A
Anonymous
Guest
Well after 3 years I am finally saying good by to my 200GT RCZ. During this time I have covered 15,600m and apart from a couple of minor glitches with the rear crank oil seal failing and swamping my drive, the car going into limp home made (bizzarly as I was passing the dealership) and the rear view mirror falling off, the car has performed nearly faultlessly. It is has been serviced once and still has the original tyres which are still legal!!
I have towed my motocross bikes on it to events in Wales and used it as my runabout. My rolling average on fuel consumption over that period has been 34.8mpg. In terms of residual it made £16,000 in part exchange against a new car being sold to me at mates rates with little margin.
What I have liked:
Cool looks, even three years on it still turns heads. Surprisingly comfortable to drive and great road holding. Massive boot that gets all my motocross gear in with ease. A sports car that towed a two bike trailer like it was not even there. Very impressive specification as standard. I went for all the extra options as well such as JBL Audio and the Nappa leather. Efficient Sat Nav although it did take some time to get used to it and work out how to do the Speed Cameras. Nice slick gear box and clutch (although the clutch pedal position took awhile to get used to).
What I have disliked:
The lack of the stereo to be able to stream bluetooth audio which was standard on other cars in the range at the same time. The fact it dumped the engine oil all over my drive after a seal failure at 1800m. Having to get the mirrors replaced due to the water staining and corrosion. The internal mirror falling off in my lap as I drove!
It did not deliver anywhere near the claimed fuel consumption. However in fairness my type of driving profile probably never really gave it a chance.
I generally buy new for cars and never keep them more than a year so its a real testament to this car that I have kept it so long.
What am I replacing it with? Well I did think about the R but the problem we have is a 3 2 seat cars and a need to be able to carry passengers from time to time. So I have opted for the new Mazda CX5 Sport NAV 2.2 AWD. Something that has plenty of power, 4 seats and a huge boot as well as the requisite tow bar and delivers excellent mpg as well as all the Gucci gadgets the same as the RCZ.
I don't have a single regret buying the RCZ and it will be with a great deal of sadness that I part with it this week. But hopefully my experiences will benefit those considering the car.
I have towed my motocross bikes on it to events in Wales and used it as my runabout. My rolling average on fuel consumption over that period has been 34.8mpg. In terms of residual it made £16,000 in part exchange against a new car being sold to me at mates rates with little margin.
What I have liked:
Cool looks, even three years on it still turns heads. Surprisingly comfortable to drive and great road holding. Massive boot that gets all my motocross gear in with ease. A sports car that towed a two bike trailer like it was not even there. Very impressive specification as standard. I went for all the extra options as well such as JBL Audio and the Nappa leather. Efficient Sat Nav although it did take some time to get used to it and work out how to do the Speed Cameras. Nice slick gear box and clutch (although the clutch pedal position took awhile to get used to).
What I have disliked:
The lack of the stereo to be able to stream bluetooth audio which was standard on other cars in the range at the same time. The fact it dumped the engine oil all over my drive after a seal failure at 1800m. Having to get the mirrors replaced due to the water staining and corrosion. The internal mirror falling off in my lap as I drove!
It did not deliver anywhere near the claimed fuel consumption. However in fairness my type of driving profile probably never really gave it a chance.
I generally buy new for cars and never keep them more than a year so its a real testament to this car that I have kept it so long.
What am I replacing it with? Well I did think about the R but the problem we have is a 3 2 seat cars and a need to be able to carry passengers from time to time. So I have opted for the new Mazda CX5 Sport NAV 2.2 AWD. Something that has plenty of power, 4 seats and a huge boot as well as the requisite tow bar and delivers excellent mpg as well as all the Gucci gadgets the same as the RCZ.
I don't have a single regret buying the RCZ and it will be with a great deal of sadness that I part with it this week. But hopefully my experiences will benefit those considering the car.
