Mazda 6 info, looking to buy.

Hi All. We are looking at a 2004 Mazda 6 Sport, V-6, nice car, Bose, lots of stuff only no sunroof. For my daughter. It has 39,000 miles and is a clean lease return vehicle. We can get it for $12,000. Good Deal? Also, what kind of mileage do you get? Any problem areas? I'm not a Mazda virgin, we have a 97 Miata we love. I also have a74 Triumph TR-6 and a ^& Mustang Coupe.  Thanks,Perry

Yeah, that does sound like a pretty good deal. With the V6, you should get around 20-22 mpg in the city and about 27-28 on the highway. You will love the car. My family has two 6's and a 2006 Miata. You will not regret it if you buy the 6!

Would you be buying the car from a dealer or private party?  Also, check www.kbb.com to find out what it's worth depending on the options.

We're buying from an independent dealer, not a brand garage, We've bought 3 other cars from him and his cars are typically very good. Hope our daughter will love it. Better than her 95 Accoed with 180,000 and a hole in the muffler.
 
Perry

Just had to reply to this. We have a 2003 Mazda6s. Every option available. We even had home link installed at dealer. The car has 39,900 miles. It is my wife's car. Nice ride. Very quiet. Very smooth 6cyl. motor. Comfortable. Gas mileage: POOR. We set our cruise at 65mph going to North Dakota and back. Best mileage was 25.4. This car has a 5-speed automatic. That 5th speed needs to be taller. This car should get 30mpg. We get around 20-21 for our combined driving. About 60%-70% highway miles. We are going to sell this car next spring. If we are going to drive a small/midsize car, we expect OVER 30mpg. Too bad we get such poor mileage. I know that mileage is not the best reason to get rid of a car but it irritates me that Mazda wouldn't allow that 5th gear to be high enough to get at least 30mpg.
 

That is why the 2005 and later models have a 6 speed automatic transmission.

"This car should get 30mpg."
 
Show me 1 car out there that has 220 hp and a V6 that gets 30 mpg.....hint...there aren't any.

quote:

That is why the 2005 and later models have a 6 speed automatic transmission.

I have a 6i 5-door 2005 and I do not have a 6speed a/t.  I wish though...

I have an '06 Mazda 6S and I do wish that the fuel economy was better.  But after doing a side-by-side comarison between the Mazda and its competition (http://www.fueleconomy.gov/), it seems that while the economy is not greatest, it is certanly not the worst and compares well to similar vehicles.  The one thing that puzzled me is that the V6 Ford Fusion/Mercury Millan had slightly better milage than the Mazda and they share the same engine!  Maybe it's the transmissions.

quote:

ORIGINAL: sstlaure

"This car should get 30mpg."

Show me 1 car out there that has 220 hp and a V6 that gets 30 mpg.....hint...there aren't any.

 
I don't know what planet you are on but there are a lot of mid-size V-6 cars that get 30mpg.
i.e.:
Buick LaCrosse 30mpg
BMW 525i        30mpg
BMW 530i        30mpg
Chevrolet Monte Carlo   31mpg
Chrysler Sebring     30mpg
Honda Accord       30mpg
Kia Optima            30-34mpg
Lexus ES350          30mpg
Pontiac Grand Prix   30mpg
Saturn Aura            30mpg
Toyota Camry         31mpg
 
I had an Oldsmobile 88 that got 30mpg
 
The gas mileage on the Mazda6 stinks
I WILL BE SELLING THE CAR NEXT SPRING!!!!
 

Not sure where your data came from, but here are their mileage ratings according to the above link...I don't see a 30 in the bunch....I get average around 30 out of my 2.0L, 4-cyl, 5-speed stick mazda3
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/      City/Hwy
 
Buick LaCrosse  17/27     not 30
BMW 525i         18/28     not 30
BMW 530i         18/28     not 30mpg
Chevrolet Monte Carlo   19/29   not 31mpg
Chrysler Sebring     19/27    not 30mpg
Honda Accord       18/27    not 30mpg
Kia Optima            20/28    not 30-34mpg
Lexus ES350          19/27    not 30mpg (and it requires premium gas)
Pontiac Grand Prix   18/28    not 30mpg
Saturn Aura            17/26    not 30mpg
Toyota Camry        19/28    not 31mpg

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the EPA change the way it estimates gas mileage this year?  If I remember correctly, the new method reduces the previous estimate by 1-2 gallons based on the car (to be more in line with realistic driving conditions), so maybe that accounts for the discrepancy in that list of cars vs. their current EPA rating.

EPA estimates are still based on a test that is performed which SIMULATES real world driving conditions, both city and highway.  It doesn't account for people running their AC, or speeding, or driving hard, and it doesn't estimate a real world AVERAGE mpg, which is what everyone actually records.
 
I've got a 2000 Taurus with 97,000 miles on it...It averages 23/24 with me driving normally, but if I slow down to 70 mph on the freeway, I can get upwards of 27 mpg...if I drive all local roads, it goes down into the lower 20's.  My wife's Mazda6 Sportwagon averages around 22 mpg, with 18" wheels/tires, which I feel if perfectly acceptable for the size engine/car.
 
If you want a car that gets >30 mpg on an average tank basis, you have to look at 4-cylinder equipped vehicles that have around 150 hp and weigh around 2600-2800 lbs.  This goes for all manufacturers.
 
I added the average mpg (based on 50/50 hwy/city driving)...I don't think his numbers were based on any kind of data whatsoever.
 
Buick LaCrosse  17/27     average 22 not 30
BMW 525i         18/28     average 23 not 30
BMW 530i         18/28     average 23 not 30mpg
Chevrolet Monte Carlo   19/29   average 24 not 31 mpg
Chrysler Sebring     19/27    average 23 not 30 mpg
Honda Accord       18/27    average 22.5 not 30 mpg
Kia Optima            20/28    average 24 not 30-34 mpg
Lexus ES350          19/27    average 23 not 30 mpg (and it requires premium gas)
Pontiac Grand Prix   18/28    average 23 not 30mpg
Saturn Aura            17/26    average 21.5 not 30mpg
Toyota Camry        19/28    average 23.5 not 31mpg

??????????
I am a little perplexed at your reply. I don't understand it. Your reply says look under
www.fueleconomy.gov
That is where I got my figures from.
Page 8 and Page 9 have mid-size cars.
My figures were from the 2007 edition.
All figures were lowered for the 2008 edition.
The Mazda 6s was lowered from 27 to 25 highway.
I am looking at page 8 and page 9 of the 2007 edition.
That is where I got my figures from.
Please explain where your figures are coming from.
thanks

I was just looking at your figures. I see you are talking about "AVERAGE" economy. When I started my thread, I said that my BEST fuel economy at 65mph was 25.4mpg. I was not talking about "AVERAGE". I still think 25.4 highway is POOR for a mid-size auto. Looking at PEAK highway mileage is what I compare vehicles against. City driving is too sporatic to bother checking. Sometimes you are in heavy traffic. Sometimes not. A steady 400 mile trip or longer is the only way to compare mileage. Look at all of Mazda's competitors highway mileage. Most are better. The Mazda6s that I have is a great car. It is amazingly quiet on the highway. It handles great. It is the best looking mid-size car by far. Its only drawback is its fuel economy. Mazda should have made its 5th gear (or 6th in newer cars) much taller. The mileage is POOR.
 

I was using the 2008 figures, clicked on each car to get the highway/city ratings.  If you had purchased your 6 with the 4-cylinder w/5-speed, you would be getting 30 mpg on the freeway.  The mileage figures are clearly displayed on the vehicles when you buy them (or did you purchase used?)   

Sounds like maybe you didn't do the research into the vehicle prior to purchase.  You obviously rate ">30 mpg" much higher in importance than "looks, handling, & interior quietness"  Had you purchased a 6 with the 4-cylinder you would be completely pleased with the car, but might complain about a lack of power.....not sure where acceleration places in order of importance for you.

Bottom line is that if mileage is your most important characteristic, go with a 4-cylinder & a manual transmission.  I've gotten as high as 35 mpg out of my 3, even with driving 75mph. 

I think that with the current price of gas, we are all a bit more conscious of fuel ecconomy (ah, remember the good old days of $0.99 gas?  Seems like only yesterday...).  And with that in mind, I would hope that Ford/Mazda and other manufactures will put out more efficient engine designs in the future (well ther are new gov. requirements so I guess the auto makers have no choice but to be efficient).  Perhaps it's time for a Mazda6 Hybrid?

I thought a replied before but it did not seem to work. Sorry. My reply said that sstlaure with over 1500 posts missed the point of the thread in the first place. The thread was started as a question of pros and cons of the Mazda6. I said there were many pros. The only CON was the gas mileage. For that size of a car, it is POOR. 25mpg is poor for that size of a car. 93greenstrat mentioned that $.99 per gallon seemed like yesterday. Maybe the person shopping might find gas mileage more important. Looking at  www.fueleconomy.gov  there are many mid-size cars getting better mileage than the Mazda6s. Get over the fact that it gets POOR mileage and be happy that it is a nice car. I still think Mazda could put in a taller final gear to get better mileage. It ruins what could have been an almost perfect car.
 

25 mpg is Average for that size car with that size powerplant. 
 
I did not miss the point of the thread.  I did disagree with your opinion that 25 mpg is Poor mileage for a mid-size car.  I then presented data which supports my point.  I provided the link to the data used.  I also stated that if you wanted the desired mileage (around 30 mpg) out of this size of car (of any brand), opt to purchase the 4-cylinder with the 5-speed stick-shift.

One last reply before I quit beating a dead horse. My daughter has a Toyota Avalon with a V6. They got 30mpg on their trip to Wisconsin Dells and back. My golfing friend has a new Hyundai Sonata with a V6. He got 31mpg on his trip to North Dakota and back. My brother has a Buick LeSabre and got 31mpg coming from Columbus, Ohio. I consistently got 30+ on my 1990 and 1996 Oldsmobiles. I got 27.6 on my 2000 Chrysler LHS going to Arkansas. My 2003 Corvette got 28.6 combined on a trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky in June. The Vettes with the 6-speed do better. My 2003 Mazda6 got 25.4 on a trip to Bismarck, ND last spring. Those are real world gas mileages. Notice: the Mazda6 was the worst of the bunch.
P.S.: ANYONE can look at the 2007 figures on  www.fueleconomy.gov  
Notice that there are a LOT of cars in that report that get 30mpg on the highway. There is no controversy.

I have a 2003 Mazda 6i (4 cyl) and it also gets terrible gas milage w/ 90% city driving I got 17.5mpg on the last 80 miles in the city. And that really sucks.

I have a '05 M6s (V6) 5Dr. I have to agree with most of the people on this thread, the gas mileage sucks. However, I love everything else about this car, and that (for me at least) more than makes up for that one lacking area.
 
-Cameron Keffer

quote:

ORIGINAL: larryjay57

I have a 2003 Mazda 6i (4 cyl) and it also gets terrible gas milage w/ 90% city driving I got 17.5mpg on the last 80 miles in the city. And that really sucks.

 
I averaged right around 27-28 mpg on all of the 4-cyl Mazda6's I drove (and I drove a ton of them as I was on the development team for the North American launch of the Mazda6)  If you're only getting 17-18 mpg out of a 4-cylinder either there is something wrong with your car or you are real hard on the acceleration.

Just for comparison, the 2002 V6 Mazda 626 (170hp) and the Mazda6 S (220hp, 2003 model) both have an average 20MPG.  I guess Mazda sedans are not renown for having great fuel ecconomy.  The 2003 Ford Taurus (which uses the same Duratec V6 engine @ 200hp) got 21MPG.