(08-03-2021, 07:51 AM)MarleyJag Wrote:

(08-03-2021, 07:41 AM)StroudCrowd1 Wrote: TBH, I was shocked to to hear they were even still being made. Might be the 2nd worst car ever manufactured behind the PT Cruiser.

You might be surprised to know that they are regularly modded and tracked and have quite the cult following apparently. Gearheads like them because they're famously reliable and easy to work on.

My son's old Mazda was the only car I've ever worked on that actually created relief points on the engine to access hard-to-reach bolts to avoid removing one thing to get to another. I was amazed engineers took the time to think of that. 

My wife's old Honda CRV was the worst. In order to equalize weight distribution to give the vehicle more stability, the engine and transaxle were pushed as far forward as possible. There was loads of open space between the engine and firewall, which meant everything forward was assembled like a Rubic's cube. Replacing the alternator, a simple job on almost any other car, was a nightmare. The starter was so confined that after taking one look at it, I paid a good shade tree mechanic I know to do it. It took him over two hours and he vowed to never do it again. 

It's always been my belief that one engineer every year should be led out and shot as a warning to the others.

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