Deciding whether to buy Mazda Tribute 2004

[Ndf]

Hi guys,

I am looking at buying a Mazda Tribute 2004 from a local car yard in Chiang Mai. I would like to know if these are a decent car.

The one in question has got 110,000kms on the clock and seems to drive well. Are the Mazda's easy to find spare part in the event of issues? Are they expensive to repair? Are general mechanics apt to be able to repair these cars or will it need to go to a dealer all the time? I've heard that in these cars, the transmission is likely to go, there fore attracting an expensive repair bill, is this true?

I actually live in Chiang Rai and I believe Chiang Rai has a Mazda dealer. I would assume they would be to do any major repairs?

The asking price for this car is 250k. Is that expensive?

Thanks guys!

[baansgr]

You may want to look at these pages, most seem to be sub 250,000 so maybe bargain with the current owner.

https://www.kaidee.com/c11a184-auto-car-tribute/

https://translate.google.co.th/translate?hl=en&sl=th&u=http://th.priceprice.com/Mazda-Tribute-8243/&prev=search

Try asking at the dealers if they can source parts easily, they are not that a popular model.

I would also be wary of the 110,000KMS .That's less than 10K a year, Thai driving is usually quite a bit more but of course dependent on the previous owner/s

Whenever buying a car, best to have a look at a few befor diving in if you are not sure of the market.

[keeniau96]

The usual advice for buying a used car is to have a reputable mechanic look it over for mechanicals, suspension and bodywork. Good advice in general but finding a good mechanic for such may be difficult.

[kartman]

My personal view of a Tribute or Escape is and i believe Thai's have the same view which means the Kms could be true as it's been at the dealers for a long time i would only want one if it was so cheap i could not refuse as it will probably be a 'for life' vehicle that of course is the 2.3, a V6 i would look for the nearest high rise Condo

[tingtong]

the price definitely seem to be on the high end, looking around might get you a deal about 30-40k bellow that.

even if some travelling may be needed, one would think it worth?

some 2006 models advertised like 210k, ( with +LPG) still with >200k in the odo...just for comparison.

cost wise, the 2.3 should be the pick.

as for the parts, I wouldn't worry much, especially if you have that mazda service near by.

sure not a Fortuner, but neither it costs one!!

[IMHO]

If it's the 3.0L V6, the milage is legit, and you don't care about running costs, go for it. It'll stomp on 99% of the cars on the road in TH

[jaapfries]

Any decent mechanic will be able to tell you very quickly whether or not that mileage is about correct. it's a shame you live so far away, because I have a brilliant & not expensive, very thorough master-mechanic at my disposal, here near Pattaya. - I just purchased a 2004 Ford Escape (2 L. Limited) which I consider my "Project-Car". It has a genuine 106K mileage (confirmed by my Mech.) and I negotiated the price down to under 200K. Previous owner was an 82 year old Thai lawyer, a non-smoker and a guy who hardly ever drove this car. My terrific mechanic went right through this dapper little SUV (4 WD on demand) and the previous owner paid for a completely new a/c system. While waiting for the parts, I had the entire interior (which was totally undamaged and good looking) professionally steam-cleaned & valet-ed; I cleaned & re-greased the Sun-Roof track & mechanism and then my mechanic installed new head-lights (they were very faded & beyond polishing-out); Timing-Belt; Thermostat; Water-Pump; drained all liquids; pressure flushed all & refilled same; replaced suspension-bushings (time will dry-out these rubber bushings; replaced with synthetic ones); New shocks to the rear and that was that. Total cost to do all this was just under 25K and I am driving a 12 year old little SUV, which is like a new car; brilliant to drive; easy to park and yet; high enough to see over the normal cars on the road. - In fact; I prefer driving this thing over my recent model Fortuner ! ! ! Ha, ha, ha, ha ! Maybe you should buy this Tribute; drive down to Pattaya for a week and have a nice little holiday, while my mechanic takes care of your car ? ? ? Just say the word; I'll organize it.

[Jitar]

The Escape 2.3L engine cam drive uses a chain. Make sure your mechanic checks the chain and tensioner as the miles accumulate. Perhaps that is what was meant by timing belt above.

My experience with several Ford Escape 2.3L a few years back was good. The 2.3L versions are reasonably reliable and solid. We had no major dramas with parts. Two of these got to 400k km before we sold them.

The 146hp engine power is just adequate and the OEM headlights were poor but easily upgraded. The 3.0L engine versions drove better but some had issues with Transmission. That problem may be rectified by now. I presume the Mazda would be similar.

[eaustev]

The Escape 2.3L engine cam drive uses a chain. Make sure your mechanic checks the chain and tensioner as the miles accumulate. Perhaps that is what was meant by timing belt above.

My experience with several Ford Escape 2.3L a few years back was good. The 2.3L versions are reasonably reliable and solid. We had no major dramas with parts. Two of these got to 400k km before we sold them.

The 146hp engine power is just adequate and the OEM headlights were poor but easily upgraded. The 3.0L engine versions drove better but some had issues with Transmission. That problem may be rectified by now. I presume the Mazda would be similar.

Not 100% sure about the Tribute, but for the Escape in 2004 it would be either the 2.0 four cylinder or the 3.0 Duratec V6 from Ford. From memory the 2.3 wasn't offered here in the Escape until at least 2005 and I assumed the same was the case with the Tribute?

At 110,000km it would be worth checking all of ancillaries such as water pump, alternator, brakes including the master cylinder, and so on as these all need replacing on the V6 (and most other vehicles) around this time. Adds up if you need to start replacing them all so would be beneficial if this has all been done already.

The V6 is a nice engine, a little thirsty and combined with the smallish 60 liter tank doesn't get you too far but otherwise good. The four cylinder engines are a bit under powered for my liking, OK for poking around town but they take a bit of time to get going under acceleration.