ThatChevy

Hey guys, haven't been on here in a good minute so I thought I'd stop by and see what everyone has been up to lately. As for me I've just been busy with work and enjoying life when I can. I did recently pick up a new DD about a month ago. So I thought I'd share that with you guys.

I do still have my Miata, but I thought it was time for something a little more practical to drive everyday. Plus now I can keep the miles off the Miata (already have over 10k miles after 11 months) and can store it during the winter months so that when we get the rare Tennessee snow/ice storm, I don't have to drive it lol.

So I went out to Knoxville last month and picked up a 2005 Mazda6 S wagon. It had 148k miles when I bought it (now 150k), a 3.0L V6, sunroof, 9 speaker Bose stereo system, and the sport package. In fact the only thing the car didn't come with is the luxury package which included the heated leather seats. It was built in Flat Rock, Michigan and is Sepang Green Metallic in color.

I ended up getting the car for a little over $5k after the dealer fixed the brakes for me. I got all new rotors, pads, front caliper hoses, and one new caliper. The dealer I bought it from actually had an HHR there when I was looking. I thought about it, but after looking at it I decided not to. It had 172k miles on it and was pretty well beat up both inside and out. Scratches everywhere inside and dents and dings in multiple places outside. Including a pretty big one on the front fender where it looked like someone hit something or someone else.

Anyway here are some pics of my new DD and hope everyone here on the forums is doing well!

whopper

Glad you dropped back in. Gotta love a mazda 626 - I had a 626 a few years back (was one of the best cars I ever had - just super reliable!!).

Oldblue

Glad you dropped by! Cheers

843de

Great to know you're still out and about, nice Mazda's, its funny how they figured out that Americans/Canadians still want Station Wagons...go figure.

ThatChevy

Thanks whopper, but this is actually a first gen Mazda6 which was the successor to the 626. Both cars were built at the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant until 2013 when production moved back to Japan, but 626 production ended in 2002 with 6 production starting for the 2003 model year.

I do have to agree with you though that they're super reliable cars. As long as Mazda keeps building good looking, reliable, and fun to drive cars, I'll probably keep buying them lol. My next goal is to end up with an FD RX-7 or a Speed6.

Thanks Oldblue! Cheers to you as well.

Thanks Mike! Yeah, I'm still lingering around lol. I'm just not nearly as active as I'd like to be. In fact this and the Alero forum I'm on for my first car are the only 2 forums I even still get on.

Yeah, you said it. It's just a shame that more manufacturers don't make wagons anymore. Mercedes has one, but you have to special order it and it's not cheap. BMW has one as does Audi and VW has the Golf Sportwagen. Volvo brought the V60 wagon back recently, but aside from that there isn't really much out there in terms of "new" wagons.

Mazda still makes the 6 wagon, but it's not sold in the U.S. anymore cause they said the demand for wagons isn't high enough to justify it.

DwRed2LT

Nice Mazda 6

ThatChevy

Thanks DwRed2LT!