Alas

Time to trade in the wife's Z3 so am looking for a replacement.
Quite fancy the 323 as its like my wagon and lots of room for the dog(9 stone dog).
She fancies the Clio Sport ot the 206 GTi.
All opinions welcomed (especially if informed)
Cheers
Alasdair

brett555

how about a subaru estate ... ? , plenty of power to shift the dog around ... (what dog have you got ? i've got a newfoundland .. they are heavy buggers ... ) ...

Rich D

iTrader: (12)

Don't get a 206 GTi... you'll be dissapointed!

Go for a Clio 172 Sport instead as they are nice & quick, with good handling and fully loaded with all the toys, plus they're brilliant on fuel.

Alas

Hi m8
Got a French Mastiff - big and mad
Don't fancy a legacy or any other estate as too big or ugly. Thats why i quite liked the look of the 323 as it is like my Impreza wagon.
Alas

The_Gza

I've had a couple of 206GTi's and a Clio Cup. Cup is far more of a hooligan car - 206GTi is more relaxed.

Where abouts in Scotland are you? If you're near Glasgow/Edinburgh I'm quite happy to take you for a spin in the Cup if that might help you decide

Alas

Thanks for the offer m8 but I'm up in Fort William. Had a couple of tests in the gti but not been in the Clio. Is there much room in the back for the mutt. Obviouly both would be fast enough but the Clio Cup does look more sporty. I was thinking about the 172 at one point. Does it drive as good as it looks?
Alasdair

Gary VR6

Alas - oh yes! - the clio cup is a fantastic car. Take the dog with you to see if he/she fits OK - I reckon you might struggle though.

IWatkins

The missus's 323 in the middle here next to a Scoob wagon for comparison. She loves it because "it can corner"

The 323 isn't quick by Scoob standards but is still impressive. Ours is only the 1.8 (323F Sport model) but they do a 2.0 petrol now that is supposed to be better. Handling is very good for a FWD car and is very nimble. I don't know it compares with the Clio or 206, as I haven't driven either.

I would look at boot space though as it isn't all that. Enough for one big dog yes, two big dogs, no.

Usual reliablity from Mazda (Pug and Renault are French, say no more). We have had no problems at all in over 2 years ownership. OK, we had one recall for coil pack replacements, but we never saw the actual problem.

Servicing is reasonable and our local Mazda dealer couldn't be better. Loan car while being serviced with no insurance etc. needed. I.e. sign a form to say you'll pay the excess and that is it.

Cheers

Ian

[Edited by IWatkins - 8/13/2003 11:32:26 PM]

soup dragon

Mazda Sport.
I owned a brand new (01)Mazda 323 2.0 sport.The looks are quite respectable,with the full body kit on,but performance is a problem.

The problem being that there is no performance.Handling was not too bad,but under any sort of hard driving,the suspension would wallow(if thats a word)far too much.
139 bhp is not exactly a rocket ship,and as for the boot,its good for shopping,but it would be cruel to put a Medium to Large dog in.
My German shepherd would go on the back seat,but no way would it fit in the boot,not unless I snapped a couple of legs 1st..

After that I baught a 5 door scoob,which was perfect for the dog"loads of room" and a lot of fun,but I have since baught a CTR,which dont fit the dog,but who cares.Dogs enjoy walking and so does the Missus.

If they go to the park,I'll meet em there

Alas

Cheers guys.
Must admit leaning towards the Mazda now as checked out the room in the other two and it is far too tight. Mind you drove about with the beast in the passenger seat of my old MX6 for a while and yes I did get some funny looks
Now off to see what they'll give me for the Z3.
Cheers
Alasdair

merlin

The Mazda 323 is being replaced soon with the Mazda 3 so if you like to keep up with the Jones' then best wait. Otherwise you should be able to get a good discount right now on a 323 but be prepared for big depreciation too.

[Edited by merlin - 8/15/2003 9:21:26 PM]

GaryCat

Just bought my wife a Mazda 323 1.8 GSi and we're very pleased with it. Build quality is as good as a Honda, handles & rides OK. 1.8i 16v engine is not as lively as you would expect from a warm-hatch but it's hardly a problem.

G.