Mazda 6 or Tribute? Purchase questions

[Diehonda]

Early next year I am trading in my wife's DD for a Mazda. She is pushing for a 2005 or newer Tribute 4X4 because of the room, 4wd, and overall looks. I am pushing for a 2006 or newer Mazda 6 GT, because of being a V6, leather seats(she spills things so leather is required for either car, I watch her like a hawk in the P5), Bose streo, and overall sportiness.

Any pros and cons? Is the Tribute a rebadged Ford?

Any help is appreciated. Plan to get one in February.

Her car will not be modded beyond window tint.

 

[AtenzaNY62]

the v6 mazda6 is pretty much a ford inside, mazad outside too... its definitely fun to drive, have a lot of room for passengers... and also if you get the hatchback models the trunk space is huuuuuuuuuuuge especially if you put the backseats down, and definitely the gt version looks good with 18's leather etc. but the thing is, i didn't like the fuel economy when i had the 6... i drove around a lot so i spent like 70-80 dollars a week on gas and that was before the summer price was like 2.79/gallon for 87 octane... not sure about the tributes fuel economy

 

[BlackCherry06]

Are you looking strictly at pre-owned or is brand new a possiblity? If you decide on a 6, I'd wait for the new one to come out if that's possible (is her current car on it's last legs?)

If you want a Tribute, get a newly restyled 2008. They look much better this year.

 

[deadstock]

we got ourselves an 08 tribute. just stuck with the 4cyl awd. i like it a lot, very very capable in the snow. we had very bad snow fall here just a couple days ago and it was fun seeing cr-v's and muranos get stuck while i had no problem at all driving through fresh snow, even stopping in the middle of it. i would say tribute. theres a lot of safety technology behind the vehicle. It maybe a re badged ford (and yeah, i don't really like that) but theres a lot of Mazda behind it too and it's driven everyday and so far no problems whatsoever

 

[Diehonda]

Pre-owned only for her. Autotrader has a gang of them with 30K miles or less. She is not an enthusiast and only needs a to and from. I am buying new sometime next year once I see some of the new models in person.

 

[Diehonda]

What is the gas mileage on the V6 Mazda 6? Is there a site that has the MPG for used cars?

Also, are there any common concerns with the 6? Like how the P5 ignition coils or first cat goes out on many of them.

Thanks guys.

 

[zoomzone]

The Tribute is a Ford Escape, with some styling modifications, and I understand that it has a better warranty, but I don't know for sure.

If you are going for the 6, do you need the V6? The 2.3 has adequate power and the fuel mileage will be much better. The V6 is engineered by Ford, and the 2.3 is engineered by Mazda. Either way, the 6 is a great car, and Tribute owners come back to buy more Mazdas regularly. They seem to be happy overall.

I would go drive both of them and see what fits your needs the best. The 6 will be a lot more funto drive than the Tribute.

check out www.fueleconomy.gov

 

[Diehonda]

The Tribute is a Ford Escape, with some styling modifications, and I understand that it has a better warranty, but I don't know for sure.

If you are going for the 6, do you need the V6? The 2.3 has adequate power and the fuel mileage will be much better. The V6 is engineered by Ford, and the 2.3 is engineered by Mazda. Either way, the 6 is a great car, and Tribute owners come back to buy more Mazdas regularly. They seem to be happy overall.

I would go drive both of them and see what fits your needs the best. The 6 will be a lot more funto drive than the Tribute.

check out www.fueleconomy.gov

Thank you! (band2)

 

[P5w3kids]

Really depends on whether she wants an SUV or a car. I personally much prefer a car, but have learned not to pressure my wife into getting a different car than she really wants

For fuel economy info, my site has a real-world fuel economy survey that is more detailed than the EPA's:

Real-world fuel economy survey

 

[Diehonda]

Thanks!

My wife is now deciding between a 3 hatch and a 6. It is all coming down to color, leather or cloth, and availability at this point.

 

[BondoBob]

I'm probably late to the discussion, but the wife's vehicle is a dark grey 2003 Tribute. It's the high end version with AWD, leather, sunroof, V6 and all the good stuff. We originally leased it, but at the end she only had 32,000 miles on it (the mechanic doing the inspection thought I had replaced the brakes since they didn't show any wear - I had not) so we bought it with an extended Mazda warranty.

The Tribute is a better truck than the Escape. I'm not sure why that is since they come off the same assembly line, but my friend has a 2003 Escape and even they think the Trib is nicer.

The big V6 will cruise at 75MPH at under 2000RPM all day, too. Gets better mileage than my MP3 on a trip.