i am considering getting one either that or a 3 or CX5 - i tried the CX5 already but may just go to a sedan

 

I bought my first Mazda about a year ago (2006 6S) for my daughter.A Mazda was never on my radar screen but I was immediately impressed with the ride and especially the handling. I was a little concerned about the Ford inbreeding but the Duratec V6 has a pretty solid reputation and the Aisin six speed automatic is a widely used tranny.I bought the car with 89K on it and have had no issues to date.I do not do any mods, etc.- just maintenance.Mod time/money goes into my Corvette.
I was so impressed with the 2006 that I replaced my Camry with a 2005 6S.I got it very cheap and have had a similar experience over the nine months that I’ve owned it.
I do have specific, minor gripes but the good outweighs the not so good.They are not perfect (no car is) but I would put the 6 up against any other car in its class.

 

i'll think about the 6 but still am liking the CX5 - it was fun to drive. Just have to determine if it's comfy enough

 

a lot depends on what car you are replacing. we have 2 99 millenias. both with 2.3 miller cycle, 4spd auto trans. i was going to replace them around 2005, and i test drove a 6. there are some things i like to have in a car. one is power, and the 230(?) hp of the 6 paled in comparison to the 210 of the millenia. the 6 spd trans was just too busy, shifting all over the place, and the engine made a lot of noise, but there was just no power. when entering the freeway, the trans shifted down at least 3 spds, made a helluva lot of noise, but just barely got up to speed. it seemed like the 6 was at 50 where the millenia would be approaching 80. at speeds of 35-50 mph, the transmission was shifting all over the place. up, down, up, down. i dunno what the torque ratings of the engine is, but it must be tiny, and max torque must be way up around 4800 rpm. the millenia gets 210 ft/lbs at about 3000, and it is very flat to about 5500. we also had the 6 as a rent car a couple times later, and living with the car for several days convinced me to look elsewhere. we still have the millenias, and we recently leased a mazda 3, 2.0 base, 5 spd automatic. i think the power of the 3 is better than what the 6 was. of course, the millenia will suck the doors off either car. the 6 handles better than the millenia, but on a long trip, the 6 is not near as comfortable.