It’s either this ride or the Polo Trendline, now I just need to decide!
Mazda 2 is an option!
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It’s either this ride or the Polo Trendline, now I just need to decide!
take the Polo, no question! this car is for party boys! hahahaha! the Polo is classy…. do you want to be “not classy?”
The Mazda is a good looking car and very comfortable. It boosts a 1.3 DOHC engine, which never a bad thing, and comes with aircon, airbags, motorplan and all the whistles for R138,000. The VW 1.4 is a little cheaper though, once you add on all the extras. The VW would be a safer bet, but every tom, dick and harry is driving one!
I’m going to go and test drive them this weekend hopefully and then I will have a better understanding, but I do kinda agree with you Phil, the VW is probably the better bet.
Pick the red one!
Haha!
Go for the mazda!!!! The polo is common, u have more style then that lol
MAZDA MAZDA MAZDA!!!!!
Ye, that’s the thing, it’s super super common and over done, but it’s a tough call mate!
Mazda’s like a chick flick…some boys watch it cos it puts them in touch with their feminine side, some cos its funny, some cos they whipped and dragged over there anyway…
True everyone has a polo…but the polo just screams, “PIMP ME!”.
Look at the Peugeot 207. In black those cars r styling.
and then one day when u r all grown up.. u can buy a German!
Love that opening paragraph D!
Ye, I think I’m going to stick the the polo idea, but I will get the ball rolling first thing in the new year as I just don’t have the time at the moment to organise everything.
Hope you are well bud!
Good luck finding the purrfect car for you Chris!
Test driving can be a fun way to think about it, sure. The last time I went car shopping it just so happened that my brother was in the market for a new car too so we did it together. Fun! Fun! Fun! to put the fear of God back into car sales people with our test driving. (Be reasonable: you HAVE to push the car to see what it could do in an emergency situation, not so?). It probably didn’t help that we’d go round corners really fast or do a bit of skid control singing “It’s a rental!” and laughing our asses off.
Good times…
On the more serious side, it’s nice to have a little spread sheet of things that are important to have in a car, important to you that is. Maybe it’s just my family, but we like to stick stuff in comparitive tables and draw up our own graphs and so on (the curse of having an engineer father I guess?).
Good luck! ;-)
That opening paragraph is the exact reason why I refuse to by a demo, lol! Those poor demos get driven into the ground big time! *points finger*
I have all the information now, I just need to sit down and look carefully at everything, including the depreciation tables to figure out which deal is the best one in terms of ‘investment’ – investment is probably the wrong word to use when talking about cars, haha, but it’s just to get my point across.
I’m going to try get out and test drive the cars asap, but I’m just struggling to find the time at the moment.
Have a good day babes!
Mazda 2 is brand new or you can get a Polo which has had its current shape for the last 5 years, if you want (back lights changed a bit 2 / 3 yrs ago). Polo is obviously a good and well tested car, no doubts there. But check where its going, if a new shape is coming out in a year. I test drove both and opted for the 1.5 Mazda, handling was awesome with the 16inch wheels, really good. So many features on Mazda as well. Engine performed better than expected and ride was good.. One of those, you dont realise how fast you were actually going kind of cars.. Its no M3, but its a start. Your choice, its only money.
SpanSpek.. awesome of you to pop in and share some light. I’m curious.. which models (engine sizes) did you test drive? I would be looking in the region of of 1.4 polo or pushing it a little more the 1.3 dynamic Mazda, but that is max budget available unfortunately.
Hope to be enlightened, and thanks again for some real advice!
What a nice little car the Mazda2. I am a Polo fan, but the new Mazda is awsome. Had mine now for 2 weeks – 1.5 dynamic.
I love the Polo too. Oh, so you drive a 1.5 dynamic, what’s it like???
I am getting my Mazda2 1.5 ind on Monday
it is a much nicer car than the POLO
Adele.. the 1.5 individual is nice! I’m not really looking at the Polo anymore, but rather the BMW Compaq to be precise. Have a FANTASTIC time getting the car!!!
I have a 1.5 Individual. It’s a great car, and as far as features and safety go for the price, you’d have to be completely stupid to ever buy a VW until they get their act together and stop trying to rip South Africans off.
I GOT MY 1.5 IND ON SATERDAY, IT IS SO NICE1!
WE ADDED LEATHER SEATS, NO IT SMELLS GOOD TOO
IT REALY MOVES IN TRAFIC & TURNS HEADS
I AM SO HAPPY WITH MY NEW CAR( LOT OF CAR, VALUE FOR MONEY)
Sjoe, I think I must go and have a look at the car again, more and more people are praising it!
Im also having to make a decision between the polo 1.6 comfortline and the mazda 2 1.3, the big difference is the mazda has a service plan whereas the polo doesnt, they are both very good cars, i do like the polo but it is a common car, high in theft and hijacking and there will be a new shape coming out in 2 yrs time, so whats the point, its a difficult decision to make, im leaning more towards the mazda, better value for your money and lighter on fuel :)
Hope that helps anyone
karen – that’s spot on, I hate the fact that with VW you have to pay several thousand extra to obtain a decent service plan :(
Thanks for the comments, each and every comment certainly does flavour the topic!
Hi there I must say I have had my Mada 2 for two weeks now and it is an awsome car , I had the choice between the Polo 1.4 or the Mazda 1.5 Dynamic. The Mazda beats polo in mny aspects such as Performance spory styling good lokking interior any others. The mazda 2 1.5 dynamic has a true 37L tank of fuel and with riding only in town I got an average of 13km on a liter on the open road about 21km on a liter this is just amazing I have the aurora blue mazda And i really love my car as it as electrical power steering not hydrolic pump poer steering so the engine does not loose power due to power steering.
hope this helps
Sounds like you love the car big time! Does it really kick the polo in performance though? I’m not so sure about this, but take your word for it :)
Enjoy it! I just test drove the Ford Fiesta ST, what a ride!
It really does beat the polo in performance. The japs know what they are doing :). The 1.5 is 76Kw and 150 and some change N/m of torque.
Sad to see so many people buying the Aurora Blue though. I had hoped to be one of few ;) It is a fantastic colour though.
Hehe, It is a lovely car, I’ve sat inside and all, just have not test drove it.
I’m looking for something with a little more power though, the ST puts out 110-115kw, which is more what I’m looking for, but 76kw certainly isn’t lacking power!
Well i tried to get the icy blue for myself but didnt seem to have any luck, so going with the sunshine silver. Happy with my choice of getting the Mazda 2… Only crap thing is the insurance is about R800 which is quite expensive.
Silver is a great colour, especially in terms of reselling the car when you want to upgrade or trade in – so good choice!
Insurance – yes, insurance is always horrible on the fancy rides hey! :/
Buy a Renaualt Clio! It wasnt ueropean car of the year for nothing! I wouldnt buy a polo simply because everyone else has one…Plus in SA they will be high on hijackers/car thieves shopping lists!
Car of which year? I almost did get the Clio actually, if it weren’t for the fact that their sales people were beyond horrific and their service plans are dubious – especially for an import, I might have gotten one. It’s just still too high a risk in that segment imho, and I still keep hearing stories about shocking service from them.
The new Clio is a decent car, but I must admit, if the sales staff are not friendly, I give the finger and move on!
I agree about everyone having the Polo, it isn’t nearly as fun getting a new car when every second person is getting one too!
I have same dilemma these days. Mazda is good looker, and faster. Its more spacious than VW as well, but has smaller luggage room. I think I’ll go for Mazda 1.3 TE!
I still don’t believe that the mazda is quicker than the polo! But I’ve not driven the mazda, so I can’t really say for sure, got to rely on your guys opinions :)
I’ve just bought Mazda2 1.3 TE (86 BHP). It is a bit quicker than Polo, i drove both. But, here in Serbia, Mazda is cheaper a lot. Polo 1.4 equipped like Mazda (electric windows, CD/mp3/aux, climate control, electric/heated/folding mirrors, leather steering wheel (with audio controls) and gearchange knob, 4 doors, height adjustable seat…) would cost at least 2.000 euros more. Besides that, service costs are cheaper for 50 euros a year, fuel consuption are lower about 1.5 liter per 100 km, insurance is far less (thieves just loves VW’s). At last, Mazda is brand-new model, VW announces new Polo in 2009…That’s why i chosen Mazda, although Polo is a very good buy (if you can manage some sort of discount). Did you think about Honda Jazz? I’ve seen it today at dealers, i was stunned how spacious that car is! Play smart, mate, I wish you good luck!
I’m so interested that the Mazda runs faster than the polo – wow! It’s starting to sound more and more like a totally wonderful car!
Hope you’re having an amazing time with it! :)
hey I live in South Africa and would like to know how much my monthly installment on the new mazda 2 will be?
regards
nadia
Sjoe, that’s a rather large question Nadia, you would have to look into residual amounts, deposit amounts, etc.
I would say that with a 10% deposit and 20% residual, you’re probably looking close on R2000/month, that’s not including motor plans and insurance obviously..
@nadia – Its not an easy question to answer, but like Chris said it depends on your deposit mainly and then u can always play around with the residual value a bit to get a decent premium. But make sure you understand what a residual actually is please, thats VERY important!
check out this link for a calculator, remember tho that its all estimates so don’t count on it too much
https://www.wesbank.co.za/calculators/vehiclefinance.asp
It’s a really good idea to take a lot of time to understand everything completely. It took me a long time to grasp it all and eventually I bought my car and am happy that I understood all the terms. HoTsTePPa helped me out big time, listen to what he says!
MAZDA 2 1.5 IND ( MY CAR) IS CAR OF THE YEAR
The award was based on rigorous testing by an independent panel of motoring experts from the South Africa Guild of Motoring Journalists.
‘To say we are delighted is an understatement,’ said Hal Feder, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
‘The Mazda2 has been extremely well received by both consumers and journalists. Since launch, over 4000 satisfied customers in South Africa are enjoying the thrill of driving a Mazda2.
‘Competition was tough amongst this year’s nine finalists, so we are very proud to see Mazda take this award for the first time ever in South Africa.’
Impressive
Mazda was the only manufacturer to feature two finalists in this year’s competition with the Mazda5 2.0 Active nominated alongside the Mazda2 1.5 Individual.
Mazda may have further reason to celebrate later in the week. Having won a number of Car of the Year awards around the world, the Mazda2 is also one of three cars named as a finalist in the 2008 World Car of the Year competition with the ultimate winner due to be announced on 20 March.
The Mazda2 also stands in line to win the 2008 World Car Design of the Year.
The Mazda2 features impressive safety standards, attested by the fact that it has recently been awarded a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. Dual front, side and curtain SRS airbags come standard in the Mazda2 1.5 Individual.
Passive safety is further enhanced with the Mazda Advanced Impact Distribution and Absorption System (MAIDAS), while three-point seat belts are equipped to all three rear passenger seats.
Braking is enhanced through a four-wheel antilock braking system (4W-ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD).
The newly crowned COTY winner offers a quiet and sophisticated ride. Mazda engineers have minimized the overall weight of the vehicle. This refined body structure adds to the excellent fuel economy, and most importantly it does this without compromise to safety.
The suspension has been optimally tuned and the steering and braking systems are of the highest standard. The result is agile and stable handling, a high degree of manoeuvrability and reassuring control.
Design
In crafting the new Mazda2’s the design team sought to create a responsive, balanced driving experience true to Mazda’s Zoom-Zoom philosophy.
The Mazda2′s dynamic design, sharp contours, low roofline and compact dimensions create a lasting impression with a wide ranging appeal. Despite its compact appearance the new Mazda2 offers spacious and practical storage solutions, with numerous storage compartments throughout the cabin. The 60:40 split folding seats also offer more luggage space when needed.
The visual appeal is matched by the vehicle’s high levels of specification. The Mazda2 1.5 Individual comes standard with automatic air-conditioning and a six-disc CD changer with MP3 capabilities and audio controls on the steering wheel.
Service intervals for the Mazda2 1.5 Individual are 15 000km apart. To ensure peace of mind motoring, Mazda2 comes standard with a four-year/ 60 000km service plan and three-year /100 000km warranty
Haha, yeah Ford really are happy. They even SMSed me this morning to let me know.
Still a recycled coke can on wheels!!!
Ahh, jealousy at work. I guess that green theme Mazda went for has rubbed off a lot on the VW fanboys ;)
Jealousy, lol, HoTsTePPa drives a mean machine! I drive a black fiesta ST and mines no where as neat as his :)
Could actually try fitting a Mazda 2 in my boot!
Look, hats off to winning the award! Its a great category to win in right now as its the highest sales volume category right now. Its also done VERY well internationally, which is great news for a brand that has the stigma of the ol 323 attached to it forever. Im NOT a fan of Mazda, but i have raced an RX8 and a MPC and those boys have done well, so hats off to possibly the greatest automotive turn around of our time (I was born in 82 so dont tell me that Mercedes and Benz hooking up was the best of my time)
Haha, indeed, would be a cumfy fit and really light weight :P
I’m looking at getting the Mazda 2 it’s really awesome looking.
I just like to know what the service cost is for this little car, and that the second service isn’g gonna cost something like R6000-00 or something equally rediculous.
Service costs shouldn’t be too bad, Barloworld in N1 city charged me R1100.00 for my 40,000km service yesterday..
I drive a Ford Fiesta ST btw
I am planning on buying my first car,but I am confused between the Polo 1.6 and the Mazda 2.The Mazda 2 looks a bit smaller and not so classy as the Polo.But at the same time the Mazda 2 looks really cute.I am confused between the two smart cars,and hope to make my mind.To get myself on JHB traffic.Any good advice
Tshidi – I’ve heard people saying that the Mazda is a lovely car, but at the end of the day, I would suggest going for the Polo, especially if you can afford the 1.6. VW has a far better track record and name than mazda. HoTsTePPa really does know his cars and he has pointed out in some of the comments above that he’d suggest the VW over the Mazda – I would take his advice as he helped me get my current car and I’m thrilled with it :)
Take the Mazda, I’ve got the Individual. Its an realy great car. Polos’ real common.
Pierre, I ended up buying an ST, which has served me more fun and comfort than I ever imagined. I never got a chance to drive the Mazda, perhaps you could shed a little more light on the subject for the other readers?
I’ve very recently been test driving cars again. I drove the Polo, the SEAT and the new Corsa!
Oh My Goodness, the Corsa is a NICE car! I drove the 3dr version just below the OPC with the HUGE sunroof. This car had a features list almost as long as the German mainstream cars. It was sexy, fun to drive, very comfy, the build quality inside was amazing for its class, the hinged sunroof was great and it was quite aggressive on the road.
Some of the new features include follow me home lights, radio buttons on the steering wheel, MP3 front loader!
This car just killed the Polo and the SEAT. We are still going to test the Mazda again, the Yaris, the Peugeot 207 (we have a 206, so trying to be unbiased by driving the rest first).
So far im leaning towards the Corsa!
I’ve also heard good things about the Corsa, I’m yet to drive one though.
I must admit, the SEAT is awesome, damn fine looking little car :)
That’s a wicked update HoTsTePPa – thank you!
Hey I’m selling my Polo 1.6 and getting the Mazda 2 1.5 individual!
I bought my wife a car in Feb. We looked at the new Corsa, but it was SLOW. We couldn’t get a Mazda 2 for test drive as they had no stock. I ended up buying her a Honda Jazz 1.5 CVT. It is not the prettiest car of the lot, but the most practical, and if you are driving mostly in town the CVT gearbox is a dream.
@Gerrit – The Jazz is a cool car. Very economical and everything in the car makes sense, so well designed! But I feel its a bit dated. I found that build quality inside was great and everything feels qualityish and i like the rack level thing that they have going on with the front console. Hopefully the new version will give it that spunky edge that the Jazz deserves!
I was also thinking about getting the Polo 1.4 Trendline but the South African standard model comes really bare and with the full house option you still dont get electric windows and it still costs R130 000.
I’ve just driven the Mazda 3 so I’m really loving the Maz2. I’m just waiting for the bank to approve my loan for financing on it. I’ve really thought hard about the VW vs Mazda dillema, but living in South Africa you really have to think hard about the high insurance and hijacking element that comes with getting a Polo. But the VW name and brand I must be honest is much sexier than saying you drive a Mazda, but when it comes to performance, looks and features the Maz2 definately out performs the Polo.
I’m a Polo die hard but I had to make a tough choice but the Mazda2 1.3 Dynamic defintely comes on top.
I just want to find out the petrol consumption per kilo on the Mazda 2 1.5 Individual?
Consumption average is about 8l/100km in normal town driving. Freeway it doesn’t get much better with my best average being 6.5l/100km if you’re careful – I almost got from Jhb to Durban on a very full tank.
With the aircon on all the time and my heavy foot though it can jump quite sharply to average 10l/100km though.
Not the best fuel economy, but that wouldn’t be why you buy the car ;) Still not the worst economy either for the performance.
outrages!!!
Hehe :)
the nazda 2 fuel consumption is crazy!!!!
That’s interesting, crazy is a bad way, I assume?
see senior. i admit i might not be a much calm-driver but still!! i tested it in a relaxed driving manner several times. and came out drinkinggg gas.. other than that she is a .. beauty. in black. i like her elegance. am happy anyways. maybe it came to teach me a bit easy driving. easing all the rest. calming down a bit. mmm
It’s a beautiful car, there’s no doubt about that! Petrol consumption is awful in all cars relative to the price of petrol, so ye, dead end argument I guess. My Fiesta ST guzzles petrol like no other vehicle :/
whats your consumption chris on the fiesta?
Okay, I can see this is all guy talk – but in plane and simple english is the Mazda 2 high in petrol or not!
Tasha, I’m sure it’s not that hard, but it boils down to a few things – depends what model you drive and depends how you drive the car, but all in all, it will be a fairly economical car..
Hey guys!
Wat do your’ll think about the Mazda2 1.3 Active??
Hi Sarah,
I ended up buying the Fiesta ST instead, so I can’t comment too much, but there are plenty of comments above you can read through!
Here’s the car I went with: http://imod.co.za/index.php/2008/03/03/chris-ms-fiesta-st-pics-ii/
Hey Guys
I want to get the Mazda 2 1.5 Individual in Aurora blue but I just want to know what your guys opinion is on the car, cause I really think it’s an excellent car.
Udo
I dont know much about cars-but what i want to know is what is residual? when buying a car? i’m totally lost….help
A residual is a form of baloon payment due at the end of the financed term. It is sometimes up to the bank however to decide whether they will take the residual or the car, the former is a lease agreement.
Do _not_ take a residual based finance in any form. It is used by finance companies to try and make it seem like you can get a great car for small monthly payments but the fine print is usualy somewhat frightning.
In the current economy it’s a poor financial move, and you are much better off getting a more affordable car and using whatever money you make selling it later to put a deposit on a better car.
Thanks for answering Colin :)
Tshepiso,
I agree with Colin, NEVER EVER but a car with a residual. What the fine print basically means is this: You but a car for R200 000 with a 50% residual over 5 years. Over the 5 years you only pay off R100 000 in capital, meaning you still owe the bank R100 000 after 5 years (the residual amount). However you pay interest to the bank on the R100 000 (residual) for the full 5 years. After 5 years you can re finance this amount over another 3 years, meaning you will take up to 8 years to pay for the car. If you are very lucky, dont drive a lot and bought a Toyota, you might be able to sell the car after 5 years for the residual amount, but then you start with nothing again.
If you have to take a residual to but a car it means only one thing: YOU CAN’T AFFORD THE CAR!!!
Thanx a lot Gerrit that really was informative and i’m glad cos i can fully afford a car. Do i still need the bank to finance my car-you know those vehicle finance ads that i always hear from the media? or wherever i buy the car-they can debit the instalment straight from my account? is that so?
Tshepiso, unfortunatly you will still need to go to the bank for finance. The car dealer will help you with this and tell you exactly what is needed. (ID BOOK, Drivers license, payslip etc.) Dont fall for all these “great” finance deals available. In the end they all end up costing you more money (I am talking about “prime -5% etc.) Ask the dealer for the maximum amount of discount he will give you and then finance the remainder over the shortest possible term (48 or 54 months if possible). Then go to the bank that gives you the best interest rate and charges the leat amount of admin charges. Also dont just sign any agreement they give to you. Read the fine print and look at the interest rate offered. If you are not happy dont sign, because you will have to live with it for the next 4-5 years.
I dont know what price range you are looking at when buying your car, but my advise to you would be the following: Whatever amount you are looking at, for instance R120 000, half it and but a car for that value and look for something that will cover your basic needs. So instead of paying the R120 000 car off over 5 years, for the same monthly installment you can pay the R60 000 car off in about 2 years, by which time you will still be able to get a good price when selling the car. Then buy something slightly bigger. It takes longer to get the car that you really want, but when you can finally buy the car you want you will feel so much better knowing that you dont have to pay half your salary every month to drive it.
It is never worth while to cut off your own throat to prove to try and prove to other people you can drive a fancy car, and you cry every time the interest rate goes up.
How about Toyota yaris T3? it looks good enough for a first time buyer looking for something classy and affordable…
It’s a nice car and pretty powerful, that’s the top of the range model right?
I’m in the exact same dilema… The Polo is the safest bet, but risking it and taking the Mazda shows flair and individuality. The polo is classy simply because everyone has one… It’s the car that people choose when they’re scared to make their own decisions… It’s a car for clones in my opinion. I’m going with the Mazda to show that my car is an extension of my own unique personality.