Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota?

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Tue 11 Dec 2018 21:29
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - Fatih

I need to decide between 2 car;

2003 Toyota Corolla HB which is 1.6 vvti petrol, 83.000 miles.

2007 Mazda 6 which is 2.0 petrol, 115.000 miles.

which one is more reliable? I need a problem free car. reliability is the most important criteria.

and then, mpg is also important. I will use generally for short distance.
will there be more difference on mpg?

I'm afraid of Mazda 2.0's fuel consumption. :)

Edited by Fatih on 11/12/2018 at 21:30

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Tue 11 Dec 2018 21:47
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - badbusdriver

You cannot guarantee reliablity at this price point, as i said in your last post, even the most reliable car on paper can turn into a money pit through years of neglect.

But assuming both cars have been looked after, they should both be reasonably trouble free, As for the mpg, the Mazda will use more fuel, but unless you are doing big miles i wouldn't imagine the difference would be big enough to make me choose the Toyota just because of that.

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Tue 11 Dec 2018 22:00
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - gordonbennet

Agreed.

In theory the newer Mazda is the better buy if they are similarly priced, but condition is the key here, and they both need inspecting carefully underneath, inner sills, wheelarches etc for signs of impending corrosion.

Much will depend on how they have been looked after, if neglected then things like brake calipers will start to seize up, and either one could be due a clutch at any time.

Generally speaking if maintained well you seldom go wrong with an old fashioned Toyota, but then Mazda petrol engined cars enjoy similar reliability, my git feeling would be for the Toyota, but have a look at the MOT histories for each vehicle and see what's has been mentioned so far.

If i went to look at both, and found one of them sitting on a set of decent quality matching tyres all round on undamaged wheels, with good lip free smooth brake discs shining through the wheels, clean oil on the dipstick somewhere near the full mark, that would suggest to me someone took maintenance seriously and would tick most of my boxes.

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Tue 11 Dec 2018 22:04
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - DavidGlos
I'd choose based on their condition at this price point. Both are inherently reliable motors, so go with the tidiest, with the longest MOT and the most complete service history.

If one has four decent, branded tyres rather than four mismatched tyres from a brand you've never heard of, that would suggest some attention has been paid to maintenance.

If one is from a long standing owner who has cherished it, that would swing it for me too.
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Tue 11 Dec 2018 22:01
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - SLO76
Both good models but it’s all down to condition. The Toyota will be better on fuel and they tend to resist rot much better than the Mazda too. You need to take someone with you that knows what they’re doing when viewing. But you can shorten the odds by checking the Mot history looking for signs of major corrosion or any looming major failures plus ask how many owners they’ve had and how long the current/last owner has had it. You want something that has been owned longterm if possible, preferably by an affluent older owner and thus the reason why I always recommend buying privately when looking at old cheapies like this as you get to meet said owner insteadof listening to a dealers tall tales.

Edited by SLO76 on 11/12/2018 at 22:21

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Wed 12 Dec 2018 00:26
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - Fatih

2003 Corolla has 4 new tyres (1 year old).

Mazda has also new tyres but not as new as Corolla's.

Corolla's owner is same for more than 2 years but Mazda's owner said that he has got this car just for 6 weeks. He said he needs a bigger car because of his 3 children but I think he also needed a bigger car six weeks ago. :)

In conclusion, I decided to Corolla.

Thanks for your help.

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Wed 12 Dec 2018 00:51
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - SLO76
The Mazda almost certainly has a problem, avoid it. No one buys a car then floggs it after a few weeks if it’s a good one. The Corolla may be ok but it still needs looked over by someone with a bit of mechanical understanding. It could be rotten underneath.
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Wed 12 Dec 2018 08:28
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - gordonbennet

Thanks for the update Fatih, hope it proves to be a good one, agree with your reasoning about the Mazda, either something wrong or he's trading cars below the radar.

Don't be a stranger, let us know how it fares in due course please.

Edited by gordonbennet on 12/12/2018 at 08:30

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Sun 30 Dec 2018 19:29
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - bubsqueaker

Agree with everything said so far, although I'd be nervous about rust.. especially on the Mazda around the rear wheel arches, they did have a problem with that, so I'd say the Toyota isighe choice in this case, better mpg, better built. The only caveat would be to check the emissions (MOT) report on the Toyota, as earlier models could burn oil - a lot! Look for HC in ppm of <50.

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Sun 30 Dec 2018 19:35
Which one for an old car? Mazda or Toyota? - badbusdriver

Agree with everything said so far, although I'd be nervous about rust.. especially on the Mazda around the rear wheel arches, they did have a problem with that, so I'd say the Toyota isighe choice in this case, better mpg, better built. The only caveat would be to check the emissions (MOT) report on the Toyota, as earlier models could burn oil - a lot! Look for HC in ppm of <50.

The OP bought the Corolla, as can be seen by his post on the 12th.

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