anyone drive a Mazda 6??

[Craptacular]

As a few of you may have seen on Ben's board a couple of weeks ago, I've been looking for a new wagon. My wife and I ended up leaning towards the Mazda 6. When they bumped up the rebate from $2000 to $4000 on remaining 04s last week, that pretty much sealed the deal. I haven't bought it yet, but have already negotiated a price and will likely get it on Saturday. Anyone out there that owns one or has driven one (even if it's the sedan version)? I've done a lot of searching, and really haven't found any poor reviews. Yeah, as with every car, there are a few things that aren't wonderful, but all in all, it looks like the best car for a younger couple who wants something fun to drive, but can still haul a dog or two (and eventually kids) around. I appreciated the comments last year when I ended up buying a Hyundai Elantra, so I thought check with the peanut gallery again. Thanks in advance.

[Pyser]

i worked on a couple mazda commercials over the summer, so i got to drive just about every mazda car they make right now, on a dry lakebed (nothing to hit for about 10 miles in every direction).

i was basically just moving the cars around from one location to the other, and "road" wasnt exactly smooth, but the 6 was fun to drive. certainly more power than the 3, and the 8 isnt really practical if you need to move more than yourself and a bag of lunch. i thought the cars were pretty well put together (and saw them all taken apart so that cameras could be attached to just about everything). wasnt as cheaply made as i thought it would be.

as a bonus, i was taught how to drive stick, since again, there was nothing to hit, and the cars werent going to be sold (basically spec cars just for commercials, lots of features werent even plugged in). the cars had some nice muscle behind them, i felt.

so, even though i drove the car in a completely useless way, and never on a paved road, i give it a

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Craptacular

As a few of you may have seen on Ben's board a couple of weeks ago, I've been looking for a new wagon. My wife and I ended up leaning towards the Mazda 6. When they bumped up the rebate from $2000 to $4000 on remaining 04s last week, that pretty much sealed the deal. I haven't bought it yet, but have already negotiated a price and will likely get it on Saturday. Anyone out there that owns one or has driven one (even if it's the sedan version)? I've done a lot of searching, and really haven't found any poor reviews. Yeah, as with every car, there are a few things that aren't wonderful, but all in all, it looks like the best car for a younger couple who wants something fun to drive, but can still haul a dog or two (and eventually kids) around. I appreciated the comments last year when I ended up buying a Hyundai Elantra, so I thought check with the peanut gallery again. Thanks in advance.

The Mazda 6 is a great car. I don't own one but the wife and I are considering one for our next car. I'd go on, but the kid is making it difficult to type.

[ISiddiqui]

Yep, I've driven one as a rental when my car was in the shop. GREAT drive. The dashboard and console looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. If I had the cash, I'd get one myself.

Oh, it was the sedan, btw.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Yep, I've driven one as a rental when my car was in the shop. GREAT drive. The dashboard and console looks like it belongs in a much more expensive car. If I had the cash, I'd get one myself.

Oh, it was the sedan, btw.

Yes, I rented a sedan as well. That is my only personal experience. It is pretty much the new incarnation of the 626, which was also a great car. My wife's cousin drove one of those(626) for years. When she was about nine months pregnant, she was in an accident. She was T-boned by another car on a country road, her car rolled three times. Aside from the requisite bumps and bruises, she was completely unhurt. They make a very nice car.

[tategter]

I have a 2004 Mazda 6 sedan (v6 automatic with the sports package) and my wife and I really enjoy it. I really only have two complaints: the turn radius stinks (my Ram 1500 has a tighter turn radius) and gas mileage. Other than that I think the Mazda engineers did a great job making the car a reliable person-friendly vehicle.

Oh, and it can move pretty well for a small sedan too. On a recent trip from Florida to DC I had the cruise control at 85 and there were no problems with handling. The 220hp engine has gotten me out of a few scrapes around town as well (mostly with post-hurricane debris and dodging out-of-state contractor vehicles).

[Ramzavail]

What is the avg. mileage you get per gallon?

[tategter]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

What is the avg. mileage you get per gallon?

I drive about half city half highway and get around 21-24mpg. Somewhere online I read that the mpg gets better after a while but I haven't seen it. Currently at around 12,000 on the odometer.

[Ramzavail]

I guess thats not awful...but it should be better.

[tategter]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

I guess thats not awful...but it should be better.

My 97' 3000GT SL got better gas mileage. You'd think the techology for v6 engines would have gotten better in 7 years.

All-in-all an impressive vehicle, but I feel it at the pump and in tight parking lots where I can't turn as well as I would like.

[Craptacular]

Thanks for the info. I was a little worried about the gas mileage, as it certainly could be better. For now at least, it will be the third (ie., non-commuting) car, until we get rid of my wife's car. Then she'll usually take the Elantra, and I'll get the wagon. She generally puts a lot more miles on her car. That's one of the reasons we got the Elantra, so it will take a little longer to void the basic and powertrain warranties once she starts using it regularly.

I actually did notice the large turning radius when I was comparing a dozen or so vehicles on Edmunds. I'll have to keep that in mind when we go shopping.