I was talking to you in June about what car I can buy for 14,000 euros. Nine. I’m back with an update and I want to talk about the new acquisition.
The car is not for me but for my parents. After a not very pleasant history in which the family cars were Trabant, Dacia 1300 Break, Dacia Solenza (that without tachometer, without power steering, without ABS, without airbags) and a Corsa C from 2004, an important change is happening. My father will drive a Mazda 3 with a 2.0 G122 aspirated petrol engine.
Yes, the budget was no more than 14,000, it increased. Obviously, the demands have increased and I looked for more models. We went from looking for Fiat Typo, Toyota Yaris or Hyundai Elantra to compact models like Corolla, Mazda 3, Kia Ceed or Suzuki Vitara. I say I SEARCHED because I chose their car.
After a lot of documentation, we liked the Mazda 3 the most and it seemed to me the most interesting car. It also mattered that my father wanted a Japanese woman, so the final was between Toyota, Mazda and Suzuki.
I went with my parents to see Mazda 3 for the first time. We did a test drive, we really liked it. The interior looks great, premium I could say. The seats are very comfortable, you have enough space in it and everything gives you the impression of a car much more expensive than it really is.
Corolla was a little more expensive by about 2000 euros. It may be more reliable than the Mazda (overall) but the interior left much to be desired. The doors close with a Dacian noise. The plastic inside is much weaker than the one on the Mazda and uglier. I did not understand what happened to Toyota that even the interior of the RAV 4 (the new car taken a week ago by a colleague from the office) is made of very cheap plastic.
Suzuki quickly came out of the final with the Vitara model. Even though it was a bigger car with a respectable ground clearance, we didn’t like it. Simply.
Mazda 3 – standard equipment, we did not choose any option because we did not need and anyway the budget did not allow us. He offers enough, even more than my father needs. I chose only one color, Platinum Quartz.
The car offers as standard:
- HUD with laser projection
- electronic handbrake with auto hold
- Full LED headlights with washer (less daylight is halogen, WTF Mazda)
- electric mirrors, heated and electrically foldable
- 8.8 inch multimedia display
- AC manual
- leather steering wheel and derailleur
- central armature
- height-adjustable seats including passenger
- knee airbags
- front, side and front-rear airbags
- G-Vectoring Control Plus
- Slope departure assistance system
- Intelligent braking assistant in the city including pedestrians
- Blind spot monitoring system
- Band maintenance system
- Adaptive autopilot
- Intelligent braking system
- Intelligent speed assistance system
- Long beam automatic control system
- Rear parking sensors
- 8 speakers, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
I say there are enough features for a standard level of equipment. And the final price was a little over 18,000 euros, including the scrap program. As for the engine, you already know from the original article that my father did not want a small engine. All his life he had cars with small engines, plus there is no difference in consumption. This 2.0 aspirated petrol has a real consumption (see the tests on Youtube performed by Turatii.ro) between 6 and 7% at 130km / h. If you go at 110-120km / h you already have diesel consumption. In the city it will certainly have a consumption of 9-10%, but Ford with its 1.0 EcoBoost engine has 12% in the city. I know he has a friend.
The car is made in Japan and has a delivery time of 7 months. It is expected in June, but the problem is that I do not think it will arrive then. I talked to several dealers and people who ordered their cars during this period, and the waiting period is 9 months.
I hope that the car will arrive by autumn and I will come back then with a review. I’ll wait until then. I’m just as impatient as my dad. I know how much he wants it and I can’t wait to have it in front of the gate. In the meantime, I’m driving the Megane diesel.
