Mazda6 Sedan

vocus

My local dealership has a lapis blue one, very nice. It was loaded and stickered for $27K or something. Way too rich for my tastes...

The V6 '6 that I test drove some months ago was actually lapis blue and got alot of looks. I prefer the grey color. Someone down the road from me has one, and I like it alot.

gearhead10

Great choice--Lapis absolutely stands out on the 6. With the sport grill and some 18' rims it'll look sick!

johnclineii

With 18 FOOT rims it sure would look sick!

MONSTER MAZDA!

gee35coupe

But the Mazda3 and Mazda6 are going to look VVEERRY similar. Not to mention the front ends of the MPV and Mazda6 look similar. Its called family resemblance. And many make go out of thier way for this to happen. Look at Benz.

jgriff

Well I've had to think a while on whether or not to write and post my following experiences, but here goes. I'll try and make a long story short. First off for the last 6 months or so, the wife and I have been talking about getting back to 4 doors [coming from a Acura CL]. And then maybe something with some wagon like cargo space, say like a nice cross-over SUV, but not one of those big gas guzzling monsters.

So at almost 3-years and 36k miles, my CL was due for another oil-change and tires rotate and balance, get the driver’s seat tighten down, and get the.rotors turned [again]. I jokily stated to the service rep that Acura/Honda needed to extend the warranty, on the brakes & rotors just like their problematic transmission(s). Then I kid you NOT, just four hours later after picking up my car that same very day my transmission failed, slipped & skip between 2 & 3rd [Someone must have jinxed it].

Yes, yes, my supposedly bulletproof Acura suffer the same fate as so many other Acura have over last 3 years –or- more in some cases. The good part is that, it failed on Thursday before Memorial Day my service dept. order the parts and I was back on the road by Wednesday even with Monday being a holiday. They Honda must have packages ready to go on short notices, but I was very impress with the turn-around, plus I had a loaner car with NO real big in inconveniences.

OK, so the fix included a new ECU which basicly means they have geared every thing down. To me they simply just put a governor on my car, causing it no longer have the same get up and go as before. Well maybe it is time to consider a different ride. Since the CL is being dropped from Acura line-up prices on both new and used are dropping like a rock. Maybe it is time to cut my loses.

In the SUV category, I test drove the Murano/Tribute/Highlander. I really wanted to like the Tribute, since Mazda was running 0%/60-months specials. The ride was just NOT car-like enough for my taste. The Murano & Highlander simply get too expensive too quickly. I love the looks of the new RX-330 but we’re talking 40 large ones, and I can buy 2 cars for that price.

Four door sedans [preferable sport sedans]. The lineup Camry, Altima, Maxima, Accord, Mazda-6. Both Camry & Accords are a dime a dozen, the Camry’s interior seems real cheap, the Accord’s very top notch. I could not really warm up to the looks of Accord’s body style, plus I decided to avoid Honda products for now, and maybe even scratch them from my list permanently [who knows]. Nissan’s Altima & Max both are real lookers depending on your taste. The Altima’s interior is real cheap, and the Max gets expensive real quick. Both Nissan cars have terrible torque steer problems, Nissan needs to do some work in this area. Plus I think Nissan has release way too many cars too quickly, it is bound to come back to haunt them we shall have to wait and see.

Which leaves me the Mazda-6, after test-driving the Tribute I was warming up to the idea of sticking to a sedan. The first 6 I drove, was a Black Sport package with the smaller 2.3 i4. Simply put I was very impressed with the ride and the overall handling, not too soft like the Camry, and not too hard like the Altima & Maxima. The brakes are outstanding, the best I’ve driven to date. During the test drive I had a lot of smiles & grins on my face, thinking yes this is real nice, Zoom Zoom baby.

I waited a couple of days to think about it, and then took the wife back to the dealer to test both the Tribute and the 6. She was very impress with the 6 as well, normally for her a car is just car no big deal, but she really likes getting back to a MT, plus the looks of the Sport package and the 17" wheels. I also test drove both the 4-cyl & 6, I really preferred the 6-cyl. The 4-cyl really needs to be a stick, as the automatic is was too slow and boring. Plus the 4 is just a bit noiser than a 6-cyl, not unbearable just not as quiet as the 6-cyl. I found the 6-cyl to be quieter than my CL. Both the 4 & 6-cyl handled much better than my CL, it may also help that they both are 200-500 pound lighter. Mazda just got it right, or at least better.

The overall quality of all the 6's on the were excellent, I could not find any on the lot with any glaring faults. As with any car, there are going to be things that people like or dislike ie. looks and setup. One will have to decide what things are of importance, in most cases it just minor adjustments. For example the sun-visors are lacking extenders, plus feel a bit below par as compared the rest of the interior. The floor mats are a bit like, but I do have all-weather mats coming to help protect the flooring. For some the inside may NOT be Americono enough [too small]. However there are a lot nice standard features.

Mazda biggest problem right now with the 6's is their selection, not enough 6-cyl with the right packages and color combo. Anyway I traded/dumped my CL [still had 2k equity, plus sales tax savings] for a black on black 6i Sport package w/ cloth [NO leather ones in sight]. Unfortunately the Sport models are the hottest, with little room to negotiate, so I was forced to pay the MSRP of $20.7 –or- I can look at is as breaking even on my trade and getting 2k off the 6. I'm not sure if Mazda will hold it value enough to stay on the positive side of the equity game, only time will tell.

Plus another bonus is my insurance & property tax is a lot less, and I no longer require premium fuel. Who knows, if this 6 turns out to be a winner I may just buy another. Since the wife thinks the 6i is plenty enough for her, then I can get/order a 6s with leather etc. etc. We'll see what the hatch & wagon look like next year.

I think Mazda should have named the 6, M6/S6. People get real confused on the model name. You say Mazda-6 and they think you are talking about a Mazda 6-cyl. or a 626/6xx. Just my $.02

ambull

Thanks for sharing, and congratulations! I didn't know the CL had transmission problems and is much heavier than a Mazda6. I think you made a good choice (hope so, because I will be doing so too soon).
One thing though: we've pretty much decided Mazda should call it the MZ6.

mazdamarla

Only 76 miles away from me. It is EXACTLY what I ordered, with the exception of, I ordered my car with All-Weather Floor Mats. The one in South Bend doesn't have them, but does have Wheel Locks. Whoopee - so I can deal with that, and get the floor mats aftermarket from one of those online Mazda places.

So I sent them an email, asking if this car is actually on-site, and if so how many miles it has, and whether or not they accept S-Plan pricing, and if so what the supplier discount price would be for me. WHEW! Got all that? We'll see if/when they respond.

So I wonder...if my dealer would either A) give me my $500 deposit back (supposedly nonrefundable) so I can take a trip to South Bend; or do a dealer-trade and get that car up here, and change the computer order for my car to be delivered to the South Bend dealer instead of this one here in Holland.

We'll see...I really don't wanna wait another 2 whole months otherwise.

audia8q - is this something that dealers will do, or is it up to each dealership?

seaf

Just wanted to bring up the options again to satisfy my ranting urge. I think mazda needs to package the options to be more consumer-oriented, rather than profit-oriented. For example, packaging ABS/EBD brakes with SAB/Head air bags would be consumer-oriented, packaging the safety options with premium options such as bose audio and moonroof and leather is profit-oriented. To buyers, those who want safety should get safety in a package, those who want performance, can get those as a package, those looking for luxury should get luxury options as a package. Seems like mazda tried to mix up the packages as to extract the maximum profit from a buyer with the least useful features for that particular type of buyer. At least distinguish between safety packages, performance packages, and luxury packages.

Option packages should lower the overall cost of getting the customer what they want. With lower overall cost, Mazda should also benefit from a slightly higher profit margin on the options and more satisfied customers.

I understand Mazda is a business who's ultimate goal is to make money, but the way they're going about it seems like taking a cheap stab at their customers' wallets.

carguy58

I don't think it looks like the MPV. I haven't see the 3 that much. I'm waiting for when it debuts to see what it looks like. I did see a picture: the back end kind of looked like the 6. I'll agree the 6 looks like a 3 a litle bit but can't agree with the MPV.

carguy58

Mazda can't afford a mistake like this. They are losing money in the US market right now and foolish games(crazy option packages) are part of the reason. Mazda NA Management needs to get with it.

chefmazda

Hello everyone, first time post. Have been reading this group for awhile while making my decision on what car to buy. I purchase a silver 6s that now has 1500 miles on it and all the toys. I had a sports spoiler added after market since I did not get the sports package but liked the look. So far everything is great with the car. The only complaint is the front window sweats because the A/C is coming out at the top dash, even though I have the front vent only on. In the manual it looks like air should not be coming out of those vents on top when just having the front vent mode on. Anyone experience this? I know I live in Florida and it is hot but I never had this happen on other cars and I am constantly running the wipers. Other than that this car ROCKS.

audia8q

You should check with your dealer. Our company policy is may be different than your local dealers. We don't do dealer swaps for S-plan sales....In our region dealers hi-jack each other on dealer swaps which makes S-plan swaps kinda difficult.

fowler3

*When your generation passes on, I wonder if Buick will disappear like Oldsmobile is.*

Not if Buick would bring back the Skylark in contemporary form. The Skylark had a very good small, aluminum V6 that got excellent fuel economy. The car had a soft ride, many owners said, "It rides like a Cadillac", which was a compliment in those days and what most people looked for in a car.

Seems to be many long, long posts this morning. Silvercrown, I'm glad you are getting your car sooner than you thought. Surprised you changed to Lapis Blue.

Sepang Green is an odd color, either you like it or you don't. It's difficult to photograph and get the same shade of green/silver look. I'm not real fond of the titanium center stack color and think the contrast is too great with grey and black. With the beige there is less contrast and the titanium seems darker compared to the upholstery.

Someone wondered what it would look like with a gold tint? With beige I think it would look better with a bronze tint, which is closer to the taupe color of the dash and steering wheel. Bronze is the color of the center stack in beige-trimmed Protegés and it looks fine.

Another said he saw a black MZ6 and it looked no bigger than his '96 Civic. I had a '94 Civic and the MZ6 is definately larger. Dark colors make a car look smaller.

I like the Silver and the Sepang Green, but if I bought the Silver I would look high and low for an aftermarket leather that is close to the tawny rose leather BMW uses in the M3. It's a cross between mauve and red, more reddish. The new Maserati cabriolet also has this reddish leather. The red leather would give the Silver MZ6 a very upscale look, very luxurious. Of all those Buicks I had I miss the Skylark most and maybe I am trying to get back to a car similar to that small coupe. The MZ6 comes close with the right (for me) trim and has the handling I have become fond of.

Would red work with the dark grey dash and carpeting? Of course, grey is neutral so it would work with any color. The doors would also have the red trim above the armrests. Look at the RX-8 for two-tone trim, the next BIG THING.

fowler3

xplorx4; Right, the Willys became the Jeep in WW II and the Wrangler today, even though its engine and tranny are pure Dodge.

groovypippin

You're right, there will be a family resemblance between the Mazda6 and the Mazda3, just like there is a resemblance between the Civic and Accord.

Here's the difference: The 6 and the 3 look like the Hilton sisters and and the Accord and Civic look like Jack and Kelly Osbourne.

cookie01

Marla, so glad you found the car you wanted, but I would NOT wait for an e-mail answer. Give that dealer a call and talk to the "internet specialist" or online sales person (whatever they'll call that guy/gal) TODAY!
Online inventories are 50% wrong most of the time, and while you're waiting for an e-mail back, someone could be buying your car!
When I found my car some 500+ miles away, I snapped it up! But I made the call. Often times dealers are very busy and don't have time to be checking e-mail. Audiqa8 is not a good example..heheheh..

So call them. Worth the long distance charges.
And I hope you can get your $500 bucks back.

mazdamarla

Called the dealership (had to search Bigyellow.com for the number, as the Mazda website had the wrong area code listed) and it turns out that this car IS on their lot, but it's a demo car and has 3-4,000 miles on it already.
:-(

mrblonde49

>>Here's the difference: The 6 and the 3 look like the Hilton sisters and and the Accord and Civic look like Jack and Kelly Osbourne. <<

One of the funniest things I have ever read on these boards

mazdamarla

Dealer just responded to my email also. He says the car has 4989 miles on it - almost 5,000. No thanks. That's half a year's driving for me.

marchhare

I took my 6 in for my 3rd oil change (9,000 miles, baby!) yesterday and the technician told me he had to put a sticker on my car about a brake fluid recall. See more in this thread below:
http://www.mazda6club.com/forums/read.php?TID=4487

cookie01

Well, good to know isn't it? Too bad you didn't find it a month ago, when the mileage probably would have been much lower.

Keep trying. If nothing else, it's fun to search the inventory and see what's being delivered.

They demo'd mine too. But I caught it early and it only had 82 miles on it.

Have a good weekend.

whiteatenza

This is my first new car. On my Mazda6s i have over 1,800 miles so far. The manual said that the first oil change should take place at 5,000 miles. When i talked to a salesguy at the Mazda dealership, he said that the car doesn't fully break in till about 2500 miles or so. Should i get my oil change done at that point or should i stick to what the manual says. Oh, and also, on my last tank of gas i got about 255 miles (almost 100% stop and go city driving). Is this really bad mpg and if so, should i have the service department check it out?

metenuzero

I had the most interesting service today. I went in because when i applied that brakes the steering shook. Someone suggested that the rotors were warped and they were right so the dealer machined them and everything was fine. However, when i got home i realized two things. 1st, my car's door moldings had suddenly become infested with hundred of little florida ants. And also when i had bought the car, the piece of silver plastic around the shifter was scratched, so I got the dealer to replace it. I saw the dealer just peal the piece of one of the other cars on the lot and put it on mine at the time of purchase. However, when i looked at that area while uninfesting my interior it appeared that the plastic around the shifter had that same exact scratch as the piece when i bought the car before i had it replaced. And i know that i obsessively look at that plastic everyday for scratches and there were none before i went to the dealer. I had such a good buying experience with this dealer that I would have thought service would be at that same level but apparently not. I'm going to call the dealer and get my service advisor on the phone to get that piece replaced again, but is there any higher authority I could report this to if the dealer is resistant? Thanks.

regfootball

I'd get the oil changed at 3000 miles and every 3000 thereafter.....all the rubes who tell you you can change oil at 5000 or 7500 miles are CLUELESS. Save your engine, get a lube job.

glideslopes

I have 1,800 miles on my 6s Auto. I've averaged around 22mpg so far. 60/40 City/Hwy.

  I changed my oil and filter at 1,000 miles. I will run Castrol 5w-20 up to 7,500 miles with a change at 4,000 and 7,500. At that point I will run Mobil 1 0w-20 at 5,000 mile drains until my warranty is up, or Mazda states 5w-30 is ok (usually a TSB). I will then go to Mobil 1 5w-30. I prefer the K&N oil filter. 10 micron filtration with very good flow rates. IMO flow rate is critical in a engine that sees regular runs at 6,000 rpm.

Mark. : )

vocus

The demo is a great way to save a couple thou off the price of your car. It's just that you have to be willing to accept that your car more than likely was abused...

kenoka

"I'd get the oil changed at 3000 miles and every 3000 thereafter.....all the rubes who tell you you can change oil at 5000 or 7500 miles are CLUELESS. Save your engine, get a lube job."

You mean like those rube engineers who write the service manuals? If the service manual states that you should change every 7500 miles (subject to your driving style/conditions of course) then why would you stick with some antiquated rule of thumb that applied to older cars that would have poor build quality by today's standards and also using older oil technology.

Let's look at the two main sides of the argument:
On one side you have the engineers who have designed the engine. They represent the manufacturer who has to warranty the vehicle. It does them no good to misinform you about your maintenance schedules. It is absolutely in their best interest to help you maintain your car in good working order.

On the other side you have the dealership service departments and numerous quicky lube type places who make more money the more often you're in to change oil.

Can we spot who has a conflict of interest here?

regfootball

3000 miles. Change it or be cheap. That's all it is, is folks being cheap. Making 500 dollar a month car payments but can't spend 25 bucks every three months to keep the internal of engine clean.

Look at that owners manual again. It will say severe duty schedule is 5000 miles and then will proceed to basically tell you everything but a travelling salesman who puts 50,000 highway miles a year on the car should follow severe duty schedule.

Check your dipstick, if your oil's real black....its dirty. Change it. If your kid messed his diaper would you wait on chagning it becuase he was supposed to go only every so often?

High rpm + small engines + high hp + stop and go conditions + winter conditions + hot temperatures + crud and dirt = change your oil.

Are those the same engineers who told us we could have dexcool 100,000 mile coolant and sealed trannies?

vocus

Consumer Reports actually did a study on this a couple years ago, using NYC taxi cabs (and THAT has to be the most severe condition any car can be run in). They ended up finding out, through tests of used oils of different brands, viscosities, and cars, that 3K changes are indeed a waste of cash.

glideslopes

Do a google search for bobtheoilguy. Spend some time there. You will never look at oil the same way again.

Mark. : )

p.s. Really can't be sure your oil needs to come out simply from it's color. Oil anylisis is the oil true method if your involved in extended drains.

jgriff

I'm think of going with a 5000 mile schedule, using Mobil-1. 3mo/3k-miles is too quick for me.

Any thoughts, pros / cons.

newcar31

go for it. 5K is nothing.

regfootball

yeah but that's mobil 1.

drive a car in a minnesota winter in stop and go traffic below freezing. By 3000 miles or 3 months your oil will be like syrup.

jgriff

anyone have some thoughts on a bra for MZ6 Sport??

Good / Bad ??

I hate looking at rock chips, over the years. I've had the clear bra, and they're OK, but don't really cover the entire front much.

Will the bra help/hurt the looks ??

gee35coupe

groovypippin Jun 6, 2003 1:08pm

http://www.movieline.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/009588.html

Yeah... That's about right.... You made the connection not me.

maltb

Is that the Edmunds equivalent of show biz? Do we all (Edmunds collectively) really sound that stupid? Of course the second question is, do you follow that thread Gee?

mazda6s

Has anyone else had trouble with the inventory search on the Mazda web site lately?

headwind

I have driven manual transmissions all of my life. I was intrigued by the idea of 6 gears until I drove some. They seem more like a marketing ploy than a practical feature. All they have done is crammed 6 gears in where there used to be 5. I was hoping they would have a higher overdrive gear but I haven't seen one yet. Of course most of the salespeople are clueless. I had to go on the Internet and magazines to find the gear ratios. Sure enough they just stuff an extra gear in there. I sure hope Mazda doesn't go that route with the 6. I see where they are going to put a 6speed on the new Mazda 8. I would recommend driving one first and deciding if you like the very close gear ratios or not. I test-drove an Acura with a 6speed. Merging on to the freeway I was up to 70 miles an hour in 4th gear and shifted straight into 6th gear. The extra gear is superfluous in my opinion. I would like to hear what others think of the new 6-speeds.

johnclineii

You do realize there are those who think that ANY manual gear is superfluous when a perfectly good machine is made that will shift all the gears for you, don't you?

(running and hiding...)

newcar31

"yeah but that's mobil 1.

drive a car in a minnesota winter in stop and go traffic below freezing. By 3000 miles or 3 months your oil will be like syrup."

I do drive in MN in stop and go traffic below freezing and I use Mobil 1. It doesn't look like syrup at 3000 miles.

mjvchicago

Not to turn this into a manual vs. auto discussion, but there's just more fun and more control in a manual... especially a manual MZ6. I test drove both and the manumatic is just not the same. Then again, I like the extra element of engine and car control you have with a manual. As for a 6-speed, the 6speed corvette seems to have more legs with that extra gear... 60 mph at 1500 rpms in 6th gear is pretty nice.

xplorx4

Does anyone know why the sport package and SAB/SCA options are not selectable on Mazda's build-a-vehicle site?

I know there are 6s models already on dealer lots with the sports package and the airbags, so why can't you equip one this way?

chikoo

my Dad always thought the First Gear was superfluous. He always started in the 2nd from a stop.

theparallax

I found out that the build your vehicle thing is too quirky. You can select the SAB/SAC but you have to choose the black interior first. ???

theparallax

I take that back. It doesn't work.

r2s2

I read a week ago somewhere that there are no more sport packages for the 2003 year -- have to wait for 2004. True, or not, I can't swear.

regfootball

yeah, BECAUSE Mobil 1 is synthetic oil, right? That stuff can withstand 7500 miles or more between changes. But that's way expensive stuff.

groovypippin

I read the article and I think it provices my point. They're hot and they're exciting. Exactly the kind of cars that Mazda builds!

glideslopes

Just buy a 6s. You are still in denial. Think how much better you will feel. All your Mazda Hostility will be released. It's ok to admit you really desire one. No one here will bring up the past once you put it behind you.

I'm with you on this!!

Mark. : )

kdshapiro

"but there's just more fun and more control in a manual... "

I don't believe that is really the case. I drove a manual for 12 years so I have some basis for that assertion. The manual may be more fun, but you have far greater overall control of the car with an automatic.

stevenq99

Yes I had trouble as of 10 min. ago. It did not find any dealers!