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Comments
There are others that miat10ae & I listed, will post them later.
Good luck and hope you Zoom-zoom soon!
You should have no fear that computer "assistance" is going to lead us to one single design. Or at least unless you've recently watched your copy of Terminator 2 and noticed that SkyNet became self-aware back in 1997 (but is it designing our cars???). The software had many, many more inputs than just "build me an engine with 1000HP" and even if it were that simple, you would get something different every time. The software is constantly changing, because our understanding of the world is constantly changing and the simulations have to be updated with this new knowledge, which becomes knowledge to different people at different times and in different orders.
Seriously, go read the article. As an added bonus, this issue is perhaps the most important in Car & Driver history. you may want to get this for your collections and show it to your grandchildren. Car & Driver had both the BMW M5 and the M3 in separate comparisons - and they both lost. I hope you all have made peace with yourselves, because the universe is about to explode.
Hope this helps
I recall someone posting pictures a while ago, and they admitted that the self-install didn't look all that great, but they would probable get used to it.
is it not possible to do a clean looking install at the dealer or at home? are there extra parts available only at the factory, which serve to hide the wiring or something?
see this site
http://www.autogeek.net/klasse.html for more information
I drive a Emerald Green Protege and the day after I applied Klasse polish, I got a parking ticket which described my car as a "Black BMW".
I was only too happy to pay my $15 fine
I want March's sales figures. Anyone seen'em yet?
Still own a 1993 Mazda 626 (155,000 Miles) with no rust what so ever! I live just outside Detroit, which has the saltiest roads on the planet. Mazda knows how to rust proof their vehicles so have no fear of metal's worst enemy.
As for rust, Mazda really does know their stuff there. Galvanized panels, and they use that coating along the bottom edges of the car. FWIW, Miatas have been around for over 13 years, and I've never seen a speck of rust on one here in Vermont, where there are plenty of early 90s Miatae still running around.
My lapis blue 6 is currently suffering from my biggest environmental nemesis....POLLEN! How about we bulldoze all the trees and pave over the country? Anyone, anyone?
The problem is that none of their vehicles offer anything in terms of differentiation. The Mazda 6 is a great car. It's almost beyond great when it comes to how far away from the 626 it is and how well it stacks up tot the competition. Yet their marketing is just like all the other companies and they produce cars exactly like everyone else which is why they have poor sales. (Not many 5MT's around, packages etc). When it comes to astute buyers the 6 is just not that great of a deal right now. I can walk out the door right now and go buy a 2004 WRX at invoice or below with all the trimmings let alone all wheel drive which isn't available on any other vehicles below 25K(Differentiation hence the sales spike here in the US). I can probably go get a 6i slightly above invoice but I can't get a 5MT because dealers think that by raising the price that means they get more money. Not if you don't sell them which is what we are seeing right now. The 5MT's dealers are getting in stock aren't jumping off the lots the way a "hot" car does. Give it to me at invoice and I'm there otherwise I'll go get a week old WRX which is less refined but more fun to drive by a wee bit.
Exciting product line? The Lancer in vanilla form is slower than a plain Protege. Nobody wants an EVO. Why get that when you can get an SRT4 for a full 10K less? Or why don't you grab the original rally STI while you're up there around 30? Sorry but the Galant does not look exciting at all. It looks like an Altima 100%. And of course we come to Mazda's reliability(Sans the Ford tainted Tribute) which is damned good.
When I found out we had a baby on the way and I'd need a four-seater to replace my Miata, my initial plan was to get an Eclipse Spyder. Pretty good size, looks really good except for those stupid recessions on the sides...
But man, after reading the complaints about the car's problems on the *Eclipse enthusiasts* boards, there was no way I'd consider it. Looks like the Chrysler/Mitsu marriage has forced classic Chrysler reliability on Mitsubishi.
Of course, anyone who'd buy a car based on a commercial featuring a skinny girl in a dorky hat having seizures in tune with music deserves what they get. :-)
By the way her "seizures" were relatively mild compared to what I've seen at raves. I love raves. I just feel like "that old guy" when I go.
Is there any specific standard applied to categorize a car as a sport car?
Hows Mazda6 different from others?
Sherwood High School:
300 Olney Sandy Spring Rd
Sandy Spring, MD
20860-1005 US
I argue that the difference is in the designer's intent. Some designers aspire to build big engines, some aspire to build quiet, cozy cabins. Then there's Mazda, who settles for none less than best-in-class handling.
Look at the Mazda6 next to an Acura TSX. They are both marketed to be sporty cars, but which one was designed as such?
The Mazda6 has all its weight in the engine compartment mounted near its center for minimal weight shifts. Its rear suspension is completely underneath the car for a low center of gravity. The weight of the Mazda6 was spent on making a stiff chassis rather than on sound deadening (which turned out isn't needed since the chassis is so stiff).
Building a car is all about compromise. Figure out which a designer chose, and you'll figure out if your car is a family sedan or a sports sedan.
A true sports sedan is rear-wheel drive or AWD, such as the RX-8 or WRX. The Mazda6, with its high ride height and front-wheel drive, is somewhat of a gray area.
http://www.winisp.net/bogusboy/hondaad.htm
The rims were weighted so that they would roll uphill.
I'm not a huge fan of the Accord, but I'll have to give it to them and say that's one of the best car ads I've ever seen. Very unconventional, and it really grabs your attention.
You can read more about the ad here.
The wheels are unbalanced, with their heaviest side being at the top. That's why the seemingly roll uphill.
Apart from the car's specs, it is sometimes hard to describe in words the things that make the Mazda6 a sport sedan. It is everything working in harmony that give you that sporty feeling. Everything from the sport tuned suspension, the sporty noise that comes from the engine when it revs up, the feedback from the steering wheel as you drive around the curves etc.
As Mazda's ad say: Drive it. You 'll know.
But since you are an owner already maybe you should drive the other cars so you can compare.
I'll be in my blue RX-7, say hi please!
Anyways this doofus comes out with his buddies and walks by the car and says "that car has a Taurus engine", not sure if he meant it in a derogatory way but I piped in and said "Actually that's my car and it is a Ford block, everything else is Mazda engineered". He just looks at me with a dumb stare and says "Yeah but it's a Taurus engine, man". He keeps walking, still muttering to his buddies "Yeah it's a Taurus engine". For some reason it really annoyed me probably because he sounded like a know-it-all and he knew squat.
The sad part is the ignorance of those making the claims. Uninformed people seem to take the problems with the 626 (Ford) transmissions and apply them to the entire Mazda line at times. Be it engines, transmissions, brakes, windshields, cup holders, or tire air pressure. Anyone who takes a minute or two clearly will see the Mazda, and JATCO transmissions to be among the most reliable in any vehicles anywhere.
Anyone with half a desire to be informed can easily see that Mazda's current reliability is second to none. Although the Tribute is somewhat below the norm. The Tribute however is manufactured in a facility quite different than in Flat Rock. The 6 's production is much closer to an assembly line in Alabama making Honda's.
Finally, so what if it's a Duratec block? The Vulcan 3.0 is the Ford V6 that had issues. The Duratec has always been a strong very reliable engine. If it's in the Taurus, hurray for the Taurus!
I absolutely love the 3.0 in our MPV.
Anyway, I can relate to your experience, and It does irritate the bananas out of you!! Just remember that you are the informed person making the informed purchase. Let "The Dude" go on being "The Dude." Maybe you will see him working in the McDonalds drive through some day.
Mark.
Good. "Mr. Dude" isn't going to buy one of the best new cars on the market. His loss. He's probably saving his shackles up for a Hummer.
You can't change somebodys mind when they don't want to change. "Dude" has made up his mind without knowing the facts. Since he is obviously close minded and ignorant the best he can hope for is a career in politics.
Besides, if you are so super-classy as to be driving a Mazda6, what ever are you doing at McDonald's anyway!
Enough looking down some of our collective noses at people, don't you think?
I believe I hit the nail right on the head. Next time I'll use a fictitious food chain.
As for gee, there is absolutely not correlation between the Honda V6 Automatic fiasco, and a Duratec. A Duratec has no problems. Period. Don't try and cloud the water with a poison from another vine. Ford has many issues, the Duratec is not one of them.
Mark.
aa717driver "Acura TSX" Apr 19, 2003 3:54pm
See what I mean.
Mark.
http://members.cardomain.com/davefred
"And the Ford correlation is gonna hurt Mazda MUCH more than the tranny issue will hurt Honda."
We can all make links to certain posts on the Acura/Honda boards where complaints are made about the auto trannys. There is no empirical evidence whatsoever that the Ford connection is going to hurt Mazda more than the tranny issue will hurt Honda.
And, if you look at the next two posts after the post cited by gee, you see a very valid counterpoint--that it is ridiculous to throw out a potential vehicle make just because a particular company has an ownership interest in it. Two of the vehicles mentioned in the post cited by gee, the Mazda6 and the Saab 9-3, are makes that are in the top seven in reliability since 2000, as listed by CR. It doesn't look like the Ford or GM connections have hurt them very much. I'm not a GM fan, either, and thought I'd never buy a car that had a GM connection, but it would be ridiculous to throw the 9-3 out on that basis, particularly with a good reliability record in the last few years.
I understand that some people have unjustifiable perceptions and there's little that can be done about that. I understand the Tribute/Escape situation. But one bad Ford/Mazda effort doesn't make all Ford/Mazda collaborations unreliable, just as a small percentage of auto tranny problems in Acuras doesn't make the Acura make as a whole unreliable.
And, as far as the Duratec label being a "nasty albatross" to hang around Mazda's neck, well, if there are those who have the perception that the Duratec falls behind the competition, what can Mazda do about that anyway? Reject the Duratec block altogether? I think most people who've researched it know that the Duratec is a sweet engine. I know it has been great in my SVT Contour. Reliable, too, except for a well-known problem with a plastic impeller in the water pump. The Mazda6s engine is mainly Mazda at any rate, as has been written over and over.
Thanks to these message boards, we can help correct some misconceptions and not contribute to them.
I visited my wife's uncle today who happens to have a Taurus. His transmission went at 40K.The Taurus transmission may actually be worse than the Accord.(before you reply Gee, I said the Accord not the Element so don't get mad.)
This was the first time he saw my 6. He was somewhat amazed when he read that future Fords are being built on the 6 platform as he didn't know the 6 even existed(Attention Mazda Marketing Dept). So of course I let him take it for a drive. When he came back I think he "got it". He said that's the smartest decision Ford has ever made. Needless to say he was starry-eyed!