By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
It drove very smoothly except for a rattle in the engine compartment at high RPMs (I assume something easily fixable). As others have noted, this car sticks to the road like no car I've ever been in (can't even compare to any econobox out there, or, I would argue, the Camrys or Accords). Silky smooth handling, very nice, linear engine power. All in all, I enjoyed the test drive and after another, I have no doubt I'll be a 6s buyer when the hatchback is available.
The salesguy told me that some of their customers who custom ordered cars back in November still never had their orders filled. Interesting, that. Is that the fault of the dealer, Mazda NA, or...?
Lot's of great people here also.
I went with a Steel Grey Auto. Side/Curtain air bags, Sport Grill, rear Stone Guards, and Wheel Locks. No Sport Package. I was the first test drive. It was built in 3/03, and had only been on the lot a few weeks. I lucked out. I was nervous about only finding autos with lot's of test drive miles.
It reminds me allot of my Pro ES. Much smoother, and more refined, but still on rails. No more MT , but the 5-Speed AT with the Manu-Matic feature can be entertaining at times. Every place I go, someone will come over to see it. Just turned 1,000 miles. Not a single issue, or noise. My combined 60/40 Hwy/City has been around 22 mpg. We are taking it on a trip in late June, it should be interesting to see how the MPG stacks up against our 02 MPV.
Take care,
Mark. : )
Mark.
I rent quite a few cars. Generally, if a 4cyl is available in a model, most rentals will be that. All the rental Accords and Altimas I have ever seen in rental fleets have been 4cyl models. There are exceptions in the "cheaper" 6cyl cars, like the Alero and Grand Am, but you can bet the rental MZ6 will almost always be a 4cyl.
fowler3
Our DoubleOught 626 is Freeport...a very pretty
green also. Will Crayola have to make an even larger box now?!?
And with the I4, the manual tranny would be an asset - Stretch can tell you how much fun that car is.
You can barely get a Dodge Stratus for that - and that car doesn't hold a candle to the 6.
I wouldn't worry about what your next car will be, I'd worry about moving!
Our next door neighbor's dog barked from 4:30 a.m. this morning until I just couldn't stand it anymore (and took a shower)... and I was thinking my neighborhood was a "[non-permissible content removed]"...
But nobody's car is on fire.
Okay, question. If your car burned up today, what would you buy tomorrow? No shopping, no test drives, just get out and buy. What would it be? And if you already have a M6 and it's smoldering... would you run right out and buy another?
I think I would. Probably for sure. If I could get a bit more money together, I would seriously consider a Murano. My brother has one and I just love the thing.
There is a Mercedes/BMW/Audi dealer nearby and last year they added... NOPE, not VW !! Jaguar!
I wouldn't buy another Jetta, simply because maintenance is a pain and expensive and I plan to go back to school soon. Will probably end up with a cheap used car, and go from there.
Why/How was your car on fire???
A friend just bought a used Audi A4 1998 for $14,000... Best part was it only has 60,000 miles on it.
and it's a beautiful royal blue color. I say he got a great deal. (1998 was pre-ignition coil problems).
Someone's car about 3 blocks from me was stolen, stripped, and burned about a month or so ago. It seems a popular fad around the area now. Since I had a theft alarm, I think they knew it and got mad, hence the burning.
There are pics in the Jetta discussion if anyone cares to see.
Sorry pal. That's terrible. It's your property and (at the risk of sounding very old) it sucks the way some "people" , "kids" are raised these days.
sigh...
Good luck - I really hope things work out for the best for you. Keep us posted. Um, in the Jetta discussion of course. ;-)
Then I'd upgrade the head unit and speakers. Boom boom with my zoom zoom, y'know.
Paul, sorry about your poor Jetta. Some folks have nothing else to do but destroy stuff or harass other people. They're just that way by nature, unfortunately.
I already liked the style but I was even more impressed with the 6's performance in the event. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who are indifferent towards a camry/accord/blah sedan.
This is VIP day and you will not be charged the $39 fee. This is free for any of my VIP guest.
The Events are on July 11 2003 in Elmont, NY @ Belmont Park or Aug. 1 2003 @ Gillette stadium in Foxborough, MA......
You can see exactly what your going to do at the driving event by clicking the Rev It Up link at Mazdausa.com
Just Email me your name, address, phone number, email address and the type of car you have now. I will put your name on the VIP guest list and you will be contacted by Mazda with your complete details in a few weeks.....If you want to go I need your names ASAP
Rich
Hertz was not helpful at all in telling me what locations have the Mazda 6 in their rental fleet
Perfect 5 star ratings driver and front-seat passenger ratings.
This means that there is a 10 percent or less chance or a series injury in a 35-mph frontal crash!
Since cars move around, it's hard for someone at the toll-free number to tell you exactly where to go to rent a 6.
You can't get a straight answer most likely 'cause no one really cares. Assume the block, crank and pistons are all Ford, the balance is Mazda. SO?!?! The original Taurus SHO used a Yamaha engine if I'm not mistaken. SO?!?!
From Car & Driver:
"Our flagship 6 s's 3.0-liter V-6 was born in America as the Duratec but schooled in Japan, where Mazda ginned up new cylinder heads with continuously variable intake-valve timing and swirl-inducing vanes cast in the intake runners. The pistons compress air and regular unleaded down at a 10.0:1 ratio. The cam covers are magnesium, and all accessories bolt directly to the aluminum block to quell the vibes."
And most importantly:
"Here's what you need to know about the Mazda 6 s. It's nearly as comfortable and practical as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, it'll probably be as reliable, and it's priced right on top of the family-sedan sales leaders. But with the 6, you get zip. You get some style, too, and it's loads more fun than the other two."
Mark. : )
2. Does the Bose stereo playback MP3's on a CD-R?
But like many people have said before, lemons happen. Even Mercedes has lemons. Best anyone can do is pick a car they really like and enjoy driving that has a decent track record for reliability and hope that the line workers were not recovering from hangovers when you car went by them!
1700 miles on my MZ6 and it's like a rock... wait a minute, that's Chevy's line!
1) Wait for my car
2) Get my downpayment back and wait for 2004's or buy another car
or
3) Get a steel gray one that the dealer has on the lot for invoice. It doesn't have the sports package but has the appearence package and lots of extras, so the difference would be the red illumination lights, the gray leather instead of the black leather, and the 16 inch wheels instead of the 17s.
You guys have the 6s in your garage so what do you guys think?
My suggestion is to try looking a little harder for a 2003 you'll like. I personally think the sport package makes the car much more handsome and aggressive looking so my vote is to stick with it. Also, I don't think you'll have much pricing leverage with your dealer (it's not their problem your order is taking so long) so shopping around may give you some unexpected leverage later. My rationale is that if you spend even a month locating the car you want, you're still ahead, and may get the dealers in some kind of pricing battle.
Oh, and if it wasn't clear in the above, get the 6 and nothing else!
Yes, the fog lights on the Sports Package cars are between the haed lights, the dealer or factory installed fog lights on regular 6es are in the bumper grille openings each side.
About MP3, somebody on here ordered the MP3 player for their 6 and it replaces the CD changer if it is the Bose. Otherwise, it replaces the single disc player, which does not play MP3s.
It may be that the head unit used in the 6i is standard on both the i and s, and only the speakers and 6-CD changer are the upgrades. But the lack of power reported by some test drivers and owners for the 6i unit suggests a more powerful head unit for the Bose.
On the Protegés, the CD players do not play CD-Rs.
Renting a 6 from Hertz for even a weekend (lower rates) would be a great way to test-drive one if you rent before too many drivers get a hold of them.
I saw two MZ6i today, both white, and a Steel Grey 6i yesterday. The white doesn't look as good on the street as the metallic colors do. White doesn't reflect light well, the car's curves and wheel arches don't stand out -- it makes the back end look like too much sheet metal and bumper cap and the taillamps look smaller than they are. One of the white 6es had the dealer installed GFX package, no spoiler. Odd looking to say the least.
For after-market leather check out http://www.classicsofttrim.com they have many colors to choose from including perfed seats and backs with plain bolsters. Trim shops are licensed to install them. You can check for your state on the web site. It's strange that NC doesn't have a single trim shop using Classic Soft Trim, considering all the exotic cars I see here.
fowler3
With BMW, you can order a car and have it shipped from Germany in about 7-weeks, sometimes quicker if they can grab an allocation about to hit production. This includes 3 weeks on a boat. Mazda 6's are made in Michigan, for heaven's sake.
What is their reason for these delays?
- Mark
And yes, the fog lights are different on the 6s in that they are integrated into the single headlight pod vs in a separate spot in the front bumper.
As for the radio, Bose unit is more powerful: 200 watts of amplified output. I don't know what the output is for the base unit, but my guess is that it's a lot less.
fighting crime in style! (with hubcaps!!!) :-D
I have to go talk to the dealer, but I've pretty much narrowed it down to ordering a 2004 as soon as I'm allowed to or buying an audi s4 that's a couple of years old. I'm just so irritated with mazda i want to say screw 'em.
I saw a redfire w/sport yesterday. An amazingly sweet looking car.
Stew A4 is a great vehicle. just don't get the turbo... they've had some trouble.
I really feel for folks that don't like the option packages. I was able to get EXACTLY what I wanted (and nothing I didn't want) but I realize that it was a lucky chance and my own personal tastes that were satisfied. It's a shame when you REALLY know what you want, but you can't get it.
Sorry Stew.
The Protege CD player will play CD-Rs in WAV format but not MP3.