I use the Nokian Hakkapelitta NRW's. They are great for the weather up here. A lot of the times, the roads are used so much that they are dry and these tires excel in both dry and snow/ice conditions. If you want a pure winter tire, the Q series is the way to go. However, I felt the NRW's were better as they are "all-weather" (NOT all-season). Oh..and Nokian is Finnish.
If I had a 6, I would most definitely get a set of winter tires!
Dinu thanx for the info on the tire articles. If you go to Dufferin Mazda for a test drive tell them it's okay to use my car for the drive. No point in having a new car without sharing it with your internet buddies.
One point that interests me is that it states that Pirelli has 18 inch snows now. If I find 17 inch Pirellis then that's what I'm getting. I love my alloys and I want them all year round, don't care about salt. Alloys are like high heels on a woman, no matter how ugly they are it makes them look better. especially after 12 beers. Putting steel rims on a car is like women wearing sandals with a skirt. (YUCK) I like my cars and women the same way. SEXY!
Sanford7: everytime you mention me why do you always YELL!
When I took the 6s for a test drive I could swear it had heated outside mirrors. I remember seeing something inside the car signifying it and the salesman confirming it. Now that I look thru the brochure I can't find that option anywhere. Can anybody help? Maybe they overlooked it in the brochure because I remember using the power mirrors to adjust and they don't mention that either. I would figure that option would be important enough to list especially in Canada.
Glad to hear that you are getting your 6 soon, I'm a little envious. I would have to agree with those who have said to get winter tires installed. I have winters on my P5 (summer tires are Dunlop 5000's 195/50-16) and the difference is amazing. A lot of people say that they can get by on summer tires but why would you only want to get by. You wouldn't want crappy tires on your car in the summer would you? On the sunny warm days (when was the last time we had one of those) I miss my summer tires but for the rest of winter I don't. You might sacrifice a little in handling (only at the limits) but there are some really great snow tires out there now. I can remember going through the Don Mills southbound exit ramp (full 360 degree turn) coming off the DVP going south and getting my car up to 80kph before I had to brake as I would have hit the car in front of me, and this is with winter tires! I don't believer that snow tires cost you more money because you are spreading out the cost over two sets of tires. If you look around now you might be able to find some good sales as everybody will be trying to unload their winter stock. A lot of people also forget that you loose traction with colder weather (which we seem to be getting a lot of) and snow tires deal with this better. When I tested a 6 I went down a snow covered road and found that I didn't have the traction that my snows have. When I hit the brakes the ABS was on from the moment I hit the brakes until a full stop. With my car the ABS didn'tt come on. Plus you are use to driving a Legacy (I drove one in a snow storm once, great car!) so you will notice a big difference in traction. Hopefully this wasn't too long.
I meant what I said yesterday -- sexual innuendoes are not appropriate here.
Another thing -- we are NOT talking about the Accord in here. Mazda proponents have no more business bringing up that subject than do Accord proponents.
"AROMAS: The only way a spoiler might enhance your ride in a Mazda6 is at 140 km per hour, which you MAY attain with a strong tailwind on a downhill slope."
Finally, "officially" offering the base 6iMT with SAB/ABS as a stand-alone option (the way I'd equip mine). Now, if they'd only bring out the hatch and wagon body styles....
Hi, I have been reading this forum for a while because I was very interested by the car and the type of people who drive it. I live in upstate NY and when I was driving back from work tonight I saw a Black Mazda6i with spoiler but no sports package and 16" rims. I was driving and just as I was passing it parked on the side I caught a glimpse of it and for a second thought what it was and said to myself that looked like a mazda 6. I stopped and looked at my rear view mirror and indeed I saw the frond fascia of it. Since it was on a side street, I put it on reverse and backed up about 100 feet so I could see the car. I had seen a mazda 6 in a mall before, but it was a base 6i with nothing and it's wheels looked like covers or something and I was very unimpressed by it. This car was nothing like the one I saw in the mall and it's rear looked beautiful, I think the spoiler really went along with the lines. Also black instead of yellow is MUCH better for the Mazda6's lines. I am a 22 year old with a 96 mustang GT 5-speed. My car has a crap interior, poor comfort (I dont care about this much), average seats, a HUGE steering wheel, poor suspension (too much dive) and a lot of chassis flex. But it still puts smiles on my face when I accelerate through a turn and get the back end to step out and then try to be smooth and get it back on the line. Of course the soundtrack pleases me as well. I think the mazda6 is the BEST looking car out there short of a BMW 3 series coupe AND the best looking 4-door ever (including the M5) However, although the 6s' 220 hp would be enough for me, I cannot live without power oversteer. Therefore I am just waiting (to get a better job for one) to see if the MPS is coming out for less than 30K. I believe that car would give sleepless nights to all the 3-series, G35's, IS300's engineers out there. I was interested in the RX-8 as well but I really can't get over the c-pillar styling (that's the deal breaker for me) and the 160lb-ft of torque for the price . Also don't think I am foreign to mazda, I have driven a 99 miata before and absolutely fell in love with the steering and the shifter. However, it made no power until 5000 rpm which was the exact opposite of my mustang's power delivery style (no power AFTER 5000 rpm). And I can't have a roadster as my only car. By the way, there are a few accords around here as well and while I admit they look better than in pictures, they do look like a town car compared to the 6, and although the front is actually nice, the back is absolutely horrible. So here's my ramblings, Just to show that if the rear wheels were also driven in the 6, they would have swayed a mustang GT driver, which they might do if the MPS comes here. I just wish ford would just design the exterior and the engines of the next mustang and leave the chassis and building it to mazda, then I would have been interested in it, but I want a better made car for my next purchase, and the MPS would fit it perfectly.
Is a good car but too fugly, inside AND out. Even the facelifted 2004 version looks like a hyundai. Mazda6 looks richer and has a way better interior to boot. Plus it's a hatchback (the MPS) Also, I would rather have a 2.3 liter turbo rather than a 2.0 turbo for higher torque (I AM coming from a Mustang after all)
Hey dinu how much you wanna bet that sanford7's minivan is a nice shade of brown with no power windows. Can you e-mail her a nice simple map to the ugly brown powerless windows minivan board. The only spoiler she has is the eggs she probably left in the back seat last week.
Corduroygt: Those are the nicest remarks I've ever heard about the 6. Makes me wanna go out and buy another one in black just as a thank you. You're making me feel all gushy inside.
33 days and counting before I reach Mazda nirvana!
My Mazda6 came with Michelin MX4's. Maybe not the top of the line, but my wife's Acura TL came with exactly the same tires. If I ever get a flat tire, I can just steal a wheel off of my wife's car. ;-)
I spoke to somebody at Mazda NA Operations that handles import issues. She said that Canadian models currently do not meet EPA regs and the cost to do the mods would be significant. There also could be some problems swapping out the speedometer. Basically, she said the import can be done, but could be expensive.
So, I guess it's good that they are adding some more option combos for March.
"So, I guess it's good that they are adding some more option combos for March."
Mazda may have to do something. Their packages are driving folks away.
In the latest Car and Driver there is a letter to the editor regarding the Mazda6. The person wrote that they liked the car but were seriously peeved that an option like 17" wheels required 3 to 4 thousand dollars in additional packages.
That sort of publicity in a major rag isn't doing Mazda any good.
The heated mirrors (according to the US brochure) are part of the Comfort Package. That package requires you choose leather upholstery (and the sunroof too, I think). It includes heated seats too.
Heated mirrors add to your visibility even in the rain, when you can turn them on to clear the water droplets and help improve visibility in the mirror. Also a boon for melting ice and snow without scraping.
I drove a 6 with heated seats and mirrors, but the dealer didn't show me how to operate the heated mirrors. I would assume they turn on with the rear defogger, like they have in every car I have ever driven but VWs.
That's true with the 17s coming from the factory, but you can purchase them as a dealer installed option, and the wheels are only about $160 each from what I have heard.
According to the person at Mazda NA Operations who I spoke to yesterday, there will be 21 new option combos for March builds.
I'm not sure when the dealers will be notified on these, but it sure would be nice to get a list of them from a friendly dealer/salesperson lurking around here ...
Then we can listen to customers bitterly complain about the idiotic complexity of the options packages and threaten to go buy an Accord because they don't want to wait until the obscure combo package they've settled on will take 3-4 months to build.
Mazda should continue to hone its option packages to ensure it is meeting market deamand, but that means dropping the combos that aren't selling at the same time they add new ones that will.
I love the way they have packaged the car in Canada. Lots of standard features and very few option packages. Mazda Canada showed some real courage doing that because it increases the base price of the car. Mazda USA was too concerned about price and as a result they really screwed up their packages.
"I think they should offer 5 million combos... This way nobody will ever find a dealer who has the car they want in stock."
All car companies have to make decisions on how to package their cars. It saves them (thus the consumer) a lot of money when they can minimize the choices and streamline production.
But, if a consumer is willing to spend the time waiting for a car to be custom built by the factory there should be a bit more flexibility in what can be built.
Sure, the package combo I want is probably so weird that they could never sell 'em off lots if they produced them. So ordering it custom is a fine option for me.
Again, I'm not asking for features or packages they don't offer already. I'd just like it adjusted slightly from the ones on the dealer lot. Hopefully March will bring those changes and will make us all happy.
That's right. We want the customer to buy what we have, not what he wants. We don't want to be order takers, we want to sell some cars!
The option package I am waiting for is the V6 MT wagon. What are the odds I will find one at a dealer some day? One in a thousand? How about one that isn't either loaded or a stripper?
i live in the boston area, and hadn't seen any 6's outside of the dealerships at all until yesterday. one was outside my gym, steel gray w/ no sports package, and the other was black with sports package that i spotted when i was looking for parking in brookline.
i didn't think i'd like the 6 w/o the sports package, but i gotta admit they were both awesome looking.
What BarrySo said. A limited number of option packages makes sense for cars sent to dealers. But if I don't mind the wait to order from the factory, then any technically-viable combination of safety features, comfort features, and curb feelers should be available.
Will the ability to make a "custom" 6 come back to bite when resale time comes. I know when I was looking for a Camry once I found it hard sometimes to find everything I was looking for on a car. I mean a stripped car with a moonroof is a black sheep. Or a loaded car with a missing the CD player. Just curious. I know packages keep new car costs down by simplifying production.
I hope you can get the moonroof without leather or heated anything.
I hope you can get the sport package without the side sills.
The first hope is because my wife is a staunch vegetarian and animal rights person and the second is because I like a sleek looking car and side sills make it look fat (not phat).
When I went in earlier the sales man said we could cover the leather seats.... He obviously doesn't understand the vegi mind set.
For years I have suggested that all cars (trucks excluded) should come with 2 or 3 option packages and thats it.....if the consumer wants something different they should have the option/ability to factory order and pay a premium price for a non-comform built car....this way the majority will be able to find what they want and the oddball buyer can get his oddball car. As a dealer I can keep a smaller inventory and keep our costs down but still meet consumer demands....If we are forced to stock more cars because of option combo's then you can be certain those extra costs will be passed along to consumers.
I like most of the packages they have out there (Except the side sills on the sports package) but I don't like the required linking of those packages! All they really need to do is get rid of the requirement to get the premium sound system with the sport package or the leather if you get the moon roof and it would be fantastic.
Anyone know when we will be able to see the new packages that will be available in March?
Anyone else know when they will stop producing so many automatic transmissions. If you look at dealer inventories most have 10-15 autos and 0-1 manuals available. How hard is it to read the message.
JUST LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER AND YOU CAN SELL CARS.
Sorry, I am a little frusterated at Mazda's inability to understand what type of people are interested in their cars.
bbaggens: My wife is also a vegetarian/animal rights person, so I definitely understand your situation. The thing that bugs me is that most of the models at the dealer are either base models, or loaded...and I want a model that is loaded, but without leather. I also wouldn't mind having the side airbags, but I guess you can't have a safer car without having "nice" leather seats. Hopefully Mazda will come up with a good solution for us.
mpiatek, It's nice to know there are others out there looking for the same thing. Maybe someday, someone will let us have all the goodies and cloth seats too!
For years I have suggested that all cars (trucks excluded) should come with 2 or 3 option packages and thats it.....if the consumer wants something different they should have the option/ability to factory order and pay a premium price for a non-comform built car....this way the majority will be able to find what they want and the oddball buyer can get his oddball car. As a dealer I can keep a smaller inventory and keep our costs down but still meet consumer demands....If we are forced to stock more cars because of option combo's then you can be certain those extra costs will be passed along to consumers.
audia8q, I heard you the first time, and you are obviosly a dealer who in my experience wants to shove what you have down potential customers throats.
One dealer I went into actually told me that if I wanted very specific options I should look in the used market. (what kind of logic is that) The whole reason I want to buy new, and take the first two years of horrific depretiation, is so I can get the color and options I want. Unfortunately most dealers are out of touch with the consumer and cater more to pushing cars than getting people what they want.
Then after you buy the car that they just shoved down your throat they want you to give them perfect 10's on the customer satisfaction survey you get sent in the mail a week later.
I think custom stuff is the job of the aftermarket.
Just as you can't get a red banana or a blue orange you have to deal with not getting the exact 6 you want.
A manufacturer is facing a rock and a hard place. Customised cars cost more to build and stock vs. making batches of the same products. Most customers are very cost conscious. If you can put more "stuff" on a car for less money you will please more customers than you will repel. The more individual options the more chance something will go wrong or you will get an oddball car that no one wants.
You want packaging?? Look at the RX8 option packages.
I think we can all agree that dealers prefer to move stock they have to ordering cars, but I think "shoving down their throats" is a little over the top. Customers can always say no.
I think dealers try to stock what they think will sell for the most part, but there are also limits on what the mfr is producing. Still the choices on US dealer lots is pretty decent except for MT people like me. I know that when I go shopping, the dealer will likely not have what I want and will likely try to get me into something else. I expect to hear lots about resale values of MT-equipped cars etc. But if there is "shoving" then the dealer isn't worth dealing with in the first place.
I kinda agree with audia8q. Why would the dealer not pass on their increased costs to the consumer if they are forced to keep lots of stock? If the option choices are good, then most people would be satisfied and could purchase right off the lot while potentially paying less because audia8q wouldn't have to pass on increased costs of keeping a huge inventory. While I don't agree with paying a premium to get one built, audia's proposition sounds reasonable to me. I don't know anyone that doesn't pass on increased costs to the consumer in one way or another. You wouldn't be in business long otherwise.
Also, audia didn't say he/she wanted to force inventory down your throat. But wouldn't it be ideal to get what you want off the lot? I'd rather not have to wait than wait, even if I had the time.
"Anyone else know when they will stop producing so many automatic transmissions."
It appears for the short term that Mazda didn't produce enough V6 manual tranmissions. That is sort of cool by my standards since driving a stick is a thrill and it is really nice to see there is a market for it.
But most folks DON'T want to shift. Most of the folks I know look at me funny when I tell 'em the new car will have a stick. They believe the stick is for people who can't afford real cars. Sticks are "too much work".
My point? After the initial glut of car crazies runs out to get the v6 sticks there may not be many folks left who want them.
Lets use numbers. Since Mazda is producing 12% of the cars with sticks they believe that there is a market for 12% sticks. Right now, all of us car crazies are decending on Mazda lots to drool at the new toy. We scream "somebody is finally producing a v6 with a stick at a decent price" and we are happy. But by next year we'll all have our new cars and the normal car buying public will be the ones coming onto the Mazda lots. Mazda had better have automatics for these folks because these folks don't have any intention of buying a manual transmission.
The reason I said Shove it down your throat is that currently you cannot order the options you want. If you want a moonroof you have to have leather seats that are heated and the heated mirrors. I live in the NW and it snows 1-2 days a year at best what use have I got for heated seats? I simply want four things on my car. A good stereo, 17" tires, a spoiler (purely for looks), and a moonroof. I don't mind a few extras being tacked in with a package (like the sport package) and will even accept some things I don't find extremely appealing (like the side sills) but I don't want the leather seats.
As a side the RX8 configurations that they have come out with seem to take this into mind and they have a package with alot of extras and cloth seats. The only thing I would give up would be a power/heated seat and heated mirror. This makes sense as it is somewhat related to a more luxurious seating arrangement.
Luckily for me the RX8 is my first choice in a car and if it delivers even 80% of what it has promised it will be the car I buy. But I almost bought a 6 becasue I enjoyed the drive so much and was tired of the wait (and not to sure my current car will make it 6 more months with over 200K miles on it) but the way the packages were "linked together" it was basically get all the packages or none.
If thats not shoving options down your throat I don't know what is???
At least they got the options packages done well on the 8, assuming they don't change them. Now I just hope they did as good of a job on the "fun" factor as they did with the 6.
you are saying that 12% stick is too much to be sustained over multi-year production?
If the 6 were to hit 400,000 annual unit sales like the camcord, I'd probably agree that the 12% was too high. But with a more reasonable 80,000 annual total that's only 9,600 sticks in the whole country. I think they could do that.
I think there is a small trend of the "boy racers" moving up to more "mature" cars, but still seeking a sporty driving experience. This could be pushing up the demand for the 6 MT. Another factor might be that people actually are getting a choice now instead of having to buy vanilla ATs like before. To me, if someone prefers an AT, then it is pretty much axiomatic that they would prefer a Camcord anyway (even though others here have pointed out reasons while erstwhile enthusiasts would get a 6 AT).
My point is that no one is buying the automatics, so you should cater to the people who are buying your cars and then, as one dealer on this message board put it, they can keep inventories low which supposedly keeps prices low. My experience has been when inventories get high prices go down but I am pretty cynical of anything a dealer tells me as my experience is about 20% is correct and the other 80% is bending that truth to thier designs.
Later they can produce more automatics, if they think they will sell, but personally the people who I know who like automatics don't want a tight steering, fun to drive, car but are looking more for proven reliability and space and comfort/convenience which leads them to other makers (we all know who). Mazda is supposed to be trying to break out of that mold and produce cars for the enthusiast but they just don't seem to be able to commit to that strategy.
Maybe there aren't enought of us around to make it worth while to produce those car's.... What a shame. Well, I am still hoping for the 8 as it seems like it would be harder to sell to your typical "sedan" buyer because of it's sporty looks. Maybe they will get it right there. I only hope that if they do there is enough interest to stir more innovation in that direction.
Comments
If I had a 6, I would most definitely get a set of winter tires!
One point that interests me is that it states that Pirelli has 18 inch snows now. If I find 17 inch Pirellis then that's what I'm getting. I love my alloys and I want them all year round, don't care about salt. Alloys are like high heels on a woman, no matter how ugly they are it makes them look better. especially after 12 beers. Putting steel rims on a car is like women wearing sandals with a skirt. (YUCK) I like my cars and women the same way. SEXY!
Sanford7: everytime you mention me why do you always YELL!
Hopefully this wasn't too long.
Another thing -- we are NOT talking about the Accord in here. Mazda proponents have no more business bringing up that subject than do Accord proponents.
Please stick to the topic.
Thank you.
One of the 21 new orderable option combos will be the 6s-MT with only the SAB/SAC package. Yee Haa!
I hope that was a joke.
Dinu
I'll let Adam handle this one
Dinu
I was driving and just as I was passing it parked on the side I caught a glimpse of it and for a second thought what it was and said to myself that looked like a mazda 6. I stopped and looked at my rear view mirror and indeed I saw the frond fascia of it. Since it was on a side street, I put it on reverse and backed up about 100 feet so I could see the car. I had seen a mazda 6 in a mall before, but it was a base 6i with nothing and it's wheels looked like covers or something and I was very unimpressed by it. This car was nothing like the one I saw in the mall and it's rear looked beautiful, I think the spoiler really went along with the lines. Also black instead of yellow is MUCH better for the Mazda6's lines.
I am a 22 year old with a 96 mustang GT 5-speed. My car has a crap interior, poor comfort (I dont care about this much), average seats, a HUGE steering wheel, poor suspension (too much dive) and a lot of chassis flex. But it still puts smiles on my face when I accelerate through a turn and get the back end to step out and then try to be smooth and get it back on the line. Of course the soundtrack pleases me as well.
I think the mazda6 is the BEST looking car out there short of a BMW 3 series coupe AND the best looking 4-door ever (including the M5) However, although the 6s' 220 hp would be enough for me, I cannot live without power oversteer. Therefore I am just waiting (to get a better job for one) to see if the MPS is coming out for less than 30K. I believe that car would give sleepless nights to all the 3-series, G35's, IS300's engineers out there. I was interested in the RX-8 as well but I really can't get over the c-pillar styling (that's the deal breaker for me) and the 160lb-ft of torque for the price .
Also don't think I am foreign to mazda, I have driven a 99 miata before and absolutely fell in love with the steering and the shifter. However, it made no power until 5000 rpm which was the exact opposite of my mustang's power delivery style (no power AFTER 5000 rpm). And I can't have a roadster as my only car.
By the way, there are a few accords around here as well and while I admit they look better than in pictures, they do look like a town car compared to the 6, and although the front is actually nice, the back is absolutely horrible.
So here's my ramblings, Just to show that if the rear wheels were also driven in the 6, they would have swayed a mustang GT driver, which they might do if the MPS comes here. I just wish ford would just design the exterior and the engines of the next mustang and leave the chassis and building it to mazda, then I would have been interested in it, but I want a better made car for my next purchase, and the MPS would fit it perfectly.
The 6 is a nice looking car, although I think it looks better without the sport package. Looking forward to testing it one of these days.
-B
Hey dinu how much you wanna bet that sanford7's minivan is a nice shade of brown with no power windows. Can you e-mail her a nice simple map to the ugly brown powerless windows minivan board. The only spoiler she has is the eggs she probably left in the back seat last week.
Corduroygt: Those are the nicest remarks I've ever heard about the 6. Makes me wanna go out and buy another one in black just as a thank you. You're making me feel all gushy inside.
33 days and counting before I reach Mazda nirvana!
No soup for you buddy!
So, I guess it's good that they are adding some more option combos for March.
Mazda may have to do something. Their packages are driving folks away.
In the latest Car and Driver there is a letter to the editor regarding the Mazda6. The person wrote that they liked the car but were seriously peeved that an option like 17" wheels required 3 to 4 thousand dollars in additional packages.
That sort of publicity in a major rag isn't doing Mazda any good.
Heated mirrors add to your visibility even in the rain, when you can turn them on to clear the water droplets and help improve visibility in the mirror. Also a boon for melting ice and snow without scraping.
I drove a 6 with heated seats and mirrors, but the dealer didn't show me how to operate the heated mirrors. I would assume they turn on with the rear defogger, like they have in every car I have ever driven but VWs.
I'm not sure when the dealers will be notified on these, but it sure would be nice to get a list of them from a friendly dealer/salesperson lurking around here ...
Ah well. MP3 player's supposed to be available in March as well.
Not like people are beating down my door to buy my Miata during a Vermont February, anyway. :-)
This way nobody will ever find a dealer who has the car they want in stock.
Mazda should continue to hone its option packages to ensure it is meeting market deamand, but that means dropping the combos that aren't selling at the same time they add new ones that will.
I love the way they have packaged the car in Canada. Lots of standard features and very few option packages. Mazda Canada showed some real courage doing that because it increases the base price of the car. Mazda USA was too concerned about price and as a result they really screwed up their packages.
This way nobody will ever find a dealer who has the car they want in stock."
All car companies have to make decisions on how to package their cars. It saves them (thus the consumer) a lot of money when they can minimize the choices and streamline production.
But, if a consumer is willing to spend the time waiting for a car to be custom built by the factory there should be a bit more flexibility in what can be built.
Sure, the package combo I want is probably so weird that they could never sell 'em off lots if they produced them. So ordering it custom is a fine option for me.
Again, I'm not asking for features or packages they don't offer already. I'd just like it adjusted slightly from the ones on the dealer lot. Hopefully March will bring those changes and will make us all happy.
The option package I am waiting for is the V6 MT wagon. What are the odds I will find one at a dealer some day? One in a thousand? How about one that isn't either loaded or a stripper?
i didn't think i'd like the 6 w/o the sports package, but i gotta admit they were both awesome looking.
I hope you can get the sport package without the side sills.
The first hope is because my wife is a staunch vegetarian and animal rights person and the second is because I like a sleek looking car and side sills make it look fat (not phat).
When I went in earlier the sales man said we could cover the leather seats.... He obviously doesn't understand the vegi mind set.
Anyone know when we will be able to see the new packages that will be available in March?
Anyone else know when they will stop producing so many automatic transmissions. If you look at dealer inventories most have 10-15 autos and 0-1 manuals available. How hard is it to read the message.
JUST LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER AND YOU CAN SELL CARS.
Sorry, I am a little frusterated at Mazda's inability to understand what type of people are interested in their cars.
Mike
Here's to hope.
One dealer I went into actually told me that if I wanted very specific options I should look in the used market. (what kind of logic is that) The whole reason I want to buy new, and take the first two years of horrific depretiation, is so I can get the color and options I want. Unfortunately most dealers are out of touch with the consumer and cater more to pushing cars than getting people what they want.
Then after you buy the car that they just shoved down your throat they want you to give them perfect 10's on the customer satisfaction survey you get sent in the mail a week later.
Just as you can't get a red banana or a blue orange you have to deal with not getting the exact 6 you want.
A manufacturer is facing a rock and a hard place. Customised cars cost more to build and stock vs. making batches of the same products. Most customers are very cost conscious. If you can put more "stuff" on a car for less money you will please more customers than you will repel. The more individual options the more chance something will go wrong or you will get an oddball car that no one wants.
You want packaging?? Look at the RX8 option packages.
I think dealers try to stock what they think will sell for the most part, but there are also limits on what the mfr is producing. Still the choices on US dealer lots is pretty decent except for MT people like me. I know that when I go shopping, the dealer will likely not have what I want and will likely try to get me into something else. I expect to hear lots about resale values of MT-equipped cars etc. But if there is "shoving" then the dealer isn't worth dealing with in the first place.
Also, audia didn't say he/she wanted to force inventory down your throat. But wouldn't it be ideal to get what you want off the lot? I'd rather not have to wait than wait, even if I had the time.
It appears for the short term that Mazda didn't produce enough V6 manual tranmissions. That is sort of cool by my standards since driving a stick is a thrill and it is really nice to see there is a market for it.
But most folks DON'T want to shift. Most of the folks I know look at me funny when I tell 'em the new car will have a stick. They believe the stick is for people who can't afford real cars. Sticks are "too much work".
My point? After the initial glut of car crazies runs out to get the v6 sticks there may not be many folks left who want them.
Lets use numbers. Since Mazda is producing 12% of the cars with sticks they believe that there is a market for 12% sticks. Right now, all of us car crazies are decending on Mazda lots to drool at the new toy. We scream "somebody is finally producing a v6 with a stick at a decent price" and we are happy. But by next year we'll all have our new cars and the normal car buying public will be the ones coming onto the Mazda lots. Mazda had better have automatics for these folks because these folks don't have any intention of buying a manual transmission.
No how, no way.
As a side the RX8 configurations that they have come out with seem to take this into mind and they have a package with alot of extras and cloth seats. The only thing I would give up would be a power/heated seat and heated mirror. This makes sense as it is somewhat related to a more luxurious seating arrangement.
Luckily for me the RX8 is my first choice in a car and if it delivers even 80% of what it has promised it will be the car I buy. But I almost bought a 6 becasue I enjoyed the drive so much and was tired of the wait (and not to sure my current car will make it 6 more months with over 200K miles on it) but the way the packages were "linked together" it was basically get all the packages or none.
If thats not shoving options down your throat I don't know what is???
At least they got the options packages done well on the 8, assuming they don't change them. Now I just hope they did as good of a job on the "fun" factor as they did with the 6.
If the 6 were to hit 400,000 annual unit sales like the camcord, I'd probably agree that the 12% was too high. But with a more reasonable 80,000 annual total that's only 9,600 sticks in the whole country. I think they could do that.
I think there is a small trend of the "boy racers" moving up to more "mature" cars, but still seeking a sporty driving experience. This could be pushing up the demand for the 6 MT. Another factor might be that people actually are getting a choice now instead of having to buy vanilla ATs like before. To me, if someone prefers an AT, then it is pretty much axiomatic that they would prefer a Camcord anyway (even though others here have pointed out reasons while erstwhile enthusiasts would get a 6 AT).
Later they can produce more automatics, if they think they will sell, but personally the people who I know who like automatics don't want a tight steering, fun to drive, car but are looking more for proven reliability and space and comfort/convenience which leads them to other makers (we all know who). Mazda is supposed to be trying to break out of that mold and produce cars for the enthusiast but they just don't seem to be able to commit to that strategy.
Maybe there aren't enought of us around to make it worth while to produce those car's.... What a shame. Well, I am still hoping for the 8 as it seems like it would be harder to sell to your typical "sedan" buyer because of it's sporty looks. Maybe they will get it right there. I only hope that if they do there is enough interest to stir more innovation in that direction.