the cost of getting it out of the car pound will probably be much more than what it would have cost you to renew your license and plates and get cheap one way insurance coverage.
Indeed. Costs $800. Unfortunately, I have experience with this (at least, the getting a car out of the pound part).
Thanks for the article, anon. When I originally bought the '01 Jetta, everything I had read and specialists I spoke to stated all electrical problems previously synonymous with Jetta were fixed. Then in test driving, I absolutely loved the Jetta's handling (which, to this day, I still love) ... I will admit there's hard mileage put on the car, but I still can't believe some of the problems I've had (the latest being the timing belt snapping in a tunnel on a highway.)
Indeed. Costs $800. Unfortunately, I have experience with this (at least, the getting a car out of the pound part).
Thanks for the article, anon. When I originally bought the '01 Jetta, everything I had read and specialists I spoke to stated all electrical problems previously synonymous with Jetta were fixed. Then in test driving, I absolutely loved the Jetta's handling (which, to this day, I still love) ... I will admit there's hard mileage put on the car, but I still can't believe some of the problems I've had (the latest being the timing belt snapping in a tunnel on a highway.)
It was 330$ for me but I left them the car so they could scrap it.. and 700$ of tickets, that I'm still paying. This said, if the cops wanted to be mean, I would have had about 3000$ fees.. but the guys were really, really cool.
Bought it for a 100$.. was worth it. As crappy as a car can be, when it's your first ride it's always something special.
That's true I think Mazda has a pretty good reputation on that front, though maybe not as good as Honda or Toyota. I would never consider buying any American made car nor leasing it beyond the warranty period. My father got all kinds of problems with 2 different Fords, and some weird ones too like the speedometer stopping working for some unknown reason (and that was after a 4 year period only!). It seems those cars are cleverly designed to mysteriously fall appart once the warranty is over.
Ford does have a controlling interest in Mazda (they own 33.4% of the stock, and since all shareholder votes require 2/3 majority to pass, they essentially control the company); however it is a pretty distinct unit that operates on it's own. There was a lot of worry that Mazda would just become a Ford badge, with Ford platforms replacing any Mazda ones, but the reverse has been true; the Mazda3 is based on a global platform that was developed by Volvo for the S40 (and also used by the European Ford Focus), and the Mazda6 platform was developed inhouse and is being used by Ford for the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Zephyr and other vehicles.
I do. However so far it doesn't look like it has affected the reliability of the cars too much, so I assume fabrication process has not been standardized for Mazda's and Ford's. We'll have to wait and see if there is a shift occuring in the next few years, let's hope not, but the current and previous models I wouldn't be too concerned about.
