Mazda 6; Opinions

Senna

I'll be buying a secondhand car within the month and I've been recommend the Mazda 6, I never even considered it but it does meet my needs, never drove one so just looking for some opinions (or even alternatives).

I'm thinking of the 2003-2006 1.8 petrol, either hatch or estate, budget is around €4k, i think the touring model is better spec's but none bar the 2.3 sport comes with leather.

My previous choice was the Accord 2.0 petrol, but the estate in those are just plain fugly and the option of a hatchback in the Mazda 6 would take care of my needs. I do the mileage and lack of short trips to justify a diesel, but not interest in the associated costs if something goes wrong.

colm_mcm

1.8 model makes a lot of sense.

bazz26

Great bargins in the 6 petrol models these days. €4k will get you a decent 2006 model these days. Touring is the middle of the range model upto mid 2006, from then on it became Exec SE. It will have cruise control, etc. Rust was the only real issue on them in the early models.

Senna

Thanks will keep a look out for rush, any other weak points? I've heard the gear change can be a bit notchy but still perfectly usable.

Anyone have real world MPG from the 1.8's?

bazz26

They are not the most fuel efficent so I would say around 30 - 31 mpg would be expected from them but given the lower purchase price these days compared to say a similar Avensis or Passat I'd get over it. Very nice car to drive too, on a par with the Mondeo.

monkeypants

Mine is turning ten this year. Might jinx it all now, but it's almost bulletproof; service it when due and it'll probably go for ever.1.8 litre mightn't sound like a lot, but Mazda's are generally light and accelerate quickly enough.

I just wish mine had an extra gear for motorway speeds. It gets a bit noisy at greater than 3.5k rpm.

jesus_thats_gre

Not quite what you are looking at but I have a 2008 1.8 Mazda 6 Sport and love it. Have had for the past 14 months and haven't had a spot of bother with it.

big dar

I have had my 2005 1.8 touring for 5 years and have had zero problems with it

Senna

Senna wrote: »

............ budget is around €4k............. I do the mileage and lack of short trips to justify a diesel, but not interest in the associated costs if something goes wrong.

Depending on what mileage you actually will be doing I wouldn't be so quick to discount a diesel, for €4k it's easy to avoid DPFs and DMF wise you might get something with it done already

Of course injectors, turbo etc can also go but diesels aren't quite as troublesome as many paint them to be, potentially everything could go wrong of course.

I would really consider diesel at 20k miles/annum

Heathen

2007 6 Exec here, i have it about 2 years and never had so much as an ounce of bother, solid and reliable!

H

monkeypants

One more thing to point out since you mentioned estates; the hatchback has a rather large boot. Lower the rear seats and you've even more.

I've a 1.8 petrol and MPG is around the thirty mark. Could probably get more if I changed my driving style and didn't accelerate so quickly.

Sam Kade

colm_mcm wrote: »

1.8 model makes a lot of sense.

The motor tax is a killer at €636/year :mad:

JohnBoy26

bazz26 wrote: »

Rust was the only real issue on them in the early models.

Even on later cars rust is an issue. They tend to rust badly underneath mostly at the rear. Mazda does not have good rust protection and they never had.

gammygils

I prefer the older model. Than the '09 + model

Excellent looking & very reliable

langdang

Sam Kade wrote: »

The motor tax is a killer at €636/year :mad:

Good man.

Anyway OP, does the estate come in 1.8? I seem to recall a restricted choice of engines versus the saloon/hatch. Estates are rare in any case, happy hunting. I had an estate 626 and found it had a lot of handy and smart little features. (it was a 2LITRE PETROL OMFG! How mad am II?!? TAX! ;-) )

I agree with your comment on the accord. It's like a spaceship hearse from a bad sci-fi movie. Latest model Accord estate is class but predictably rare in Ireland. And outside both our budgets for a while I'd say.

Hailhail1967

Good car especially for the money, but if I had the choe I would certainly be getting the accord. Just stay away from the diesels they tend to go pop according to the interweb :-)

Senna

I could justify a diesel as in I never do trips of less than 20km's but i would probably only do 20k km per year, so I'd be happy enough with a petrol.

The decision between the accord and the 6 will probably come down to the drive, I've drove the accords a few times, but never the 6. Unless the 6 is a big let down, I think the value of the 6 might win out.

bazz26

Sam Kade wrote: »

The motor tax is a killer at €636/year :mad:

It's above average but that's how they are cheaper to buy over some of their rivals.

Sam Kade

Senna wrote: »

I could justify a diesel as in I never do trips of less than 20km's but i would probably only do 20k km per year, so I'd be happy enough with a petrol.

The decision between the accord and the 6 will probably come down to the drive, I've drove the accords a few times, but never the 6. Unless the 6 is a big let down, I think the value of the 6 might win out.

Stay away from Mazda 6 diesel plenty horror stories. I have a 1.8 petrol and it is cheap to maintain.

bazz26 wrote: »

It's above average but that's how they are cheaper to buy over some of their rivals.

I know I own one.

trabpc

Sam Kade wrote: »

Stay away from Mazda 6 diesel plenty horror stories. I have a 1.8 petrol and it is cheap to maintain.



I know I own one.

Is there such a thing as a 1.8 with a 6 speed box. Thinking about replaceing one of our diesels with an 05 or 06. Just need a 2nd car as spare as we travel as much as possible in one car now so pointless keeping 2 diesels on the go. Is there much improvemet in new 05 model.

Question .... if I drive Motoryway 90% of time would 38mpg be expecting too much at steady100kph?

trabpc

trabpc wrote: »

Is there such a thing as a 1.8 with a 6 speed box. Thinking about replaceing one of our diesels with an 05 or 06. Just need a 2nd car as spare as we travel as much as possible in one car now so pointless keeping 2 diesels on the go. Is there much improvemet in new 05 model.

Question .... if I drive Motoryway 90% of time would 38mpg be expecting too much at steady100kph?

Mondeo sold so im on look out for an 05 mazda now....

JohnBoy26

Watch out for rust if buying a Mazda 6. They have terrible rust protection underneath. Most 6s of that age will probably have quiet a bit of rust underneath at this stage. if buying have a good look underneath epecially along the rear chassis rails(they tend to rust badly here) and have a good look at the rear arches aswell.

Green Hornet

Surely rust is not as much of an issue on modern cars?

JohnBoy26

Green Hornet wrote: »

Surely rust is not as much of an issue on modern cars?

It isn't in most cars but some brands still have inadequate rust protection. Mazda starting from the early 00's are some of the worst iv'e seen with some starting to rust as early as four years old. Nissan are another brand with very poor rust protection on some models.

Mazdas in canada were rusting so badly they had to extend the corrosion warranty on them. http://mazda3carpet.com/mazda-canada-quietly-pulls-back-on-rusted-mazda3-claims/

Bobo78

That s true about Mazda 6 rust. I have one in the family for more than 3 years. Just in December when I had it for a service I had a quick look under the car and there seems to be quite a bit of surface rust under the rear part of the car. As well edges on the rear wheel arches tend to blister and rust as well.
Our Mazda has not been so bulletproof as most of the other posters here.
Had to have quite a bit of work done on it through the years of ownership. And one thing is for sure Mazda parts are not cheap.
Some of the issues we had with our Mazda 6 are: needed throttle body and iacv (Idle Air Control Valve) cleaned, air flow meter as well, needed new brake caliper, needed new engine mount, display unit tends to break on them, had issue with the spark plug leads and have a water leak in the bottom of the boot and as well quite annoying clutch judder on biting point.
AS well I found Mazda 6 not to be very comfy car to drive because of the stiff seats and very stiff suspension which transfers all kind of vibrations from the road on the whole car including driver seat. Plus they tend to be quite noisy above 3 k rpm.
But on the better note they are very fun car to drive on the bendy roads.

trabpc

Bobo78 wrote: »

That s true about Mazda 6 rust. I have one in the family for more than 3 years. Just in December when I had it for a service I had a quick look under the car and there seems to be quite a bit of surface rust under the rear part of the car. As well edges on the rear wheel arches tend to blister and rust as well.
Our Mazda has not been so bulletproof as most of the other posters here.
Had to have quite a bit of work done on it through the years of ownership. And one thing is for sure Mazda parts are not cheap.
Some of the issues we had with our Mazda 6 are: needed throttle body and iacv (Idle Air Control Valve) cleaned, air flow meter as well, needed new brake caliper, needed new engine mount, display unit tends to break on them, had issue with the spark plug leads and have a water leak in the bottom of the boot and as well quite annoying clutch judder on biting point.
AS well I found Mazda 6 not to be very comfy car to drive because of the stiff seats and very stiff suspension which transfers all kind of vibrations from the road on the whole car including driver seat. Plus they tend to be quite noisy above 3 k rpm.
But on the better note they are very fun car to drive on the bendy roads.

Tks . Those problems dont look like they could be too costly..maybe im wrong but they sound small enough issues.

How would an 03 04 old or new shape Toyota avensis 1.6 compare to the mazda?

JohnBoy26

trabpc wrote: »

Tks . Those problems dont look like they could be too costly..maybe im wrong but they sound small enough issues.

How would an 03 04 old or new shape Toyota avensis 1.6 compare to the mazda?

They are a good car. They newer 03 on model can develop issues with gearbox bearings. Other than that they are fairly reliable, some do burn oil but as long as you keep them serviced on time they should be grand. They do have better rust protection underneath compared to the mazda but they aren't as good to drive as the mazda.

trabpc

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

They are a good car. They newer 03 on model can develop issues with gearbox bearings. Other than that they are fairly reliable, some do burn oil but as long as you keep them serviced on time they should be grand. They do have better rust protection underneath compared to the mazda but they aren't as good to drive as the mazda.

One last question on the mazda 1.8 ... At motorway speeds 110\120 where does the rev counter sit....

JohnBoy26

trabpc wrote: »

One last question on the mazda 1.8 ... At motorway speeds 110\120 where does the rev counter sit....

Around the 3k revs mark AFAIK

Conmaicne Mara

Rust killed my last car, a Mazda 323.

I was doing a lot of looking at Mazda 6's to replace it. My mechanic told me to steer clear of them. I was looking for a car which would save me some money either on fuel efficiency or repairs. He specifically mentioned rear brake calipers and replacing them cost €600 according to him.

I went with another brand car in the end.

JohnBoy26

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Rust killed my last car, a Mazda 323.

I was doing a lot of looking at Mazda 6's to replace it. My mechanic told me to steer clear of them. I was looking for a car which would save me some money either on fuel efficiency or repairs. He specifically mentioned rear brake calipers and replacing them cost €600 according to him.

I went with another brand car in the end.

They were great cars. It's a pity the rusted so badly. The rear chassis rails(again) and the sills is what usually go on the 323s.

trabpc

I see a good few 6's online 2005 for about 2-3k however ive seen a nice 05 1.6 Avensis with 77k on done deal for 4k but some told me the avensis give trouble. If so why do so many Dublin Taxi men drive them?

any opinions?

trabpc

trabpc wrote: »

I see a good few 6's online 2005 for about 2-3k however ive seen a nice 05 1.6 Avensis with 77k on done deal for 4k but some told me the avensis give trouble. If so why do so many Dublin Taxi men drive them?

any opinions?

Bought an 06 mazda today anyhow. 1.8 sports touring. 128k fsh for 4k. Ill update how she goes later in week

JohnBoy26

trabpc wrote: »

Bought an 06 mazda today anyhow. 1.8 sports touring. 128k fsh for 4k. Ill update how she goes later in week

Happy motoring :-)

trabpc

Got suprising mpg result. ll post. More on one of other mazda 6 threads.

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056862954?page=3#post_82973931