Must Admit as a Mazda CX5 Fan, 2019 Chevy Blazer Looks Awesome

Agreed I made the mistake of buying a brand new 2004 Nissan Sentra Spec V built in Mexico for my son. First day I open the glove compartment it falls to the floor and never could be fixed by the dealer. Car fell apart almost weekly with loose bolts and mis aligned parts. Never again.

That would be a Nissan problem, not a Mexico problem. Plenty of good stuff being made in Mexico, along with junk. Just like everywhere.
 
Might as well add a CRV and a Chevy Equinox to the list as they*re built in Canada too! :(

Not a big fan of American cars but if I had to, I'd choose a Ford. The CRV has engine issues so they're out. Toyota, Honda and Mazda for me. Hopefully this CX-5 I have will last for a while.
 
Mazda builds vehicles in Mexico, like the Mazda3 and soon the CX3, CX5 and 6 will be built in Mexico.

It's definitely not ugly. Looks can be subjective but it's not an ugly SUV. None of the reviewers said that.

As far as being a GM, I agree there, not the best reliability and interiors but they have improved over the years.

Mazda is going to have the CX-5 built in Mexico? That is terrible news.
 
Mazda is going to have the CX-5 built in Mexico? That is terrible news.

You would probably never know unless someone told you. Having worked as a parts person at a Mazda dealer for 10 years up until 2 years ago. The Mazda 3*s that we*re from Mexico you could not tell at all and believe it or not we had more problems with the Japanese ones vs those. So it*s a moot point.
 
Yes the Chevy looks good and if it was close to Mazda pricing it might be competition. But just like Audi and Mercedes you*re going to spend more.
 
You would probably never know unless someone told you. Having worked as a parts person at a Mazda dealer for 10 years up until 2 years ago. The Mazda 3*s that we*re from Mexico you could not tell at all and believe it or not we had more problems with the Japanese ones vs those. So it*s a moot point.

Then engines and Transmission...still made in Japan though right?

How you guys feel about the new Toyota/Mazda plant here in the U.S.
 
Seems like a lot of jobs and money going into Mexico, so Mazda can sell more cars to and make more money off of America. Toyota recently scaled back it's plans for a factory in Mexico, all the way back to 700 million dollars and 100,000 vehicles a year.

That's a s*** load of money our country is losing out on because of a loophole in our import laws. The reason for the new Mazda/Toyota American factory and Toyota's scaling back of the Mexican plant is our president's threats for tariffs on that exact loophole.
 
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Then engines and Transmission...still made in Japan though right?

How you guys feel about the new Toyota/Mazda plant here in the U.S.

At the moment yes but I heard when I was still there they did want to start building them there but who knows?
 
Big think about the blazer is the RIP off pricing. Like most gm vehicles, overpriced compared to imported (tariffed) Japanese cars with the same or more features. All while using cheaper MX labour. American rip off.

I'm sure it will be heavily discounted and incentivized to reach price parity. GM, Chrysler, and Ford seem to have gotten themselves stuck in a trap where they can't sell cars unless/until they offer big incentives. EVs are an exception since their supply is limited and they carry government rebates. I think it started during the last recession, but they haven't been able to phase it out. When they pull back on the incentives, people just wait until the inventory builds up. Case in point: MSRP on my Ford was $40140 including destination. It was a 2017 model and I purchased it in early 2018 for $28748 OTD cash. I regularly see new models from the "big three" advertised on local dealer websites for $5k off MSRP the moment they hit the lot, and last year's leftovers advertised for $7-10k off MSRP.
 
It's a Chevy. Unless they aren't engineering crap anymore, I have no interest.
 
You would probably never know unless someone told you. Having worked as a parts person at a Mazda dealer for 10 years up until 2 years ago. The Mazda 3*s that we*re from Mexico you could not tell at all and believe it or not we had more problems with the Japanese ones vs those. So it*s a moot point.

I guess it is more psychological than anything else. For example, no one wants the Mazda eco filters made in Mexico but they are probably perfectly fine. Japan has a reputation for making very high quality things from model airplane motors to cars.
 
I tend to agree. The major automakers have all achieved fairly high levels of manufacturing quality control through automation and process control, so I don't think it matters where final assembly takes place. Reliability depends mostly on product testing and how rapidly manufacturers can iterate to improve the product. Customers' perception of reliability also depends on how responsive the manufacturers are to defects discovered in the field.

My main complaint with GM has been they make boring cars with dated looking cheap interiors. Their exterior styling has been getting better, but the interiors still look cheap, even in the GMC Denali trims. If they made something I really wanted, I personally wouldn't be too concerned about build quality or reliability.
 
The new 2019 Mazda 3s in my area were all built in japan. That surprised me.

Made in Japan cars are getting rare in North America...but not as rare as my Made in Japan Plasma TV's I'm still rocking from the 2010's. Todays OLED and QLED and whateverLEd's can't stack up.
 
That would be a Nissan problem, not a Mexico problem. Plenty of good stuff being made in Mexico, along with junk. Just like everywhere.

I agree. Out of 29 vehicle manufacturers, Nissan came in 14th. Mazda came in 3rd, just behind Lexus and Toyota. There are some things manufacturers can do to ensure quality/reliability:


1. Design in quality and work with suppliers to produce consistently high-quality parts and subassemblies.

2. Create process instructions that produce repeatable, quality-focused results.

3. Train employees on a consistent basis.

4. Never "set and forget" production facilities in any country. Audit to verify that what was put in place is still in place.


I am involved in ensuring manufacturing quality in facilities in Asia and the US. Yes, in most cases the workers want to produce high quality products. Sometimes, their hands are "tied" in more ways than one. Management is often to blame.
 
Made in Mexico doesn't bother me as much as how good is the underlying engineering and design. In my estimation GM products are traditionally crap. I know co-workers and friends who have bough Chevy's, Fords, etc. and have had nothing but problems. Not saying Mazda or Japan doesn't have their issues (hi Nissan), but I am not yet convinced a Chevy isn't a total POS.
 
Chevy and Ford both are miles ahead of where they used to be. Neighbor has a Malibu and we were just talking about this a she is about to hit 100k miles. Most trouble free car she's ever had.
 
Hey I thought Chevy's were pretty reliable? Never owned one but that's what I thought.

That said I read many reports of high mileage Eco-boost Ford pickups.
 
Hey I thought Chevy's were pretty reliable? Never owned one but that's what I thought.

That said I read many reports of high mileage Eco-boost Ford pickups.

Having previously owned a 1999 Chevy Blazer for 3 years and a 2002 model for 12 years - they were great for first 3-5 years. Year 5+ nothing but issues and the reason I am in a Mazda today. In year 1-3 I loved the vehicle and was happy with it - if someone gave me money to buy a vehicle I would have got the exact same thing again. But 2 transmissions, enough wheel bearings I lost count, transfer case, rear differential, it was ridiculous AND I didn't offroad.

So if leasing or exchanging vehicle may work out well, if long-term purchase then where or how is reliability measured with a new model that hasn't been produced for a decade?
 
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