Who out there drives a Mazda?

**cyfan964** · 09-26-2010, 04:52 PM

My Saab finally breathed its last breath. I'm in the market for a new (used) car and really like the looks of the Mazda 6. Anyone out there have any experience with them good or bad? I live in Ames and had a hard time finding someone that could work on my Saab, I'm assuming Mazda's are easier to work on? What about replacement part costs?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

**dmclone** · 09-26-2010, 04:58 PM

I have a 09 Mazdaspeed 3. I don't think the low number of miles that I have can say anything about reliability. I've owned 15+ imports and here are my thoughts.

I would put Mazda's about mid-pack when it comes to import quality. Similar to Nissan but a step below Honda and Toyota. Mazda's usually are sportier on the average and the 6 is very nice. One thing is for sure, a Mazda is going to be a lot more reliable and cheaper to work on than a Saab.

**JUKEBOX** · 09-26-2010, 05:05 PM

This guy might drive a Mazda.. I not for sure though...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RDAz2z6hpI]YouTube - Man with BAT in BOSTON, jumped by 7 guys[/ame]

**BKLYNCyclone** · 09-26-2010, 05:17 PM

Maybe things have changed recently, but when we were looking the Mazdas all seemed to be overpriced. We stuck with toyota because for the money, we thought we did better. (That being said, I really do like the way the Mazda's look)

**is09span** · 09-26-2010, 05:36 PM

i drive a mazda tribute. an suv like a ford escape. i love it

**isustud07** · 09-26-2010, 05:48 PM

Ramsey Mazda in urbandale has great service...if you're looking at Mazda's go check 'em out there. I've had good experiences there. Good Luck though, I always hate car shopping; never can make up my mind!

**Cyhops** · 09-26-2010, 05:54 PM

Had a 626 and drove to 130k when the transmission went. Got a sentra, totaled it and replaced it with a 3. Good sporty cars. Parts tend to be grouped I hear but this only happened once with us. I tried to buy american but all comparable cars were overpriced to the mazda.

**dmclone** · 09-26-2010, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by isustud07

Ramsey Mazda in urbandale has great service...if you're looking at Mazda's go check 'em out there. I've had good experiences there. Good Luck though, I always hate car shopping; never can make up my mind!

I agree with the service part but I saved about $1,200 by buying from Woodhouse Mazda in Omaha.

**bstegs** · 09-26-2010, 06:52 PM

Mazda is partially owned by Ford and my Mazda6 has quite a few Ford parts including the engine and transmission. My warranty is also backed by Ford.

**ISUcy08** · 09-26-2010, 07:15 PM

My wife has a Mazda 3. Very good gas mileage, but I don't care for it. The thing I don't care for are the low profile tires. Bumpy ride and they are expensive. Ours are $130 bucks a piece and we had to replace all four. She likes it because it's "cute". I would have picked something else for her, but her dad let pick whatever she wanted for a grad present. We made it from Indianola to KC, drove around a little down there, and half way back on a tank of gas. About 300 miles and it only costs around $30 bucks to fill her tank.

**Sousaclone** · 09-26-2010, 07:42 PM

I've got an '04 Mazda3. It's only got 45-50k miles on it(didn't drive it a lot in school and my commute now is a whopping 4 miles round trip). Only mechanical issue so far is that the right turn signal doesn't automatically shut off when you bring the wheel back to center after making a turn. Oh, and there's an occasional rattle in the passenger door but I think that's from when I got my tint installed.

Pro's
-Fun to drive IMO.
-Get's good highway mileage, although it would be even better with another gear IMO (it's a 4 speed auto)
-Can fit a lot of stuff in the hatch with the seats fold down. I've hauled 8' 2x4s with all doors and windows closed.
-Good power around town. Never have to really get on it to get it going anywhere.

Cons:
-Horrible in town mileage for me. I get 20 mpg on a good week. Would help if my commute wasn't 2 miles one way with 5 stop lights.
-Rides kind of stiff. Lower profile tires don't help this at all.
-All black interior + huge windshield = oven in the summer. Also, black interior shows lots of dirt.
-Kind of small in the back seat. Especially if the driver is 6' or above.
-Stock tires sucked in the snow and I mean sucked. Had to get snow tires otherwise it sucked.

Would I buy one again? Personally, no. I like the car but I don't think I'll buy another one. Would I tell someone not to buy one? Nope. It's a good car so far.

**cycloneML** · 09-26-2010, 08:19 PM

how was your experience with the saab?

**cyfan964** · 09-26-2010, 10:34 PM

Originally Posted by cycloneML

how was your experience with the saab?

I bought the Saab with 80,000 miles on it. It made it to just unde 140,000. It was a great car for me. The only thing I ever had go wrong on it was the timing belt went out and just now when it quit on me the turbo went out and it was more expensive to fix the turbo than the car was worth.

It got excellent gas mileage and had all the amenities. Parts were kinda pricey, but I would buy a newer one if there was a place in Ames to get them worked on.