Need to upgrade car

DARK-KNIGHT

hi so I currently have a 2000 yaris runaround for college and to get to work. as I'm a student I'm looking for a decent car at a decent price that's reliable. I was thinking a mazda 3 1.6 petrol 2005/2006... any experience of this car? are they reliable and would they be cheap to run?

bazz26

Being 1.6 they are not going to be as cheap as a 1.0 litre Yaris to run but they should be very reliable.

chicorytip

DARK-KNIGHT wrote:

hi so I currently have a 2000 yaris runaround for college and to get to work. as I'm a student I'm looking for a decent car at a decent price that's reliable. I was thinking a mazda 3 1.6 petrol 2005/2006... any experience of this car? are they reliable and would they be cheap to run?

The 1.4 litre petrol version of the Mazda 3 would be a better choice. You should also consider a Nissan Almera. A well maintained example should prove reliable and economical.

DARK-KNIGHT

chicorytip wrote: »

The 1.4 litre petrol version of the Mazda 3 would be a better choice. You should also consider a Nissan Almera. A well maintained example should prove reliable and economical.

I thought the almeras were buckets of $^&*?? well that seems to be the general thoughts from anyone I know that has had one

Nuw

The 1.4 in the Mazda is going to be a good bit underpowered, which means you'll have to mash the accelerator to get anywhere, which means your actual mpg figures will suffer. The almera is definitely not as good to drive and given the choice I'd go for the Mazda in 1.6 myself.

The only thing is, Mazdas seem to attract higher insurance premiums than other equivalent manufacturers for whatever reason, so I'd suggest contacting them before you commit any money into a car. The difference between 1.4 and 1.6 insurance wise shouldn't be massive though.

bazz26

The last generation Almera are nothing to right home about reliability wise - stretching timing chains, melting headlights, etc. They are also a very old and dated design.

Toyota Corolla should be added to the list too, 1.4 petrol has nearly the same bhp as the 1.6 Mazda 3 while not commanding the extra insurance premium or small jump in tax. However they tend to cost a bit more than the equivalent Mazda3 to buy.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I would go for a 1.4 Corolla over a Mazda 3.

chicorytip

DARK-KNIGHT wrote:

I thought the almeras were buckets of $^&*?? well that seems to be the general thoughts from anyone I know that has had one

Why are there still so many on the road in that case? I've owned four and have no hesitation in describing them as excellent cars in most respects.

SmartinMartin

Can I ask... Why are you changing the yaris? Probably one of the most reliable and economical cars on the road.

DARK-KNIGHT

SmartinMartin wrote: »

Can I ask... Why are you changing the yaris? Probably one of the most reliable and economical cars on the road.

purely as its a 17 year old car I would like to upgrade.. in saying that being offered 200 cash on adverts from gob****es is making me think twice about selling it think ill drive it on til it dies

SmartinMartin

That yaris will go forever if you look after it. Regular oil changes is the secret.

DARK-KNIGHT

I see a lot of the older beetles are selling cheap like 2002-2004 are they reliable or not?

bazz26

It's just a Mk4 Golf in a different dress. The cabin is a fairly awkward design if you're anyway above average height as the dashboard takes up half the interior space. 2.0 litre petrol engine only has 115bhp which is a bit gutless and the 1.6 ain't much better. 1.8 T is the engine to get but they are rare.

Leonard Hofstadter

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

I see a lot of the older beetles are selling cheap like 2002-2004 are they reliable or not?

They're OK but the gearbox is a weak point on the 1.6s (and the 1.4s if they were sold in Ireland - which they probably were knowing Ireland). The diesel or the 1.8T would be the best bets.

The Mazda 3 is a great car and you won't have any problems with it, get a 1.6 though as the 1.4 has barely any more power than the Yaris.