Mazda6 Sedan

rponseti

Someone earlier mentioned that they knew of people that rented the 6. Is that true? Will these be available used soon? I can't afford a new one but would be interested in a used one and can't seem to find any right now. When I bought my 626, it seemed like every lot in town had them. I hope see a few lease/rental returns pop up on the lots soon. Or, maybe next month, the rebates will increase and/or the dealers will be really disounting them since it's not selling that well.

tomcat630

I saw one 6i in a local Hertz lot for rent.

But, since they have not been on market long, expect to wait till spring for any used rental 6's.

ian2

13 is about my limit. Usually I have it at 6 while cruising on the highway with the windows up.

rkf1976

"13 is about my limit. Usually I have it at 6 while cruising on the highway with the windows up."
Did I fail to mention that I have attended a few to many "loud" concerts?!!

flypaper

I'm usually around 15 (Bass +1) and start to get a lot of bass door rattle when I get near 20. My latest obsession is messing with the ALC (currently set at 2), which I think is pretty well done -- it responds to noise variations pretty quickly. I guess those in the back seat get the "live" experience of the cheap seats.

I really wish I could have gotten the MP3 option, but I had a hard enough time finding what I got.

Anybody wanna swap a 6-disc for the MP3 unit? ;-)

mazda6s

Some rental car companies like to dump the cars at about 25000 miles, so it won't be long.

1wiseguy

I don't know where the 6 is selling in Europe because after travelling 2 weeks in Italy, I only saw two of them- and they were both station wagons. I saw a lot of small hatch backs and a TON of Bimmers, Benzes and Audis. I also saw dozens of Ford Mondeos (nice) and even a MPV or two. But the 6? Nowhere to be seen.

It wasnt til I got back that I realized just how many proteges there are on the road in canada. And the 6, which has only been here since Jan/Feb 03 seems to more visible here than Italy. Were they all sold in Japan?

rponseti

Would love to find one in the low teens in mileage. There were tons of 626's like that when I was looking over three years ago. I wonder if they leased out that many to the rental companies. My fingers are crossed!!

steven39

hi all, just returned from my local vw-mazda
dealership checking out cars jetta, mazda 6, protege es. the mazda 6 in that lapis blue metailic is just cool as can be. the speed yellow looks like a banana on wheels or a cab at best. but the blue metalic is the best color in my opinion.

steven39

hi, i would be a little hesitant to purchase
a used car from a rental car company such as hertz, or any other for that matter. its hard enough to find a good used 1 owner car that has been well maintained. but with purchasing a rental car you are more or less getting a car that was driven by multiple people who could care less about the rental car they are driveing they put the cheapest gas they can in the car and dont give a hoot cuz they are going to return it anyway. i dont care what maintanense records they show you. if you by a rental car from lets say hertz and they have had the car for a year or so, you are basically getting a car that has been driven by maybe 100 different people? give or take. sorry i would definitley think twice about purchasing a rental car from one of those rental car companies. maybe a leased car that has just come off a 2 or 3 year lease. atleast you know that the car was driven by 1 owner.

dinu01

Is an eye-cathcer

Dinu

mazda6s

You would be surprized to know how many cars on all used car lots were actually rentals. It's a high percentage. Unless the buyer runs a Carfax report, they will never know.

anonymousposts

For all the people who say they can't find a V6 5-speed Sport Package 6 with all the options Rick Case Mazda has at least 2. One in steel gray and one in white.

ashutoshsm

... yeah, the Lapis Blue! There's one parked outside my apartment! Waiddaminit - I have the keys to it

ashutoshsm

For all the people who say they can't find a V6 5-speed Sport Package 6 with all the options Rick Case Mazda has at least 2. One in steel gray and one in white.
So ... begs the question ... Which one are you guys planning to buy? I say the white one looks like it might be vanilla enough for you

anonymousposts

Actually we were out of the car market as of a week ago. Well we're never out of the car market (obviously) but unless gee decides he wants to trade his truck and old GS for a 6 (or a 3) we won't be buying any more cars. The white over black color combination was very nice. Wish Honda offered it.

thegreatvudini

Before anyone says anuthing, for the records!, I do NOT like bananas.
Having said that, I think the 6 in yellow IS the best color. Of course! 'coz i got it!
Why? I think it fits the 6's personality. There are just too many drab cars out there... What's the most popular car color again? that's right, silver (in all its various names, it's still ... silver.)
I also agree that the Lapis Blue is a real looker, except that other cars also come in blue. I want something a little more exclusive. You know that Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and their "luxo" cousins would Never dare to be that bold. If it's true that it's pretty rare to spot a 6 on the road, then how many yellow 6s are you gonna find? I also think the same as Mazdamarla, since they don't make yellow in 04 any more. Even more exclusive!
The only thing, it gets dirty pretty quickly, and it's real easy to see the dirt (up close).
Any one wants to let me know what works best in terms of carwash and/or wax? Thanks a bunch. I heard about "Tough Guard", which when you use it, will last "up to 5 years" on new cars. Anyone with this experience? It costs about $95! (And that's on sale from $120 or so.) OK, looking forward to your tips to take care of my baby...
vudini

anonymousposts

"You know that Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and their "luxo" cousins would Never dare to be that bold."

So I guess Mazda is no longer bold? They discontinued the color. Maybe they are trying to join the ranks of the more mundane.

kstu

Blue is nice, but kind of dark. Red is beautiful, but didn't care for the beige interior (sorry, Stretch). All right, I'm too conservative for yellow. White is simply the coolest and brightest color for a 6. It looks stunning (er, blinding?) in the full Florida sun! Isn't there anybody else out there who likes white?

johnclineii

Yes.

Me.

Last 10 cars have been white.

The next one will be, too.

Now if I were certain of whether it would be a Mazda3 Sport, Mazda6 wagon or hatch, 05 Legacy wagon or 05 Outback.

Mazda WOULD HAVE already sold me had the wagon been out already and not required either a moonroof or leather to get SAB/SAC.

microrepair

wagon has two buyers already! johnclineii: That's what I'm waiting for also. Wagon WITHOUT moonroof WITH SAB/SAC and a few other select options. But not in white. I had a white car back before clearcoat was standard over the color coat so maybe it isn't fair, but that white got so dirty and grubby so fast here in the Northeast that I don't even look at white cars anymore. It was just as bad as a black car, but at least when the black ones get cleaned and polished they SHINE !!

ashutoshsm

My 95 Mazda Protege (that got me interested in Mazda, and ultimately led to that Lapis Blue 6i parked outside) is white. And when cleaned up nicely, and waxed - it SHINES.

 However, I agree - it looks NOTHING like a darker color equally well cared for! But when I got lazy, I could go weeks without washing it (or doing a super-thorough job of it) and not be able to tell the difference, except from up close! White has its advantages.

anonymousposts

Well white is my unlucky color. My first white car was murdered by a woman in a Grand Am. Then the replacement white car which was identical to the first had a rock hit the windshield, a shopping cart hit the side, and it rolled down our driveway into the mailbox. Needless to say, we haven't bought any more white cars.

r2s2

My Passat is white, and since I had it detailed and polished up this summer, it fairly glows -- with all the colors of the rainbow, as any physicists here know. It's great.

My MZ6s is Redfire, which is a very complex metallic color. In the right light (usually early evening), you can see a lot of . . . blue! I love it.

I almost went for yellow, but decided I wanted to be just a tad less visible.

fowler3

*Well white is my unlucky color. My first white car was murdered by a woman in a Grand Am. Then the replacement white car which was identical to the first had a rock hit the windshield, a shopping cart hit the side, and it rolled down our driveway into the mailbox. Needless to say, we haven't bought any more white cars.*

None of which had anything to do with the color!

Some years it's like that -- a string of misfortunate coincidences. Had you, or the woman, left five minutes earlier or later...who knows? We all know the shopping cart idiots who just give the cart a shove rather than taking it to the cart parking space. The mailbox? Why didn't you set the brake? All good drivers know to set the brake first, then put it in 1st gear or Park if an AT.

fowler3

carguy58

2 6's in a span of 2 minutes last night.

steven39

why do i feel if i get the mazda 6 in speed
yellow i will think iam driveing a cab? although a very sharp looking and handleing cab at that.

anonymousposts

I did see 2 6's on the road ... but they were both courtesy cars.

I know that the bad luck I experienced had nothing to do with the color. Some people are so sensitive.

buggywhip

As I recall, when the 6 first came out I predicted that its crash test wouldn't be much better than the 626. WRONG!! The 6 was just tested by the Insur Instit for Hwy Safety on Dateline (frontal offset crash 40mph). It did splendidly--the highest rating and as good as a $60k Mercedes!! The 6 is literally as stiff as a bank vault.

johnclineii

I hope that applies to the wagon as well!

vocus

I have had most every color out there, and the white is nice when you don't have time to clean it all the time. It still looks pretty good when it hasn't been washed for a few weeks.

My 2 white cars were kinda unlucky too. The first was a piece of crap (prerequisite, because it was a Cavalier), and my second was burned to death.

My new one is Deep Cranberry (dark purplish color) and it doesn't get dirty as quickly as I thought it would. Heat isn't a big issue either, but most of the glass is tinted dark, so that helps.

vocus

I almost bought a Budget rental 02 Altima when I was looking for a car. It had 26K miles on it and the records said it was 9 months old. Most of the cars there had 25-30K on them and were as old. Look for the '6 rentals to start being sold around June or July, my estimate would be.

One piece of advice: It seemed with the 3 cars I drove there (Altima, Malibu, Sonata), they all had warped rotors. Check that before you buy and they will replace them for you. That's what they told me anyway.

fowler3

A High Point, NC dealer has a MZ6i in stock with 4-speed MT and two options: SAB/SAC and Appearance Package. MSRP $22,150. Sepang Green.

They have at least 30 2003 6's left.

fowler3

midwesttrader

In one of your earlier posts you discussed October production and December delivery.

I have a deposit down on an '04 6s that is supposed to be built the first week of October. Does this mean I will not see my car until December???? ##%%%!!!!!

Is there any way to check build status w/ the VIN number?

chikoo

you better consult your astrologer before buying another car....and find out which color is lucky for you.

gee35coupe

And I keep her out of my White LS400. LOL...

chikoo

I see that you two have diff flags with your names. could you tell me which countries are they?

blueguydotcom

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030922/lam042_1.html

crash story on 6

gee35coupe

cause I'm sooo Kewl. Just kidding.

drumm01

I submitted some pics of the M6 Sports Hatch earlier but unfortunately it was on a different forum so it had to be deleted.

ANyways, can anyone direct me where to find interior pics of the M6 SPorts Hatch. I've seen many pics of the exterior but not much of the interior ones.

Thanks

dinu01

"In order for the MAZDA6 to avoid accidents, though, it is equipped with active safety equipment including sure-handling four-wheel independent suspension, power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, four-wheel anti-lock brakes and available traction control"

How does TC help avoid a crash?

DINU

mazda6s

It's possible.
Like maybe when you need to get out of someone's way when they're about to t-bone you. Yeah, I know it's a stretch, but it could happen.

dinu01

No pun intended Stretch

Dinu

audia8q

if your car is already scheduled for early oct production you should see the car in November...but if the order is just being "accepted" for early october then you won't see the car until december.

If you alrady have a vin# you can send it to me and I will be glad to see if I can find anything...

thegreatvudini

My wife is slightly "embarrassed" in the yellow 6, saying to people that it looks like a taxicab.

I see it this way: if I ever get laid off, I already have a head start in a new career.

Also, can anyone comment on my earlier question about car washes & Tough Guard (wax) in particular? Thanks,
Vudini

seaf

is often mistaken for stability control. the IIHS's website documenting the mazda6's crash tests mentions it has availble stability control...they probably meant traction control there.

blueguydotcom

My friend I was helping look for a car settled on a Passat (pardon me while I gag). I did my best to steer her away from Jettas (she wanted to buy my beastly 2001 originally), A4s (she test drove all of them) and the Passat. In the end she said she just liked the feel of the Passat over the 6. I did my best to get her into a Mazda6 but some people ya can't reach.

Within 2-3 years as those constant trips to the stealership take her time and money she'll no doubt rue the day she bought that hideous faux pas of engineering... a VW.

Guess everybody must learn on their own. Sigh...

anonymousposts

chikoo: My flag is the Netherlands because I'm nether here nor there ....

blueguy: You never know, your friend may be in that miracle .0001% who have flawless VW ownership experiences. I don't know any people who are in that lucky number but there are a couple.

markjenn

Actually the Consumer Reports rates the Passat as "average" in repair frequency, better than the BMW 3-series that you're current driving blueguy. I don't think a 3-series owner has much credibility to be steering someone away from a German car on reliability grounds if that's what they really prefer to drive.

- Mark

flypaper

Apparently our hosts (Edmunds) like the Passat as well -- their pick for sedans < $25k. I don't get it, but to each his/her own. I don't dislike the Passat, but they're ubiquitous, underpowered, overpriced... and what's with the neon-blue gauges?? And people say the silver M6 console is cheap and tacky looking! They do have their positives, but there are just so many better choices.

All, of course, IMHO.