Why Mazdas are awesome

[moose004]

So a few years ago when my wife needed a car, we bought a 2010 Mazda 5 (basically a 3/4-scale minivan) used at Carmax, and it's been a real workhorse for us these past 4 years. Solid car, economical, roomy, even came with a stick shift, and how often do you find those in mom's taxi?

When the time came for me to buy a new car in 2014 because I have a 75-mile round-trip commute to my job every day, I remembered how much we liked our Mazda, so I bought a brand-new 2014 Mazda 3s Grand Touring. It was pimped. Leather, navigation, Bose stereo, straight ballin'. I put 27,000 miles on that thing in the first 17 months and loved the hell out of it.

But I never loved it so much as when it looked like this.

Back on the 9th we had a driver cross the centerline on us on a two-lane road near our house and we hit them head-on. We were doing about 50 mph and the other driver estimated she was also doing about 50, I'm not sure about that. All of us--me, my wife, and the other driver--walked away from the wreck with nothing more than bruises. There was zero intrusion into the passenger cabin. The doors still seal, although the driver's door had to be pried open. The windshield wasn't even cracked.

Hopefully I'm heading to the dealer this afternoon to pull the trigger on a new Mazda, a 2016 Mazda 6, while my beloved Mazda 3 heads to the Great Junkyard in the Sky (it's written off). Because after this, you bet your happy ass I'm putting me and my family back in another safe car.

 

[JoeLeb]

Glad that you and your family walked away from a head-on crash like that. Yikes!

 

[timmytim]

The moral of the story: Mazda REALLY knows how to make a good windshield. Not even a crack?

Haha, all joking aside, you are all very lucky and fortunate to have walked away from that.

 

[1968USMC]

Glad you and your family wasnt hurt. I to had a head on but mine was with a 1966 ford falcon. Talk about being tossed about ouchy ouchy

 

[timmytim]

Glad you and your family wasnt hurt. I to had a head on but mine was with a 1966 ford falcon. Talk about being tossed about ouchy ouchy

And didn't those only have a lap belt or did they have the 3 point shoulder belt thingy? Couldn't imagine banging my head on that hard steering wheel or worse.

 

[1968USMC]

Just lap belts and steel dash boards. Addition note: I wasnt wearing the belt. By time it was all over I kissed every part of that steering wheel and dash

 

[moose004]

Just lap belts and steel dash boards. Addition note: I wasnt wearing the belt. By time it was all over I kissed every part of that steering wheel and dash

I can't even imagine. I had a three-point seatbelt with pretensioners, front airbag, side curtain airbag, AND all the engineering voodoo they put into cars nowadays and I still came out feeling like I'd gone five rounds in the Octagon with Anderson Silva. The bruises are basically gone but I'm still lumpy where the seatbelts were.

 

[1968USMC]

Im glad really glad you-all came out good to go. In my era all that safety stuff was just coming out and not alot of people used what they had. Mine was only at 30mph and that was enough to much really. I couldnt walk for a week and didnt want to walk for several weeks after that. Hell I came out of my shoes on that one.

 

[Turbo]

Glad you are safe. My wife and kids roll around in a Mazda for good reason. Its the japanese volvo

 

[2Tartu]

That's pretty nice.

BUT! Have you looked for used Mercedes models? They have many features that current mainstream cars don't and they are absolute tanks!

Even here you can pick one up for way cheaper than a new Mazda.

 

[FossilMaker31]

Glad none of you got hurt. I bought a new car recently and considered Mazda but I went with a Subaru Outback instead.

 

[Snakebabies]

damn, you should be a spokesperson for the safety of Mazdas. GLad you guys walked out of the ring on that one.

 

[moose004]

That's pretty nice.

BUT! Have you looked for used Mercedes models? They have many features that current mainstream cars don't and they are absolute tanks!

Even here you can pick one up for way cheaper than a new Mazda.

The problem with used Mercs (or new Mercs) here in the States is that maintenance is horrendously expensive when compared to most other makes. Most European makes are the same way over here.

BTW, here's the new whip. Just picked it up. 2016 Mazda 6 Touring in Titanium Flash Mica (aka metallic brown).

 

[FossilMaker31]

ZOOM ZOOM

 

[Krazy_fanboy]

Nice man I really wished I went to check out the Mazda CX-7 but ended up finding the dodge lot and bought a 2015 Dart. I'm having my second thoughts but I needed a car and the payment is has low I needed it to be.

 

[NHnimrod]

The lack of damage in the passenger area is incredible, nice testimonial to a well made vehicle

 

[moose004]

Nice man I really wished I went to check out the Mazda CX-7 but ended up finding the dodge lot and bought a 2015 Dart. I'm having my second thoughts but I needed a car and the payment is has low I needed it to be.

I have a Chrysler 200 as the insurance rental they got me, that's the same as a Dart right? Not a bad car. Better than any Chrysler product I've driven in years.

I probably should have gotten another 3 or gone pre-owned, but I have a 34-mile commute (each way) to and from work, and that'll be 45 miles later this year when my office moves. I spend between 6 and 10 hours a week behind the wheel fighting Charlotte traffic. So I want a nice, comfortable, blinged-out ride that also gets good gas mileage. My 3 was good for about 31-32 mpg combined, I expect this will do very similar as it has the same engine and transmission, it's just a smidge bigger.

The lack of damage in the passenger area is incredible, nice testimonial to a well made vehicle

I honestly don't know enough about engineering to understand how they can make a car out of sheetmetal that thin and lightweight and have it be so much more safe than the old tanks like 1968USMC's Falcon. But after that hit, there was no deformation in the interior whatsoever aside from the panels blown out by the airbags. Zero. I had my foot hard down on the brake and my legs didn't take any shock. Freaking magic as far as I can tell, or might as well be.

 

[Krazy_fanboy]

The 200 is like the Dodge Avenger. Dart is a bit shorter.

 

[RainMotorsports]

The moral of the story: Mazda REALLY knows how to make a good windshield. Not even a crack?

Haha, all joking aside, you are all very lucky and fortunate to have walked away from that.

Mazda doesn't make windshields. While the vast majority of the car isn't manufactured by the OEM. About half the parts have a rough design specification and its up to the parts supplier to finish the job. When it comes to glass they have a shape and minimum specs and may or may not have had to bid to get the job.

It really comes down to the chassis that absorbed the impact away from areas like the windshield. So that is a plus to Mazda still assuming it was a chassis they designed in-house.

The car parts industry is a very interesting one. Put it to you this way though. When you get a part from the dealer because its "OEM" its really made by an aftermarket supplier you already know of. Most motorcraft brake parts from Ford for example are Bendix which of course is a huge name in brakes.