Speed6 overall reliability...

[unclejemima]

Hi all,
If you had to rate the speed6 on a reliability scale...
10 being a honda civic
1 being a Renault LeCar

how would you rate the speed6? I hear the 07 vs 06 has a better clutch (longer lasting???) and better fuel pump, and less prone to blow up (???) but how does this car really compare.

I've owned honda's and toyotas my whole life, and i'm used to doing nothing but changing the oil, and thats about it, 250K miles, its barely broken in!! MABEY every 100k+ miles i'll swap the clutch, and thats with bagging the crap out of the car every day of its life.

What is the speed6 like to live with as a daily driver. Its sound very practical, but is it reliable as the proverbial "steel ball"? Whats the highest mileage speed6 on this forum?

Thanks kindly guys, i appreciate the advice,(bowdown)(bowdown)(bowdown)
-mark

 

[the gamper]

I have a 2006 MS6 with 28K miles on it. It has been pretty reliable. I had the clutch TSB performed, but that was by choice as the original clutch was working properly. Two computer reflashes. Problem with my Sirrius, but that is not really Mazda's fault. One CEL that required a steering repair.

Everything is going great otherwise.

 

[Wintermute]

Hi all,
If you had to rate the speed6 on a reliability scale...
10 being a honda civic
1 being a Renault LeCar

how would you rate the speed6? I hear the 07 vs 06 has a better clutch (longer lasting???) and better fuel pump, and less prone to blow up (???) but how does this car really compare.

I've owned honda's and toyotas my whole life, and i'm used to doing nothing but changing the oil, and thats about it, 250K miles, its barely broken in!! MABEY every 100k+ miles i'll swap the clutch, and thats with bagging the crap out of the car every day of its life.

What is the speed6 like to live with as a daily driver. Its sound very practical, but is it reliable as the proverbial "steel ball"? Whats the highest mileage speed6 on this forum?

Thanks kindly guys, i appreciate the advice,(bowdown)(bowdown)(bowdown)
-mark

Well I haven't had my MS6 very long so I can't comment on reliability, but I can give you my impressions of it as a daily driver. In a word: Exceptional. I do a lot of highway driving to/from work and the power the MS6 has really helps deal with heavy traffic. I never have any worries about merging or getting around other cars. In fact I feel a bit like a barracuda among a sea of big slow fish. And it's comfortable. The seats are great and I can spend a long time in them without getting fatigued. It's a easy car to drive (though with any manual stop and go traffic can be tedious). It's noisier at speed than something like an Accord or Camery might be (I don't know, I've never driven either) but you can easily hold a conversation without raising your voice.

As for the difference between the 06 and 07 clutch, all that means is that the 07 comes with the clutch fix with on the 06 it as a TSB. Basically just made the clutch easier to operate. I doubt there is any difference in the clutch itself on either car. Any newer model car will almost always have small tweaks that fix problems with the previous version so there may be some small changes between the cars. However if you're not planning on modding the hell out of your MS6 I doubt you would ever know the difference between an 06 MS6 with all the TSBs done vs. an 07.

Be aware that with the MS6 you are buying a high-performance, near-luxury car so while you will have better reliability than say BMW, Audi, or VW, it will probably not be as good as a run of the mill Honda, Toyota, or Lexus. The MS6 has AWD, limited-slip rear diff, turbo, and intercooler and no matter how well made more parts = more points of failure. That being said, the feeling I get talking to other Mazda owners is that it is on the lower end of the Japanese totem pole for reliability, but above the US and European makers. So overall, pretty good.

 

[Rawyzf]

29K, no issues at all.

 

[unclejemima]

Well I haven't had my MS6 very long so I can't comment on reliability, but I can give you my impressions of it as a daily driver. In a word: Exceptional. I do a lot of highway driving to/from work and the power the MS6 has really helps deal with heavy traffic. I never have any worries about merging or getting around other cars. In fact I feel a bit like a barracuda among a sea of big slow fish. And it's comfortable. The seats are great and I can spend a long time in them without getting fatigued. It's a easy car to drive (though with any manual stop and go traffic can be tedious). It's noisier at speed than something like an Accord or Camery might be (I don't know, I've never driven either) but you can easily hold a conversation without raising your voice.

As for the difference between the 06 and 07 clutch, all that means is that the 07 comes with the clutch fix with on the 06 it as a TSB. I doubt there is any difference in the clutch itself on either car. However if you're not planning on modding the hell out of your MS6 I doubt you would ever know the difference between an 06 MS6 with all the TSBs done vs. an 07.

Be aware that with the MS6 you are buying a high-performance, near-luxury car so while you will have better reliability than say BMW, Audi, or VW, it will probably not be as good as a run of the mill Honda, Toyota, or Lexus. That being said, the feeling I get talking to other Mazda owners is that it is on the lower end of the Japanese totem pole for reliability, but above the US and European makers. So overall, pretty good.

Well said! Thats what i was looking for, and what i kind of expected. I guess as long as you have a good warranty, there is nothing to worry about. The clutch is the only thing that bothers me, perhaps only because it would NOT be covered under warranty because it is a "wear" item.

Keep the post coming guys, and from what i can gather, you would rate it about a 7 or 8 out of 10? Does that sound reasonable? PS, i plan on keeping the car BONE stock for its life. Will i have to worry about the turbo seals if i dont mod the air intake? Thats pretty much the only other thing that seems to be an issue with the speed6, minus the clutch thing, is that right?

Thanks(cheers)(thumb)
-mark

 

[Killer]

15k all clear.

 

[Wintermute]

Well said! Thats what i was looking for, and what i kind of expected. I guess as long as you have a good warranty, there is nothing to worry about. The clutch is the only thing that bothers me, perhaps only because it would NOT be covered under warranty because it is a "wear" item.

Keep the post coming guys, and from what i can gather, you would rate it about a 7 or 8 out of 10? Does that sound reasonable? PS, i plan on keeping the car BONE stock for its life. Will i have to worry about the turbo seals if i dont mod the air intake? Thats pretty much the only other thing that seems to be an issue with the speed6, minus the clutch thing, is that right?

Thanks(cheers)(thumb)
-mark

Thank you, I do try my best. And don't get caught up on the clutch. A new clutch is moderately expensive, but far from the worst thing to replace on a car. As long as you know how to drive without slipping the clutch all the time you should be fine for a long time. I've seen a new clutch run about $500 for a replacement. The clutch would be covered under the warranty if it fails or is not working properly, however.

I would give the car a 7.5 out of 10 based on my conversations with other Mazda owners. I am erring on the side of caution as I do not have direct experience to draw from, so in a year I might bump that up if I experience no problems.

Just get yourself a low-mileage 06 or a new 07 they are trying to clear out. Oh and as a side note, the 06 has a 4 year, 50k mile warranty while i believe that the 07 has only 36k. someone may need to correct me on that though.

 

[unclejemima]

Oh and as a side note, the 06 has a 4 year, 50k mile warranty while i believe that the 07 has only 36k.

I've heard this too, and will defiantly check into it.
What about the turbo seals? What is causing that. Is it strictly mod related or does it happen to the bone stock ones as well?

Thanks for the advice.
-mark

 

[JSpeed 6 JLA]

...33,000 miles........new rear end at 22,000 or so; new motor at 29,000......other then that its very relaible...(cough, cough)...

 

[Tinstar]

I give it an 8.

I just bought a new '07 and only have 1600 miles on it. I have read these forums extensivley. I have thrown a CEL. Its 0441 which is the Evap Purge valve. A known problem thats easily fixed.

If you'll look, most all of the cars having serious trouble are modded. This is a new, fairly complex car, awd, turbo four and making quite a bit of power from the factory.

Monkeying with it and not knowing what your doing your going to hurt the car.

Each to his/her own, I love the car and plan on keeping it quite awhile since its so unique.

 

[bobby0283]

The 07s have a better fuel pump? The one in the tank or the cam driven one?

 

[acidbug]

Hi all,
If you had to rate the speed6 on a reliability scale...
10 being a honda civic
1 being a Renault LeCar

how would you rate the speed6? I hear the 07 vs 06 has a better clutch (longer lasting???) and better fuel pump, and less prone to blow up (???) but how does this car really compare.

I've owned honda's and toyotas my whole life, and i'm used to doing nothing but changing the oil, and thats about it, 250K miles, its barely broken in!! MABEY every 100k+ miles i'll swap the clutch, and thats with bagging the crap out of the car every day of its life.

What is the speed6 like to live with as a daily driver. Its sound very practical, but is it reliable as the proverbial "steel ball"? Whats the highest mileage speed6 on this forum?

Thanks kindly guys, i appreciate the advice,(bowdown)(bowdown)(bowdown)
-mark

I have 30K miles on car..and yes..still don't have the clutch tsb done..NOt that i haven't tried..but rather that i was denied.

I belive the car is reliable, except for the leaky turbo seals..replaced at 27K..and this damn clutch issue..I drive my car 500 miles a week..to work.

I plan on trying additional dealerships. to get clutch tsb done.

I rate this car a 7..

-C

 

[chuyler1]

There are two stages to reliability to consider.

1) Will you have to take the car to the dealer?
For Mazda, the answer is almost always yes. There will be something whether it is a TSB, Recall, obscure failure like a light bulb going off or CEL that cannot be explained. I don't consider any of this a real hassle because you aren't left on the side of the road and you don't have to pay anything. After the first 30K the frequency of these issues reduces dramatically and you probably won't have to take it in after the warranty.

2) Will you be left stranded in this car?
The answer to this is not likely. Aside from a few MS3 owners dropping their transmissions and a handful of MS6 owners destroying their rear differentials, I haven't heard of any issues that leave people on the side of the road waiting for road side assistance to show up.

So for category 1 I rate Mazda at a 6 while at category 2 I rate Mazda at a 9...especially considering the MS3 and MS6 are limited production vehicles.

 

[Shagate]

2) Will you be left stranded in this car?
The answer to this is not likely. Aside from a few MS3 owners dropping their transmissions and a handful of MS6 owners destroying their rear differentials, I haven't heard of any issues that leave people on the side of the road waiting for road side assistance to show up.

So for category 1 I rate Mazda at a 6 while at category 2 I rate Mazda at a 9...especially considering the MS3 and MS6 are limited production vehicles.

My previous Mazda was a '93 MX-6. I had no major issues with that car, and sold it with 190k miles and still running strong. I've always heard Mazda makes some of the longest running engines, and I don't doubt it from my experience. Hopefully Ford won't f*** it up.

 

[MS6S2K]

There are two stages to reliability to consider.

1) Will you have to take the car to the dealer?
For Mazda, the answer is almost always yes. There will be something whether it is a TSB, Recall, obscure failure like a light bulb going off or CEL that cannot be explained. I don't consider any of this a real hassle because you aren't left on the side of the road and you don't have to pay anything. After the first 30K the frequency of these issues reduces dramatically and you probably won't have to take it in after the warranty.

2) Will you be left stranded in this car?
The answer to this is not likely. Aside from a few MS3 owners dropping their transmissions and a handful of MS6 owners destroying their rear differentials, I haven't heard of any issues that leave people on the side of the road waiting for road side assistance to show up.

So for category 1 I rate Mazda at a 6 while at category 2 I rate Mazda at a 9...especially considering the MS3 and MS6 are limited production vehicles.

I will add a third for future reference. How do you think this car will stack up LONG TERM when compared to a Civic. 200-250k with nothing but basic maintanence? Very unlikely. I love my speed 6, but there's a good chance the car is a future money pit when you start approaching the 100k mile mark. You can't expect it to last like a Civic without investing serious $$ in repairs, because A, it's turbocharged, b it's high HP, and C, it's a very unique engine that's unproven. Also, Honda is more reliable overall when compared to Mazda.

I say the more HP, the less reliable long term, but I'm very confident in this car for the first 50k miles.

I just don't see this being like my roommates 98 Civic coupe. That thing will never die, and he has 215k miles on it, and has done only basic maintanence. We shall see what the future holds. Likely I won't because I'll get rid of it when warranty ends.

 

[chuyler1]

I will have to agree on that point. I think across all car brands you will find a direct relationship between horsepower and long term reliability...or at least a relationship between the number of moving parts (ie turbos, AWD, etc).

 

[Haltech]

I will have to agree on that point. I think across all car brands you will find a direct relationship between horsepower and long term reliability...or at least a relationship between the number of moving parts (ie turbos, AWD, etc).

I dont know, i had a Merkur XR4Ti with a turbocharged 2.3. I did alot of mods to that car and it was making 312 to the wheels. I drove the piss out of that car and sold it with 216,177 miles on it to a friend of mine. He drove it another 87,000 miles before selling it. The only thing that was replaced for the radiator and waterpump. IT did have its timing belt changed ever 60,000 but that is considered normal maintence.I do believe long term these cars will hold up fine engine wise.

 

[Killer]

I dont know, i had a Merkur XR4Ti with a turbocharged 2.3. I did alot of mods to that car and it was making 312 to the wheels. I drove the piss out of that car and sold it with 216,177 miles on it to a friend of mine. He drove it another 87,000 miles before selling it. The only thing that was replaced for the radiator and waterpump. IT did have its timing belt changed ever 60,000 but that is considered normal maintence.I do believe long term these cars will hold up fine engine wise.

Considering it only came with 144hp I find this claim somewhat hard to believe. Got a dyno?

 

[Regansp6]

I owned a used Integra and a Accord Coupe prior to buying a new Speed6. The Integra beat the Accord on the quality and reliability, the Accord was better appointed and better on gas. My impression of the Speed6 is that the interior quality is less than the Honda or Acura, but the car's perfomance is far superior. I have a driver's seat that creaks and a slight rattle in the dash, but when I turn up the Boss stereo and plant my foot on the gas, I grin from ear to ear. My decision to buy came down to the fact that to get a better quality car with the same or better characteristics was going to cost me a lot more money. I'm extremely pleased with my choice. My second choice was an Accord. If you are risk adverse, you already know the answer.

 

[MS6S2K]

Considering it only came with 144hp I find this claim somewhat hard to believe. Got a dyno?

That car was SEVERLY detuned stock, and the mod potential was great with a bigger turbo, and a rebuild. It's cabaple of what he claims, but not reliably, and not on stock internals safely. Those Merkurs were known for GREAT unreliability even stock, so that guy if he's telling the truth was one lucky MOFO.

I almost bought one of those cars, but I bought a Mitsubishi Starion instead. That car was known for being unreliable and problematic, much like the Xr4ti, but I miss it.