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Does the 1.8 engine produce enough power to not loose speed while fairly loaded up going up hills such as the kaimais, around the coromandel and the bombays? Ive been told anything smaller than a 2L will be no good they will be working too hard. Are the newer engines a lot more powerful and can hack it? or would I be better off looking at a 2L mazda atenza wagon to have a bit more power?
also what problems do they have and things to look out for when buying an import?
thanks

Hi there,
The Caldina, or any engine under 2.5 will be laboring a bit up those hills. But will make it.
You will have to drop them out of overdrive/ top gear in order to climb hills.
Newer engines are more refined and are all about reducing emissions and fuel saving.
Not necessarily more powerful.
When looking at imports. The age, mileage, and condition are important. Some cars of
certain years have certain known faults that develop as they get older, and will start giving problems. So do your homework.

The Mazdas are a very popular choice. And a great vehicle.

is the mazda DOHC 16 valve engine reliable? with good rep?
also what does DOHC mean

thanks

These engines are reliable, the 2.3 or 2.5 found in the Mazda 6 are more powerful but getting pricey.
DOHC means Double Over Head Camshaft. It is an engine cylinder head configuration.
It means two cams sit in the head,on top of the valves. Also known as Twin Cam.
As opposed to single cam SOHC.
Both do the job, but generally twin cam gives better performance.

Hi again thanks for all the replies.
Looking in going a different direction as I realised I don't have as much to spend as I hoped i would be able to. Now looking at 2001 nissan primera wagon tiptronic model with 140,000km for about $3000. My thoughts is that its a whole lot of car for little money... I have read that everyone says stay clear from the ctv transmission does the tiptronic model have that? And how often do they really fail? Ive spoken to some people who have had trouble free motoring with them. Is this a good deal to look at or should I run for the hills?

Thanks

Hi there, I have seen the 2001 tiptronic advertised as having a cvt transmission.
We recommend staying away from them, due to the amount that have given issues.
This could be the reason the price is low.
However if it's something you really want, there is always a possibility of getting a good one. You will need to take a drive and see if a cvt is something you would like.

Thanks for all the info I sound like a pain but i have another question. I annoy myself with how much i look into things before buying but thats not a bad thing.

I checked out the too 5 wagons for under 12k. The accords seem priced pretty reasonably vs the atenza. Whats the difference between the 2.4 accord wagon and the 2.4 euro???

Really appreciate the help. Thanks