March 08 Vfacts

[Poetic Justice]

Sorry, further to that post I've also been told that Mazda don't in effect have similar systems for fleet that the other 3 do (where by the car is registered as a fleet sale). So it's not to say fleet purchasers don't buy Mazda's.

[sleekism]

Originally Posted by SCUD

Not that I'm saying you're wrong here, and sure I might be possibly biased by my profession. But can you back this comment up? Both that the Mazda 3 is better marginally in your opinion and how the Corolla can be called junk?


Also, can someone clear up for me why Mazda 3 isn't sold to fleets? Do Mazda not allow it, or not give out fleet rebates or what?

The Mazda 3 is a lot of fun to drive compared to the Corolla has a choice of some good engines as in the SP23 and MPS and I don't think anybody here can say the Corolla is better looking than the 3. The 3 is a very flash looking car-not in Mercedes Benz sense but in an overtly Japanese futuristic sense. The little touches like the different coloured back lights for the spedoo and tacho and the design of the speedo and tacho (turrented design?) itself makes all the difference. Owning a 1991 Laser which used a Mazda engine I can personally attest that the Mazda engine is absolutely bulletproof and fairly sporting. I would go as far as to say Mazda build stronger engines than Toyota as my Laser and my parents two Lasers had better condition engines than Corollas a decade newer and with 100,000+ less kays.

It is simply my opinion but to why anybody would buy a Yaris, Corolla or Camry when you can buy a Mazda 2,3 or 6 is beyond me.

As for Mazda and fleet sales from what I have read Mazda don't like engaging in fleet sales as it devalues the brand. Now I know some private companies that have Mazda's as company cars so what I am assuming is that Mazda don't give fleet discounts. I have never seen a Mazda in our council carpark only Ford, Holden and Toyota.

I have also read that Toyota is becoming increasingly fleet dependant. Apparently Toyota has been giving HUGE discounts for Aurions and Hiluxes and recent Corolla succes has been on the back of fleets moving from six cylinders to four.

[Poetic Justice]

I accept your points, though I still don't find where you've justified calling a Corolla junk. Is it fair to make negative comments about a car without solid evidence to back it up?

I've not made a statement referring to a car as any sort of "crap" because I don't have first hand experience nor 100+ statements of people voicing their opinion of such thing. Corolla is a very strong selling vehicle and I don't believe people are buying it "just because Toyota is seen as reliable." People still do have souls which are put to use by coming in and looking at and test driving a vehicle.

Things like the servicing program which I've mentioned previously are what seals the deal. It can be easy for someone to say "Ohh, I like the Mazda 3... but I like the Corolla too." If that statement is followed up by a smart question like "How much is the cost of servicing of the car?" its sure that the Toyota is going to impress quite strongly from that point onwards.

[RATT]

Anyway, some good performers for March were:

Land Rover
Land Rover Defender PU/CC 12
Land Rover Defender S/Wgn 22
Land Rover Discovery 158
Land Rover Freelander 90
Land Rover Range Rover 31
Land Rover Range Rover Sport 178
TOTAL 491 (up 93.3% on same time last yr)

Volkswagen
Volkswagen Caddy 121
Volkswagen Caddy Life/Camper 20
Volkswagen Crafter 39
Volkswagen Eos 229
Volkswagen Golf 841
Volkswagen Jetta 329
Volkswagen Kombi 1
Volkswagen Kombi Beach 4
Volkswagen Multivan 21
Volkswagen New Beetle 95
Volkswagen New Beetle Cabrio 26
Volkswagen Passat 316
Volkswagen Polo 289
Volkswagen Touareg 101
Volkswagen Transporter 139
Volkswagen Transporter C/C 22
TOTAL 2593 (up 14.5%)

And a few bad ones:

Ssangyong
Ssangyong Actyon 20
Ssangyong Actyon Sports 4X2 28
Ssangyong Actyon Sports 4X4 51
Ssangyong Chairman 2
Ssangyong Korando 0
Ssangyong Kyron 28
Ssangyong Musso 4X2 1
Ssangyong Musso 4X4 0
Ssangyong Rexton 41
Ssangyong Stavic 30
TOTAL 201 (down 15.9%)

Porsche
Porsche 911 44
Porsche Boxster 7
Porsche Cayenne 41
Porsche Cayman 7
TOTAL 99 (down 27.2%)

[sleekism]

Originally Posted by SCUD

I accept your points, though I still don't find where you've justified calling a Corolla junk. Is it fair to make negative comments about a car without solid evidence to back it up?

I've not made a statement referring to a car as any sort of "crap" because I don't have first hand experience nor 100+ statements of people voicing their opinion of such thing. Corolla is a very strong selling vehicle and I don't believe people are buying it "just because Toyota is seen as reliable." People still do have souls which are put to use by coming in and looking at and test driving a vehicle.

Things like the servicing program which I've mentioned previously are what seals the deal. It can be easy for someone to say "Ohh, I like the Mazda 3... but I like the Corolla too." If that statement is followed up by a smart question like "How much is the cost of servicing of the car?" its sure that the Toyota is going to impress quite strongly from that point onwards.

Good point!

I think people with a bit of interst in cars though not outright enthusiasts would go for the Mazda 3 out of "emotion" and the shrewd budgeter would probably lump for the Corolla.

You can see this in the way they are advertised:

Toyota: Reliability, Resale, Servicing Costs

Mazda: ZOOM ZOOM!

I could no way in hell get my mrs into a Corolla but on the other hand when buying cars all she could talk about was "Mazda 3 SP23".

It would be intersting to see the buyer demographic for Mazda vs Corolla. I suspect the Mazda would be very popular with younger buyers. I know for a fact Lexus has the oldest buyer demographic of any manufacturer (60+)

[Poetic Justice]

You're right in what you're saying, but quite often budget comes in more important than the raw emotion involved in it...

Which explains why Corolla outsells.

[AWD Chaser]

Hey RATT,


Do you have the figures for HSV and FPV? I would really like to see how they are going at the moment...

[RATT]

No sorry, they are both part of Ford/ Holden figures.

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by RATT

Anyway, some good performers for March were:

Land Rover
Land Rover Defender PU/CC 12
Land Rover Defender S/Wgn 22
Land Rover Discovery 158
Land Rover Freelander 90
Land Rover Range Rover 31
Land Rover Range Rover Sport 178
TOTAL 491 (up 93.3% on same time last yr)

Volkswagen
Volkswagen Caddy 121
Volkswagen Caddy Life/Camper 20
Volkswagen Crafter 39
Volkswagen Eos 229
Volkswagen Golf 841
Volkswagen Jetta 329
Volkswagen Kombi 1
Volkswagen Kombi Beach 4
Volkswagen Multivan 21
Volkswagen New Beetle 95
Volkswagen New Beetle Cabrio 26
Volkswagen Passat 316
Volkswagen Polo 289
Volkswagen Touareg 101
Volkswagen Transporter 139
Volkswagen Transporter C/C 22
TOTAL 2593 (up 14.5%)

My brother purchased a Twin Turbo land drover last month, says its the only thing he can use to tow the biggest caravan.
The increase in VW you think that's consumers looking for fuel efficient cars?

[Electric]

Originally Posted by RATT

Which ones? There's too many to list all of them!

How about Jeep/Chrysler?dodge etc...pls.

[RATT]

Probably because of the Germanic nature of Volkswagens reputation? :

[flappist]

Originally Posted by RATT

Anyway, some good performers for March were:

Porsche
Porsche 911 44
Porsche Boxster 7
Porsche Cayenne 41
Porsche Cayman 7
TOTAL 99 (down 27.2%)

Ah that explains the phone calls last month....

Do you have the Nissan 350Z sales RATT?

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

The increase in VW you think that's consumers looking for fuel efficient cars?

VW's reputation seems to be growing when it comes to reliability, build quality, price and resale (whether that's true or not remains to be seen). There has been a spate of new VW purchases amongst friends and work colleagues recently, I can count 10 without trying too hard just this year alone and 1 of them on the way for myself.

They build a damn fine car. The Jetta's and Golf's are well appointed, excellent build quality and very roomy for their size. What I did like and of all the marquis I visited was their hands off approach when you went onto a yard. You could play around with all the cars you wanted and they wouldn't bug you. A receptionist came over (it didn't hurt that she was stunning...) and asked if you would like to speak to a salesperson.

I liked the no pressure approach instead of being accosted the moment you walk onto the yard. Advised I was interested in an R32, the salesperson waved over the dealer principle and told him to hand over his keys. Hour later had one on order.

[SpoolMan]

Originally Posted by Rodp

VW's reputation seems to be growing when it comes to reliability, build quality, price and resale (whether that's true or not remains to be seen). There has been a spate of new VW purchases amongst friends and work colleagues recently, I can count 10 without trying too hard just this year alone and 1 of them on the way for myself.

I know one guy traded a BA GT-P on a Golf and his mate also purchased a diesel Golf very quiet car, there not cheap for there size either.
With fuel prices up the car market is really changing we are starting to see a trend Aussie's buying new cars like the Europeans drive.
2 weeks back my dad got a new 08 Focus, he was going the Falcon ended up in a Focus he is very happy.

[RATT]

Originally Posted by flappist

Ah that explains the phone calls last month....

Do you have the Nissan 350Z sales RATT?

Nissan
Nissan 350Z 52
Nissan Dualis 246
Nissan Maxima 120
Nissan Micra 620
Nissan Murano 92
Nissan Navara 4X2 87
Nissan Navara 4X4 1,660
Nissan Pathfinder 247
Nissan Patrol PU/CC 200
Nissan Patrol Wagon 365
Nissan Tiida 845
Nissan X-Trail 939
TOTAL 5473

[merlin]

Originally Posted by flappist

Four years ago all of my motor vehicles (7) were falcon/fairmont/FPV.
They cost a fortune in maintenance and fuel and were constantly not available due to problems.

Currently I have 3 toyotas, 1 nissan, 1 hyundai and 1 FPV.

I have never had a warranty claim in 3 years on any of the toyotas or the nissan, one on the hyundai and 40 gazillion lots on the GT-P then F6.

All the cars bar the FPVs are driven by my staff and are treated as most "other peoples/rental" cars i.e. with very little care, my FPVs are warmed up before driving, only used the best petrol and tyres, are detailed regularly and maintained by a FPV workshop.

My new car will be the first non Ford I have bought since 1988 and other than the junk I had when I was a kid (kingswoods, monaros etc), one of two since 1979.....

I really like my FPVs but they really are show ponies and if you drive them a LOT (190,000km in 4 years) they tend to have a lot of problems and I cannot afford to waste time driving rentals and courtesy cars for the umpteenth time while my "Police car without a siren" is having a rest.

To me reliablilty and performance are FAR more important than bling, stripes, badges and nice note.

Interestingly enough two of my friends have a Holden and a HSV. They have had as many issues as me with their cars and are looking to see how I go.
Conversley my brother has 297,000 km on his BMW he bought with 248,000. He has never even taken it to a workshop, it just runs.

I wonder if others are seeing problems with falcon/commodore and doing what I am doing, leaving only the true believers/weekend warriors to maintain the marques......

Totally agree with you there - I bought a BA XR6 new, was a great car in terms of performance, comfort ect., however was poorly built with terrible unreliabilty (I don't expect my new $40K plus car to stall randomly). Sold it (at a huge loss as resale was unbelievably crap), then had a WRX and Skyline since that time never any problems, they just go, and resale is great. Wife had a Corolla then a Camry, Camry up to 230,000kms - we dont spend any money on servicing it, just trying to run it into the ground so she can get a new car but it just keeps going and going - runs so smoothly and uses crap all fuel (same as her old Corolla). The Toyota reputation is not a myth in my eyes...bland yes, poor (more like terrible) handling yes, but most people just want a car that gets from A to B.

Whilst I remain a big Ford fan I don't think I will ever buy a Ford (or Holden as same issues) again unless they turn their quality around big time.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by RATT

Nissan
Nissan 350Z 52
Nissan Dualis 246
Nissan Maxima 120
Nissan Micra 620
Nissan Murano 92
Nissan Navara 4X2 87
Nissan Navara 4X4 1,660
Nissan Pathfinder 247
Nissan Patrol PU/CC 200
Nissan Patrol Wagon 365
Nissan Tiida 845
Nissan X-Trail 939
TOTAL 5473

Thank you Sir...

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

I know one guy traded a BA GT-P on a Golf and his mate also purchased a diesel Golf very quiet car, there not cheap for there size either.
With fuel prices up the car market is really changing we are starting to see a trend Aussie's buying new cars like the Europeans drive.
2 weeks back my dad got a new 08 Focus, he was going the Falcon ended up in a Focus he is very happy.

I believe they're a few thousand more across the range than the Focus but I can't compare the cars on anything but standard features and looks.

I was trying to compare an XR5 and a Golf GTi but couldn't get a test drive of an XR5 for whatever reason. Wasn't totally uncommon, couldn't get a test drive of a 207GTi and had to visit a number of Mazda dealers before one would let me take out an MPS 3. Given a choice between an XR5 and a GTi, I would probably choose the XR5 based on looks and price. Perhaps that would have changed after a test drive of both but the GTi would have to be significanly better for me to get over the bland bodykit and the (IMO) awful wheels.

The only thing I didn't like about the XR5 was the fact that it didn't come with cruise control, and based on the amount of driving I do and the amount of highway runs I do, was a killer. One Ford dealer told me about an aftermarket mob that does a pretty neat job at cruise installs but still wouldn't let me take the car for a test drive.

You just have to observe the genius marketing of Woolies and Coles for 4c off fuel shopper dockets to see how crazy people get about saving money on fuel. I'll use a shopper docket for a 2fer1 steak dinner but that's where I draw the line. The market will change. I'm changing from a V8 to a V6 which, based on last years numbers and consumption estimates, will save me ~$2000 a year.

Ford are well placed with the Mondeo and the Focus, they're both fantastic cars on all accounts, but can Ford convince the larger market to buy them...?

[RATT]

Originally Posted by Electric

How about Jeep/Chrysler?dodge etc...pls.

Sorry I missed this one..

Chrysler
Chrysler 300C 98
Chrysler Crossfire 3
Chrysler PT Cruiser 41
Chrysler PT Cruiser Cabrio 9
Chrysler Sebring 19
Chrysler Sebring Cabrio 22
Chrysler Voyager 29
TOTAL 221


Jeep
Jeep Cherokee 62
Jeep Commander 32
Jeep Compass 51
Jeep Grand Cherokee 73
Jeep Patriot 123
Jeep Wrangler 125
TOTAL 466


Dodge
Dodge Avenger 28
Dodge Caliber 90
Dodge Nitro 140
TOTAL 258