I'm thinking about buying a 2003 6i. I really liked to car upon a test drive, but I do have one worry. I owned a 2001 Acura CL,with all the trans problems. Has there been any problems such as this with the 4AT with sport shift in the 6?

Also, anyone who could shed any light on other problems with the 03 6i would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

 

Check mazda6tech.com and mazda6club.com.

I had an 03 Mazda 6s briefly. The car did have a transmission issue and the dealer couldn't find what it was. It would shift really hard from 2nd to 3rd. I flushed the ATF, reprogrammed the computer, etc. Still nothing. It would happen intermittently especially when it's hot.

OTOH, the 6i transmission is bulletproof. I haven't heard major issue with it. The car is pretty reliable from what I hear. Gas mileage isn't the best and interior material could be better. They did improve it on 05 or 06 model year.

Get the car with leather seats. The cloth material doesn't really hold up well and shows wear pretty early. The car is very fun to drive for an FWD family car.

 

My friend has 2003 mazda 6i. I like the exterior and interior design of the car.

Good points:
-fun to drive
-rev happy

Bad points:
-Around 33K miles, his transmission died on him. And Mazda uses an Aisin-Warner tranny too!!
-oem brakes sucks: creates a lot, I mean a lot of brake dust, and it is not like it's excellent stopping power.