Looking for Tips and Advice on what to look for when Buying a MS6

[zoomzoomMSP]

so my wife and i are very dissapointed with our 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R. she wishes we never got rid of our mazda 6s so we have been toying with the idea of going back to Mazda and my bro had the mazdaspeed 6 GT which we both loved. i found a 2006 MS6 with 50k on it, its at a dealership and im going to look at it, what should i be on the lookout for? over the phone the car sounds mint but im sure there are some things you MS6 owners can clue me in on to look for, i really dont want to buy a car i think is good and end up with a costly suprise. any info would be great. thanks

 

[Bulgsta]

when u start it up let it idle for 10 minutes or so. if it starts smoking after the 10 minutes the previous owner probably put a DP and the turbo is bad. also check if it was modded. make sure u get it on a lift if they have one.

 

[martispeed]

Maybe see if rear diff mount is stock?

 

[batou079]

Carfax first off. It can only tell you what has been REPORTED about the car, but with 50k miles it should be a must to check.

Then ofc, i would get as much of it looked at visually before considering it. interior condition, paint, wheels, A/C working, seat adjustments, steering, all electronics, all hinges/handles, and any other basics (lol i didnt pay attn when i bought mine, it was missing floor mats!! as well tires had dry rott, lol). since you cant check most internal things on the lot, ofc have a mechanic that can check it thoroughly as soon as you leave the lot.

as was said, things to specifically watch out for is smoking turbo (TSB), rear diff mount (TSB), motor mounts, previous owner/modding history, stiff clutch (TSB), shifting/smoothness/gearing, condition of wheels/tires/brakes. engine bay looking stock, intake, bpv, ic, etc...

the longer you take to look at ALL aspects the more trusted you can feel in a car. the basics really.
all in all, if the price is right and condition is good... i say do it! (you may wish to give your wife the MSP and keep the MS6 for yourself! haha)
Good luck man

 

[zoomzoomMSP]

im really on the fence after talking to my brother about how he liked his. he didnt have much good to say about it, he didnt like the clutch at all, the brakes always made noises even after he put new ones on. and he said he heard nothing but blown turbos and tranny issues. i cant really afford to end up putting a bunch of money into the car to fix it. im looking for a reliable car for my family, but something can still have fun in when i go get the groceries. is that to much to ask for in a MS6? i think i found a decent deal... 14,900 for a MS6 GT with 50k.

 

[batou079]

the problems you hear about are mostly from moderate to heavily modified MS6's.
same goes for MS3s. Clutch is stiff, but the TSB can take care of it if the car is under warranty still (otherwise it costs $$).

brake noises is not specific to this car... that is either due to not getting rotors turned when new pads installed and/or pads not being bedded properly... anti-squeal applications can easily solve this. Some higher end pads made for track usage squeal, this is normal. street pads can sometimes naturally squeal too, but as i said easily solvable. squeaking doesnt mean bad brakes though.

Honestly the car is quite reliable at stock/near stock status... ANY car is liable to lose that status as you mod more heavily. The tranny does not fail more than any other mazda i can guarantee that. In general, mazda trannies arent that good in the first place. the biggest factors for this car are rear diff mount (uprade or reinforce if you drive hard/often), smoking turbos (typical of any FI MZR with dp, occured on many off the factory floor models, but most were factory replaced soon after), and a stiff clutch. Also keep in mind this AWD system is not like the linear mitsu or subi AWD and cannot be expected to perform the same.

id say the list of actual known/common MS6 problems is pretty damn short. that price is indeed pretty good for the mileage. id spend the time to really check it out, test drive it, read reviews.

Good luck!

 

[zoomzoomMSP]

ok, well thanks for the tips, im gonna check it out this week. one more thing, can you get this car serviced at any shop? or does it need to be a mazdaspeed specific shop?

 

[zoomzoomMSP]

well i went and test drove the car today, drive really nice.....man its a quick car. the clutch is what it is, i dont mind it and more importantly my wife doesnt mind it either. after i drove it i let it idle in the lot and no smoke comes out of the tailpipes. i got under the car using a jack and from what i could see it is clean and stock. under the hood is also clean and stock but it does have a CAI. all the electronics work, no weird noises so looks like we are going to get it.