Motoring

with Dr Clive FraserWith $25,000 to spend on a new car for my father, I knew I would have no trouble finding him some affordable and reliable wheels.

There are some big sellers in this price bracket, and top of the list is the Mazda 3.

Not only does it outsell the Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, Hyundai i30 and the Kia Cerato, but it is also Australia’s top-selling car.

In early 2012 there has been some very keen pricing from manufacturers, with the best equipped package coming from Mitsubishi, who were recently offering a Platinum Edition Lancer with heated leather seats, a body kit and a reversing camera with the screen ingeniously located in the rear view mirror.

While I’m not a big fan of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), I was impressed with all of the Lancer’s fruit, but my father had never owned a car with leather seats, let alone a body kit, and wasn’t about to change that.

The Toyota Corolla is a pleasantly styled car and, for those who find parking difficult, the hatchback is one foot shorter than the sedan.

But the Toyota’s test-drive drive left me wanting. With only four speeds in the auto and only 100 kW under the hood, it felt lethargic and really couldn’t keep up with the competition.

Undoubtedly, Toyota owners keep buying Toyotas, but the Corolla drove like a tortoise and did not impress me.

For geographical reasons I purposely didn’t take my father to the Hyundai dealer, but he somehow found himself having a test drive with a very nice Korean sales lady.

The fact that the i30 model was about to be superseded didn’t faze my Dad, and somehow the i30 always seemed to be a magical $1,000 cheaper than the competition.

It had a real spare and even though there were only four speeds in the automatic my father’s comments were that “it seems to go OK”.

Suddenly the i30 became irresistible when my father saw it advertised for $14,888 on the road, drive-away.

I pointed out that was for a 2011 non-metallic manual model with only six months registration and that we’d have to find a driveable wreck to get the $3,000 guaranteed minimum trade-in allowance which was part of the deal.

At the end of the day it didn’t really seem like such a good deal after all.

All of this led us to the local Mazda dealership, where an overwhelming number of Aussie motorists have been finding their wheels.

The base model Mazda 3 Neo automatic has five speeds, alloy wheels and cruise control and, at $23,990 on the road, drive-away, it looked like a steal.

It was easily the nicest car to drive, even though I’m not fond of the hatchback’s styling.

Some of the competitors may have longer warranties, better fuel economy or more cogs in the gearbox, but the Mazda 3 was a podium finisher in most areas, and overall it was easily the best car we drove.

After making the decision to purchase the Mazda 3 I was able to further negotiate another 10 per cent off the already discounted sticker price, which meant my father’s car was $21,700 all up on the road, including a normal steel rim in lieu of the space-saver spare.

Who knows, maybe with the change from my $25,000 I could have bought a Hyundai as well!

Mazda 3 Neo Hatchback Automatic

For: Nice to drive and great build quality.

Against: Thirstier than the opposition.

This car would suit: Retirees.

Specifications:

2.0 litre 16 valve 4 cylinder petrol

108 kW power @ 6,500 rpm

182 Nm torque @ 4,500 rpm

5 speed automatic

8.2 l/100 km (combined)

$21,700 on the road after the dealer discount

Safe motoring,
Dr Clive Fraser
doctorclivefraser@hotmail.com