Reasons to Choose a Mazda for Your Next Automobile

Mazda_cx7
Mazda_CX 7

Are you in the market for a new car? You may have a pretty good idea as to what make and model you hope to find. The recommendations of friends and former experience can have a big impact on the type of car you choose to purchase. It’s an investment that you hope will last for a long time with little maintenance issues. As you peruse your various options, you should take the time to consider purchasing a Mazda. By becoming more familiar with company and the benefits to choosing one of these makes, you’ll find that they can be a superior choice for you.

Background

The company was founded in 1920 by Jujiro Matsudo. It was named for the West Asian god Ahura Mazda although it wasn’t formally named that until 1984. The first few years were a struggle for the company that was one of five major vehicle manufacturers in Japan. It almost filed for bankruptcy in 1927 but was saved by a banking company. The company worked hard to develop their name and their brand, creating a rotary-powered engine that made them a household name throughout Japan and many foreign companies. From 1979-2010, they partnered with Ford to bring vehicles throughout the world. As the company moves forward without Ford, they continue to work towards making vehicles that are good-looking and well-suited to the roads.

Symbol

The logo has been developed over time, but the winged “M” has been used since 1997. This was created to symbolize Zoroastrian, the guardian angel. It also is meant to look like it has wings stretching to the future. The slogan used in most recent years is “zoom-zoom.” This was created to show the emotion of motion that people enjoy while driving around in their vehicle.

Eco-Friendly

One of the most important things to the company is finding ways to make vehicles more eco-friendly. They teamed with Ford to research hydrogen-powered engines. They’ve also worked to use plastic, milk, and other items to fuel the vehicles. Some of the models even use bio-friendly materials in the manufacturing process. The company uses SkyActiv technology to increase fuel economy and decrease emissions. Researchers also continue to research new ways to make more efficient automatic transmissions, lightweight body designs, high compression ratio gasoline engines, and other breakthroughs in this field.

Mazda Miata MX5
Mazda Miata MX5

Advantages

There are several reasons to purchase this make of car. For one thing, there are several models that are fuel efficient. The Mazda3 or Mazda6, for example, can get up to 40mpg on the highway. These vehicles continue to find ways to give consumers a great looking car for a great price.

When looking for the right car for your family, consider choosing a Mazda. By learning about the background of the company you can understand how they work to make quality vehicles that can compete with other makes in price, appearance, and other important features. Consider stopping by a dealership to test drive one and see what you think.

Used Car Maintenance: What about Transmission oil?

For many of us new cars just aren’t in the budget, so we get to go used car shopping. The problem with buying a used car is that used car maintenance records are seldom kept and questionable at best. Usually there is no record at all and you have to take the seller’s word. There is almost NEVER a record of a transmission fluid change, and if you ask the seller you’ll get a mixed bag of answers. There are 3 basic places that most people will buy a used car from

  • Dealership (or as I like to call them – Stealership)
  • A used car dealer
  • Private Owner

I prefer to look at used cars for sale by owner when I can because if you are any good at reading people you can tell if they are feeding you a line of bull about the vehicle. Used car salesmen are not so easy to read, and you expect them to tell you what you want to hear. This is a problem when you ask about previous maintenance records. Dealers are sure to tell you that a little old lady from Pasadena owned the car and only drove it to church on Sundays and had all scheduled maintenance performed. Not likely.

How to tell if a used car needs a transmission oil change

If the car is an automatic something you should do before, after, or during the test drive is check the transmission fluid. You’re not really checking for the fluid level (although if it’s significantly low, that’s a sign of poor maintenance), you’re really interested in how the fluid looks and smells. Automatic transmission fluid should be red. If it’s brown, then it’s time for a change and the more dirty brown it looks the longer it’s been since the last change. Also, keep your eyes (or nose in this case) out for a burnt smell. As the oil degrades it will take on a sort of burnt carbon smell that’s usually pretty noticeable. Lastly, mileage is a pretty good tell tale. If the car is over 30,000 miles it’s due for a transmission oil change. I’d say any car over 50,000 miles is going to want a change done after you buy it regardless of what you were told. Better to be on the safe side, and you won’t find many fluids out there that have a life past 50,000 miles.

If the vehicle is a manual transmission you’re probably not going to get a chance to inspect the fluid unless you want to take the time, energy, and possible money to bring it to your auto mechanic of choice. You could check it on your own, but it involves pulling plugs on the transmission itself and that’s probably best left untouched since you don’t own the car yet. However, you can still get an idea whether the fluid should be changed or not. Again, mileage is a good indicator and anything over 50,000 miles should have the fluid drained and filled with some fresh fluid. Pay attention to how the transmission shifts when you go on the test drive, is it smooth, does it go from gear to gear easily? Also be listening for sounds that could come from the transmission, if the fluid hasn’t been changed and the car has high mileage there is a possibility that the bearings are getting worn. You can usually hear them spinning if they are going bad.

So no matter which transmission the used car you’re looking at has, be sure to check it out on your test drive. You don’t want to buy a used car only to need transmission work shortly afterward. To learn more about oil and fluid changes be sure to check out other good sites online.