Faults:

Rust, rust and rust.

Injectors.

Rough idle.

Dual mass flywheel suspected on its way out.

Diesel particulate filter (DPF) light always on.

Brakes corroded.

Suspension.

Major rust cosmetically.

Subframe corroded.

Did I mention general rust? I think you get the idea...

General Comments:

Well, at first sight I got a good deal on this Mazda 6 when it was only 4 years old. Low mileage, looked sharp in metallic silver and had nice alloy wheels. TS spec is mid level and had lots of electric equipment and cruise control.

The 2.0 turbo diesel pulls strong with over 140 BHP. Also did a solid 45-50 MPG if you took it easy. To drive the handling was sharp and the ride was smooth.

So what's wrong with it? I looked after it, serviced it on time and drove carefully. Washed correctly as well. And having owned many cars going back to the 1970's, for a modern car this was terrible. Think rust and other major problems are a thing of the past? Think again. Also look at all the other above problems I had - I heard modern diesels were bad, but not as bad as this. Had a petrol Ford Mondeo previous to this car, from the 1990s, and even a Mazda 626 way back in the day. They were better cars in every way.

I'm quite a fan of Mazda, but not anymore. A friend of mine (who loves Mazda) has an RX7 sports car from the 90's and has rebuilt its Wankel rotary engine says even he was put off by my experience of buying a more practical Mazda for everyday use, as he was considering a "good" condition Mazda 6 at the time. In his own words "I don't mind dealing with engines, but not major rust!" At 10 years old and just over 100K I scrapped it. Advisory after advisory; at the least few MOT's about major rust made me decide it was not worth keeping. But I have had 80s and 90s cars last 15 years or more. I have never seen a car age so badly since the 1960's or 70's. The Mazda 6 from 2002 - 2008 is one to avoid. I've heard the newer models are holding up a bit better, but just the other day I saw a 2014 Mazda 3 with cosmetic rust! Shocking at only 5 years old.

Faults:

General wear and tear - new brakes, some suspension parts, etc. Minor cosmetic rust on arches.

General Comments:

A nice car to drive, very spacious and comfortable. Modern and quality interior is very upmarket. Looks as good as new when I bought it at a few years old and 20,000 miles on it. Now on 85,000 and still looks much the same, aside from the rusty arches - a known weak spot on these cars. Nothing serious though - purely cosmetic and can be touched up - don't let it get too bad.

On the outside the car looks great with alloy wheels and dark blue paint. Rear visibility is a little limited, but you get used to it.

1.8 petrol engine pulls fine and does near 40 MPG as expected. Would prefer the 2.0 petrol though for the sake of more performance. Have been advised by friends with the diesel version of this car to avoid the diesel like the plague - lots of reliability issues on that engine.

On the whole though my Mazda has not caused me any major trouble and I would recommend it to anybody. Had a Mazda 626 in the 90s and that clocked up mega mileage without serious issues, so I hope this car proves to be the same.