mazda 6 any good?

chilledout

looking into buying a second hand mazda 6 diesel 05 06 .might get it in england, if the price is right ,,;) anybody got any comments good or bad..

alanlouthzzr

Had a '03 6 dsl, put 120,000 trouble free miles on it. The only problem was a small bit of freeplay in the steering column which was replaced under warranty. Even at 120,000 the engine still pulled like a train. The car was serviced ahead of schedule and gave no other problems.

pburns

I have a Mazda 6 petrol, 04. Only 35000 miles but zero problems. Better than a Toyota I owned reliability-wise. Some dealers aren't great but Mazda have taken over distribution in Ireland so this will probably improve - shouldn't be a major factor for you anyway.

It's not as quiet as some rivals - apparantly this has been improved with better sound insulation on the '06 facelifted version. There are also some other mild tweaks (mostly cosmetic). The steering-problem refered to above was a re-call AFAIK, think it was sorted by '05-'06.

Far better car than a VW, better looks & handling than an Avensis IMO.

bazz26

Almost swapped my Avensis for a Mazda 6 there before Christmas. (Still having second thoughts everytime I see one ). Lovely car and still looks fresh considering it is a 5 year old design now. Don't seem to hold their resale value as good as some other models in this class but this makes them a very good second hand buy. The 6 uses the Ford Mondeo chassis so the drive is quite good.

Try and avoid the basic Comfort model as standard equipment is pretty basic, no alloy wheels or climate control. They look terrible without alloy wheels imo. Go for the Sport Touring model as thid will have climate control, cruise control, 16" alloy wheels, Bose sound system, sports suspension, nicer seats, electric sunroof and traction control.

There were two diesel engines originally available in the 6, both 2.0 litre turbo units, 120bhp and 136bhp versions. If you are going for a 2005/2006 model then that will probably be the facelifted model. This is easily identified by the front and rear darker tinted headlights and revised interior. The facelifted 6 only had one diesel engine afaik, it was the same 2.0 litre unit upgraded to 140bhp.

Reliability is typically Japanese, a neighbour of mine had a 2003 136bhp diesel 6 and put over 120,000 miles on it without any issues. Not sure what the cost of servicing is like on them though so it might be worth checking out.

There is a new 6 out towards the middle of 2007 so prices will drop further once this hits the market.

Anyway the best of luck, they are a lovely car and I might have yet myself.

pburns

bazz26 wrote:

There is a new 6 out towards the middle of 2007 so prices will drop further once this hits the market.

Anyway the best of luck, they are a lovely car and I might have yet myself.

Don't think the new model is out that soon - think it'll be early-mid 2008. If you know different I'd be most interested. Next model is rumoured to be bigger to compete with the Camry in the US. I wouldn't be interested if it's much bigger than the current model to be honest - I'll possibly hold on to it for a while & go for a premium diesel next time around.

I traded from an Avensis (old model) to a Sports Tourer. Only regret is I didn't do it sooner...

bazz26

pburns wrote:

I traded from an Avensis (old model) to a Sports Tourer. Only regret is I didn't do it sooner...

Really, I'm on my second Avensis, my first one being the old model and my current one being a 2003 new shape 1.8 litre with almost 120k trouble free miles. Nothing wrong with the cars just fancied something different this time.

I was looking at trading to a 2003 Mazda 6 Sport Touring too with only 43k miles on the clock. Moving house at the moment so don't have the cash to trade up to something newer and didn't want to borrow money, my reasoning was I was getting a car of the same age with way less mileage for only €1,300 with my own car. Changed my mind in the end but sometimes regret it.

The only thing that disappoints me about the 6 is the dashboard. Alot of low rent plastic, I know the Avensis has some too but I found it to be that bit better finished than the 6 and the switchgear also looked and felt a bit more modern.

What kind of mpg does the 6 give you as I have heard they are a small bit thirsty? I am getting about 33mpg on average from a mixture of urban and country driving.

pburns

bazz26 wrote:

What kind of mpg does the 6 give you as I have heard they are a small bit thirsty? I am getting about 33mpg on average from a mixture of urban and country driving.

I think it's better than that actually and I don't hang about... I don't do much stop-start driving though. 120k seems fairly big mileage for a 03 petrol - would you not be better off with diesel?

Re. interiors - I don't see it being any worse than other cars in the class - new Passat aside. Maybe I haven't been in enough top-line motors recently or maybe I'm just a Mazda 6 fanboy...

As I said the only fault I have with the car is a slight bit more engine noise than an Avensis. The looks, handling & reliability more than compensate for me...

Lex Luthor

I've been doing my research on these for the past 2 months as I'm planning on going over to the UK in the new year to get a 04/05 2.0 litre petrol or diesel (if the price is right) in the estate version. If you go to the UK, go for the TS2 spec. It has the Bose sound system, 6cd changer over the TS spec, which in itself is very well equipped.

The diesel engine in the UK is a 121ps or 143ps unit. I have heard and read no bad problems from them. The only downside is they are not as economical as their rivals and they are known to only get an avg consumption of about 40mpg.

I have heard the new model is due out in mid '07. Go to mazda.uk and check out their online used section. I also have an auto reminder set up on the Autotrader UK site that emails me with new arrivals in the car I have specified.

The other car I had shortlisted was the Accord 2.2 diesel estate, but comparing the 2, the Mazda is much better value for money and just as reliable if not as big.

Keep me posted how you get on. You are spoiled for choice over here for a hatchback or saloon, but I have only seen 2 or 3 estates and they only came in teh touring spec here, which is crap, which is why I'm off to the UK.

Lex Luthor

bazz26 wrote:

a neighbour of mine had a 2003 136bhp diesel 6 and put over 120,000 miles on it without any issues.

alanlouthzzr wrote:

Had a '03 6 dsl, put 120,000 trouble free miles on it.

Are you two neighbours?

Benny-c

I have a 2004 Mazda 6 2L TD, as I am a Rep. I have almost 130k (mls) on it, I have had no trouble with it, serviced every 12K and she stills goes like a rocket.

Defo recommended.....:D

Benny

bazz26

Lex Luthor wrote:

Are you two neighbours?

Not unless you think Drogheda is next door to Limerick.

Lex Luthor

Benny-c wrote:

I have a 2004 Mazda 6 2L TD, as I am a Rep. I have almost 130k (mls) on it, I have had no trouble with it, serviced every 12K and she stills goes like a rocket.

Defo recommended.....:D

Benny

Benny, what kind of mpg are you getting from the diesel? What bhp is the engine you have?

Benny-c

Lex Luthor wrote:

Benny, what kind of mpg are you getting from the diesel? What bhp is the engine you have?

Lex,

I get 530mls/850Km for 49Litres/11Gal so by my (very:D ) rough calculations that makes:

17.3Km Per Litre
48 mpg

Im not sure of the BHP, but AFAIK its the 121BHP version.

Hope that's a help.

Benny

P.S. I have assumed 4.5L per Gallon

Benny-c

Mods please remove this post............got a little carried away!

Lex Luthor

Benny-c wrote:

Lex,

I get 530mls/850Km for 49Litres/11Gal so by my (very:D ) rough calculations that makes:

17.3Km Per Litre
48 mpg

Im not sure of the BHP, but AFAIK its the 121BHP version.

Hope that's a help.

Benny

P.S. I have assumed 4.5L per Gallon

48mpg is a lot better than published on their website

I'll be going for the diesel then