Mazda BT50 opinions?

[Yoodles82]

Hi all,

With my little excel about to die, and the frustration with my car's limitations, i've decided to buy a new ute in the next 6months.

I've pretty much decided on the new mazda bt50 freestyle 3L diesel 4x4, with alloy tray. :cheer:

Just wanting to know if anyone has one, and what they think? And if there are any tips for where to buy a new mazda.

I've heard nothign but good things from everyone with one, but haven't asked too many people so i'm just putting this out there :-)

Thanks in advance.

Nat

[mick fillet]

yeah mate i know 2 blokes that have bt50's and there great.

also look at holden colorados mate same towing capacity. also great car plenty second hand

[dassa]

hey nat what part of town are you from as I know the manager out at mazda in ipswich I'll pm you latter with all his detail and I know a few people that have brought new car of roy and can't fault the service.

[Yoodles82]

Cheers Dassa, that'd be the go! I'm in Inala so ipswich is great for me!

Definately get me in contact with him :-)

[joe 09]

Hi Nat

I have abt50 4x4 Duelcab if you wont to take it for run.

Joe

[Yoodles82]

Thanks Joe, a friend of mine has one too, so i'll drive his around. Thanks for the offer though.

[eg_vtec]

very tough cars. my mate had one from the company and we use to drive it like crazy. never missed a beat

[bootyinblue]

What sort of coin are they wanting for it?

If you are not going to do any serious off roading, have you had a look at Great Wall Motors. Lift the bonnet and the engine and drive train are still all stamped with the Mitsubishi logos, so no trouble getting spare parts.

No diesel unfortuantely though...

[rosco1974]

have a 2009 model 4x4 duel cab auto done 37000km in it no probs yet.tow a 1900kg boat prob 2 times a week.will sit on highway towing the boat on 110kph all day everyday..only issue i had was the back end was a bit soft so mazda put another leafspring in it for me free of charge and retensioned the other springs at the 1st service ....will be buying another in a yr or so

cheers rosco

[Yoodles82]

So i'm deciding on accessories. Can't decide on the mazda bullbar or to go for an ARB or TJM bar.

Has anyone got the mazda bar? They look weak adn cheap but if anyone can prove me wrong i'd be happy to hear it :-)

[jameshallam]

that my bt50 dual cab

[jameshallam]

there a tuff truck

[bootyinblue]

So i'm deciding on accessories. Can't decide on the mazda bullbar or to go for an ARB or TJM bar.

Has anyone got the mazda bar? They look weak adn cheap but if anyone can prove me wrong i'd be happy to hear it :-)

Whichever way you go, make sure you get a steel bar which is winch compatible. Even if you dont fit a winch right away you can always have one bolted in later.

[Yoodles82]

there a tuff truck

Geez James...the other car's not lookin so good :-)

How do you find the mazda bar?

[mick fillet]

geez hardly looks like any damage to the mazda.

do they have air bags? if they do you you will have to stick with the air bag compatable bar.

[jameshallam]

driver and passenger and air bags

[jameshallam]

the mazda bull bar is ok dosent really give the intercooler any protection

[Lost it]

hey nat what part of town are you from as I know the manager out at mazda in ipswich I'll pm you latter with all his detail and I know a few people that have brought new car of roy and can't fault the service.

Geez you're game admitting you know Roy Just kidding. He is a top bloke...for an Irishman...

I left that dealership last year after 12 years in the workshop, and I can guarantee that ol' Roy will look after any person wanting to buy a car, and word on the grape vine says that now is the time to haggle cos sales have slowed quite a bit. Not just there but everywhere. That dealer is 200% focused on customer satisfaction, which is why they have such a high reputation.

BT50's and even the little B2500 are great performers and tow like nothing else. Forget about Holden colorado, they are pure lemons, that is why there are so many 2nd hand ones out there. If a colorado can be driven for more than 3 months without any problems, I would class it as having something wrong. Nice car to drive and stuff, but reliability has failed that project unfortunately.

Bullbars...well it is a personal preference thing. Have a look around and see which one you like the most. ADR's are fairly strict these days, so just get one from a reputable supplier if going aftermarket. Ask the aftersales sales person about options and this can be included in your purchase price. (with the dealer mark up of course) alternatively take the car to places like arb or tjm yourself and you can save a few dollars.

So, short answer after a long story, yes the BT50 is a great production light duty 4wd (and 2wd ute). If you buy one and experience any soft spots in it, eg suspension saggy, as mentioned in the other post, just speak nicely with the dealer and communicate well. Cos they will bend over backwards to keep happy easy going people. If you carry on like a 2 year old they will tell you where to go.

I've worked in dealerships for over 20 years, so I guess I may know a couple things about some things :whistle:

If you do go to the Ipswich dealer and speak to Roy about your BT50 purchase just make sure you say that dassa referred you, I'm sure he would appreciate it. Oh and tell him that Jason says hi. :cheer:

[Yoodles82]

Cheers for the tips there guys,

I went and saw arb and tjm yesterday arvy, and arb was a great help, tjm not so much! Doesnt help when they see a girl walk through the door. Problem is, i'd know alot more about 4wding than some of the blokes out there.

Very frustrating!

Anyway, I'll definately give Roy a call - you've both given him a good wrap :-)

[dhess]

What sort of coin are they wanting for it?

If you are not going to do any serious off roading, have you had a look at Great Wall Motors. Lift the bonnet and the engine and drive train are still all stamped with the Mitsubishi logos, so no trouble getting spare parts.

No diesel unfortuantely though...

Great Walls are complete rubbish. Have spoken to a few owners adn you get what you pay for. True they use mitsubishi running gear but the lowest end asthmatic petrol engine which delivers 0-100kph acceleration of around 18 seconds. Rubbish build quality all around.

You wouldn't want to be in one in an accident either with an ANCAP crash rating of all of 2 stars.

[Yoodles82]

OK Guys,

I finally bought the new car. My brand new BT50 :woohoo:

I'm soooo happy with it. Got it Friday and i'm really enjoying it. Fits my alarm system (aka JessieDog) in the back nicely...and she's ready to tow :-)

Got the bosspack with gives ladderrack, toolbox, and a poxy little watertank - which i'll use to hold the dog's water :silly:

Got ARB winch bullbar (winch comes later if i feel the need), and kingsley sidesteps. Spotties to be decided on in the coming months :-)

Now i've just got to deck out the interior - can't put old seatcovers on a new car :-)

Pics attached.

Thanks to all for the comments before purchase.

Cheers

Nat

[ellicat]

Sweet looking ride, Nat.

Bonnet protector should be on the shopping list if you're doing a bit of "country driving" I reckon. I don't wash mine with a sponge all that often, but when I do I wish I had got one.

[Eug]

looks good. loving the suicide doors!

how much did the arb bar set you back?

cheers

eug

[Schmuck]

Very nice Nat, my mate just picked up his BT-50 Dual Cab on the weekend aswell. The 3L TD is great

[Yoodles82]

looks good. loving the suicide doors!

how much did the arb bar set you back?

cheers

eug

Bout $1900 for the arb bar. Found it wraps around the front alot better than all the other steel bars out there (TJM, ironman, etc). But the factory bar is not much of a bullbar - has plastic on the underside and looks weak as...

So i went for ARB :-)

[Yoodles82]

Sweet looking ride, Nat.

Bonnet protector should be on the shopping list if you're doing a bit of "country driving" I reckon. I don't wash mine with a sponge all that often, but when I do I wish I had got one.

Cheers Ellicat - I wasnt sure if i needed one until i got the bullbar on - but i can see now that the bullbar wont stop too many rocks :-)

[bootyinblue]

Sheesh...... I am impressed!

Good research + good shopping = great outcome!