Faults:

Both drive shafts needed replacing.

As with my former ZXI, the oil lift is very lax, producing a very tappety start from cold for about 30 seconds.

The sunroof visor has come off its rails.

General Comments:

This being my second ZXI, I am at a crossroads whether or not to sell it, I am tall and it is low, looking like a cheesecake being prized from it's inherent plastic tray, my exit from this car is less than a comfortable task.

But alas every time my mind dwells on signs of sale and more practical sensible cars, I only have to listen to the V6 purring away, the deep boom as I pull away, without the need of an exhaust the size of a sewer.

Where the designers went wrong, is the interior, even the leather S.E. interior is below par on quality, but a small detail once you start driving and your attention is taken away by the cosmic handling, to the cost of all your upper teeth, due to the apparent absence of any suspension.

My verdict having owned two ZXI'S is this... get one and you'll see why there are so many positive comments about them.

Faults:

Minor leak in the spare wheel well causes car-wide condensation.

Electrics can be temperamental.

Tiny spot of rust on driver's side rear wheel arch.

All easy fixes though, even for someone who doesn't really know what they're doing!

General Comments:

Pretty quick for a 1.5.

Economical, even when driven fast (stopped counting at 420 miles to a tank).

Front seats are not particularly comfortable for long journeys and driving position needs some adjusting to feel right.

Interior plastic has faded a lot over the years so doesn't look so good now.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

OK, I'll try to be objective - I've owned lots of cars and they all have their good and bad points so firstly this car (1.5) is not all that fast, it's got styling that isn't to everyone's taste and it doesn't handle fantastically well, but in all honesty it's an absolutely fantastic car. It is by far the most reliable car I have owned, in all the miles I've done in it, it's never missed a beat.

When I bought this car I was looking for something cheap to tax and insure (hence the 1.5) so I'm not all that bothered about it being a wee bit tardy - once you're up to speed it'll stay there all day. I have looked around for something a bit newer and which will cruise at speed a bit quieter, but when it comes down to it I just can't let the Mazda go. It's cost me about 200 quid in tyres and oil changes for 40,000 miles - can't complain at that.

Faults:

Clutch is slipping, dampers are gone, exhaust fell off, front bearings, whole front end probably needs a full rework incl bushings, brakes are completely worn, water leaks into the compartment, and the car rusts like MAD.

These are things that you could expect from a 10 yrs old car that has covered 90.000, but my point is that Mazdas are not anymore durable than Ford, Vauxhall, Rover or any other brands out there despite all the hype.

General Comments:

I'm writing this review on the behalf of my brother in-law. He just loves this piece of junk for some strange reasons, and he would probably kick my behind if he saw this. I have never understood why he loves this car so much, because it is not especially fault free, actually it is falling apart around him and he is not noticing, but he is really not interested in cars.

The ride of this car is really bad and the wind and tyre noise is high, and the engine is surprisingly gutless for a 1.5, I though it was a 1.3 or smaller. Plus the dampers and front end are so worn that keeping this car on the road at 60 is almost impossible. I'm not joking, this car is the worst I have ever driven. This includes rental Seats and Citroens when on vacation to Spain.

In a couple of years this will not be a problem anymore since it will be rusted to pieces and fail the MOT. I have never seen a 90ies car rust so badly, almost like the Leylands of the 70ies.