Would you buy a Mazdaspeed6 again?

[JDM-P5]

wannabe - Thanks. I'm just up the road from you, in Thompson, by the way. I've only bought one car new, a Nissan. I was looking at new cars initially, but other than the Mazda3/MS3, there's not much that appeals to me. I initially looked to Honda, but the cars being made now are much different than what they were building ten years ago, and no dealer within 75 miles even had a manual transmission Accord Coupe stocked. I am tempted by a new MS3, though.

JDM-P5. Cool and congrats. Even more to look forward to when you get home. Are you planning on autocrossing it or is that solely the MX-5?

Thanks, actually the sales guy said everything went out this morning for the paperwork...so I am thrilled. I don't plan to auto-x it all (maybe the occasional track day)...its supposed to be my excuse to the wife for a "family car" lol. She did h/e, give me the ok to modify (being that she's getting a vehicle when I get back also).
As for the Miata...well, that's getting 2 new additions. A set of wheels & tires + some coilovers...and yes, it will be back to the track for her! Its led a great life in Izmir, Turkey as a daily driver for my 2 years there + 1 year in DC as my daily there. Time to get back to its roots.

 

[Mistersix]

i would absolutely buy it again. hell, i've considered buying another since me and my wife and new daughter only have it and the miata.

bought mine used about two years ago and have racked up over 25k miles. i do all my own work, -maintenance and mods- autox and an occasional trip to the old 1320. i havent had any smoking turbo or broken this or that so far.

there are several things i love about the car that one may not realize initially. such as the auto windows down function. hydraulic props on the trunk. you can aim the headlights which comes in handy occasionally. pedal placement is perfect for heel toe shifting. and i really like the vents. you can point them any direction and completely close them. which, oddly enough, is hard to find in other cars.

my biggest complaint is the clutch feel. the actuator can be adjusted but i've been playing with that for a while and still cant get it to where i like it. others with aftermarket clutches claim it to be the best solution. but thats neither cheap nor easy. so shoot for an 07. maybe you'll get lucky with the clutch.

 

[subspeed6]

Honestly, since I have owned my car from 9 miles on the ODO in '06, until the 57k as it stands right now, I would not do it over again because everytime I get in it to drive I fall in love again.

 

[Carraway]

Thanks, everyone.

batou079 and Mistersix - I know about the clutch, but I've recovered really well. Maybe having a titanium-infused left leg will even help with it.

batou079 - I guess mods are always a bigger question, especially with a car that seems to balance performance and practicality, and it would be easy to throw that off. And, while I don't hoon, really, I'm also far from a normal commuting driver, especially when I get a set of curves. Thanks for the great info.

Also, I realize it's an enthusiast site, which is also why I'm asking here, since you probably know more about the intricacies of both this car and a few others. I'm still surprised no one has said, "No. I would probably get a xxx instead." Maybe it helps that the MS6 is so unique and not really part of any image that owners pretty much know what they're getting.

JDM-PM - Cool! Sounds like a great, well travelled Miata, too.

Mistersix and everyone - About the heel toe shifting, I've never owned a car with an electronic throttle and wondered if it still works quite the same. I've also wondered that in cars that have both electronic throttle and brakes--does the computer let you use both, for instance--but I don't think the MS6 is one of them. By the way, traction and stability control can be shut off, right?

 

[wannabe]

kinda. the ECU will override you turning it off if it thinks it needs to. but, yeah, theres a button you can hit to disable it.

 

[JDM-P5]

JDM-PM - Cool! Sounds like a great, well travelled Miata, too.

 

[Carraway]

wannabe - Well, I guess the ECU can't go off completely since it decides which wheels to power. Thanks.

JDM-P5. Awesome. I've never seen a turbo Miata in person. Thanks.

 

[Mistersix]

i feel you on the e-throttle thing. i also have a miata with good ol cable actuated, throttle body butterfly attached to your foot, setup and its awesome. but the speeds e-throttle in comparison is not that bad. it responds quickly and feels pretty natural.

i drove a new honda civic si last year or so and its throttle was awful. the pedal feel was very fake, and slow to respond. and that dreaded rev hang, eeeek! effectively ruined what could have been a great drivers car. imho.

as far as the ecu, its always involved. when you turn the tcs off it will let you slide and drift and all kinds of crazyness. the traction control will let you have some fun before it reigns you in. its actually very well designed set up. you really gotta push the car before you feel it kickin in.

in other words. if you feel it kickin in on the street. then what your doing is stupid, and dangerous to those around.

 

[Carraway]

Thanks. The regular Mazda3 I test drove didn't seem bad, but I didn't really have a chance to try much more than regular commuting. Nor was I about to try my first heel-toeing since breaking my leg in a car I didn't own. I was even stuck behind a slow-moving minivan along a curved section.

I've never been a luddite and have been a fan of technology, but I'm bothered by what's going on with cars. I was especially surprised when reading a report that the Nissan 350Z can't heel-toe. It's supposed to be a sports car, after all. At any rate, I suppose I take some pride in that I focused (and still focus) on developing driving skills and don't want the experience lost to mandates since most people don't bother. But that's another subject. I'm happy to see Mazda doing things like making the MS3 and MS6 manual-transmission only, at least.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

I stumbled across this thread and it reminded me again how much I want an MS6. And the vauxhall's understeer in that Top Gear drive was unbelieveable.

 

[MATX]

I had one got wrecked by some lady... and yes I bought it again.

 

[batou079]

i feel you on the e-throttle thing. i also have a miata with good ol cable actuated, throttle body butterfly attached to your foot, setup and its awesome. but the speeds e-throttle in comparison is not that bad. it responds quickly and feels pretty natural.

Also, suprisingly, simply adding a throttle body ground like from a grounding kit helps in terms of responsiveness for the MS6. Someone had posted a throttle controller awhile back that id be interested in getting, fine tuning capabilities for different driving conditions/habits.

I stumbled across this thread and it reminded me again how much I want an MS6. And the vauxhall's understeer in that Top Gear drive was unbelieveable.

i know right? thats where Mazda has always shined, right out of the box handling is above average. The MS6 may be middle ground for power versus weight ratio, but the mix of decent power and GREAT handling make the car. lol btw, go get a speed6.

 

[Eyedea23]

Well I have had some problems with my MS6. The person who had mine before me beat the hell out of it. I drove it relativiely easy (trying to be realistic because kinda hard not to get on it everyonce in awhile), but still had problems. Now that all that is taken care of, I love the care more then I did when I first purchased it! Would I buy it again? Sure! If....they came out with a new gen speed 6 with the taurus sho engine. Keep the AWD Platform but step up to the big-boy v6 TT. That with the speed 6 frame and body? Pure sex on wheels.

 

[Carraway]

Groovy, thanks. Now if I can finally get time to take a couple for a test drive.

 

[Atraiu]

When you do, don't feel bad if you stall in the dealer's lot.

 

[SilversunMSP]

This is a tough one to answer. I would have to say if I had the chance to do it all again, No would be my answer. Why, you ask??? Despite the things this car is capable of in stock trim you always get the feeing that it's like an unpolished jem.

Take the shifter for example. It's feels floppy and disconnected. The throws are short and not very precise and you will almost always miss 3rd when accelerating hard. How much more would it have added to the price of the car to remedy this from the factory??? Probably nothining at all but someone didn't care enough.

Next there's the handling. The AWD helps a alot when you get near the limit of the tire's adhesion but until it "kicks in", meaning delivery of a true 50/50 split between front and rear, the car still feels like a heavy front driver. The car needs more rubber. the 215 width tires are way to skinny. 225 section tires will fit the stock wheels anything wider will mean aftermarket wheels and fender rolling. Body roll is more than you would expect in a car that makes the promises the MS6 does. A stiffer rear sway bar and lower ride solves this but again, why not do this from the factory.

Last of all the overall looks of the car are dull and too understated. I'm not saying we need an STi "ironing board" wing but you can hardly tell it's a Mazdaspeed from any angle unless you know what to look for. I remember reading somewhere that one of Mazda's requirements for their Mazdaspeed cars is that you have to be able to tell the difference from 10 feet away. The MS6 fails that criteria. The fake exhaust tips are ghastly to look at and so is the "thong" rear bumper.

These are just my opinions so don't beat me up too badly. I mean I love my car for what it is but I still find myself wrestling my wife for the keys to her MSP. The car is simply lacking personality.

 

[BoostedSpd6]

I would definetly buy the car again for sure... ya'll know how much love i have for mine.. having 2 would be even cooler..

 

[Knox Joe]

GREAT handling

Let's not go too far, lol.

 

[Carraway]

Thanks.

 

[batou079]

lol ok, GREAT handling (for its car class & weight)...

haha.