I'll start off by giving some background on me. I'm a college student who has owned a 2001 Grand Prix GT and now currently owns a 2002 Maxima SE. I was convinced my Maxima had a bad trans (4spd auto) after a couple times the car would not shift right away, as in it wouldn't shift into 2nd unless you let off the gas. It did this a couple of times. So I bought a used trans with 70k miles to replace mine with. However, yesterday I floored the car and I could not get it to act up, shifted just fine. So basically I bought the trans for nothing. My car has a good amount of rust, and the radiator support has a massive rust hole in it. As much as I love the car, I don't think owning it would be for the best, so I want to sell it and buy something else.

As much as I'd like to stick with Nissan, there aren't any in my price range since I really want a manual. I only want to spend $2500, or what I plan to get for my car. I've been finding a lot of Mazda 3's and 6's for that price with manuals. I'm currently messaging a guy selling a 2004 Mazda 6 with a 5spd. Here's the link:

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto...534902019.html

The price is less than what my budget is, so that will leave room if it needs repairs, or if I put different wheels on because those stock ones aren't cutting it for me. I did some researching about common issues and the only thing that really stood out was the rear brakes, but are there any major engine or trans problems? I know how to work on my own car, so depending on the complexity of the repair I would do it myself. I just need something I don't have to worry about and can trust to take me long distances. Any input would be great, thanks

Also, what are the common rust spots on this car? I asked the guy and he said the rear quarter panels have some rust, but I can't see any in the pictures. Having a car with no no visible body rust is important to me, so I'd like to know where to look for rust. The Maxima's are notorious for having radiator support rust, is it common for any structural support of this car to have major rot?

 

I had a 2001 Maxima and replaced the shift sensor and never had a problem after. Mazda makes a good car on par or better than Honda and Toyota. Nissan just isn't as good as it was in the 1990s.

 

https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto...543661322.html

First one isn't gonna work out, then I found this one. I'm going to look at it on Friday hopefully. I spoke to the lady and she gave me a lot of info. Two things stood out though.
1. She said the clutch grabs kind of late, like 3/4 of the way. She said it happened before and after the clutch was replaced, so it could just be a Mazda thing, but I have no idea
2. She said it makes a rattle noise every once in awhile. Didn't say if it came from the engine or not, but that has me pretty skecthed out. Last thing I need is engine problems

I can still go look at it, but if you guys thing it's a bust, I'll pass on it

 

I had a 2004 Mazda 6S auto that I sold a few years back. I put 180,000 miles on it and with a quick internet search. I found that it was recently resold with over 300,000 miles.

It was a great car with few problems. The only complaint I ever had was the 6 coils went up one at a time for around $250.00 each. It would have been cheaper to replace all at once.

I also had a mechanic that did not change the oil once or twice when I paid for an oil change. While it was not low enough for the light to come on, I could hear the sounds of the engine running dry. This makes the 300,000 plus miles quite an accomplishment.

It was a great car that I would love to still own.

I can't comment on a specific car that I have not seen, but I loved my Mazda6.