Learn me Mazda 6

I've been asked about the good and bad points of the Mazda 6, but know little about them. 06-10 are the years in question. Which motor has best long term reliability and ease of service? Trouble spots? Car will be a DD, slushbox.

'09-10 are probably the way I'd go since they're the newer bodystyle. In the older one, though, there is a pretty cool 5-door, which looks just like a sedan but the whole back end opens like a hatchback.

The V6 is an interesting proposition. It's a Japanese-built version of the newer Ford Duratec and is closely related to the motor in the 2011-Mustang and F-150. The car is impressively quick for what it is with the V6. I would think, though, that for a DD the 2.5 would be fine.

I have an 08 V6 auto hatchback for a DD. Great car, great feel for a DD and versatility of a hatch. The 4 cyl is pretty weak, especially with the auto. I don't know of any weak spots. 53k and the interior has held up well. No complaints. 29MPG with cruise set at 72 MPH.

05 and up had the 6spd auto which is only way to go. the first gens the v6 is very reliable as long as u dont clog the precats(fairly common) and if they clog the motor will go with them sometimes much later but it will happen. lower ball joints like to go bad at around 80 to 105k and cost between 400 and 1000 to replace yourself depending where u buy the parts. fantastic brakes and handling for what it is. any questions just ask. ive been through every inch of them on the first gen and broken every part imaginalbe (thats me not the cars fault)

coils are a trouble spot on the 3.0(duh fomoco) the already mentioned precats. and the pcv valve. and lower front ball joints. and the lower wishbone motor mount (85 dollars for an aftermarket urethane to solve that issues)

the second gen is a completely diff car. not nearly the drivers car that the first gen is. more mainstream like a camry and accord where as the first gen is clearly a drivers car from that moment u take it down the first windy road.

Thanks for the info gang.

Katy, can you tell me more about the pre-cat issue? How to identify the issue before damage occurs? One of the cars is an 09 w/ 14,000 miles. Other is an 06 w/ 65k.

09 dont have the issue. only the 3.0 does. if u get a cat efficiency code dont just life with it. replace immediatly! otherwise they will clog. when they clog whether its from pressure or what the motor tends to go out from metel shavings..... per a friend at ford its from getting piston slap with the cloged cat and that causing bits of the iron oil control ring to shave off. but i dunno exact cause of failure on the plus side i had a knocking rod for 45000 miles before it finally blew. i ran out of oil due to a cracked oilpan once and thats what caused my failure. if u put headers on the 06 problem solved (the 18 to 22 whp is nice too)

replacing the plugs at 60 to 70k is advisable. the 3.0 runs pig rich!!!!! as in 9.8:1 afr under full throttle between 4k and 6k why i dont know. but it does. good gaines can be made mpg wise with the addition of a cpe maf-ci. or do it cheaper with an ebay cai and an injen fix box from cpe. due to my tire size i only get 19 around town and about 27 on the highway with a 5spd which the 6sp auto does better (lower revs on the highway) but car was rated 17 24 so that gives u a basic idea. i had a friend who only ran 225's on his 06 and with the aformentioned intake and headers he was consistantly getting 23 city and 33 highway.

The safety ratings improved greatly at some point, I think in 2008.

David