Mazda Speed6 ?

I want one.

I found one that has been maintained but the 6-speed gear box was replaced at the dealer around 35,000 miles (has 70k now).

I'm not looking for a track car, just a fast DD that blends into the crowd. Should I be looking for a A4 or A6 instead?

Any problem areas specific to these cars that I should look out for? Looking for the GRM recommendation on this one.

Oof, i don't think i would ever recommend a VAG product over an MS6 unless you've got the money for an S/RS level one.

And even then, just because they're so cool.

I'd much rather live with an MS6, though.

I've heard reports of the rear diff seals leaking on these, but that's about it. Seem to be solid cars.

I found an somewhat older RS6 Audi with the same miles but it's $15k more so that won't fly. I did consider it for a moment though...

Rear dif is the big issue. It was a known defect, most of the cars have had that fixed under warranty by now. Other than that... they're not bad.

My understanding, and I'm just parroting things I've read, is that the MS6 doesn't handle quite as well as you might expect, but the power delivery makes up for it. A little more musclecar than rallycar.

Seems like it would fit what you're looking for perfect.

I have driven one and it was awesome. They are total Q-ships because they look just like any other family sedan, but they have MS3 power with AWD traction. If they had only made a wagon

ReverendDexter wrote: My understanding, and I'm just parroting things I've read, is that the MS6 doesn't handle quite as well as you might expect, but the power delivery makes up for it. A little more musclecar than rallycar. Seems like it would fit what you're looking for perfect.

This is an excellent way to describe them. They're rockets for what they are in a straight line. The DISI itself still amazes me.... and it's only getting better. It'll never be a rally champion, but it makes a pretty damn good q-ship if you're feeling froggy.

MS6 is on my short list of post-college cars. I'd even drive a purple one as long as it has the cloth interior.

CP-E has plenty of bolt-on goodies for the MS6.

When they were new, Mazda dealerships couldn't GIVE them away, so lots of people picked them up cheap, know what they have is rare, and are charging an arm and a leg for them on the used market.

A quick search on cars.com shows people still asking nearly $20k(!) for ~30,000 mile examples!

Even 60,000 mile examples are still going for $16k or more!

I shopped them a few years ago and I liked them. From what I remember, they arent that roomy compared to a 3. The rear diff issue is there, but it isnt as big as say the high pressure fuel pump on a Mini and it definitely isnt as expensive. It is very easy and cheap to get power out of the engine. Handling is okay, but I wouldnt call it a sports car, rather a sporty car if that makes sense. The AWD is front biased. The interior was kind of bland in my opinion. It came down to a toss up between that and a Saab 92x but the deal was better on the Saab so I bought that.

I saw one around my parts that is for sale for $12k with 60k if that helps any.

I had one, and was miserable with it. But that was more the intent of some of the testing than the car (-20F starts.... ugh). Good car.

Actually, great car. I really thought it was really nice.

(as for the DISI- it's a pretty early one, and wasn't really using more advanced things that have been found in the past 5 years... but it did have pretty high compression with good amount of boost- which is what this board enjoys. )

Blah, it was rusty. Thank you Michigan winters.

Thanks for the input everyone!

It was a one owner original and was in decent shape but not perfect. I added about $1,000 worth of needed repairs & upgrades and then got to the 18" tires and it wasn't a good deal anymore.

I was surprised how much the rear of the chassis was bouncing compared to my regular Mazda 6. It probably needed rear shocks too.

It wasn't that long ago...well, maybe a year or two ago(?) that CarMax had a few MS6s in inventory. Now, you are lucky if you can find a "regular" 6 with a manual transmission. All they seem to have at the moment is 6s with 4 cylinder engines and automatic transmissions.