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Comments
Take a look at the rear lights.
Dinu
Last year, in light of numerous requests and criticism from magazines/reviewers, they updated their options packages. I bought a car that could not possibly have been made (without special ordering) during the first half of 2003 model-year production. Maybe they'll get a clue (again) and mix around te option packages some more.
Its a real pity that more and more companies are moving towards this model of super-limited option package combinations - although Mazda seems better than many! However, the options you have to compromise on should exclude major safety features (SAB/SCA) which I had to do without as well.
I have a standard 18-speed hybrid (part mt. part street) bike. The front wheel comes off.
My husband (arggggg) won't let me borrow the truck for a girl's weekend in the mountains and I wanna take my bike. But I'm also scared to scratch up my car trying to get it in there.
If it's a "no go" from you guys, I won't even try. Guess I'll have to jog along side my pals... dang.
Dinu
Quite the eyecatcher, isn't it? You're one of a truly rare breed - even more so now that the color's been discontinued.
Two bikes fit with some careful juggling and the removal of the front wheels. I later realized the back wheels came off as well - so then it was a piece of cake. Two frames, and 4 wheels - easy!
I know you got it too. The way I figured it, the 6 is such a nice car to look at, sporty and all. It DESERVES to be noticed; therefore, I ruled out the silver and white. My second choice was Lapis Blue; third, Red. Last was Black.
I was previously considering a Maxima, but the 6 got my vote for many reasons, not the least of which is the availability of Speed Yellow as color. I also looked at the TSX (too much money), which is coolest in (Arctic) Blue. None of the 6's competitor is available in Yellow. Now, as you rightfully pointed out, even the '04 MZ6 is not available in yellow any more! I looked in CarsDirect the other day; they have this feature that shows the percentage of cars (the one you are trying to buy) in the different color schemes. For the MZ6, only 2% of buyers chose Speed Yellow. Now that's rare!
If I ever drive my car back to Michigan to visit relatives, I will know it's you, Marla, if I see a Yellow 6 around.
P.S. As a Michigan alum, I have taken care of the "Maize" part. Now on to the "Blue."
When I switched to synthetic oil (0W20), the first couple of tankfuls yielded around 23-24-ish in (admittedly spirited) mixed driving including a couple of redline starts to 55+ mph.
Then I had the HUGE road trip over Labor Day weekend. High-speed (75+ through 80-ish with no slowing down for slowpokes, hence lots of hasty downshifts & overtaking) highway sessions yielded 29-ish mpg. Mountain driving (at the limit - or mine at least, given the damp roads!) was in the 27-ish range, and very sedate highway and backroads' driving gave me a tankful of fun at 32+ mpg!
Very spirited (if not aggressive) city/highway (50-50) driving since then has been in the well-over-27.5mpg range.
Overall mileage since I acquired the car - over 26mpg (nearly 27) - and that included the initial lower mileage tankfuls as I got used to driving manual (again).
I'm happy.
Thanks
There shouldn't be a noticeable change in sound or feel. Maybe if he started running 80W90 gear oil in his engine he'd notice a difference. I think all of the claims of noticing a difference in engine sound or feel with synthetic are just imagination....
Im sure my biggest problem is that for the past 15 years, all I have purchased was Honda or Acura vehicles. I had '90 & '95 Accord EX coupes (w/spoiler), a 2000 Acura 3.2TL (I presently drive) and my Wife and I just bought a 2003 MDX Touring w/NAV about 6 months ago (HER vehicle). Unfortunately both our Acura's require Premium fuel. I remember with Honda, there was never a "choice" of option packages per say.... as they already had the "three levels" (DX, LX, EX) pre-packaged and only one interior color that came with the partucular exterior color. Now with the Acura TL, there was ONE option, with or without NAV ! The MDX was a bit more flexible (like the Honda's) and had two trim levels besides the NAV and/or DVD options. Both Acura's come standard with BOSE audio, ABS and side airbags.
Perhaps Mazda should "pre-package" a low end Mazda6 (available in both i & s) with AC, cloth seats, non-bose radio, no moonroof, steel wheels, and SAB/SAC. (Like an Accord DX)
Then a "mid line" Mazda6 (also available in i & s) with AC, leather seats, Bose audio, alloys and SAB/SAC. (Like an Accord LX)
And then an all-out Mazda6 Sport with AC, leather, Bose, moonroof, "ground effects" bumpers/side extensions/rear wing spoiler, and 17" alloys (w/50 series tires) and SAB/SAC.
This way Dealers could "trade" much more easily and inventory be a bit easier to "track down"....
- or -
Am I way off base with this "old and proven" idea ????
Except Mazda said they did not want to compete with Honda.
Can they still emulate the same plan?
This is one of those things that people talk a good game but they don't back up the talk.
Look at Honda. They offer, what, 4 different levels of the Accord with no options. But people who want an Accord will "settle" for one of the available trim levels. Does that mean that they bought what they wanted? No, it means they settled for what they could get. And I don't think this is just a small percentage of people, but actually a rather large one. However, based on Accord sales numbers, this appears this is "good enough" for Honda. If Mazda6 sales numbers are acceptable to Mazda, they won't change anything either. They'll do just enough to get sales where they need them, and no more.
But, we can still e-mail Mazda about the option combos at musa@mazdausa.com and complain.
I don't need to buy a bike rack, my husband drives a perfectly good Explorer Sport Trac that fits my bike and the tandem with no problems... the "problem" was he won't let me borrow the truck for the weekend trip with the girls...arggg..
Anyway, I'm set now. And yeah, if that bike gets muddy on the trail, I'll be packing an extra towel for a clean-off prior to re-entry.
my 6 gets way better mileage than that Ford anyway... so neh,neh, neh :-)
However, it does seem a lot more eager to rev to high speeds now, than it ever did before, and the revs seem to build up quicker as well. This could be a function of break-in-based improvements, or the synthetic oil, or as newcar31 points out - just a placebo effect. I'm happy, however, with the awareness that I have better oil protecting my engine.
And Rich (audia8q), your coment that people compromise and move on is accurate - however you MUST realize that I would still only own my Protege, if not for the amazing combination of incentives that mazda was FORCED TO OFFER to get inventory moving - as well as the availability (to me) of S-Plan, which I was unaware of earlier in the year. Now, if I could have optioned the car precisely the way I wanted it, I would have bought it for a price much closer to MSRP much earlier. Mazda's loss, don't you think? And the dealership's as well!
Soeaking of sales I wonder if Mazda is happy with 6 sales with the last few months. I remember a few months ago they were very unhappy with 6 sales.
Where have all the commercials gone? Where is the print advertising? Even when they had commercials, you still didn't know much about the car other than blurred images and revving sounds. A lot of people, just by seeing the commercials think it is a compact car and a very expensive one at that.
And can someone please explain why Mazda is not heavily advertising the RX-8? They complained to Ford about not having a halo car to attract customers into the showroom and then when they get one, they don't advertise it! The local dealerships here are starting to overflow with them.
As for the Rx-8 they are still selling them at MSRP. I hope Mazda markets during NFL Football games. What better way than to advertise your product during football season?
Another factor about Marketing in this time period in the auto industry is dealers want to get rid of 03's so I don't think there is going to be much advertising in between the bridge gap of 03 and 04 model years in marketing a product like the 6 against the competition. All you see now is 0% financing commercials at this time period in the auto industry.
Mazda's sales are down from last years because Mazda botched the 6's intro. If Mazda had marketed the 6 the way they should have from the start Mazda's sales would be close in sales numbers from last year.
As for the 6 being a compact its not that small of a car and not that big either. I see mostly single people driving them around. Like I said before its a size of a 5th generation Honda Accord which sold to both family's and younger people. I think the only difference between a car like the 6 vs a Camry or a Accord is interior room. The Camry and Accord have grown alot in size in the last 10 years where as Mazda wanted to go for a younger audience to offset the Honda/Toyota crowd. Should Mazda have made a car competitive in size with the Camry and Accord? maybe or maybe or not. I guess since the 6 is the size of a mid size car 10 years ago the 6 is viewed as a compact car by car buyers.
As for the huge incentives Mazda's have never had good resale value to start with.
I was behind a red one on the way home from work yesterday (A really hot chick was driving it too!). In contrast it was several months before I even saw a 6 on the road.
I think the RX-8 will advertise itself.
As for Mazda6 advertising, Ford has a huge responsibility to boost sales. Mazda can't spend a penny or lift a finger without Ford's approval. Mazda's CEO position has been a game of musical chairs played by Ford executives. Ford has billions of dollars riding on Mazda. Since Ford has the financial responsibility and leadership responsibility at Mazda, how can it not be Ford's responsibility to boost sales?
Ford has already stated they are more concerned with the sales of the platform than the individual vehicle. The Mazda6 platform will be the basis for ten different vehicles with projected annual sales of 800,000 units worldwide. They got what they wanted from Mazda, now the 6 will wither on the lots (which is where I should have left mine).
To give a good comparison...moonroof production on the MZ6 for october is 3195 units
RX-8 advertising started on television this past sunday on ESPN... 100% of the national ads until 9/30 will be RX-8. 50% of tier two ads (your CT mazda dealers, great chicago mazda dealers, etc..) will be MZ6 and the other 50% will be RX-8.
they are planning NO national advertising on the MZ3 until Jan 1, 2004...they dont want to have people flowing into the dealerships only to find out they arent out yet. Every mfg has made that mistake before..We ended up getting the mazdaSpeed a few months after the ads started and the press releases were out...consumers were all bent out of shape because there was no car and lots of advertising.
MZ6 current build restrictions (october production, december delivery)..65% V6, Sport group can not exceed 65%, no restrictions on alloys wheels, leather/lux pkg can not exceed 50%
They are a screamer ad dealer south of Boston but similar pricing on RX-8 for the past 3 weeks.
This will put pressure on other dealers on this and all models. BTW - they have 350Z's at $3500 off and Bettle convetibles at $3000 off.
I have 3200 trouble free miles on my car now (it had a rattle that went away) and I am hoping it turns out OK. I'm crossing my fingers....but I shouldn't have to.
My Mazda6 has been performing well and have had no problems with it at all.
Where do you live? Could it have been me?
On the sales/marketing of the 6:
With all the rebates and incentives they have to throw on the 6, maybe Mazda ran out of dough for TV commercials (expensive!). Anyway, I think they are hoping on word of mouth to move those cars.. (what about paying edmunds posters some $ to be evangelists? hmmm...)
Talk about commercials..
I like:
* the one for the Altima, where a bunch of workers are filing home boringly, when a guy in the office flies and sommersaults his way down the stairway to his car (in nondescript silver).
* the one ... for a Corolla!... about a guy who finds any excuse to drive his car (across the street to a party, then 10 feet to a grocery to get chips).
* and finally, the one where a guy drives like crazy in a deserted downtown LA (?), and jumping for joy. This one for ... the boring Camry!
However, I am optimistic that, with one year sales down, and with word-of-mouth, the 04 will be much more successful for Mazda in terms of sales.
Re: audi8
I don't think people do not care for SAB/SAC. Some people do want them, but they are 1) not available in the combination of options the customers want, and 2) not the first critical criterion for the consumer. So they bypass it, by compromising.
For example, for me, I first want a V6 in Speed Yellow, then leather, then Bose, then SAB/SAC. I ended up with a car with all those, PLUS moonroof, comfort, and Appearance. The last 3 I do not care for; OK to have (must pay more $), but I'd rather not have. IF there were another yellow just like mine with my requirements above AND SAB/SAC, guess which one I'm gonna buy? In my case, Mazda tied my hands. And mind you, I live in a major car market (SF-SJ Bay Area). What does that tell you about smaller ones? What choice do people have there?
If you notice, a good portion of my posts in the MZ6 Problems board are solutions or paths to solutions that either I have experienced with my own car or I have read about. I mention several times that my drivetrain problems appear to be isolated to my car, but certain other problems (much less serious) are becoming quite common. Plus, if there ends up being a lot of problems with a lot of the cars, I think people should know about it and if they get turned off and go with a "safer" bet, then good for them. That's probably what most people come here for.
I wish I could point everyone to other places where thousands of MZ6 owners gather... the info, good and bad, flows very freely and it is quite an eye opener... I just wish I would have found it sooner...
I'm in the Atlanta area and I have to say that even though 6's seem to be selling better overall, I certainly can't see a difference here. I rarely ever see a 6 (and believe me -- I'm looking), but I do notice plenty of late model 626's and Millenia's around. Just came back from north & west Michigan though and saw more 6's in that week than I've seen in Atlanta for the past 3 months combined. Don't really understand that. However, I'm spreading the word about this awesome vehicle to everyone I know. In fact, visited a friend last month and found he had just bought an M6 (auto, 4 cyl). He let me take it for a spin after drooling all over it. Would have preferred to drive a 5sp or v6, but it was still fun to drive.
And so, I continue my wait for the hatch and wagon... but I'm seeming to get distracted lately by the forthcoming Legacy, Passat, and Volvo V50 wagons also on their way. C'mon Mazda, please get get this thing on the streets asap! I apologize for this long dissertation, but I haven't posted in quite a while and just had to get it out of my system. I envy all you current M6 owners....and hope to be one someday soon!
With the 6... I'm sorry if I sound angry, but I am just venting. I have followed the industry too closely and owned enough Mazda's, plus having sold them and working as an inventory manager and receiver. I've seen too many blunders, too many screw-ups. Add to this my specific and mostly isolated Mazda6 woes and something was going to burst. Is Mazda alone in this? No... it seems like the half the industry is in the same boat. It's just different when it is your own money at stake.
I agree with Jerry. If anyone is having problems, they should speak up and not be affaid of turning people away from the Mazda6.
I discovered Edmunds Town Hall back in 2001 when I was shopping for a Jetta, Sentra, or Protege with the edge going to the Jetta.
Edmunds Town Hall literally saved me from a 2001 Jetta 1.8T. I went into the Jetta discussion and got really scared. Hindsight tells me that if I had bought the 2001 Jetta 1.8T that I wanted, I would have been guaranteed 4 bad ignition coils and 4 bad window clips that theorthetically could have cost me 8 trips to the dealer. I knew VWs were kinda shady, but the salespeople kept assuring me that the new VWs were much better and salespeople never lie, so I tried to do some research of my own. I really liked the Jetta, until I visited the thread on Edmunds Town Hall. If the people in the Jetta thread hadn't spoken up, I most likely would have bought a Jetta, and I wouldn't have been happy at all when the coils started blowing and the windows started to fall into the doors of my first brand new car. Making payments on a car that is in the shop all the time is one of my worst nightmares.
I don't expect the Mazda6 owners to suffer as bad as Jetta owners have, but stories of loose subframe bolts, weird transmissions, etc. are starting to make me nervous.