I've been looking at 2016 scion ia because there value dropped alot. It's the same as the Mazda 2 with a 1.5L naturally aspirated engine & the Mazda auto 6 speed. Would it be a reliable car?
Mazda especially after the Toyota partnership (then) are reasonably reliable. Not nearly as reliable as an old Camry, but still good enough for most people.
It honestly depends on how long you want to keep it... You also want a mechanic to check it out before you buy it.
Mazda partnered up with Toyota which makes them almost decently reliable as new Hondas. It wouldn't be reliable as the most used Toyotas, but something people can be satisfied about. The Scion is like a side brand of Toyota. Check with a mechanic before getting it.
They’re pretty reliable cars cuz Scion was a sub brand of Toyota and they were reasonably reliable if maintained.
Mazdas have always been very nearly as reliable as Toyotas and Hondas, with occasional exceptions (just like Toyota and Honda). The rotary engines weren't all that great, but all the 4 cylinder naturally aspirated vehicles are very durable. I have 30K miles on my Yaris IA (Mazda 2) and there isn't anything wrong with it. I would prefer if the lower seat material was a bit better quality, but what you actually sit on is pretty good.
Mazdas are always fun to drive, even though the Scion IA / Yaris is considered underpowered, for someone my age it seems pretty fast, in 1980, you'd have to buy a rather expensive car to go 0-60 in less than ten seconds, so the 8.7 sec of the Yaris seems quite adequate for me, and with the overdrive 6th gear it is awfully quiet on the freeway for such an inexpensive car.
