Mazda 6 2008 - 2010 1.8L Petrol or...

The_Nipper_One

Hi guys,

I'm hoping to buy a Mazda 6 (2008 - 2010) in the next couple of weeks.
I'll be doing bout 550km a week, but significantly less during the summer.

I originally started out looking for a diesel, and quite liked the look of the 2010 2.2

Example: http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-6-2010-2-2-d-ts/5855831

However, after doing a bit of research into what I should be looking for when buying, I discovered that Mazda diesels do not share the same reputation for reliability as their petrol brothers. Because of this I'm now leaning towards a 1.8 petrol version of some description.

Does anyone have any advice/feedback from owners about this car?

Secondly, is the reputation for unreliable diesels from mazda true?
I don't want to spend more money on a 2.2 D car with much higher mileage than a petrol of the same year if it means I could potentially run into problems down the road.

Ideally I want this car to run flawlessly for 4-5 years. I don't mind losing money in the running of the car in years 4 and 5 if it means piece of mind for myself.

BMJD

My other half has a 2008 1.8 petrol for the last 4 years. We have had a couple of niggly issues with it, the lambda sensor needed to be replaced, that cost around €400 which is mad expensive for what it is, that was done by a friend. A dealer was looking for €550 to do it. The airbag light comes on a bit due to loose or dirty connectors under the driver's seat which is annoying.

Other than that it is a very good car, comfortable and nice to drive. Hers is on the 18" wheels, personally I would prefer 17"s for a little extra comfort. Fuel economy isn't great, it has averaged 8.7 l/100km according to the obc. That is mostly for short journeys though so if you are doing longer motorway trips, expect it to be a little less. It is only a 5 speed too which doesn't help. Very spacious inside and has a large boot.

The_Nipper_One

Ouch... I was hoping for about 37mpg out of it. 500km of the journeys I would be doing wouldn't be on motorways, but would be on fairly straight roads between and through towns. Part of that takes me over a mountain aswel.

Is 37 mpg an unrealistic expectation? I should also add that there is a chance my mileage will drop to about 150km a week later in the year, though I'm still 50/50 on that.

MuppetCheck

The diesels don't like short spins so I would only opt for a petrol. If you were to go petrol I'd try and source a 2 litre. Sport or sport se are the ones to go for.

I had a 2.2 sport se and honestly couldn't fault it. It had 18s and I didn't find it overly harsh but 17s are better.

The_Nipper_One

MuppetCheck wrote: »

If you were to go petrol I'd try and source a 2 litre. Sport or sport se are the ones to go for.

Any reason why you'd go for the 2.0 over the 1.8? My budget is around 9k - forgot to mention that in the OP.

MuppetCheck

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

Any reason why you'd go for the 2.0 over the 1.8? My budget is around 9k - forgot to mention that in the OP.

It's more powerful but running costs are similar. You could also use the fact it's a bigger engine to bargain the price down. I'm not 100% sure but I think later manual 2 litres had 6 speed gearboxes too.

The_Nipper_One

MuppetCheck wrote: »

It's more powerful but running costs are similar. You could also use the fact it's a bigger engine to bargain the price down. I'm not 100% sure but I think later manual 2 litres had 6 speed gearboxes too.

They must be fairly rare. In the weeks I've been looking at ads, I have not seen even one. Thanks for the heads up though. I wonder if the jump to 2L will make a massive impact on insurance? Only have 1year under my belt fully licensed, and I'm under 25 to boot!

MuppetCheck

I just looked at one on auto trader UK there for 6k. It was an 08 ts2 2 litre 6 speed with 50k. Worked out about 9.5k before costs so that's a lot. The face lifted had a small bit more power. There was newer ones cheaper but they had higher mileage.

It's expensive for the year and engine to import, and they are rare here.

The_Nipper_One

I don't think I could go through the process of importing.

This is my first car, and I have enough things flying through my head without thinking about all that

I will keep my eye out for them here though.

bazz26

I'm not convinced that Mazda cured the expensive issues with that 2.2 diesel engine, from reading online a percentage of them still give problems. I don't think I'd chance one to be honest. I'd either stick to the reliable petrol 6 or look at different diesel car.

trabpc

Owned an 06 1.8 mazda 6 for a year. Comfy car. Keeping her under 100km p hour on motorways managed 40 to 42 mpg for me. Drive it harder at 120 expect 33mpg.

very reliable petrol no issues over the year i had it . Approx 15000 miles mainly motorway cruising. Lovey to drive on all road types however really needs a 6 gear to save fuel on motorways.

BMJD

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

Ouch... I was hoping for about 37mpg out of it. 500km of the journeys I would be doing wouldn't be on motorways, but would be on fairly straight roads between and through towns. Part of that takes me over a mountain aswel.

Is 37 mpg an unrealistic expectation? I should also add that there is a chance my mileage will drop to about 150km a week later in the year, though I'm still 50/50 on that.

I would say that 37mpg is achievable alright. Like I said, our one is used for a lot of very short runs (school runs, shopping, etc) that are less than 5km, they really kill the mpg of any car whether it's petrol, diesel or hybrid. At a constant 120 km/h the onboard fuel consumption shows around 6l/100km so overall consumption could see 38-40mpg.

tin79

BMJD wrote: »

My other half has a 2008 1.8 petrol for the last 4 years. We have had a couple of niggly issues with it, the lambda sensor needed to be replaced, that cost around €400 which is mad expensive for what it is, that was done by a friend. A dealer was looking for €550 to do it. The airbag light comes on a bit due to loose or dirty connectors under the driver's seat which is annoying.

Other than that it is a very good car, comfortable and nice to drive. Hers is on the 18" wheels, personally I would prefer 17"s for a little extra comfort. Fuel economy isn't great, it has averaged 8.7 l/100km according to the obc. That is mostly for short journeys though so if you are doing longer motorway trips, expect it to be a little less. It is only a 5 speed too which doesn't help. Very spacious inside and has a large boot.

That's been my experience too. My wife has one. A few minor issues with lights coming on the dash. Electrical connectors seem to work loose under the seat and at the brake pedal too. Some tape and cable ties fixed it up.


Havent had the lambda problems so far but did have a wheel sensor go after a pothole hit.


Happy with it overall. good looking car, spacious and comfy. Try to get a decent spec if you can.

MuppetCheck

The_Nipper_One wrote: »

I don't think I could go through the process of importing.

This is my first car, and I have enough things flying through my head without thinking about all that

I will keep my eye out for them here though.

First car? Have you tried getting an insurance quote? At 30, full license, full NCB I found it extremely hard to get a competitive insurance quote on mine. The answer I got from a few companies is that insurance was a little more expensive on them so it might be worth getting a few quotes. Could well be bull but I was paying close on €900 per year.

The_Nipper_One

MuppetCheck wrote: »

First car? Have you tried getting an insurance quote? At 30, full license, full NCB I found it extremely hard to get a competitive insurance quote on mine. The answer I got from a few companies is that insurance was a little more expensive on them so it might be worth getting a few quotes. Could well be bull but I was paying close on €900 per year.

I'll be paying 850 full comp with NCB protection.

The whole family is going on the car though, and it will be shared between us.
The other drivers have full NCB each, and have never had a claim in their life.

I'm looking at a 2008 with 120000km on it for €7325. Car looks to be in good shape and has good spec. Just passed NCT too. Worth it? Given it's private and lacks the warranty of a dealer, I'd like to get it for as little as possible (Guess everyone does though no matter where they buy it from.)

Also a big thank you to all the feedback so far

BMJD

Sounds like a good price, just do the usual checks, get a mechanic to look over it etc. The service records are stored on the key chip so there is no paper record, if you want to check that out you probably have to go to a main dealer.

The_Nipper_One

I definitely will get a mechanic to look it over before I commit to anything.
Same with the service history.

I notice the AA can send someone out to check over a car. Are they worth getting, or is it better to bring it to a garage myself?

Also thinking about doing a cartell report, though not sure if it is worth doing?

The_Nipper_One

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-6-2008-for-sale/6204551

See one with half the mileage here for less than 1000 more. Wonder if it is better to try and haggle the other down based on that, or just go for this one as is.

bazz26

They look way nicer in Sport trim imo:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mazda-6-sport/5547870

The_Nipper_One

I agree. Would love a white one of those to pop up in my price range