Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

[JusFlyinBy]

You'll have to trust me that the car looks 20 times better in person than in the pic.

Here's the deal. I sold the bird last week. Im looking for a commuter car that will take me 70 miles round trip a day, AT LEAST. Sometimes much more then that. I came across this 2005 Mazda 6 with only 4000 miles on it. It's the loaded S Sport package. Sliding sunroof, full power, in dash 6 disc player, Bose stereo/sub system, V6, ground effects, 17 in wheels, fog lights, spoiler, 5 spd with original sticker price of 25,700 bucks. It has the full factory warranty of 5 years, 50kmi.

Im thinking of offering 18 grand for it and see where that gets me. But, 18 grand can get me a variety of cars. Can anyone think of a better deal then this? Are Mazda 6's troublesome cars? Looking for any input. Im not hurting for a vehicle right now so I want to take my time and see whats out there. Thanks!

(Again, I have a GTO as my play car, so speed isn't really a factor. Non-old womanish car is def a factor though.)

[HokieBird]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

When I drove one at Mazda Rev it up last year I thought it was a pretty good car (mind you this was for just over 30 seconds at a time). It seemed to handle pretty well, but not nearly as fun as the Miata I was just in (what is?). All in all, I like the styling of it and I enjoy the fact that Mazda trys to make all of their cars very tossable.

http://www.finishlineperformance.com...ins_index.html
There's a list of recalls/service bulletins for it. I have delt with the clutch chatter one before on my mom's Miata. It took some *****ing to get a dealership to replace the clutch eventhough there was a bulletin out for it. They would say the clutch is a wear item then I would have to start yelling that I don't care it chatters and there is a bulletin so fix it.

On a side note, I talked to my friend last weekend about the RSX tranny issue and he said that he did have it, but just got so use to shifting into 2nd a specific way that it didn't bother him anymore. Another car you may want to look into is the Nissan Sentra SE-R specV. They are well built, afforable, and fun to drive.

[TealV6]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

Buying a new car is worth looking at Consumer Reports yearly publication. For the few bucks you spend on it, it might save some headaches later on. And like Hokie said.. check for bulletins after you narrow down the list.

I like the 6.... sharp little sedan. :tup:

[ArticRider]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

My sister has a V6 6 with pretty much all the options and it's quite comfortable & sporty compared to other sedans in its range. I'd say it's not a bad car at all. She hasn't had any major problems thus far...she got it in 2003.

[flyfrito_SS]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

I've seen them around campus, and I like there styling. It's sporty but not TOO flashy. I have heard good things about the performance as well, I think MotorTrend did a comparo recently with this and a Subaru something. The Subaru won, but they said the Mazda was close behind.

[1DangerousV6]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

i agree..i like the 6..cool lookin

____________________
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[02PewterBird]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

I haven't been in a 6, but a friend has a Mazda 3 and it doesn't seem like a bad car. I'm not too fond of some of the interior fabric, but that's probably better in the 6.

[JusFlyinBy]

Re: Possibly buying a Mazda 6... Opinions?

Thanks for the opinions. No negative comments or experiences, so thats good to hear. These things get terrible gas mileage though. You'd think, eh, just a measly little mazda, should pull 30 mpg hwy. Not really... Try 27. And I found out a coworker has one and she never gets better than 25. Suprising considering my 97 automatic piece of junk got 29 hwy.

Im holding off on another car for a bit. I'll drive the GTO through the summer and pay out the @ss for premium. Just two more months and I'll have the goat completley paid off. Then its time for a beater car. :) Well, a nice beater car though, lol.