mazda6 yay or nay?

serious3

my bangernomics merc has just calfed its etc module on the gearbox so i'm looking at changing, seems to be good value in mazda 6's at the minute, i know the diseasals give bother but what are the 1.8's like? seen a few 04 and 03 models around for 1500 or less with test and history, opinions?

bazz26

The biggest problem with them is rust underneath so have a good poke around and try and get it up on a hoist. Other than that they are a pretty solid reliable car and very nice to drive.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Engines are pretty much bullet proof as long as they're serviced regularly. They're chain driven so no TB to break/change.

They're reasonably economical too, 35 on average with 40 attainable on long runs.

Like said above, check the rear arches for rust as they're prone to it. I'd walk away from any car with rust problems, there are countless Mazda 6's for sale so hold out for a clean one that doesn't have sky high mileage.

advertsfox

CJC999 wrote: »

Engines are pretty much bullet proof as long as they're serviced regularly. They're chain driven so no TB to break/change.

They're reasonably economical too, 35 on average with 40 attainable on long runs.

Like said above, check the rear arches for rust as they're prone to it. I'd walk away from any car with rust problems, there are countless Mazda 6's for sale so hold out for a clean one that doesn't have sky high mileage.

Also hold out for one with Cruise Control and a few extras like leather, alloys, sunroof - there are plenty to go about as CJC999 says so balls in your court

Tip: look out for pictures with buttons on RHS of steering wheel, means CC is installed. Also further right of dashboard buttons means extras such as fogs, ASR, ESP etc.

CC installed (with nicer grey interior)



CC not installed (stock black interior)


I owned one, loved it - super car to drive

H3llR4iser

Have been observing them on the road and went looking for a few of them myself, and to be honest, the vast, vast, vast majority of them - at least in Cork - are in a really sorry state. Unfortunately, I'd say they mostly ended up in the hands of "sure it's Japanese, gonna go forever!" people, who think that lifting the bonnet will open some kind of passage to another dimension. So open eyes, there are a lot of relatively recent ones that are more suitable for the scrapyard than resale, mostly due to the total ineptitude of their owners.

The 1.8 engine is really down on power for its capacity (120 bhp) and I don't think it's worth the motor tax, you can find 1.6s from other brands with the same power. The 2.0 seems fine with 155 bhp.

Last, very subjective one, I think the line/design on the 2003-2008 edition is aging VERY fast, as it often happens with Japanese cars: It only takes a bit of dirt or a scratch to make one look like a much older car than it really is.

bazz26

They all had cruise control bar the basic Comfort model. Electric sunroof was standard on the top spec Sports Touring.

So you have:

Comfort model: electric windows all-round, remote central locking, 6 air bags, ABS, electric mirrors, air conditioning and cd stereo.

Touring model adds: leather multifunction steering wheel with stereo controls and cruise control, velour seat trim, front and rear arm rests, dual zone climate control plus leather covered handbrake and gear stick.

Sports Touring adds: 16" alloy wheels, electric lilt and slide sunroof, lowered sports suspension and traction control.

JohnBoy26

Get an old Accord instead, They are a much better car than a Mazda 6 imo.