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Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit

389 messages,  Last post on Apr 17, 2009 at 12:40 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Volkswagen Rabbit, Car Comparisons, Hatchback

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#86 of 389 prop rod by steven39 Nov 10, 2006 (1:34 pm)
it's funny that you should mention prop rod.one of the cars i looked at before getting the rabbit was a 07 mercury milan.it drove nice and handled well,but when i opened the hood to see the engine compartment and noticed a prop rod instead of a gas strut this turned the deal sour and i walked away.i know this may seem silly,but in this day and age of gas struts on most cars the prop rod on the milan turned me off. Replies to this message: bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 2:06 pm) audia8q (Nov 10, 2006 2:16 pm) bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 3:30 pm) moparbad (Nov 10, 2006 3:46 pm) bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 6:43 pm)
#87 of 389 Re: prop rod [steven39] by bodble2 Nov 10, 2006 (2:06 pm)
Replying to: steven39 (Nov 10, 2006 1:34 pm) Yes, I get ridiculed from time to time about the prop rod issue. But to me, those things belong on a Flintstone-mobile. I mean, how crude is using a stick to prop up the hood! Why should anyone need both hands just to open and close the hood?   Some of the cars that still use a prop rod totally floors me, given their prices -- Nissan Z, Infiniti G, Mustang Selby, Pathfinder, Honda Pilot, to name a few.   I wouldn't go so far as to say a prop rod, alone, is a deal-breaker for me, but it definitely has been a contributing factor in my eliminating some cars from my shopping list.
#88 of 389 Re: prop rod [steven39] by audia8q Nov 10, 2006 (2:16 pm)
Replying to: steven39 (Nov 10, 2006 1:34 pm) That is the nuttiest thing I have ever heard outside of politics...LOL. Wouldn't you prefer they spend the extra money on something of value? Lets say they saved $15. per car and they build 100,000 Fusions/Milans this year they saved $1.5 million dollars that could be used to make product better...based on the most recent Consumer Reports the Fusion/Milan Ford did something right. maybe that $1.5 million savings by not using gas struts that add cost and weight helped to get that top quality rating....   Don't sweat it, buy exactly what you want and like...I'm just poking a little fun. Replies to this message: bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 3:30 pm)
#89 of 389 prop rod by steven39 Nov 10, 2006 (3:11 pm)
just for the record here folks,the rabbit's hood is opened with a gas strut, not a prop rod.i just feel that prop rods belong on under $10,000 kia's and hyundai's not on 20,000.00+ cars.it's tasteless as far as iam concerned.
#90 of 389 Re: prop rod [audia8q] by bodble2 Nov 10, 2006 (3:30 pm)
Replying to: audia8q (Nov 10, 2006 2:16 pm) I'm not sure it would even cost them as much as $15/car to install one gas strut in place of the rod. Based on 100,000+ cars, it probably costs them $1.95 per. But lets say it does. I'm sure they could increase the price of the car by $15 and no one would notice. And they would end up selling a few more cars to people like me and steven39!
#91 of 389 Re: prop rod [steven39] by moparbad Nov 10, 2006 (3:46 pm)
Replying to: steven39 (Nov 10, 2006 1:34 pm) I've never had to replace a prop rod. Gas struts and coil springs on hoods have both caused me a problem or two on cars over that past 30 years. I prefer a prop rod.   Redline Tuning offers gas strut kits for many makes and models of vehicles for those who prefer gas struts on their hoods. Replies to this message: bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 6:43 pm)
#92 of 389 Re: prop rod [moparbad] by bodble2 Nov 10, 2006 (6:43 pm)
Replying to: moparbad (Nov 10, 2006 3:46 pm) I've never had to replace a gas strut either, even those on rear hatches that gets opened and closed several times a day. For the hood, which if I'm lucky, might need to be opened once every 3 months or more , so, IMO, the hood struts should last a lifetime, or longer.
#93 of 389 Re: Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit, auto & manual [johnnyvj] by killerbunny Nov 10, 2006 (9:02 pm)
Replying to: johnnyvj (Sep 25, 2006 4:43 pm) Long story short, the ex-VW owners tell me they will never touch one again, and the current VW owners are all saying that their next car will NOT be a VW, no matter what. Not exactly a recommendation.   Back in the 60s, VW had almost 50% of US import car market share, by far the largest. Right now? They barely exist. I guess most VW owners never returned, indeed.   Back in the 90s, VW had almost 50% of Chinese car market share, by far the largest. Right now? They are down to 20%. Coincidence? History repeating itself?   IMO, a car is "cheap" if it fails to deliver the service expected. VW's have been "cheap" for quite some time. Replies to this message: bodble2 (Nov 10, 2006 11:10 pm)
#94 of 389 Re: Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit, auto & manual [moparbad] by killerbunny Nov 10, 2006 (9:16 pm)
Replying to: moparbad (Oct 26, 2006 8:17 am) 06 Golf had higher quality rating (fewer problems per vehicle)than Mazda 3 as rated by JD Power. It is expected that the Rabbit will have better quality than the Golf based on actual quality improvements seen in Europe when Golf IV model switched to Golf V model (Golf V = Rabbit).    Bottom line, reliability goes to VW Rabbit compared to Mazda 3.   Do you know what is quality and what is reliability?   If it's 2006 data and from JD Power, then it must be the IQS (initial quality study). It's about whether the buyer likes the car or not for the first 90 days of ownership.   In case you don't know, JD Power also conduct a relaibility study that documents the ownership experience for a period of time at 3 years or longer.   Better yet, Consumer Report has typically 10 years of study for reliability.   And if can guess right, according to both JDP and CR, VW Golfs/Beetles are about THE least reliable cars in this segment. Replies to this message: moparbad (Nov 16, 2006 1:48 pm) aviboy97 (Nov 16, 2006 3:16 pm) moparbad (Nov 17, 2006 8:54 am) and 4 more...
#95 of 389 Re: Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit, auto & manual [killerbunny] by bodble2 Nov 10, 2006 (11:10 pm)
Replying to: killerbunny (Nov 10, 2006 9:02 pm) Your analysis is flawed.   Diminished market share in the scenario you described did not necessarily mean diminished product quality.   In both cases, it was simply the result of gradual infusion of other import brands.   Especially with the Chinese market. One cannot simply walk into the Chinese market. The government there can and will make you go through all kinds of hoops. And you have to know that, until relatively recently, the Chinese was not friendly to Japanese products, cars included.   Even if VW had improved quality, more competition would have resulted in reduced market share.   "...a car is "cheap" if it fails to deliver the service expected"   I also don't agree with that statement. Cheap and reliability, or lack of, are 2 distinctly different issues. Jags and MB do not particularly have good reliability records. But I doubt you would hear anyone refer to them as cheap.   And for the record, I know plenty of repeat, in some cases, life-long, VW customers.

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