Why Are Mazdas So Cheap? Bad Car Or Good Deal?

We know many people who love Mazda cars. Some of them buy only Mazdas and don't even want to look at other brands. Some of them are fans of Japanese vehicles. But nearly all of them say that one of the reasons why they buy Mazda cars is that these vehicles cost less than American or European cars with approximately the same specs and abilities.

Today, we'll try to figure out why Mazda cars are so cheap. Also, we'll speak about the prices, trims, and maintenance costs and will try to see if these cars are actually cheap. Not everything that we buy at a good price appears to be cheap in the end, right? We have to consider some important factors of how sharply the price changes on the market of used cars for Mazda vehicles.

Here's what we'll talk about:

1. Price challenges - are Mazda cars actually that cheap?
2. How expensive is it to maintain and service Mazda vehicles?
3. Do Mazda cars lose their price fast on the market of used vehicles?
4. Why is it a good or a bad idea to buy a Mazda car?

Let's get started!

Let's look at the prices of Mazda cars and its competitors

Comparing prices on certain vehicles is not a very simple task. One car can have a price range that will differ to $15K because different trims have different engines and a lot of different equipment. So, you will have to investigate the trims and equipment to understand why some cars actually cost cheaper than others.

But we decided to cut the long story short and look at the cheapest versions of Mazda vehicles and their direct counterparts. Why? Because in their cheapest versions, the car manufacturers make everything possible to offer the best price for buyers. That's why the basic trims will be the same in nearly all cars of the same class.

And here's what we've found out after price investigation:

1. Mazda 3. We've looked at the sedan which starts at $23,700 which is not cheap at all. And in comparison with the cheapest versions of the main counterparts, the Mazda 3 still doesn't seem to be extremely cheap, it's actually the most expensive one:

• Honda Civic - $23,300;
• Hyundai Elantra - $21,000;
• Toyota Corolla - $21,100.

2. Mazda 6. The most popular Mazda sedan starts at $25,400 and it's not a bad price at all. But we should say that even one of the most popular Mazda cars is not the cheapest option on the market. Let's look at its main competitors:

• Honda Accord - $27,100;
• KIA K5 - $24,800;
• Toyota Camry - $26,300.

3. Mazda CX-5. This vehicle is legendary. A lot of buyers will love this car for its superb design and very efficient engines. The MSRP is $27,100 which is not bad but doesn't seem to be the cheapest option on the market. Let's look at some counterparts:

• Honda CR-V - $29,100;
• Nissan Rogue - $28,000;
• Toyota RAV4 - $29,100.

4. Mazda CX-9. The biggest Mazda you can find now on the market. This is a luxury SUV that is hard to compare with other cars on the market because you just don't know which niche to put this vehicle into. The price starts at $36,500, so let's look at some competitors:

• Ford Explorer - $36,300;
• KIA Telluride - $36,300;
• Toyota Highlander - $36,400.

Now, we can investigate a little and see that the Mazda 3 and Mazda CX-9 are the most expensive cars in the niche (at least among our examples). The Mazda 6 has some cheaper and more expensive counterparts, but it actually has an average niche price. And only the Mazda CX-5 offers a good price and can be called a cheap car in the class.

We see that the opinion that Mazda cars are very cheap is not true anymore. You can't say that these Japanese vehicles can compete with their Korean competitors in terms of prices. Also, some American cars appear to be cheaper and more popular. So, why do people say that Mazda cars are cheap? Let's look at maintenance costs.

Is it cheaper to maintain a Mazda than any other car?

This is another myth and we don't even know where it came from. Mazda vehicles have never been too cheap to maintain and repair. The original oil and parts will cost you a fortune. And we should say that there are not so many aftermarket parts available for you. So, you will pay a lot for parts.

The service is also expensive, especially if we are talking about those SkyActiv engines and other technologies that can be repaired by a specialized mechanic only. These technologies are cool, they save up your fuel, but they are hard to maintain and repair, so they are expensive.

You could think that the myth that Mazda cars are cheap could come from the past. But let's look back and we'll see that older Mazda cars are not easier to maintain and repair. They have the same problems as modern Mazda vehicles. So, we wouldn't say that Mazda cars are actually very cheap.

Price depreciation - will your Mazda cost a lot in 10 years?

When someone says that a Mazda is a cheap car, he or she can mean that this car should have slow price depreciation. So if you buy a new vehicle for $20,000 and you can sell it in 5 years for $14,000, it's a very good rate of depreciation. But if in 5 years your car will cost $9,000, this is a catastrophic depreciation and you lose a lot of money.

With Mazda, things are not that good. We've taken the Mazda 3 and the Mazda CX-9 as the cheapest and the most expensive models in the range. And we were amazed by the results that we saw:

1. The Mazda 3 will lose over 16% of its price after 1 year. In 3 years, the car will cost 23% cheaper than the new one. And what's interesting, more expensive trims will lose their money even faster. In 5 years, your Mazda will cost almost half of the new price. And in 10 years the price depreciation will be around 75%.
2. The Mazda CX-9 is even more unbelievable. It will lose 23% of its price after just 1 year of use. And in 3 years, your SUV will cost 35% cheaper than it initially cost. After 5 years, you will lose approximately 46% of the price. And when your SUV is 10 years old, it will lose over 77% of the initial price.

These figures are bad. They are worse than average, and no one knows why. People don't want to buy a 10-year-old Mazda because it's a problematic car that is expensive to repair. So, even if you consider price depreciation as a big factor to claim that a Mazda is a very cheap car, you are wrong. You will lose almost all your money in just 10 years.

Mazda cars have lots of minor issues and they tend to get cheaper over time. For example, the keyless system problem is extremely common for almost all modern Mazda models - read this article to learn more.

Which Mazda cars are cheap and good to buy?

First of all, you will need to understand that Mazda vehicles are not always expensive. If you want a good car but don't want to pay a lot, choose a 5-year-old Mazda that costs half the price of the new car and is still good. Also, pay attention to the condition of the car you choose because not all young cars are still OK to use.

Here are some tips on how to choose a 5-year-old Mazda that will be cheap and good:

1. Mileage. This is a core factor. If the vehicle you are buying is 5 years old, it shouldn't have more than 60 000 miles on the clock. If it has more, the previous owner was driving more than average and the car is not as good as you may think.
2. Interior. Look at the interior parts and try to see any damages. Mazda offers average materials in its interiors, so they can get damaged easily. If the interior looks like new, this is probably a good car to buy.
3. Service records and accidents. Records and history are important factors. Buying a Mazda after an accident is an insane idea. Also, buying a Mazda that wasn't serviced well is a very risky decision.

By following these three main factors, you will understand if a car you are looking at is good. These are simple ways to look at a used vehicle and to see whether it's good and reliable or bad and broken.

Final words

As you see, Mazda cars are not always cheap. We would say that they are more expensive than many other counterparts on the market. It doesn't mean that they are bad - all Mazda vehicles have their own advantages and good sides. But saying that these Japanese cars are cheap is incorrect. We've provided you with a quick comparison of prices for Mazda vehicles and their main competitors and now you can see that the statement about cheap Mazdas is not true anymore.