Mazda 6, good or bad?

Sam Kade

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Yep, going for petrol, I think around 3k is normal
Just missed this one
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/car/7819864

That one is only the basic model no cruise control or mpg gauge. It's the one with no controls on the steering wheel.

Leonard Hofstadter

fmcg_scribe wrote: »

Had a 3.0 litre vvti engine in a Lexus IS and it was bulletproof although mpg was not beyond criticism.

However, Toyota's diesel engines are not beyond criticism - emissions, mpg, and reliability have been weak points. As part of it strategic partnership with BMW, Toyota is now selling many of its European models with BMW diesel engines

Don't think that's entirely true - the 1.4 and 2.0 D-4D are generally excellent for reliability (as long as you go for the newer 124 bhp unit introduced in 2006 in the case of the 2.0 litre unit), they don't even seem to be that prone to DMF failures or the other weak points of modern diesels.

The only unreliable one is the 2.2 and its well known tendency to go through head gaskets - and aside from the Lexus IS220d, there's shag all of them in Ireland, so it's not really relevant. The 3.0 in the Land Cruiser can be a bit hit and miss from what I gather.

As for BMW diesels in Toyotas, the only one so far is the Verso, thankfully. I think it's a major step backwards by Toyota, replacing their own in house diesels, which are very reliable, with an engine that everyone in the industry knows is a heap of junk. Yes the N47 engine will win more plaudits as it's capable of producing a lot more power than a D-4D engine, but it's an inferior engine with that ticking timebomb at the back of the engine (otherwise known as the timing chain). Anyway, the more recent reviews I've read of the N47 say that even by the very low standards of four diesel engine refinement, the N47 is very noisy and rough, so I don't even know if it's going to be a step forward from the existing D-4D engine except for the potential power increases. Toyota should be done for false advertising claiming that they make the 'best built cars in the world' when they're offering that engine - because it's simply not true to state that while fitting such an unreliable engine to their cars (though like I say, at least only the Verso is saddled with that engine for the moment). Toyota also have the PSA diesels in their ProAce van, now I don't think the DV6 engine is that bad anymore, it was changed in 2011 and there doesn't seem to be problems just yet, but I still doubt it will last as long as the D-4D engine in the Avensis or Auris (which is still a Toyota engine).

As for the VVTi engines, yes the earlier models do suffer from it, and yes even the ones that have been 'fixed' will burn oil eventually, but only once the mileage is above say 130,000 miles, and then it's only what you'd expect from a car with that kind of mileage - in other words a very long way from one needing to worry about an NCT failure or the like because of excess oil burning. They're a very reliable engine and will easily get to 200,000 miles (and more) as long as you service them on time with good oil.

3rdDegree

I have an '06 Mazda 6 petrol and it's never given me an ounce of trouble.

gerardk55

I have an '05 Mazda 6 1.8, with 420,000kms on the clock, super car.

Only issue is fuel economy, max I've gotten in around 35mpg, the lack of a 6th gear for motor way cruising is the killer for my driving.

Aim for the sport touring (02 - 05) or executive (05 - 07) trim levels, as these will have climate control and cruise as standard.

If you can find one with genuine low mileage and service history you should get plenty of year motoring out of it.

Best of luck.

Sgt Pepper 64

gerardk55 wrote: »

I have an '05 Mazda 6 1.8, with 420,000kms on the clock, super car.

Only issue is fuel economy, max I've gotten in around 35mpg, the lack of a 6th gear for motor way cruising is the killer for my driving.

Aim for the sport touring (02 - 05) or executive (05 - 07) trim levels, as these will have climate control and cruise as standard.

If you can find one with genuine low mileage and service history you should get plenty of year motoring out of it.

Best of luck.

Thanks, yes those are mandatory for me, its an 06. The one I hope to buy has full service history and cruise control\aircon\alloys\traction\all electric windows\heated mirrors,computer etc. 6 month warranty (but I might get the AA to check it out before buying or a mechanic just after buying)
He said it would be serviced, need to check if timing belt is done

Its a shame you can only get irish ones here, as the uk ones are better spec and hatchbacks, which I prefer

lfbmick

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

Thanks, yes those are mandatory for me, its an 06. The one I hope to buy has full service history and cruise control\aircon\alloys\traction\all electric windows\heated mirrors,computer etc. 6 month warranty (but I might get the AA to check it out before buying or a mechanic just after buying)
He said it would be serviced, need to check if timing belt is done

Its a shame you can only get irish ones here, as the uk ones are better spec and hatchbacks, which I prefer

They don't have timing belt,its timing chain.Ford mondeo shares the same engine,and parts are much cheaper then mazda.

Sgt Pepper 64

lfbmick wrote: »

They don't have timing belt,its timing chain.Ford mondeo shares the same engine,and parts are much cheaper then mazda.

What should have been changed at 80k miles then? or coming up to 100k miles

lfbmick

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

What should have been changed at 80k miles then? or coming up to 100k miles

I been told that chain is for life of the car no change needed.

CiniO

I had 04 Mazda 6, 2.0 petrol
TS2 uk model.
Great, very comfortable and great to drive car. Had it for 2 years, between 2011 and 2013 (so car was 7 when I bought and 9 when I sold it). I've done about 60k kilometres.

Mechanically it was exceptionally reliable. Average MPG I was getting was about 33mpg.

Only problem with that car was rust. Rear wheel arches started rusting fairly badly. Underbody around rear suspension was really bad. Once I had a leak of powersteering fluid and this was caused by one metal pipe which rusted.
Also at the end of ownership I started having trouble with brake callipers sticking, and this was also caused by rust.

So IMO great car, but not so great for Irish conditions, especially if you leave by the sea.

Joey Belgrove

Sgt Pepper 64 wrote: »

What should have been changed at 80k miles then? or coming up to 100k miles

The diesels have a belt but the petrols have a chain. I've had a 2003 1.8 Sport Touring hatchback since 2010 and overall, I'm happy with it. It uses 500ml of oil every 1,000 miles, 34-36 mpg and I also had to replace the power steering pipe. The replacement part was around €70 from Mazda, but it was much thicker than the original. You'll know if it leaks - screeching noise from pump when the fluid drops and the steering will feel very strange. The rear wheel arches are rusting so I'll sort those out soon. It only had 38k miles on it after 7 years when i bought it and there's 85k on it now, but it still feels very tight, hasn't needed any repairs other than the above, and sails through NCTs. Check the electric headlamp adjusters. The motors are known to stick and burn out leaving you with no adjustment. But every car has it's faults so don't be put off by these. Check for the above though. Good luck with it!

Sgt Pepper 64

Joey Belgrove wrote: »

The diesels have a belt but the petrols have a chain. I've had a 2003 1.8 Sport Touring hatchback since 2010 and overall, I'm happy with it. It uses 500ml of oil every 1,000 miles, 34-36 mpg and I also had to replace the power steering pipe. The replacement part was around €70 from Mazda, but it was much thicker than the original. You'll know if it leaks - screeching noise from pump when the fluid drops and the steering will feel very strange. The rear wheel arches are rusting so I'll sort those out soon. It only had 38k miles on it after 7 years when i bought it and there's 85k on it now, but it still feels very tight, hasn't needed any repairs other than the above, and sails through NCTs. Check the electric headlamp adjusters. The motors are known to stick and burn out leaving you with no adjustment. But every car has it's faults so don't be put off by these. Check for the above though. Good luck with it!

Im debating whether to get an AA check before buying?

Sam Kade

gerardk55 wrote: »

I have an '05 Mazda 6 1.8, with 420,000kms on the clock, super car.

Only issue is fuel economy, max I've gotten in around 35mpg, the lack of a 6th gear for motor way cruising is the killer for my driving.

Aim for the sport touring (02 - 05) or executive (05 - 07) trim levels, as these will have climate control and cruise as standard.

If you can find one with genuine low mileage and service history you should get plenty of year motoring out of it.

Best of luck.

You must have a very heavy foot I get 44mpg on the motorway with my 2007 1.8 mazda 6 I don't exactly drive it like a granny either. That's great mileage on yours and she's still going strong.

gerardk55

Yeah I normally set the cruise to 120km/h, but I find it'll be around 3000rpm in 5th. Since the motorway network improved I noticed my fuel economy deteriorate. It's due some oxygen sensor's though, seeing as they are the original ones and I read somewhere recently that should be changed every 100,000miles, so maybe that's affecting my fuel economy but I assume it would have come up in the emissions during the NCT.

It's an early '05 so pre facelift, so maybe they mapped the engine a bit better on the facelift ones.

It really has served me well and the only problem that stopped me going anywhere was a sticky brake caliper which happened over christmas a few years back, so wasn't really a problem.

No intention of changing, unless something catastophic happens, but would probably go for the same model again, but maybe the 2.0 6-speed.

Sgt Pepper 64

Well I've bought it anyway, picking it up tomorrow. 4k down to 3400 and warranty such as it is. Lovely drive

bigroad

Good luck with it and enjoy.
They are a fine car and good value.
Yours isnt the cheapest,but its worth a little extra to get a good clean unclocked car.
Its not big money anyway .I would say if you drive easy enough you should get 40mpg on a run.

Sgt Pepper 64

bigroad wrote: »

Good luck with it and enjoy.
They are a fine car and good value.
Yours isnt the cheapest,but its worth a little extra to get a good clean unclocked car.
Its not big money anyway .I would say if you drive easy enough you should get 40mpg on a run.

TBH, i couldnt find a better cheaper example out there for the price, not many around, especially dublin area, so less hassle

CiniO

gerardk55 wrote: »

Yeah I normally set the cruise to 120km/h, but I find it'll be around 3000rpm in 5th.

Are the gear ratios on 1.8 different to 2.0 petrol?

My 2.0 was reaching 3000rpm on 5th at 100km/h. At 120km/h it had 3600rpm.
However at 120km/h fuel economy was still quite good. About 7.5 l/100km.
At 200km/h at 6000rpm, it was going up to nearly 20 l/100km.