Mazda6 Sedan

vocus

Anything $400 over invoice is too much. Stick to invoice as close as possible.

mpiatek

I really want to hear more about this issue as well. I've only driven the MT I-4 so far and having extra power (especially at the low end) sounds pretty good. I'm just curious how much extra power the V-6 gives you. Taking a little away from the handling wouldn't be a bad thing in this car because it would still be incredible. Hopefully in the next couple of months I'll get a chance to drive a MT 6.

Mike

stretchsje

I've driven the '6 in a lot of snow (unfortunately). Never more than a couple inches, thankfully.

In general, I love driving in the snow. No traffic and slip-sliding fun!

That said, the '6 did really well. The engines aren't very torquey, which makes snow-starts much easier. My wife's Camry spins the wheels WAY too easily. Handling is very predictable, just as it is on dry pavement.

------------------------

As for the i4 versus V6- drive both. With a manual transmission, you are very likely to like the i4 more. The automatic i4 is pretty slow, I'll admit. What I generally tell people is this: if you have your fun in 2nd gear, buy a the 4. If you have your fun in 3rd, get the V6.

A thorough rundown of the i4 is here.

redkey1

This looks like it has the 17' rims, without the gfx / spoiler of the sport package. Is this possible or are those the 16' rims?

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/road- tests/firstdrive/2003/mazda.6/03.mazda6.sedan.r3-4.500---082.jpg

novicecarguy

I'll hold out a little longer.

vocus

In the US, I hear that the 17" wheels MSRP for $160 or so through the parts dept. Don't know about Canada though.

vocus

I only drove automatic tranny models, like I said. I felt the 4 had much less merging power on the highway than the 6cyl engine did. I am used to a turbo engine though, so it's probably adequate.

I merged in the V6 model, and it felt smoother but still only adequate to me. And revving the engine made the left footrest vibrate under my foot, something I didn't care for. This could have been only this example though, because the 4cyl I drove didn't do that.

choppermaker

Interesting tidbit - I had my dealer call the manufacturing facility to get an update on my order (loaded 6s manual, placed on 12/16/02). He told me that he was told that there's currently a delay on models built with the sport package, due to availability. Apparently it's more popular than they'd originally estimated, and that's causing some headaches. I didn't get any info on how MUCH of a delay, though.

melika

I had heard about the ignition coil recall being a possibility. The problem is that they are on national backorder. So much for German engineering :-))))
PS - I hope I don't get in trouble for that one too!!!!

aromas

Stretchsje: Did you drive a 6i or 6s in snow? I'm getting the 6s and I'm starting to get a little worried about driving with 215/50R17 tires in the snow, especially coming from driving a Legacy. The 6i has 205\60R16 and it's whole different story with 50 series tires.

I went to tirerack.com and checked out the reviews on the the Michelin Pilots for bad weather and am reading quite a few horror stories about winter traction with the RSX. I know low profile tires are never good in the snow(especially 215's) but I'm hoping it's manageable.

Anybody recommend better all-season tires in that size than the Michelins (Dunlops?). I don't want to have to get smaller rims and winter tires if at all possible. I don't expect the 6 to drive like a SUV in the snow but I don't want to feel like I'm on ice skates. As long as I can get around.

Sanford7 is new to the board, must be watching too much TV Land on the satellite dish, didn't have much of a comment.

melika

I specifically asked the guy if I could order a 6 with exactly the options I wanted including the color of the leather and he said yes!!! He said that through Mazda's website, you can't do that, but at the dealer you can. He said that he, too was frustrated that they have not received many manual transmission 6's and not many 6's with the Sport Package.

To the guy who is considering the A4: don't do it unless you want to spend all your time at the dealer. Also, Audi's corporate policy does not guarantee you a loaner car (like they do for A6 owners and above). My experience with Audi has been a nightmare. If you want AWD, then get a Subaru.
To Host: I feel like I am back in elementary school ;-)))))

dinu01

I don't know what to recomend you, but I know a place that has good deals (although you have to wait a while for them to mount them on your car - they are a tires-only shop and are busy!).

Tire Depot 905-882-8473

Yonge/Steeles

Dinu

dudleyr

If you are worried about driving in the snow, then buy snow tires. It is as simple as that! There are now some very good H rated snow tires. Dunlop, Michelin, Hakkapelitta, and Pirelli make good ones. W/ 4 snows the 6 will be extremely capable in the snow and will be safer than any AWD that does not have snows (since it will be able to stop)

You can mount them on inexpensive alloys or steel wheels to save your nice rims from the salt etc.

Look at Consumers Reports for a comprehensive test of snow tires.

sanford7

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if a spoiler has any real function. As far as I can tell it is mainly used on sedans - to make them look sporty.

By the way AROMAS, I am new to the board and you're right I was distracted by an episode of Sanford and Son.

regfootball

I am a big advocate of snows, even on a front wheel drive car.....if you can live with the cost, they are more than worth it.

Nokian also makes snow oriented rubber that is speed rated I believe.

aromas

Dinu: Thanx for the info, BTW I think you said you have low profiles on your pro. What size are they and how do you get around in bad weather?

The dilemma I have is in Toronto winters are very unpredictable. Last year I think it may have snowed twice while this year has been alot worse. Normally Toronto winters are not too harsh so it would be a shame to ugly up my 6 with those steel rims (not to mention taking the fun out of the car for 4 months) and go thru a winter never really needing snow tires. I know there are alot worse problems in the world but I'm just wondering what the 6s will be like beforehand.

Sanford7: spoilers don't seem to perform any useful function but they look good on many cars and the only people who shouldn't put them on are minivan owners(yuck) which account for about 80% of the population and have no reason to read this board since they don't get it.(zoom zoom) I'll forgive your naivity because you are a fan of Sanford and Son.(the best show of all time). TV Land Mon to Fri 6:00 to 7:00, 9:00 and 1:00a.m.

neo2004

Aromas: I would likely buy a complete set of snow tires on steel rims. Instead of the 17", I would go to the 16" wheels. The 60 series would be better in the snow and ice (compared to the 50 series) and save yourself some money in the process. You may give up a bit of performance on dry pavement, but I think it's a small price to pay to have better traction when it's needed, especially if the car is used as a commuter vehicle.

Neo2004

sanford7

AROMAS, I wasn't thinking about putting a spoiler on my minivan. I am purchasing a new silver Mazda 6 and the salesman is trying to convince me to add a spoiler.

stretchsje

Mazda actually made it functional. The spoiler and front air damn in the sports package work together to reduce aerodynamic lift. The side and rear extentions are cosmetic.

aromas

Read in the Toronto Star today about the car sales for Jan. Surprised to see that Mazda actually does better than Nissan for sales(at least for Jan but it's probably the trend for the year) You have to give us Canadians credit for "getting it". Mazda also had almost 1/2 the sales of Honda and Toyota which is pretty good. The only cars with double digit increase in sales from the previous Jan was Toyota(15%) and Hyundai(11%). Honda had a moderate increase(1.4%). That Accord is so hideous even us Canadians will buy a Camry and Sonata over it. Mazda? they were actually down 1 or 2%. I'm sure that will improve with the 6 being readily available in Feb. Subaru didn't even rank in the top 10(1\2 the sales of Kia). You figure those cars would be more popular in Canada, at least over Kia.

Has Pat suspended the Mazda6 vs. Accord board. There hasn't been a post there since the early afternoon. I enjoyed reading everybody unloading on gee35coupe.

aromas

sanford7: Get a lip spoiler and trade in your minivan for a Thunderbird. If you have to take the kids to soccer stick'em in the trunk right underneath the spoiler. They'll enjoy the ride more.

jbchapman

I bought the 6s, not so much because I thought I needed the HP, but because it seemed a much better value. There is only a $670 (US) difference between the 6s equipped the way I wanted it and a similarly equipped 6i. That is, there would have been if I could even have gotten the 6i with the options I wanted, but ABS/traction-control was not available on the 6i. (It seems to be available now, according to the Mazda USA web site, but only if you also get the sport package and the audio upgrade.)

I think the 3.0L engine is way too powerful for my needs. I been getting about 19 MPG, which is none too impressive. I think I might have been happier with the smaller engine.

aromas

I bought the 6s as well. Don't fret it you can never have too much power. You never know when it will come in handy in highway driving. There isn't any low end torque or torque steer on these cars so if gas mileage is your only concern it's a small price to pay for great handling and some get up and go.

dinu01

I had 195/55/R15 Potenzas originally from Mazda: They wore-out to the point it was unsafe on wet pavement in 20.000kms and I tried to go last winter (2001-2002) with them and ended-up plowing ahead into a curve - wheel was damaged and the car could not be driven above 40km/h. So I got a new wheel and all was fine until this summer when my mom took the PRO to Quebec City and clipped a curb - the right rear tire had a minor cut and this gave me an excuse to get new tires. So now I run 195/60/R15 Yokohama AVID Touring: MUCH better in snow (by a lot - actually great snow tires even if they're all season) and capable in rain. Got them from Tire Depot after Green+Ross' price was way more than I was willing to pay.

"The dilemma I have is in Toronto winters are very unpredictable. Last year I think it may have snowed twice while this year has been alot worse. Normally Toronto winters are not too harsh so it would be a shame to ugly up my 6 with those steel rims (not to mention taking the fun out of the car for 4 months) and go thru a winter never really needing snow tires. I know there are alot worse problems in the world but I'm just wondering what the 6s will be like beforehand."

I would also say go with 16". 17" is too much. B/c you will have 17" alloys, I would invest $750 or so and get 4 snow tires on steel rims. It won't be a looker, but you won't damage your 6 b/c you were too cheap to get snow tires (like me). In the end you will end up paying if anything happens anyway. If I had alloys on my car, I would definitely get winter tires: Mazda alloys are $350+ each!!! This puts it in perspective if you have an off-road excursion and bend a wheel.

Dinu

aromas

From what I remember the Cavalier is the #1 selling car in Canada. The Civic as either 2 or 3 with the Corolla. Sales mean nothing, would you consider the cavalier a great car because of sales. I wouldn't be caught dead with one, nor would I consider GM the best carmaker around just because they kick butt in sales.

The #'s I posted for Jan sales I was getting from memory, sorry I wasn't deadly accurate.

I think I'm getting too paranoid with the winter driving thing. Anytime I see snow I'm not leaving the house. There problem solved. Anybody know how much it would cost to put AWD in the Mazda?(just a joke, I know you can't put AWD in the car so no nasty posts please)

Dinu: I'm surprised to hear you had sliding problems with the Potenzas, I had those in my Legacy(205\55R16) and sliding and stopping was not a problem. (AWD doesn't help with sliding and stopping.) I also got a good 50K out of them and they were rotated once. In fact I never had problems driving my father's Maxima with 215\55R17 tires in bad weather. So maybe I'll buy 55 series tires when these michelin's wear out after 10K.

mazda6s

I hope you can keep us on topic here. Can you remind those who continuously post messages about the Accord that there is another discussion for the Accord? Pleeeease!!!

dinu01

Protege_fan also had the same issues with those tires as I did. You can also ask Meade where his former PRO ended after a little rain and the Poortenzas. We had a discussion on Potenzas in the PRO forum and we found out not all Potenzas are created equally...

Sales-wise in Canada for 2002:

1. Civic
2. Cavalier
3. Protege
4. Corolla
5. Sunfire

Now for the 6, there might be a 300HP brute w/AWD coming (eventually) as the MS6!

Dinu

coakleysd

Don't listen to all the penny pinchers in this forum. If you're willing to spend $20K+ on a car, what's $500? $500 over invoice compared to $1000 isn't that big of a deal if you're spending $22K and more. Hell!.. the price you got was still under MSRP!!!!!!!
3% to 5% over invoice is a good benchmark to go by. Car dealers have to eat too. Don't get caught up in the "art of the deal" like you're some hot shot sports agent getting ready to land your client a big contract and you're haggling over pennies.

mazdafun

CR also posts a percentage of cost in their yearly auto buying guide. This is what the overall cost is to the dealer as a multiple of the MSRP. Note that compact economy cars have high values (.93 or so), suggesting dealers don't make too much on them, while SUVs and some prestige brands have values in the low to mid .8 range, suggesting they make lots of money, especially on ones where demand is greater than supply (Honda Odyssey and Acura MDX come to mind). No wonder they like to promote those.

Of course, don't expect to get the difference between that figure and 1.00 all for yourself. Even CR says you won't get that.

dinu01

The spoiler is for looks IMO if going as you said at normal speed (120-135km/h), although tests have shown it actually helps if you are also adding the front spoiler.

And what soccer game are you watching?

Dinu

bluong1

does any spectator drive the Mazda 6?

sanford7

AROMAS: I have been doing some research and have discovered the only time a spoiler reduces the aerodynamic lift is at 140km and above. So, I have come to the conclusion that a spoiler on a sedan is much like a mini skirt on a sixty year old woman. I agree, the sporty tires and rims will make your sedan look nicer but a spoiler may do just as the name suggests - SPOIL the look. If you insist on a spoiler go for the Thunderbird.

stretchsje

Dealers sell more cars than they used to. They don't need to sell at MSRP to eat. My local no-haggle place is now selling 6's (any trim) for $400 over invoice, and I'd say that's the number not to exceed.

Side note: at one dealership I went to, the manager seemed to love talking to me about his wife's and his fancy BMW's. Sheesh.

stretchsje

Anybody keeping track of mileage? What have you been getting?

Don't forget to state which engine and transmission you are using.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from 6i MT owners- all two of you out there. I was getting a whopping 34mpg in Washington DC traffic (well over 500 miles on a tank), but I've been driving with a much heavier foot in colder weather which seems to have dropped that figure. I haven't filled up yet, so I don't know for sure.

stretchsje

I haven't named mine yet. My coworkers call it the "red rocket" or "red racer". Not that I think it's fast, but I drive it that way. I was thinking of just calling it "red", since I haven't come up with a name I really like yet. Like the guy from "That 70's Show".

My last car, unfortunately got stuck with the name "Vladimir".

stretchsje

I'd hate to think I love riding in a guy, but what girl roars like that when driven hard?

bruticus

[your quote]Dealers sell more cars than they used to. They don't need to sell at MSRP to eat. My local no-haggle place is now selling 6's (any trim) for $400 over invoice, and I'd say that's the number ot to exceed. [/your quote]

I'm in central NJ and dealers around here are telling me I can a) take what they got, which is either no-options or fully loaded or b) pay near-MSRP and wait 6-8 weeks for delivery. I'd be willing to travel to your area to get what I want for a good price.

TIA; pls respond to my hotmail address

DjB

stretchsje

http://www.fitzmall.com

I already referred one member from this site to them and they got their car for $400 over. A month earlier, I was quoted $500 over, but prices are falling. They seemed like the nicest people in the world, too. At the very least, print their pricing and use it as a bargaining point on your local stingy dealer.

dinu01

Well sticking to the Red Army theme, one could name it Sergei J/K

As far as the 6 being M or F, it's a tough one. It's a #, so it's neutral.

Just give it a name. The Red Rocket works fine, although a little more creativity is good.

Dinu

bbaggens

For me I have always thought of my cars as Females (because I like nice curves in both) But you make a good point with the Engine sounding very masculine. So I still say it is a female because it has nice curves and handles well. But it would have to be a very athletic female, the kind of woman who can kick 70% of the male populations rear ends.....

mike1770

I've got about 2200 miles on my 6s MT. My around-town mileage is about 19-20 mpg; that's mostly surface-street driving, with maybe 20% freeway. I recently made a highway trip (70-80 mph) and averaged around 28 mpg for the 500 miles. That looks about right, matching the EPA mileage figures. Stretchje, how are you getting such good mileage in your 6i?

I'd like to hear from other 6s owners about their mileage, too.

gee35coupe

Post 7100. I thought I had discussed the market in Canada in the Protege topic. Good lookin' out.

Anybody start getting the RX8 teaser e-mails yet?

Hope they give my $35 to drive that.

vocus

My mom's friend, who was an auto mechanic, told me once when I was a kid the way to tell the difference between a male or female car is if the tailpipe sticks out the back. He said if you can see the tailpipe when standing about a step or two behind the back bumper, then it's a male.

Hey, I was about 6 at that time, and it amused me.

stretchsje

the '6 has two tailpipes. That's just weird!

stretchsje

Stretchje, how are you getting such good mileage in your 6i?

I don't know! My going theory is that I was shifting before 3000rpm: before the power band. Since I was in traffic, I didn't need the power. Doesn't seem like the car uses any gas down low.

I've been driving the car harder now and mileage does seem to be dropping, but I won't know for sure until the next fill-up.

myphantom6

I filled up about 3 or 4 times now and I'm only getting about 24 mpg each time. I'm driving a 6i with automatic, and drive about 50-50 between highway and in city traffic. All of this is modest driving, since I don't try to see how fast it can go (except, maybe every blue moon).

What are the rest of you getting?

dinu01

http://www.baileycar.com/tires_html.html

Dinu

harbachj

I would strongly recommend 4 winter tires mounted on steel wheels for anyone in an area where snow is a concern. I bought a set of Dunlop Winter Sport M2s from Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com)for my 99 Cougar serveral years ago for my skiing trips to Vermont. Great tires - H-rated, good dry road handling, not noisy, and terrific snow traction. Since they're mounted, I just swap the alloys with V-Rated summer tires and the winters each spring and fall. Since the summer tires are now used less, they last longer, so the extra cost is not that much.

Jim H.

dinu01

http://www.baileycar.com/snow tires_html.htm

For some reason I feel my next set of winter tires will be:

Yokohama Guardex (Used in the CDN Rally Champ.)
or
Nokian Hakkapeliitta (Sounds Scandinavian)

Ok, ok, that's a bad reason, but it sounds Finish/Swedish to me and as we all know (if you didn't then you know now), Finish rally drivers are the best and the best drivers don't do in circles or follow each other for 2 hours without passing but face the weather elements and keep it floored while going sideways at 100 km/h).

Ok that's still a bad reason for choosing tires

Dinu

dinu01

http://www.nokiantires.com/indexen.html

and

http://www.yokohamatire.ca/main/index.htm

Dinu