Looking for a nice 4 door replacement for my P71. Something AWD preferably. The MazdaSpeed 6 is on my short list. What's up with these things? Are there many upgrades for them? How strong is the drivetrain? You know, what's the good, the bad, and the ugly on these cars?
check out CP-E for all your MS6 hop-up needs.
i myself have been lusting for one for years. white with cloth interior please and thanks.
The MS6 is more of a Legacy GT competitor than an STi or Evo competitor. The same engine is found in the Mazdaspeed3 and CX-7.
The stock motor mounts are way too soft, so installing stiffer mounts is a cheap and very effective upgrade. The DISI engine likes Pennzoil Platinum or Ultra 5W-30. The stock cartridge oil filter is a PITA to change, but Mazda sells a kit to convert it to spin-on like the 2010+ MS3.
My MS3 pulls like a freight train from 0-5500rpm, but the cam-driven fuel pump (CDFP) is overtaxed at high RPMs, so the power tends to fall flat after 5500rpm. You're fine stock or with an intake, but if you get a downpipe and/or upgraded TMIC/FMIC, you should get one-step-colder spark plugs and an ECU tuner like a Cobb Accessport or CP-E Standback. Anything beyond that (like a turbo upgrade), you will want to upgrade the CDFP internals. CP-E has an upgrade service and VW tuners KMD and Autotech sell DIY kits (the CDFP is shared with some VWs and Audis).
Watch out for smoke after after a few minutes of idling- that means the turbo seals have failed. Giving the car a minute to start-up and 1-3 minutes to cool down before turning off should help prevent that from happening
All that being said, my MS3 has been super-reliable. I've put 40k on it since I bought it three years ago. Aside from maintenance, I've never had a problem with it that wasn't my fault. It absolutely hauls ass!
I have a speed6 although it is a great car it does have some weak points. Mine liked to break the bolt retaining the nose of the rear differential and, as a result break the rear axles . It happend to me twice on a 100% stock car, after the second time I upgraded the rear differential mount with one from turbine tech. I have not had any problems since then.
While I was in there I installed a whiteline adjustable rear sway bar. The job was a real pain in the ass since they route the sway bar above the differential meaning to install / remove the sways you need to drop the differential, exhaust, and gas tank, then "knit" the octopus of a sway bar in through the small gap separating the diff from the body into the suspension.
You cannot adjust the front camber with out some sort of modification, I installed the CPE adjustable ball joint, which gave me about one degree of negative camber up front.
I have to disagree with rex seven about changing the oil, it is super easy to do, and I love the easy to access location of the oil filter, and I don't really see a big disadvantage to the cartridge type filter.
Since I got the miata I have not been driving the speed6 as much as I used to. Especially after I get out of the miata the acceleration of the car really gets your attention. I LOVE the way it pulls in third gear, its feels like a rocket powered freight train. Although it is going to break my heart, I will probably end up selling mine in the near future to make room for a tow rig,
Here a video of me being stupid in mine at pismo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INtpGX4cJGg
It took a LOT of cleaning to get the sand out...
There is a TSB for the transfer case leaking. Involves removing it, cleaning gasket surface, and reinstalling with permatex grey as a gasket.
My wife has driven her MS6 for approx 40k. No significant problems other than the PITA oil change(it is the only car in the fleet that I wont do) and the engine mounts. It did did require the cleaning of the EGR valve rather than $400 replacement. Corksport has been my favorite source of info and parts.
I have 65K on mine, I love it when it runs right, CAI + BOV will make all the neato noises without being obnoxious, if you got an aftermarket BOV do not VTA just recirc it.
The AWD is FWD biased so you will never get more than 50% power to the rear.
2nd gear is always a lil tighter than the others.
With a set of RPM street springs (if you can find them) you will get better handling, no change in ride, and they are custom set for stock shocks.
Seats 4 great, no towing period.
Many people do not have a clue what it is, TT v6? i get that alot....
Any ig breathing mods will need a tune, period, just plan on it if you do some thing major like intake+DP+turbo back... tune it....
Motor mount like mentioned above is a must, but i do love the car and resale is terible which is great for buyers, alot of car for lil cash
What's the price range on a good deal for one of these these days?
Probably around $15k for a good deal on one. I've never seen one for sale for less than $15k.
Oh. Bummer. 
they were 30K 4 years ago.... how much did you expect them to drop, i think 15k is absurd as tht is prolly a 50K miles example...
When I worked at a Mazda dealership when these were brand new they couldn't sell any of them. I remember seeing them marked down to $26k brand new. Too niche of a market maybe, or advertising just wasn't there, who knows.
Probably has a lot to do with why there's no second gen MS6.
At least there are plenty of MS3's on the road.
Yeah, they tanked on the new market, on the used market you can't get one cheap anywhere. They bottomed out pricewise a loooong time ago.
That being said, what these guys have said about the DISI is all true. Also keep in mind, it's about 20psi before the turbo and fuel get angry. Also, you'll pretty much never have to do injectors. 3rd, keep an eye on your rods. If you turn the boost up too much, the turbo spools too fast, and has been known to fold the #3/4 rods in the engine. It's not that they're particularly weak, it's just that the motor can't catch up to the turbo. Lots of guys actually consider upgrading to an aftermarket EM and a 3076 to be an engine saver as much as anything else.
Since I am about to put my car on the market, I have been researching craigslist kbb etc. for some idea as to how to price this thing. I don't really trust kbb and with craig's list maybe one local speed6 will pop up every two months... Which is not enough samples to get a good idea of what the local market is like.
Does anyone know of a good resource for pricing research?
Erm.... I usually check dealer inventories and go from there, at least with newish cars. Dealers like having these on the lots, so they're usually around.
I'd pull up MS6's on cars.com and see where yours fits in.
they were 30K 4 years ago.... how much did you expect them to drop
lolwut.. I dont know anyone that paid that much for a NEW one. Some people were getting them new for 22k and change.
I was looking at a new one for $24k back then. 
I was hoping they had fallen to around $10k, would have been a contender against the IS300.
Huh.. if they were in equal condition i'd say an MS6 is worth more than an is300 regardless of age or depreciation.. But that's totally a matter of opinion.
Our MS6 was damaged in hail storm that ran thru East Tennessee and I researched the value while making the damage claim. Low mileage Speed6's were between 15-17k. State Farm gave us $5100 to fix the damage PDR and I am just waiting for the good repair guys to catch up so they can work on it. I have reservations that they can fix the hood without either bondo or replacement in which case the entire car will need a repaint. Black cherry wont blend in very well at all.
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