While you're used to buying ?600-700 cars privately, spending ?3750 at a dealers doesn't necessarily guarantee you anything. So don't take anything for granted.

J.pilkington

I've owned a few of these during my grandturusmo 1 days, grand for the novice cup but I always traded up when I had the funds

colm_mcm

That's a very good point, and one that's been overlooked so far

lolo62

I have always driven the old model fiesta so this is already going to be a bigger car. I live on a dublin city council road that parking is a nightmare for, even getting up and down the road can be tricky as it's narrow.
Maybe will eventually trade up but at the moment a small car is just the ticket.
Do you think 1.4 is a huge difference to drive than 1.2?

colm_mcm

1.4 is a waste of time in the Fiesta.

bazz26

The 1.4 doesn't perform in any way better than the 1.25. The 1.4 also costs a bit more to tax and is limited to either the base LX model or top Ghia which other than having air conditioning has less toys than the 1.25 Steel model.

lolo62

Thanks everyone. I test drove today and was happy to put down a deposit. He's doing the timing belt and water pump included in price. 2 perfect tyres, one new spare. Two not great but he's moving those to the back and the good to the front for me.
Did a few three point turns, power steering perfect, suspension great also. Read that both those should be checked on fiestas. The extra specs felt great especially the sound system.
Loads of room, didn't feel like I was in a small car at all.
Tax will be 280. Getting a quote Monday for insurance.