well i've been browsing these forums for a while as i was planning on getting a ms6. can looks great, has awd for the michigan winters, good modability, decent interior, and has decent handling. now, the problem is that i want to keep this car for quite a while and i have continuously read threads and posts about how the reliability of these cars isn't that great if you want to keep it for long.
the clutch problem, the bogging from 2-3 shift, the 6th gear bogging, and the necessity to buy and upgraded rmm to get a decent shift. all of these things are preventing my from buying this car. i really do wanna keep it for a while and i dont wanna have to keeping fixing things and replacing things. can you guys shed some lights on this.
also here's a response i got on the mustang forums:
the clutch problem, the bogging from 2-3 shift, the 6th gear bogging, and the necessity to buy and upgraded rmm to get a decent shift. all of these things are preventing my from buying this car. i really do wanna keep it for a while and i dont wanna have to keeping fixing things and replacing things. can you guys shed some lights on this.
also here's a response i got on the mustang forums:
As a previous owner of a MS6 that i just sold a month ago, I would definately shoo you AWAY from it. It's got a load of problems, and it's plagued with all sorts of problems that Mazda has blatantly admitted "no one knows how to fix"...hence why it was dumped after only 2 years.
Just to name a few things to look for if you still insist on looking into it:
1) Engine studder - although it's the same engine the MS3 has, its tuned slightly different...which was enough to give it a hiccup that screws everyone over that has one. If you give it more then about 1/2 throttle below 4K, it'll cough like it's missing for anywhere from 1-3 seconds, totally unannounced. It's just downright dangerous if you're trying to pass a car. Check out a thread I headed up on this very problem
2)FRIGGIN CLUTCH - ok this was just RIDICULOUS. I've never felt a clutch that was this far left of center. The point at which it engages is RIGHT at the folcrum of the spring that pushes the pedal out, and makes it nearly impossible to engage properly. Let alone the fact that the take up is so high it leaves you wondering if it will ever engage. The icing on the cake would be how sensitive it is to. When you roll those 3 factors together, its a DISASTER of a clutch. Worse yet, Mazda tends to very strongly refuse any fixes on it, even though there is a TSB out for it.
3)Turbo failure - it's completely common over at *************** to read about MS6's everywhere seeing the dredded "smoke cloud in the rearview". Usually, by the time you see it...you turbo's already packed it's bags.
4)Mod Unfriendly - it's tune is extremely particular, and doesn't take nicely to lots of regular mods...such as exhaust, CAI (VERY studder prone) and turbo upgrades.
There's a good number of other small problems that follow it as well, but those are the biggies. Here's a small quote from my farewell message to the MS6 forums found here:
"I really liked the MS6 for what it was, and never got a chance to experience the AWD in the winter (ironically being one of the selling points I bought it for...). I was never one to street race or pound the car hard, and kept it all stock. I won't lie...it was a lot of fun being in boost, and feeling the hardcore acceleration down low at 3K RPMS. However, an omnipresent studder, clutch no one will fix, clicking seat, hit-or-miss auto-locking, quirky navigation and potentially deaf customer service just didn't add up to a $440 car payment. As usual in life, it always comes down to money."
I think that about says it all about the MS6. I really wanted to like the car, but no matter how hard i tried, I just couldn't. It just simply wouldn't let me.