Mazda 6 Reliable?

[D. Lil]

I've been looking at getting another car just to commute with for work. I've really been looking at civic's and just expanded my search for Mazda 6's and altimas too. I'm going to look at 2003 Mazda 6i tomorrow but I've been reading about all the problems they have. I'm looking to spend around 4k. The one I'm going to look at has 127k miles but looks very nice.

Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks fellas.

[Mike]

I've heard good things.

[BLAKE]

I researched them heavily and almost bought one. Ultimately I decided against it and got a G35 sedan.

6s don't have too many problems, but the one that scared me off was the cat disintegrating and the ceramic chunks being recirculated into the intake. Catastrophic boom bitch results. This can be avoided with a set of headers, but by the time I got that far down the rabbit hole I was already sold on the RWD of the Infiniti. Plus, it's nicer, faster and more fun to drive, so no brainer.

[shumpertdavid]

Buddy got one for his wife new, great cars, let me dig a pic up of it. Mazda put 3 transmissions in it and a motor before it hit 60k, they never actually fixed the running complaint that the car had. The only car I've ever known that the extended warranty paid for itself. This was the last time I saw the car after, caught fire on his way home one night.

[shumpertdavid]

On a separate note, I've had several customers with over 200k on Mazda Tributes that had minimal problems outside of general maintenance and coil failures.

[JC316]

I don't know much about the Mazda 6, but I know that the Mazda 3 is all but unkillable. I have a friend that put over 100K on his with nothing more than basic care. He is hell on cars too.

[ELVIS]

a lil

god bless.

[exlude]

Buddy had a 6 and absolutely hated it, it was always giving him shit and he bought it brand new. Happiest day for him with that car was when he unloaded it.

[D. Lil]

The negatives definitely make me uneasy. I just wonder with 127k maybe all the kinks have been worked out, recalls, warranty issues etc. guy said it runs fine no check engine light is on so idk. We shall see tomorrow.

Thanks for the input gents.

[Geor!]

I've never heard of anybody being happy with any Mazda. My dad has one that is a complete clap of shit. He's just a cheap ass like me and will drive it until the fucking wheels fall off.

[Rotortrash]

We've owned our 2005 6i since new, and it now has 153k on it. No major problems so far. Several brake jobs, ball joints, tires, belt tensioner, plugs, wires, etc. the biggest problem so far was a check engine light that was a bitch to track down, ended up being a coil pack that was bad. During my research, it looked like it was a fairly common issue. It has the 3.0 v6, and gets 20-25 mpg, or better if it's all hwy. My wife drives to Dallas 3 days a week from north ft worth, and I still feel its a reliable car. It's never left us stranded.

[JC316]

I've never heard of anybody being happy with any Mazda. My dad has one that is a complete clap of shit. He's just a cheap ass like me and will drive it until the fucking wheels fall off.

I like Mazda. I have had two 626's that were nice and I loved my RX8, I was just scared of the engine repair cost.

[KBScobravert]

I was a Service Advisor for two Mazda dealers in 2003-2006 and have owned two 3's. Never heard of one being bought back from the customer. Never heard of an engine or trans being replaced at the dealership as a result of running problem (2 customer pay jobs from accidents that resulted in oil pan holes, no oil, still running). And never heard of a car catching fire as a result of factory work. Only buy back or engine jobs that were warranty were for the RX8 cause people buy them not knowing how to take care of the rotary engine.

For the miles and age of the car it better be a hell of a deal though.

[UserX]

Honda or Toyota > Mazda

[BLAKE]

Honda or Toyota > Mazda

I don't disagree, but the cars they make are boring as hell. The 3, 6, and CX lines are better looking and more fun to drive than their Honda/Toyota counterparts.