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mazda 3 vs Jetta

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Is Mazda still rust hell? Serious question. VW used to have 12yrs rust warranty, not sure if they still do.

I owned both and I enjoy VW a lot more than Mazda. Also VW part are widely available compare to Mazda and have a much large internet fan base to answer your questions.

VW used to have lot of small issues, senor, switch...etc but nothing major. If you think VW is bad try Mini, Cooper is really bad.
 
You can't say your car isn't so bad because you compare it to a piece of crap (Mini).

When you're expecting Toyota/Honda reliability a VW isn't for you, period.
 
Denly said:
Is Mazda still rust hell? Serious question.
Click to expand...

Valid question. THey do have history of poor rust protection in the late 90s/early 2000s.

I have 2 Mazdas in that range and have tiny bit of rust around the wheelwell, but it's minimal.

I am in northeast climate.

Those issues have been since resolved.


Denly said:
VW used to have 12yrs rust warranty, not sure if they still do.

I owned both and I enjoy VW a lot more than Mazda. Also VW part are widely available compare to Mazda and have a much large internet fan base to answer your questions.

VW used to have lot of small issues, senor, switch...etc but nothing major. If you think VW is bad try Mini, Cooper is really bad.
Click to expand...

Newer Mazdas are as fun as VW now days. I will say that 10+ years ago that wasn't the case. My Passat had more "soul" and fun than my Mazdas.

Unfortunately "fun" or "soul" no longer matter much to me. I go A to B.
 
Between those 2 I would get the Mazda as it would be more fun to drive. The Jetta has the 2.slow in it. I had a 2008 GTI for 6 years and 80K including lots of track time on various road courses across the country. Only out of warranty issue I had with it was a door lock actuator. I beat the living piss out of it and it never left me stranded.

Only reason why I didn't buy another VW was a couldn't get the config I wanted in a Golf R in the US. Now that has since changed with the MK7 so I'll probably go back to VW for my next fun/track car.
 
Vdubchaos said:
Valid question. THey do have history of poor rust protection in the late 90s/early 2000s.

I have 2 Mazdas in that range and have tiny bit of rust around the wheelwell, but it's minimal.

I am in northeast climate.

Those issues have been since resolved.
Click to expand...

Do you know which year they fixed the issue?


Vdubchaos said:
Newer Mazdas are as fun as VW now days. I will say that 10+ years ago that wasn't the case. My Passat had more "soul" and fun than my Mazdas.

Unfortunately "fun" or "soul" no longer matter much to me. I go A to B.
Click to expand...

Nay I will keep rocking a manual till the end of time.

Oh, and 5.5b IMO have the best seat ever
 
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Yeah, my 2006 is the C1 of course, with the 2.3 Ford engine and the 5 speed auto for that year when it came out, still like it.

Is different from the new ones.
 
I previously owned a 2008 Mazda 3 (2.3L, 5sp) and loved it. Decent fuel economy, good power, and reliable. My only complaint was that the car started to rust after about four years. I traded it for a 2012 Jetta TDI and the Jetta is also a good car, however is isn't as fun to drive. It's not a bad car, but it's more of a point A to point B appliance. Economy on the TDI is very good (40+ MPG), can't say anything for the NA 2.0, but if it's anything like the Dodge Dart rental I had a while back, avoid that engine like the plague.
 
Vdubchaos said:
VW for fun track car ehh?

:biggrin:
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Go drive the new GTI and see if that :biggrin: doesn't stay plastered on your face 😀. I too have a lot of friends with VW horror stories so I didn't consider the GTI when I bought my Focus ST but it's supposed to be a fantastic car for the price. Will it stay that way over the next 5-10 years? I guess that's the chance you take.
 
Have a 2011 mazda3. Only issue so far is I think the wiring, sensor or harness to the "door is open/shut" signal, was wonky. It went away on it's own, so somehow I feel like it was because of the winter cold.
 
SearchMaster said:
Go drive the new GTI and see if that :biggrin: doesn't stay plastered on your face 😀. I too have a lot of friends with VW horror stories so I didn't consider the GTI when I bought my Focus ST but it's supposed to be a fantastic car for the price. Will it stay that way over the next 5-10 years? I guess that's the chance you take.
Click to expand...

I know GTIs......I would still recommend Miata or proper RWD sports car.

Last time I went to the track I didn't see any GTIs :colbert:
 
Vdubchaos said:
VW for fun track car ehh?

:biggrin:
Click to expand...

Yep it was a fun track car. With a few mods I surprised a lot of people with how quick I could hustle it around a track. There were a ton of haters that shut up once I passed them, mostly BMW/Audi/Porsche snobs.
 
As much as I like VW/Audi, the 2.0L engine is awful. It's 20 years old and shouldn't be sold in 2015.

So between those 2 choices, get the Mazda. If you like the Jetta, get the new 1.8T engine, or better yet, get a Golf 1.8T.
 
cbrsurfr said:
Yep it was a fun track car. With a few mods I surprised a lot of people with how quick I could hustle it around a track. There were a ton of haters that shut up once I passed them, mostly BMW/Audi/Porsche snobs.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know that many of our nations race tracks are filled with people that don't have a clue how to drive proper.

Don't get me wrong, driver is ALWAYS the biggest factor when it comes to racing.

I'm just saying that starting off with FWD platform puts you at a disadvantage from the get go.
 
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