Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit
389 messages, Last post on Apr 17, 2009 at 12:40 PM
You are in the Mazda3 Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
Replying to: audia8q (Nov 10, 2006 2:16 pm) 
|
|
|
Replying to: steven39 (Nov 10, 2006 1:34 pm) 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.
|
|
|
Replying to: moparbad (Nov 10, 2006 3:46 pm)  , so, IMO, the hood struts should last a lifetime, or longer.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: johnnyvj (Sep 25, 2006 4:43 pm) 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.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: moparbad (Oct 26, 2006 8:17 am) 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. 
|
|
|
Replying to: killerbunny (Nov 10, 2006 9:02 pm) 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. |
|
|
Replying to: steven39 (Nov 10, 2006 1:00 pm) |
|
| the 2dr rabbit with manual tranny is probably the best value out there right now.i tried to find one down here in ft. lauderdale,fla and was unable to.the msrp is 14,995.00 plus destination and for that money and features content,you are getting a car that drives like you spent twice as much for it. | |
|
I sold my 2000 GTI GLX after 40,000 miles. The extreme lack of reliability and the very poor quality of the dealer service combined to make it a nightmare. I can't remember everything that needed to be fixed on that car, but it included: - rear struts and strut top mounts twice (and they needed to be replaced again when I sold the car) - starter motor - spark plugs and plug wires - mass air flow sensor - ignition coil pack - ac compressor - thermostat - rear brakes - headlight bulbs multiple times - all the taillight bulbs multiple times - turn signal stalk thankfully, I never suffered from the failing window regulators. But I did have 2nd gear grind. My GTI's interior was beautiful. The gauges were crisp, clear, and very easy to read. Although a little soft, I liked the way it drove. What surprises me about the Golf 5 is how overweight it is. I thought my GTI was a porker at 2900+ lbs. The Golf 5 is now over 3300 lbs! So it is no surprise that the Golf 5 has crummy fuel economy. It's too bad, because I like VW exterior and interior styling. VWOA recognizes that they've got major problems and they are working on it. Whether they've gotten where they need to be yet is the big question. In June, VWOA executive Adrian Hallmark was quoted as saying "The current customer satisfaction and dealer experience is as bad as it gets!" |
|
|
Replying to: killerbunny (Nov 10, 2006 9:16 pm) Do you know what is quality and what is reliability? Yes. 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. It is incorrect to summarize the IQS as "whether the buyer likes the car or not". Either you are confused or simply did not know that the APEAL study is the measure of (in your words) "whether the buyer likes the car or not". quote- APEAL is designed to complement the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), which focuses on problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days of ownership. APEAL measures how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive. While the redesigned Initial Quality Study included a new measurement for design quality, the APEAL Study finds almost no relationship between a model’s overall APEAL score and its IQS design score. -end quote- IQS measures a broad range of quality problems, heavily weighted toward defects and malfunctions, quality of workmanship, drivability, human factors in engineering (i.e. ease of use) and safety-related problems. Among these categories, the area that accounts for the greatest product improvement since 1998 are defects and malfunctions. -end 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. Actually, it is problems experienced during 12 months for 3 year old vehicles. quote- Long-Term Dependability The Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) evaluates vehicle quality after three years of ownership. Owners rate vehicles based on problems experienced during the previous 12 months. Results are summarized with a problems-per-100-vehicles (PP100) designation. -end Better yet, Consumer Report has typically 10 years of study for reliability. If you prefer a flawed method of choosing the population (only Conumer Reports Subscribers are sampled  ) that is sampled, then CR is "better yet". And if can guess right, according to both JDP and CR, VW Golfs/Beetles are about THE least reliable cars in this segment. You guessed wrong. Chevrolet Cobalt is the correct answer.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Mazda MAZDA3
2009 Volkswagen Rabbit
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
