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GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,776
31
81
Originally posted by: tennisflip
Nobody here likes the 4-door version?

I think I prefer it to the 5-door. Not 100% sure though. The 5-door DOES have a little more interior and storage space.
 

rpc64

Platinum Member
Jan 5, 2002
2,135
0
0
Originally posted by: jOjO316
My 6

theres my baby...

That's a nice pic.

It's funny how almost everyone in this thread has the 5 door but the majority of the ones I see on the road are 4 doors.
 

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
3,197
0
0
image1
image2

I've had this car for 2 weeks and I'm still totally impressed with it. I just got back from a long trip and the car is simply awesome to drive. It's great to see economy cars getting such attention from the design teams also.
 

joeryu

Golden Member
Sep 14, 2000
1,678
0
0
Originally posted by: conjur
Originally posted by: jOjO316
My 6

theres my baby...

Looks like mine...minus the wing.


yea i was planning on getting the spoiler, but the non spoiler look has definitely grown on me... i had the non sports package but cause of an accident (got rear ended on the freeway) i was able to get all new bumpers so i got the sport package bumpers..the car looks SOO much nicer with them
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,403
8,199
126
I've got a 5 door w/ 5 speed, HID's, leather, 6 disk CD, moonroof and TPMS.

I've got 800 miles on the odo at the moment and will be driving it for an 1800 mile trip starting tomorrow.

I had to take it into the shop the day after I bought it to have the cruise control worked on and the Tire pressure system looked at. The cruise was bad because some relay or contact thing in the electrical wiring of the breaks had half as many contacts and necessary and was shorting out the cruise control system. They had it fixed in under an hour.

For the TPMS, they had to reset the light because all tires were in spec but it was still lit up.

I'm still holding out on milage estimates. I've got about 340 miles in mixed driving out of 11.5 gallons of fuel. When the light comes on, there is still about 3 gallons left in the tank. So far milage has been above what I've expected.

It's a fun little car. My biggest complaints with it are the following -

- Fairly weak stock stereo without much room for upgrading it. No good way to install satellite radio either.

- Support arm to hold up hood doesn't snap into place and flops around in the engine bay

- Engine seams to run INCREDIBLY hot. Grabbing the support arm to prop the hood almost put a blister on my finger. The temp in the engine bay is intense. I'm scared to see what happens when I get down to Phoenix

- Getting screwed in oil changes - it takes a special oil cartridge that isn't available in retail stores (autozone, napa, ect), takes a special tool to change it, and had lots of little screws to get the cartridge out. Requires going to the dealer for a change.

Besides those, it's been a blast to drive and gets lots of looks and lots of comments.
 

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,776
31
81
Originally posted by: vi_edit
I've got a 5 door w/ 5 speed, HID's, leather, 6 disk CD, moonroof and TPMS.

I've got 800 miles on the odo at the moment and will be driving it for an 1800 mile trip starting tomorrow.

I had to take it into the shop the day after I bought it to have the cruise control worked on and the Tire pressure system looked at. The cruise was bad because some relay or contact thing in the electrical wiring of the breaks had half as many contacts and necessary and was shorting out the cruise control system. They had it fixed in under an hour.

For the TPMS, they had to reset the light because all tires were in spec but it was still lit up.

I'm still holding out on milage estimates. I've got about 340 miles in mixed driving out of 11.5 gallons of fuel. When the light comes on, there is still about 3 gallons left in the tank. So far milage has been above what I've expected.

It's a fun little car. My biggest complaints with it are the following -

- Fairly weak stock stereo without much room for upgrading it. No good way to install satellite radio either.

- Support arm to hold up hood doesn't snap into place and flops around in the engine bay

- Engine seams to run INCREDIBLY hot. Grabbing the support arm to prop the hood almost put a blister on my finger. The temp in the engine bay is intense. I'm scared to see what happens when I get down to Phoenix

- Getting screwed in oil changes - it takes a special oil cartridge that isn't available in retail stores (autozone, napa, ect), takes a special tool to change it, and had lots of little screws to get the cartridge out. Requires going to the dealer for a change.

Besides those, it's been a blast to drive and gets lots of looks and lots of comments.

Thanks for the info! I like to change my own oil, so that's a biggie for me. Hmmm...
 

43st

Diamond Member
Nov 7, 2001
3,197
0
0
I have 900 miles on mine have not had any issues (aside from Mazda not sending the MSO). My build date is 3/04, I've heard some of the late 03 models had some slight build issues.

The oil cartridge can be swapped out for a spin on design. Mazda6tech has instructions on changing it out. I haven't even looked at my filter yet so I can't personally comment on it. In time the filter will be available in all stores, it's still a pretty new car after all.

I don't have anything bad to say about the car. It's a good driver with good gas mileage (30+ MPG for the 2.3). Even my hood support arm seems to stay in place.

My only complaint is that the engine is far too quiet. I'm still having small issues with shifting at the right time because I totally can't hear the engine. The cabin noise is also dramatically lower than with the older Protegé.
 

d0ofy

Golden Member
Oct 11, 1999
1,404
0
0
You can buy the cartridge filter and O-rings from the dealer and do the change yourself. The only special tool you'll need is an allan wrench to get the cartridge off. There is a tutorial out there that shows how to convert the cartridge setup to the standard screw-on type.
 

conjur

No Lifer
Jun 7, 2001
58,686
3
0
Originally posted by: jOjO316
Originally posted by: conjur
Originally posted by: jOjO316
My 6

theres my baby...

Looks like mine...minus the wing.


yea i was planning on getting the spoiler, but the non spoiler look has definitely grown on me... i had the non sports package but cause of an accident (got rear ended on the freeway) i was able to get all new bumpers so i got the sport package bumpers..the car looks SOO much nicer with them

Yeah. I do like the looks of them. My sister bought a white 6 right after I bought mine and she doesn't have the 1SE pkg (mine was the last the dealer had on the lot w/that pkg) and it does still look nice. Mazda's just done a great job on their designs.

I just wish I could have had that red paint the 3 and the RX-8 offer. W:QW! What a paint job!
 

Confused

Elite Member
Nov 13, 2000
14,166
0
0
I'm seriously temped to buy a 6 TS2. I've seen some 6's on the road, and have fallen in love with the styling of them. However...I can't yet justify spending ~£17k on a brand new car when the car i've got (1997 Mitsubishi Carisma) is still working fine...touch decision! Every time I go past a Mazda dealership, I have to stop myself pulling over and going and signing on the dotted line for one!!


Confused
 

Kev

Lifer
Dec 17, 2001
16,367
4
81
to the mazda 3 owners, what other cars did you also consider when you were car shopping?

i'm getting new wheels in a few weeks, yay!!
 
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