What Should I Buy & Why?

[eezergood]

OK guys, I will keep it short & sweet. My choices are New fiesta, Mazda 2 or Jazz. What would you choose & why??

Already owned a Jazz in Aus & loved it!

[VocalNeal]

As you mentioned Jazz i assume you want a hatchback?

[frankphuket]

Fiesta is probably the most fun to drive, good suspension and has a nicer looking interior

Jazz is the most spacious and has the Best resale value.

Mazda sits in between probably.

[eezergood]

As you mentioned Jazz i assume you want a hatchback?

Does not HAVE to be a hatchback, am open to suggestions - but probably

[VocalNeal]

Well my 2c the Fiesta saloon looks better than the Mazda. Not that I'd buy either.

[transam]

OR

[eezergood]

I think its down to the JAzz or Fiesta, but the resale on the Jazz could tip the scales!

[transam]

I think its down to the JAzz or Fiesta, but the resale on the Jazz could tip the scales!

You want have fun or worry about some future cash ?

[ignis]

Maybe also a question of when you want the new car ? some models there are many months waiting list

[mjj]

Suzuki Swift. Looks cool and relatively rare. Cheap too!

[WebBangkok]

I think the Jazz is a really nice small car. I am a ford fan, but if I was going to buy a small car, I would get a Jazz.

They are reliable, better resale value and IMO nicer inside.

[hedonist44]

OR

You're a very cruel man, you know that don't you?

[transam]

OR

You're a very cruel man, you know that don't you?

Yeeeeeeeeeeees.

[sotsira]

Fiesta would be my choice mainly for it's body design and ground clearance,

Honda Jazz is a close second but everyone's got one here in Thailand so it's nice to have something

different.

[ignis]

Suzuki Swift. Looks cool and relatively rare. Cheap too!

Problem is the waiting time, the base GA model understand is no problem, but believe the GL and the GLX is something like 6 - 8 months...

Someone in my Village ordered a new Jazz 4 months ago, yesterday they got a City [dealer had a new one arrive in stock] as still no sign of the Jazz.

[eezergood]

I think its down to the JAzz or Fiesta, but the resale on the Jazz could tip the scales!

You want have fun or worry about some future cash ?

If its fun then I buy another DUCATI , now I live in Phuket and its not realistic to saty here for a long time without a car. But I am fairly certain we will be gone after 3 yrs, so also dont wanna loose a tonne of cash

[happyaussie]

My only problem with Jazz is that it's essentially old dynamics which has been face lifted several times. Still a good car though. I recently bought my wife a City and it's great. Two gripes 1) Gear ratios are too high 2) Noisy on open road (maybe the tyres). Some people say the City is a Jazz with a boot.

Aren't Fiesta and Mazda the same car? Just some styling tweaks. If so, I would imagine it comes down to price, quality of dealership and service, and bang for your buck. Resale maybe worth considering. For some reason Ford aren't as well regarded as Mazda in Thailand.

[Smithson]

Have there been any reviews comparing the models in this range?

It seems that only the base models have have manual transmission.

[happyaussie]

Why would you want manual in such cars. In fact any car. Even the exotics don't have manual anymore. They use paddles with no clutch.

[culicine]

Why would you want manual in such cars. In fact any car. Even the exotics don't have manual anymore. They use paddles with no clutch.

Well unless you live in the city where you would want auto...the mazda 2 MT is MUCH better (fun and quicker) to drive than the auto version - some compare the gear change to an mx5 which is pretty impressive.

OP, there are many reviews of these three cars, but not necessarily from Thailand, so specs could differ. Most have the fiesta on top for its drive train, but the jazz has much more space inside.

[steveromagnino]

the pseudo auto/manual paddle shifters suck for enjoyable driving except for the DSG system in the VW group, which is sweet. (IIRC the DSG system means the car is permanently in more than 1 gear as it is a dual clutch system, so when you shift it is like a clutchless manual; the paddle shifters on many cars are more like an auto where you can choose the gear, but the auto has a mind of its own and generally drives like an auto snd doesn't feel much like a manual at all).

For smaller engines, exotics like the new limited edition 2000 car run Mini GP are only manual, manual is still pretty popular for a true driver's car.

That said, I would say for this sort of car none of which are exactly hot hatches (you can see another thread talking about the performance end of smaller cars), the resale of manuals is going to be difficult so better to look at an auto.

If resale and so forth is important, Jazz or Yaris hands down.

if you want a bit more style, then the Fiesta is pretty sweet, also since it isn't eligible in the bigger engine size for tax credits in the first time car buyer scheme, if you are buying as a foreigner you aren't automatically losing money vs. local buyers (assuming that dumb scheme is still actually running and that anyone has figured out how exactly to work it).

If you own 3 years, none of them are going to drop that much anyhow, so it comes down to which can you get delivery of in your time frame.

The Suzuki Swift is a new shape this year, and is pretty popular in BKK but may not have dealer support in Phuket; however it is a pretty well rated and good driving car, worth a look.

Mirage, March, Brio are all pretty blah cars IMHO; if you want a nice car, then safe choice Honda, Toyota....more enjoyable driving Swift, Fiesta.

[eezergood]

Will take a few test drives this weekend, hopefully! But if the dealers in Phuket have stock issues I am prepeared to fly to Bangers or Pattaya etc... and drive back.

What is the rebate scheme? my wife was talking about it, but i zoned out listening to her

[Smithson]

It seems there are long waits for Swift, Jazz and maybe Fiesta. The Mazda 2 is available now, what other models are?

The Fiesta has rear drums. Do any models have four wheel disks as standard?

At a glance it seems the top of the range features aren't really performance related, except for the Fiesta which has the 1.6 motor, but this only comes in auto. There is another thread with two Fiesta owners complaining about the transmission.

I'm not a fan of autos, especially in small cars and can't understand why 'sport' models don't come in manual.

you can see another thread talking about the performance end of smaller cars

Anybody have a link pls?

[anon210]

It seems there are long waits for Swift, Jazz and maybe Fiesta. The Mazda 2 is available now, what other models are?

The Fiesta has rear drums. Do any models have four wheel disks as standard?

Apparently the Jazz has disks on all four wheels.

http://www.honda.co.th/en/specification-equipment-en/jazz.pdf

[eezergood]

The more I read, and from experience the Jazz is gonna be the winner!! but I do like the Fiesta, and it aint about performance anymore for me

[culicine]

The more I read, and from experience the Jazz is gonna be the winner!! but I do like the Fiesta, and it aint about performance anymore for me

A fairly recent Thai review of the fiesta called it "best drive in class but not best in class" - that goes to the jazz. It's the sensible choice really and has huge space with the rear seats flat. Even the rear legroom is good with the front seat right back. Only drawback will be the long time to delivery.

[phl]

the new mirage(mitsu) is worth looking into i think.

it is the latest and seems to be selling well, as there are more and more on the road

[ignis]

the new mirage(mitsu) is worth looking into i think.

it is the latest and seems to be selling well, as there are more and more on the road

+ a big difference in price top model is 175,000 baht cheaper than Jazz,.... Also the Nissan Almera + point is take delivery next day.

Of the 3 that was chosen Ford is the cheapest + is 6 speed auto, Mazda 6 k more but only 4 speed auto, Jazz 16 k more than Ford with 5 speed.. + point to Jazz is big inside - point delivery times

[Smithson]

A fairly recent Thai review of the fiesta called it "best drive in class but not best in class" - that goes to the jazz. It's the sensible choice really and has huge space with the rear seats flat. Even the rear legroom is good with the front seat right back. Only drawback will be the long time to delivery.

Do you have a link to that review? The Jazz does seem to be good choice, it's engine has 118hp - similar to the 1.6 Fiesta, whereas the Mazda 2 has around 100. Only problem is I can't wait months for a car.

A fairly new second hand could be an option. There were a couple of Fiesta's and a Mazda 2 in the classifieds, farang owners, very low kms and a saving more than 100k.

the new mirage(mitsu) is worth looking into i think.

it is the latest and seems to be selling well, as there are more and more on the road

Might be suitable for some, but the 1.2 only 77hp and I will be doing a fair bit of open road driving.

[culicine]

A fairly recent Thai review of the fiesta called it "best drive in class but not best in class" - that goes to the jazz. It's the sensible choice really and has huge space with the rear seats flat. Even the rear legroom is good with the front seat right back. Only drawback will be the long time to delivery.

Do you have a link to that review? The Jazz does seem to be good choice, it's engine has 118hp - similar to the 1.6 Fiesta, whereas the Mazda 2 has around 100. Only problem is I can't wait months for a car.

A fairly new second hand could be an option. There were a couple of Fiesta's and a Mazda 2 in the classifieds, farang owners, very low kms and a saving more than 100k.

the new mirage(mitsu) is worth looking into i think.

it is the latest and seems to be selling well, as there are more and more on the road

Might be suitable for some, but the 1.2 only 77hp and I will be doing a fair bit of open road driving.

Do a search on headlightmag.com

It's all in Thai but you can make out some performance and fuel economy figures.

As for the mirage, its the lightest ecocar, less than 900kg. It was reported that it feels sprightly in city driving, so the lack of power wont be a problem around town.

A reservation with the fiesta is the gearbox and likely long term maintenance. But if you only want a car for a few years, get a base model auto Jazz, as it will lose relatively less than the others. Problem is delivery time. Base model mazda 2 seem to be selling well so I think second hand prices should hold well also.