I would like some feedback on the reliability of the 6 vs 4 engines. This will be my first car with auto trans so my wife can driive it too.

I found a 2006 6s GT we like at a local dealer but we usually keep our cars for 5 or 6 years ( 80-100K miles) and wanted to be sure that the 6 cyl is up to the task.

Cheers,
Paul

 

the V6 is a Duratec engine. designed and made by Ford.
the I4 is a Mazda engine. no ford at all.

im not a big fan of ford. so id say the I4 is better.
plus the 4 cylinder breathes 300% free-er than the V6.

 

Yeah like he said the v6 is a ford engine and is very moody. So far I've had the sensor in my throttle body go bad at about 10k miles.
Also the v6 guzzles gas like nothing else if you stay above 3500 rpm much since thats about when the second cam kicks in. But I will say theres nothing quite like hitting that second cam and getting a noticable boost in acceleration. That's nice when its you and not the missus driving the car around. But, yes the 4 cylinder is more economical and probably more dependable in the long run. Btw I would recommend the 5 door since that extra room can come in handy when you need to tote large stuff around.

 

Given proper maintanence, the Duratec family of engines has a rep for being relatively trouble-free, but like all things individual results may vary. I haven't had any issues with our V6 in our '06 4DR GS show up to date, but so far the car doesn't get used all that much, either. We too expect this car to last 5-6 years AT LEAST; considering how few miles are being put on the car it probably should last a fair bit longer (knock wood). Fuel mileage has been pretty good, and its ability to drink regular unleaded is not lost on our wallet. Considering how gawd-awful thirsty our turboed VW Passat is (prem. unleaded only to boot), the 6s GS has been a revelation.

Biggest grip--but not the only one--I have about that car is the numb, overboosted steering, but it's what the wife wanted. Seems pretty stupid for a trim package calling itself 'GrandSport' (guess no one has to worry about that for '07, though, since the GS is gone). Also the 6-sp slushbox's firmware is rather slow in manual mode; shifts out of 1st seem to take forever. No one's ever going to confuse this sluggish box with a Tip in a 911, or an F1 in an F430 F1, that's for sure. But the tranny will let me start out in 2nd as well, unlike the 1st-only Tiptronic in the VW; nice, considering how EASY it is to spin the wheels of the GS when starting in first, despite traction control being left on.

 

Just went past 45,000 miles on my wifes 04 6s Wagon with no issues at all.

 

Thanks to you all for your suggestions and help.

Brought home my 2006 Mazda 6s GT, Dark Cherry (MSRP $27,920) on Tuesday for $20,600 total and my 91 Dodge Neon. (71K miles)
It took four trips to the dealership but a what a good outcome.

$2500 in rebates and $1000 for financing but will pay off the loan with the first payment, so it will cost about $120 to save $1000!

REALLY fine machine and glad I chose the six.

Paul