Talk to me about a 1st gen Mazda6

[Pele2048]

So my 2018 Mazda CX-9 is at the dealer for an engine replacement under warranty.
Due to supply chain issues following COVID, I may be forced into a rental for an extended period of time.

My driving habits are incompatible with most rental agreements.

• We have kids and dogs. (Kids and dogs will dirty up a car something fierce.)
• We drive frequently and for long distances. (20K miles per year)
• We drive out of state (Living in northern Virginia, we border Maryland, DC, West Virginia, etc.)

Because I'm a moron, I'm looking at another Mazda. Scouring CraigsList and Facebook marketplace, I think I'll pick up a 1st gen Mazda6.
4 Banger 2.3L MZR or 3.0 AJ V6; Either will work for me.
Manual Tranny
Liftback

Crash Course, Point me at problem areas of one of these beasts.

 

[2ManyMazdas]

Sadly, I scrapped my favourite car on the weekend, a 2006 Mazda6 GT V6. It ran and drove like new, but the front subframe rusted out. The Ford V6 is pretty reliable, it will leak some oil around the headgasket, but it was never an issue. Subframe rust is the real problem, the AC drips on the frame and years of water expose will rust it out. The 6-Speed Auto that they used after the 2006 refresh is bullet proof, just make sure it has the correct fluid. The base 2.3 4 cylinder was slow as molasses. The trunk lid with the spoiler weighs a lot and uses struts, when they fail the lid comes down like a gillotine.

It's a great car if you can find one in good shape, they are getting up there in age.

 

[Pele2048]

Sadly, I scrapped my favourite car on the weekend, a 2006 Mazda6 GT V6. It ran and drove like new, but the front subframe rusted out. The Ford V6 is pretty reliable, it will leak some oil around the headgasket, but it was never an issue. Subframe rust is the real problem, the AC drips on the frame and years of water expose will rust it out. The 6-Speed Auto that they used after the 2006 refresh is bullet proof, just make sure it has the correct fluid. The base 2.3 4 cylinder was slow as molasses. The trunk lid with the spoiler weighs a lot and uses struts, when they fail the lid comes down like a gillotine.

It's a great car if you can find one in good shape, they are getting up there in age.

I had the Duratec 3.0L V6 in my 2003 Mazda MPV minivan that sadly got scrapped once and then a second time at just over 200K miles with no leakage to speak of.

It's the weird one with the water pump driven off a belt on the camshaft, right?

Same issue, the A/C evaporator drips onto the front subframe.

I solved that by using an "L" shaped hose from a spare RX-7 intake manifold that I had laying around.

Unfortunately, Now I need that "L" shaped hose to get my RX-7 up and running again.

Yeah... Countless 1st and 2nd gen RX-7s, a 1989 B2600i 4x4 pickup, and a 2003 MPV minivan. I figure I can't go wrong putting my family in a $2000 beater so long as it has the "M" insignia on the hood.

 

[dukeofurl]

I have a 2003 that I still drive on short trips in the area as a spare car. I've had it since 2004 and never had any significant engine or transmission issues. Never replaced transmission fluid. It leaks a lot of different stuff on the driveway (not sure what all of it is, but there are a lot of leaks of different things), but it has been leaking for years and still runs ok. The perimeter of the trunk area tends to let water into the trunk. This seems to be a well known issue that effects many other people's gen 1 mazdas, so expect potential for mold in the trunk fabric, and rust on the spare tire, jack, and the area of the trunk that contains the spare tire. The bolt for my battery clamp also rusted out and snapped, filling up the screw hole in the sheet metal in the engine area. Couldn't drill it out so had to drill a new hole next to it. Also at this age, expect the ceiling fabric and the foam underneath it to be deteriorated from the sun, drooping everywhere, falling down, etc. I think parts of my suspension have rusted out or broken as well, but it doesn't impair the driving of the car, just makes for a slightly bumpier ride I guess.

Dashboard, steering wheel, seats, floor fabric have all held up very well considering the age. The factory paint was holding up well until about 2016, now there's visible damage to the clearcoat and paint in several places.