Logical Upgrade?

[Guest20182]

Alright, so heres the deal. I'm a full time college student, working part time and side jobs, living at home, paying for insurance, gas, my car, etc. I got my 2006 Mz6 V6 5-speed manual (mods in sig, nothing special) in May of last year for 4.5k under KBB value with 21k, clean CarFax. I am now at 45k and looking at upgrading to a MS6 while my car has some trade in value, but not until spring/summer 2011. I am finding a few 2006 MS6's for under 15k with 50k miles. I don't have big plans for it really, all my LED's including tails, sidemarkers etc would go into the speed, 20% tint, probably pick up a RMM, rear diff brace and a iPod input, that's really about it.

Here's the question, do you MS6 guys think it's a logical upgrade (I'm looking VERY hard at whether it was modified at any point, I want a virgin lol), or should I stay away from this car and go to another platform later down the road? I feel like I'm reading a lot about smoking turbos and clutch TSB's.


Thanks for your help!

-Brian

 

[batou079]

well...

first of all im tired of people saying "they read all the time of smoking turbo's on the MS6"... it is NOT CAR SPECIFIC to the MS6, its the pwrtrain in general. The MS3 saw the same issues, and it was NOT all that common. The reason you think you see it all the time is cause the SMALL minority that it happens too happen to be the ones to post. the TOTAL % of ms3/ms6 owners i guarantee outweight those that posted about it.

this being said, some of these occurances happend upon release when a bunch were recalled with faulty turbos (seals mostly). They were factory changed, but ofc some probly fell through the cracks if people didnt bring in for the recall. Then there are those that womp on the car, like install a DP without tuning it right, seals fry and leak oil = smoke. in the long run, just take care of the car in the right manner.

Now in terms of the MS6 being a wise upgrade. Yes and no.

Yes, because you obviously like the style of the 6. MS6 being a slightly more aggressive looking, and pretty damn comfortable as a FI/AWD car. it will be a much more fun drive for daily and weekends/track if you ever want... peppy & fairly fast stock. Also, the potential for modding in the future years will be intact if you take care of the car as you run it stock. No, because of mileage/gas costs, high mileage used car purchases ALWAYS = uncertainty (lower than 30k always in my book is safest imo)and higher insurance (pending your age and being turbo'd).

So only drawbacks for you as far as i can tell are cost of upkeep/uncertainty of car's history. If you can handle either of these, than the good points that i mentioned heavily outweight the bad. the clutch is in fact a bit tough but if you got healthy knees, you'll be fine... you can always adjust it yourself or pay for the TSB. As far as tranny/clutch reliability, its also not car specific, but mazda never really had all that good of either... just like all manufactures they have things they excelled in (mazda = suspension/handling) and things they are weak in. oh and another possible drawback, once you get an FI car, trust me even if you say you will ONLY "lightly" mod, the MOD bug usually hits pretty hard... unless you got monk-like patience. haha

hope all my run-on info helps. heh

 

[vrspeedemon]

Ill help you find one in good shape when youre ready dude....trust me, I know whatto look for LOL.

 

[keymaster]

One suggestion...you're in school, and until you have moved into a full time paying job that will allow you to move out and afford a place and life on your own, it's best to keep your bills under control and save money. A MS6 will cost more to run, even without modding it, and will be a bit more expensive if something goes wrong. If you end up having to commute, you'll spend a lot more in gas as well.

Be patient, you have plenty of time to make a bunch of money and then buy whatever amazing car you want. Try to do it now, when your funds are likely more scarce, and you put yourself in a worse financial picture. I waited 20 years to get something like the MS6, and even though I drove sporty cars along the way and enjoyed them I felt it was far more important to save money and get out of school, and pay off debt, before I found the really cool car I always wanted.

 

[Igve2shtz]

Brian,

Take it for what its worth, but I think you would be making a big mistake upgrading to a MS6. I do not know your financial situation, but when I was in college, I needed all the money I could get. If you trade in the M6 and buy the MS6, your monthly payments will be higher, your insurance will be higher (I live in NJ so we care about these things), your MPG will prob be similar, but the premium gas will slowly eat away your wallet depending on how much you drive the car.

I understand completly the idea of wanting something better than you have. Hell, thats what makes America great. I would say to either drive the Mazda6 until it dies, or atleast drive it until you graduate. When you get a full time job after college, you can buy whatever you want.

I ran into a similiar situation in college. I had 2 years left and was driving a 93 Mazda Protege DX that was paid off. I wanted to buy a used Contour SVT for 6000 dollars. Long story short, I didnt get the Contour. I drove the Protege until the transmission broke 2 years later. By this time, I just graduated, got a job, and was able to by the MS6 brand new. Moral of the story is
1.) If you buy the MS6 now, chances are that when you graduate, you will want something better anyway.
2.) I was able to save myself about 150 dollars a month in car payments plus whatever my insurance increased to because when you pay a loan, you need full coverage. I was able to enjoy myself alot more in college without having to worry about making car payments.

 

[Guest20182]

Alright guys, thanks for the input. I am thinking I will stick with my 6 for a while at this point.

 

[batou079]

good choice. money issues as a student are MUCH easier without a huge financial drag from an MS6. As much as love the car, it quite a bit more money to maintain.
(still cheaper than euro imports! lol)

You'll be happy you waited. I have seen MANY people your age get stuck with a car they cant afford, then ahve to sell it for a huge loss cause they couldnt afford it.
and worse, some go upside down on their loan, so they CANT sell it. Once you graduate and find a good job, you'll prolly have some nicer cars to choose from, or even the next gen of mazdas! (shinari concept MS6 PLEASSSeeeee!!! lol)