80,000 Mile Review of the Mazda6
Well, it’s that time again…. time to write up my 80,000 mile review of my 2004 Mazda 6 sedan.
I had it in for a major service at around 70,000, where the dealer performed over $1,000 worth of work, including new brakes on the front (pretty typical for a front-wheel drive car), the major 60,000 mile service, and miscellaneous small things. The cost would probably have been half that had I had it done at a local mechanic or such, but I have a good relationship with the local dealer I found who does the servicing.
Just a side-note. The dealer I use to service my Mazda6 is nearly 40 miles from where I live, in a neighboring state. There are 2 closer Mazda dealers. However both dealers stink in terms of their pricing and their attitudes. I will gladly drive an extra 20 minutes to get a dealer who shows me a little respect, doesn’t try and recommend services I don’t need at every chance they get, and treats my times as valuable as their own. Oh, and does so without charging $50 for an oil change. (Don’t even get me started on Volvo dealers!)
Anyway, I knew that bill was coming, because up until about a year or so ago, I put a lot of miles on my car everyday. I’m not a hard driver, but I do like to do more hard acceleration than not and put the car through its paces when the road and traffic allow me to. That, to me, is one of the reasons of getting a car like the Mazda6. So no surprises, and I was happy they could perform all the work in the single day.
After 80,000 miles, the Mazda 6 is still nearly like new although it’s going on 4 years old come February. Some minor scratches on the paint, but very typical of a 4-year-old car that is regularly washed and taken care of. The only annoyance that has developed in the last 5,000 miles is a slight squeaking somewhere around the moonroof. I think it’s the sunglasses compartment, which is plastic and seems a little on the loose side. I may have the dealer look into it during the next dealer-based service appointment… which I’ll probably wait until 100,000 for. (I take it in for oil changes at a local oil change shop which is reliable and of good quality every 5,000 - 6,000 miles or so.)
The 2004 Mazda 6 with a 6 cylinder engine definitely doesn’t have the low-end torque and power you’d like in a 6 cylinder. I hear the 4 cylinder is actually better in this department, which I wish it had more of. You don’t really get good torque on this engine until about 4,000 RPMs or so.
Still no serious problems with my Mazda6, nor serious complaints. It remains a fun sports sedan and one I would seriously consider purchasing again when this one hits 120,000 or so, or needs serious repairs in the future.