Possible new owner...few quick questions

[skyna]

Hey guys,

My name is Danny and I may be joining the ranks of owning an MPS6.

Anyway, I currently own two cars and I'm looking to merge them into one, nice and newer vehicle.

I've found an '05 MPS6 with 69,000km on the clock. It will come with 2 years warranty (not sure what Orix cover - whether its just the drive train and engine) and I've been offered an excellent price for one of my trade ins (seriously, I doubt I'd get it privately). All up, once the trade in is taken off it will cost me $22,000 and I'll still have my other car to sell which will bring it down to about $20,000.

I've test driven the vehicle and it runs fantastic. I was just about to put a deposit on it, but a friend mentioned that the MPS6s do have problems with the diff, engine mount, gearbox, clutch etc. What I'm wondering is this a common fault with the MPS6s or is it through hard launches, minimum service etc? I understand every car has its faults (for instance I know my current car - a supercharged magna are likely to melt pistons when theyre boosted, or N/A have common rocker cover leaks, failed engine mounts and noisey tapets).

The MPS6 has really ticked a lot of boxes. I want something with leather, good performance, sunroof, manual and relatively good handling and turning circle. However, I also want something reliable that will be a perfect daily driver but will love (and not blow up) the odd spirited drive and maybe one or two track days.

The choice is between an MPS6 or a Ford Mondeo XR5. What I'm really after is opinions and information as to the extent of problems, parts cost and whether you'd choose the MPS6 if your other choice was a Mondeo XR5.

Thanks guys, appreciate the input in advance

[SarcasticOne]

well, owning a 3MPS, im not the best person to answer this, but will answer what i can

firstly, have a look here:
http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/tech-...nty-fixes.html
it details a number of issues that people have come up against

the clutch on the 05 6MPS can be a bit tricky, and there is a bit of a discussion about it here:
http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/tech-...zda-6-mps.html
but it seems if you find it troublesome, can get it replaced under warrenty

the gearboxes in these cars are pretty solid units, easily capable of handling more power than they have at the moment, and as for rear engine mounts, thats a warranty issue as well, or you can pick up a CPE one for ~$200, and these seem pretty popular with people

am sure there will be 6MPS owners along soon to help you out

[skyna]

well, owning a 3MPS, im not the best person to answer this, but will answer what i can

firstly, have a look here:
http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/tech-...nty-fixes.html
it details a number of issues that people have come up against

the clutch on the 05 6MPS can be a bit tricky, and there is a bit of a discussion about it here:
http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/tech-...zda-6-mps.html
but it seems if you find it troublesome, can get it replaced under warrenty

the gearboxes in these cars are pretty solid units, easily capable of handling more power than they have at the moment, and as for rear engine mounts, thats a warranty issue as well, or you can pick up a CPE one for ~$200, and these seem pretty popular with people

am sure there will be 6MPS owners along soon to help you out

Cheers for the quick reply!! Massively appreciate it! I had a read of those threads and it scared me a bit. I've had my heart set on an MPS6 for months so I was a little shattered.

Were the engine mounts, gearbox, clutch etc recall issues or just common problems? I've got no objection to replacing the engine mount with a poly as I've done in the magna, I just don't want to be up for a clutch, gearbox or diff anytime soon lol If theyre just common issues, I guess the best thing is to read the warranty and note what it covers and take it straight to my mechanic for a once over to see if theres any issues.

I noticed the gearbox was weird yesterday, but after a 10 minute spin I got used to it.

VERY NICE cars!

PS I've posted in another thread about tow bars but do any 6 owns know the feasibility of them? All I'd be towing is a small trailer with a dirt bike.

Cheers again for the input

[rogwick]

well, owning a 3MPS, im not the best person to answer this, but will answer what i can

No...you know nothing! Haha just kidding. Welcome skyna to ozMPSclub. This guy here SarcasticOne always pops up on these threads and always has some handy input and advise. Although a MPS3 owner, whatever he has to say is usually pretty sound advice and well worth a read.

The links attached pretty much outline some of the common issues, hence we created the threads. Please don't be alarmed as you will probably find similar threads on any good vehicle forum. You would rather see it specified than not at all right? True the MPS6 has a few faults but this is only with certain vehicles. There are some chaps on here who have clicked pasted 100,000kms and not skipped a beat, no hassles at all. Others are running in excess of 20psi on stock internals etc.

My advice would be to have a comprehensive read of the attached links and use that as a basis to check what to look for. I have prepared this link too which is pretty much a cover for purchasing a used vehicle that may be worth a read. You will also find any or all links down the bottom to provide further reference. Some of the stuff contained in the link below was part of Sarcasticone's advice in previous thread conversations, some good points he made reference to

hints-tips-purchasing-used-vehicle

Not sure if you're aware but the MPS motor is forged so some typical problems are eliminated when compared to typical overheating in some cars. To save this getting too long, reply with any specific questions you have and myself and fellow 6 (and 3 owners) will be happy to help.

Feel free to check out the members ride or my RR linked thread on my sig for some mod details and such

[andy b]

Hey Danny!

Sounds like you're in much the same basket as I was about 6 months ago. I actually had a 2008 Lancer but wasn't that happy and had done 85,000km in less than two years and decided to go to something a bit bigger and more solid. Originally I was looking at Mitsubishi 380 as I have owned a Magna before as well, and they are a good car.

I came across an immaculate one-owner 2005 MPS6 with 49,000km on the clock and luckily the previous owner had purchased the 4th year extended factory warranty so it was covered for 6 months. This was a big bonus as I bought the car in Sydney, and it isn't possible for me to drive to Sydney every 10,000km to maintain a dealer provided 'Harrier' warrranty. These warranties are usually not very good value either, because most of the time they are limited to $1000 in repairs per claim.

Anyhow I have now had the car about 6 months and have travelled about 24,000km and it has been excellent. Good ride and handling compromise, quality feel, reasonable service costs. Fuel economy isn't bad either, I am currently getting <10L/100km and I don't drive any special way to conserve fuel. I have had to replace the front brakes as the factory items were finished. I ended up buying DBA rotors through MPS Garage as the quote for Mazda rotors and pads was around $800 (front only). I ended up paying half the price for a comparative if not superior product.

The only other issues I have had was with a loose front sway bar which was replaced along with links under warranty, and recently have had an intermittent hesitation problem under load. I have had the wastegate solenoid replaced but this didn't fix the problem, my next stop will be spark plugs which are on order. I was meant to change them at the 70,000km service but didn't realise until I checked the book the other day! I have now started to do minor services myself as it is quite easy.

Good luck with the sale mate, hopefully you get yourself an MPS!

---------- Post added at 03:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------

Oh wait...I just had a look on the Orix website...you are in Newcastle, Danny?

[RedDjinn]

+1 to that.. Andy sent me a text telling me u maybe in newcastlebring on the local hunter mps brigade

DO IT BUY IT

[6mps]

Hey there.
I'm a fellow mazda 6 mps owner.

The gear boxes on this is brilliant. Responsive and sturdy. You won't have to worry about it.

As for the engine mount, as somone mentioned before, it can be covered during your warranty, and is relatively inexpensive to fix.

I definitely would get the 6 mps over the ford mondeo. I have never drive the mondeo so i can't compare the drive. But the mazda definitely speaks more class and would retain its value.

Also, the mazda 6 mps is a unique car which isn't seen that often on the road. Which also has its downsides....not as much aftermarket support. But, that shouldn't worry you if you're not planning the modify the car. It comes with plenty of power to keep up with most v8's on the road i dare say.

The clutch...i also own a 2005 mazda 6 mps. The clutch is soft and grabby. You just have to learn to let go of it more slowly. Takes a while to get used to. But, like every other car...you have to get used to the way it individually behaves.

Overall, pretty solid car if you don't modify it.

Looking forward to see what you will buy!

[lucifuge]

If you are buying this car from a dealership or equivalent, do you hardest to grind out some extra warranty. I recently bought a Rx8 from QLD (I'm in ACT) and it had 2 years factory warranty and I demanded extra and they gave me 5 years more. What I'm saying is it will put your mind at ease in worst event something were to happen to car.

[skyna]

Cheers for the input guys, thats cleared up a lot! I've bought a few cars and have ended up spending thousands fixing past faults so I really want something thats going to be realistic. You kind of convinced me not to be so paranoid about what I've read! On another car forum I'm on (Australian Magna Club) everyone there is trying to make me steer clear due to the gearbox, clutch, engine mount issues etc but in the end it will be up to me to decide.

Yep, I'm in Newcastle I'm currently getting around in a kashmir supercharged magna (had decals etc) and a grey feroza so you may have seen me around The one at Orix is really nice and I love it...BUT I've found one for sale (friend of the missus) thats in red. Besides rims and a few cosmetic mods it will be stock, I've kind of learnt my lesson $50k later with the magna haha

[andy b]

On another car forum I'm on (Australian Magna Club) everyone there is trying to make me steer clear ...

That's because they're scared of losing a member! No more new Magna's to entice people to buy

I'd be interested in seeing this supercharged beast, I'm a man who likes his Magnas. Owned two of them!

[rogwick]

On another car forum I'm on (Australian Magna Club) everyone there is trying to make me steer clear due to the gearbox, clutch, engine mount issues etc but in the end it will be up to me to decide.

I don't wish to put Magna's down but my question is, what makes Magna gearboxes so good then?! Also I find it odd how Magna owners on the forum are mentioning faults and have an experienced outlook when they have not owned as MPS or experienced any such issues on their personal MPS?!

As far as I know there has been very, very few (if any) gearbox issues brought up on here, clutch issues mean the car is potentially a little hard to drive not an actual problem in my eyes.

With regards to engine mounts, that point could be said to be fair enough. In saying that there are many MPS's on here with the stock mount happily driving everyday. You can always purchase the after market CP-E IF you feel the need.

The thing to look out for in my opinion in the MPS's are the seals. Turbo seals, water pump seals etc. Those are the things that seem to be the more common faults/problems. Once again, only a few MPS's experience these issues.

Hypothetically you buy a car, look after it and it will look after you. Yes you may experience problems but at the end of the day....it's a machine with moving parts. Stuff happens, you fix it! lol - for lack of a better explanation!

It's easy for us to recommend an MPS as we all own and love ours. But at the end of the day. Take one for a drive, if you're happy, buy one. The decision is always up to you and what you can afford etc. The thing with the MPS6 is there are not too many cars that offer the same specs for the same price and quality.

Just a tip though mate, if you're wanting to learn info about the MPS faults, problems, issues, performance, tuning etc etc etc, probably best take advice on here as we tend to know our vehicles a bit better than other forums suggesting issues with Mazda's. We're here to help whether you decide to pursue an MPS or make a pass on it!

[2XS]

Does the Mondeo come as AWD? This may be the deciding factor...................... I know the Focus XR5 can have gearbox issues too.

That's because they're scared of losing a member! No more new Magna's to entice people to buy

I'd be interested in seeing this supercharged beast, I'm a man who likes his Magnas. Owned two of them!

Only 2 Magnas? I've had 4

[RedDjinn]

Magna's my family have had them.. when i drove them there was no feel like taking a warm shower relaxed but no feel, when i drove the mps it was like turning the cold water on gives u the rush when u push the throttle. turn in is sharper with heavier sway bars lower profile tyres give u a more direct feel to the steering, inside was a nice place to be.. you can mod any car to make it better change it to ur liking but what car starts better than a mps for the money? lets face it we drive cars we enjoy... hence y i bought a mps over everything else ( would have bought an aston martin DBS but dont have a few thousand k laying around )

[skyna]

Agreed about AMC. A lot have said go for it etc but a few others have suggested RA lancers etc. Funny thing is most members on there don't own magnas anymore.

Anyway, after reading what I've read on here and talking to a friend who has owned an MPS6 since new (approaching 90,000km) I've come to the conclusion that if you treat them right they'll be ok. I guess I'm just paranoid of having another car that was like my old daily driver - a land rover freelander. If you looked at it something would break. If you sneezed near it, it would blow something! It was the worst car I've EVER owned. I treated it right and yet it spent more time on a flatbed or outside of my house (saving up for the rort of a life time - for example installing a new CV was around $1200 but I do know CVs are general wear and tear) than driving. I spent so much on it trying to fix it up, only to sell it off as parts.

Unfortunately my magna is starting to get stripped back to standard this weekend. The S/C is coming off this weekend, but hey thats another $5000 towards an MPS I've been offered $4k for my magna trade in (13 year old TF magna 5 speed), I can even remove all the go fast bits. All it needs is rims I'll be going to check the MPS again today at lunch, taking my old boy with me to get a second opinion. If he says OK and the magna is stripped (uni, work etc are flat out so hopefully I can find some time somewhere) I'll buy it within the next few weeks. Fingers crossed it doesn't sell by then :P

Heres some pics of the fagna just to give you an idea. You may have seen it around somewhere



Down the strip, got a terrible time due to traction issues and an unco driver :P



When it was a ricer and it was bagged.



As it sits now



WSID again



When it was bagged

[rogwick]

What was the fuel economy like?

[skyna]

Not too bad, city driving around 11-13/100 but once you give it a boot full (like at WSID) a full 70L tank would be gone within 350km lol

[rogwick]

Yeah I would say so! Nice custom though, would have turned a few heads I bet!

[skyna]

Yeah I would say so! Nice custom though, would have turned a few heads I bet!

Thanks! I love/ed it. It definitely did get attention, but often from the wrong parties (hoon/noobs wanting to race, police (labelled a hoon because I have a kit, wheels etc) or other idiots). Just got to the point where I was sick of not driving it due to fear of being defected or vandalised when parked.

I'm looking at the MPS6 again in roughly half an hour...very excited!

[rogwick]

I'm looking at the MPS6 again in roughly half an hour...very excited!

Take a napkin, it's not polite to drool on the ground

Additionally wear baggy pants, you don't want people knowing just how excited you are

[Scaredycrow]

Take a napkin, it's not polite to drool on the ground

Additionally wear baggy pants, you don't want people knowing just how excited you are

That's Gold!