Hi Guys
Im buying my first car and cant make up my mind
IM looking at these two
2015 Mitsubishi Lancer ES Sports
2015 Mazda 3 Maxx
I have compared the two cars and have seen pros and cons in each but still a hard choice to make
EDIT
Made the desicion have purchased a mitsi lol
the deal i had gotten on the Car was to good compared to what mazda could offer me almost 9k Cheaper with accessories i wanted
Thank you everyone for all your replys really appreciate the help
Also makes you an instant twat if you buy either of those cars.
Ever stop to think that he might not be a bogan?
Should have a look at the new LZ Ford Focus.
1.5L Ecoboost motor, traditional auto or manual, pretty well equipped (features) as well.
Change title to: car'n't make up my mind
easy choice….
mazda 3…….
interior, resale value, reliability, styling, fuel consumption….etc"…..
My friend bought a Mazda 3 recently and she loves it. It's a good car, decent performance and great value servicing (once every 12 months). She also got the Maxx. The screen they use for the centre console is great too (nav is really nice).
Get a Mazda 3 Maxx Sports or SP25, you'll love the car and it holds its resale value remarkably well.
New Car Cant Make Mind up
New cars have minds now?
o_0
i'd buy a 2nd hand car for a first car. lost count on how many P platers have dinged their first car
First couple of years bound to have a few bingles..
I understand people like the idea of owning a new car, but it really is temporary, and you pay a hefty price for the privilege which only lasts for a short while. Many of the opinions here for the mazda, with things like better resale value, or newer design there's a few things to point out;
If the resale value is better on the mazda 3, then that points directly to a second hand lancer. Let someone else take the hit and buy a car that has only one or two years of use on it saving heaps in the process.
The current lancer body will be phased out soon, if you must buy new, consider delaying as they will be running them out either this year or next, depending when they release the new body. With that said, you can also do research on what are common failures. 7 year old design means a lot of them have gone through their useful life, which means that you can easily find out what goes wrong, and what you might be in for. It also means the factory has had time to fix some of the bugs, however, they're not notorious for anything drastic, so you'll probably only be up for regular servicing. Also parts availability will be better (older design, aftermarket and wreckers have had a chance to catch up, and the genuine parts can't gouge for prices as readily (competition…).
^^^ +1
Buy off this guy https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/216815
He doesn't need it and has incentive with fines to pay :P
You should have made a poll, although you'll find that the Mazda 3 is going to be the clear winner.
Main reasons for the Mazda 3 - new engine, has been fairly well received, good fuel economy. New styling won't go out of style soon. Interior quality is above average
Main reason against the Mazda 3 - more expensive.
Main reason for the Lancer ES Sport - Cheaper.
Main reasons against the Lancer ES Sport - 4B11 engine used since 2007, high fuel consumption. Interior trim is "average". Styling is dated.
I own a CH Lancer VRX from 2004. In 11 years of ownership the car has been very reliable over 201k km of travel. Never left me stranded and has only required an average of $100 in repairs per year (mostly minor issues). So from a reliability point of view my personal experience is that Mitsubishi can build a high quality car. I even abuse my car my running it on LPG (stated in the instruction manual the car is not suitable for it). 130k km later on LPG it's still going very nicely.
Having said that, unless your budget is tight, go for the Mazda. Much newer model and will generally have better resale value. If you keep a car as long as I have (11 years and counting) then resale doesn't mean anything as both cars would have depreciated 85%+.
Mazda 3 for sure.
The 1st Gen Mazda 3 was being superceded when the current Lancer was being introduced. The older 1st Gen Mazda 3 was better than the current Lancer.
The 2nd Gen Mazda 3 was shortly introduced after the current Lancer was introduced, the 2nd Gen Mazda 3 was much better better than the current Lancer.
The 3rd Gen Mazda 3 was introduced a few years ago, the current Lancer is very old…. I think you get the picture :)
Reliability and running cost will similar, but the 3rd Gen Mazda 3 is a much better car to drive and as it's much newer should be much safer too.
Made this decision recently, was significantly cheaper (30%) to get a 1 year old Lancer than a 1 year old Mazda 3. The Mazda 3 might be better, and might have better resale, but for the cost difference its just not worth it. I picked up a mid range 1 year old Lancer LX (leather, reverse camera) for $17k with 20,000 klms. Try to beat that with a Mazda 3. The closest I got was a Mazda3 Touring for $24k with similar kilometres.
Reliability its hard to beat the lancer, likewise running costs are heaps cheaper than the Mazda. Cheaper capped price servicing, parts, insurance, etc. is what I found. I know that Mazda have had some problems recently with transmissions on the CX5s which are similar to the Mazda3s.
On the previous model Lancer service intervals were 15,000km while Mazda requires 10,000. That alone shaves a fair few hundred dollars off the total cost of ownership.
Kia Cerato, 7 years unlimited warranty, 1.7 percent finance, beautiful and agile enough for Australia
But its a Kia, its still has that bad image in peoples minds.
Why do you care about peoples minds? What do you want from a car,
1- good value for money, reliability and 7 years unlimited warranty; OR
2- what people think of it!?
Most people still don't know Kia and Hyundai are essentially the same company. Do you really want to base your judgement on people's minds?
By the time you want to sell the Kia in 6 years, Kia will have had it's good share of the market, they are doing all the right things
Mazda 3, you wont be disappointed.
they have a deal on until the end of the month where you get free CTP, 12 months Rego and Stanp Duty. If you can afford it with the money you get off with the free stuff, go the base SP25 - it is a much better car for the money.
I'd say the drive and interior quality (plus exterior) of my Mazda 3 (SP25 GT) was only second to the VW golf R (but that costs 20k more). Also tried the Mercedes CLA base, but that was 20k more, felt like a wet noodle, had no extras and had absolutely no power (plus they kept calling me non-stop for several months even after I said that I wouldn't be buying a Merc).
None of the other Japanese makers I tried really came close in terms of design, power or pricing (tried the civic, 86 and Camry, didn't try any of the Korean ones).
And as for the second hand european car idea, I wouldn't suggest it. My parents have an old audi A5 S-line which would retail for about 30k these days. Every service is 1k-ish (they give you 3 chocolates though). Last year the transmission failed, was quoted for 25k to fix it but since we'd been so good and serviced it at Audi all the time, they discounted it to 8k. That said, the audi is a completely different machine, drives like a dream when it is working but the potential for hidden costs really do make it incomparable to a new Japanese sedan.
TL;DR go give them a try, It'll only take a day or so and you'll have a better idea of what you want.
Audi a5 wouldn't retail for 30k these days.
The interior of the vw golf r isn't the only vw gold that would have a better interior than the Mazda3. There's the 110tsi r line which would be a better comparison and it has very similar level of trim finish to the golf R.
Actually, all Golfs have good interiors.
The GTI would be a closer match to the SP25 GT than the R, even the base GTI will destroy the SP25 GT in every single performance measurement.
The 110TSI would be the closest comparison to the SP25GT. In that comparison, I would favour the SP25GT due to lower end power (as I'm assuming this a city driving only car).
The GTI is a closer comparison to the Mazda 3 MPS (not the upcoming MPS as they're likely bumping it up to AWD). The GTI is a no brainer winner due to the MPS' torque steer.
I'd consider a Polo GTI for in city driving. That thing has the tiniest turning circle and still enough punch.
I agree with what you're saying (GTI vs MPS), but I was referring to the fact that Dsquall was trying to comparing his SP25GT with the Golf R but totally ignoring the GTI is closer match(FWD and cheaper than the R).
@JB1:
Yeah, I hear ya. Just going a little off tangent :)
I'd like to compare my car to a Bugatti ;)
Audis are known to be relatively problematic. I personally wouldn't like to own one outside of warranty.
Go Japanese and never look back. Europeans are only good for cheating emission tests and putting ridiculous premiums on their brands.
Forget both, buy a used mondeo titanium. Drives like a 3 series.
Drives like a 3 series?
3 series is FR, Mondeo is FF. I'd hardly call the drive similar due to the different layout.
Mate I hope you take the overwhelming advice (has anyone actually advised the Mitsubishi?) and get the Mazda.
As many have said, Lancer is old - I've been in a few of them over the years (granted not the most recent ones, but unlikely to have changed) but the interior is this really hard plastic, wouldn't even want to rest your arm on it.
I can't speak much for the new Mazda 3, but previous generations have been great economy cars.
Plus, and I can't believe nobody has mentioned this as a con yet: do you really want people saying "oh, you bought a mitsi!?" or calling it a mitsy? My decision would be made almost entirely on that alone.
Personally though, I would buy a second hard car, something with 10,000kms or so, still under warranty etc. Or better yet, something older with comparable features for much less money. But you didn't ask for my advice in that manner, so ignore this paragraph. :)
i would say they are on the same level Mazda is not known for its reliability its not a big seller in japan either for a reason…
The Mitsubishi will be cheaper to service and you can always find lots of aftermarket parts .
The Mazda appears looks better but if you buy the Mazda your servicing will have to be on par or else it will fall apart mind you no car lasts for ever!
But the Mitsubishi does get gearbox issue with the CVT box….
Now i am no fan of Honda but i would go a civic over these cars but the price is a little higher and its not optioned the best!
I guess I'm the only one that read the title as the car couldn't make its own mind up?
My 2c is to look at cars of the same make/model you are interested in which are 2-3-4-5 years old to give an indication of how the quality of the car holds up over time.
My impression of 2-3-4 year old Mazda 3's is that they hold up pretty well, paint, headlight plastic, never seen one with a smoking engine - styling even on superseded models is good.
My impression of a 2-3-4 year old Lancer is - blow smoke, swirl marks in paint, faded front headlight plastic, trim issues - dated styling.
Swirl marks are almost entirely due to washing habits.
I agree that the Mazda lasts forever. One of my staff still drives one from before the logo change. I've sat in it and the car was running without concern.
OP Which model of the lancer did you end up getting and what was the drive away price? Thanks
I just sold a 2010 Lancer SX Sportsback. Great car you won't be disappointed - never had an issue. Plus if they still do the 5 year warranty and capped price servicing, then its good value.
Only thing is this current series (CJ) has been since around 2007, so the interior feels quite dated.
I think I read somewhere Mitsubishi are focusing on their larger SUV type cars, which is why there hasn't been a new lancer in ages. I wouldn't be surprised if the lancer was eventually discontinued.
Mazda 3 has been the top car choice this year. I was tossing between the two. I decided to go with the lancer, as it was customisable in terms of modifications.