I’d exclude the MazdaSpeed6 awd only because it’s much different (for my needs) than the other two.
Im sure Accord if you’re in for high miles and the Mazda6 for driving experience but is this actually proven? Where does the Maxima fit in?
And figure all three with a manual, no automatics here!
i love my mazdaspeed 6 but i'd be hesitant to regularly use it for autox... maybe with springs & sway bars but stock its a bit like driving a turbocharged boat that doesn't know when to let go of the road lol. just about the time you think its going to let go, the rear digs in and pulls you back. its a neat feeling but it'd be tough to autox
Not sure what happened to the title???
Title wasn’t supposed to be my name.
Mods, can you change that to “1st Gen Mazda6 vs 7th Gen Accord vs 6th Gen Maxima.”
In reply to ebonyandivory :
Done 
EastCoastMojo said:In reply to ebonyandivory :
Done
Wow! That was FAST! Thank you!
In reply to ebonyandivory :
You're welcome! I had the thread open expecting to read about someone who passed, and was scratching my head as the content did not seem to reflect the title. I've noticed my phone sometimes wants to auto-fill the title with my name as if I'm filling out a registration or order screen, so that's likely what happened here.
In reply to EastCoastMojo :
Bingo (the auto-fill part, not death). Though I’ve come pretty close a couple times recently!
In reply to ebonyandivory :
I'm glad it was just a phone mix-up and not anything more somber 
Good luck with your vehicle quest!
i had a 2003 Mazda6s with the sport appearance package, black leather, Bose sound, etc. The only thing i didn't love was the shifter feel. It reminded me of an old Ford Escort. Beyond that, it was a great car and I'd buy another one if that's what i needed. it had 126k when i bought it and 166k when i sold it. only sold because i had a company car so didn't need a daily. proceeds went to buy an E12.
I know I mentioned this in your other thread, but just to get specific about my experience driving both in the course of one week. This was a 7th gen Accord, 2.4 before the HP bump, MT with 110k, and a Mazda 6 hatch with 100k, 2.3, MT.
Steering: The 6 by a mile.
Gearbox: Accord, but not by as much as I would have thought.
Engine: I'd say equal in terms of acceleration, although the tires were crap and it was a little damp when I drove the Accord, so wheel spin happened in first. I thought I was going to be really impressed by the Honda mill, but I found it to feel okay. To be fair, I didn't have much time to really wind it out due to the road and conditions.
Suspension: 6 felt way more buttoned down. The Accord really felt like a front driver economy-ish car. The 6 felt a lot like my E30.
Clutch: I didn't really love either clutch. The Honda had a long throw with no feedback, and the 6 had a some sort of thunk going on, probably needed a new clutch. I will say the clutch felt better in the 2.3 6 than in the V6 I drove years ago, which felt like the Accord's.
Never driven the Maxima in that generation. Hope this helps some.
In reply to CyberEric :
Well, it sure helps my information gathering! Your experience seems to align with lore: Mazda6 for the enjoyment of driving, Accord for the missionary position of driving experiences.
In reply to ebonyandivory :
Indeed. Happy to help. I had heard good things about the TSX from someone on here, and so I thought the Accord might feel like a "driver's car," but not really.
I didn't buy either car, sadly. The clutch issue with the 6, a sagging headliner, and leaking valve cover scared me off for the price (~$5k). I would have bought the Accord too, it wasn't that bad, but it had several issues too. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a $5k car.
It's hard as hell to find many manual 4 cylinder sedans in either make. I have basically given up until spring, which is irritating as my only car is a 230k e30 soft top with a leaky top and engine! I wish you better luck finding something that fits your criteria.
In northeast Massachusetts, I think ~5,000 buys you a pretty nice Accord. Probably 7th generation like the ones I’m looking at.
I'm trying to spend less, more like $4,000 so I can sock away the remaining $2-3,000 in my budget.
Planning on buying some dedicated winter tires for whatever I buy. Every truck I’ve looked at to replace my Yukon, even in the upper end of my $6,000+ is RUSTY and in Massachusetts, after October 2017, that’s a very bad thing.
Didn’t the 6G maxima have a ton of transmission problems? Also it’s the ugliest maxima ever made.
I'll write a better post when I haven't had a few drinks. But I've owned three first gen Mazda 6's, two of them were V6 5 speeds. The current one I've had for 8 years and a 100K, only real mods have been Springs and a CAI. Only major problem has been bad plugs, which I assume were original. If you have any other questions feel free to ask, I'll try to answer, otherwise I'll write another post in the next day or two.
Kris reminded me to list failures on my 03 Mazda6s V6/MT:
For those with the V6, what are your thoughts on the pre-cat issue? Overblown?
CyberEric said:For those with the V6, what are your thoughts on the pre-cat issue? Overblown?
Anecdotal, but a lot of the V6 manual cars I come across on CL seem to have had an engine replacement at some point.
Also, the OP is in MA.. is rust an issue on the 6 like it is on the 3?
ProDarwin said:CyberEric said:For those with the V6, what are your thoughts on the pre-cat issue? Overblown?
Anecdotal, but a lot of the V6 manual cars I come across on CL seem to have had an engine replacement at some point.
Also, the OP is in MA.. is rust an issue on the 6 like it is on the 3?
Cybereric:
Most likely overblown. You only hear of the issues. Iirc, I only heard of less than 10 instances on a national 6 forum.
Prodarwin:
Mine is rusting on the rear passenger wheel well. I've seen similar on ms6's and a friends ms3.
Angrycorvair:
I forgot about issues 1&2.
I can provide some insight to the Maxima.
Their biggest issue I see up here in Canada is floor pan rust from the inside out (from passengers not knocking the snow off their boots). It's a pretty cheap fix if you can weld, but kinda sucks. Might not be an issue where you live.
Second most common is the rear ABS sensors will fail and cause weird stuff like stability control engagement that limits power, and engaging ABS under normal braking. A lot of people think they have a transmission issue. There's a TSB that addresses this, some modification to the water drain on the rear knuckles is the blame. The TSB only specifies the issue happening in the right rear, but the left has the same problem. If neglected the issue will burn up the ABS motor requiring a new actuator ($$$$).
You mentioned you're looking for a manual transmission, these are quite rare. But they do exist, and some 2004 and 2005 models are equipped with a Helical LSD. It's essentially exactly the same trans/ratios as an 03+ Sentra Spec-V but with a VQ bellhousing. I'm fairly certain the Accord and 6 don't have this option.
Rust will certainly be a concern with the Mazda in the rust belt. Accords seem to hold up and not get real rusty around Illinois which is salt road central.
Manuals in that gen of Maxima are rare enough that i've never personally seen one. The Maxima engine wins the power battle by a mile but that gen of maxima is so fat it almost counteracts the advantage. Of the other two I prefer the Honda interior to the Mazda by a lot, and the Honda V6 is stronger. The 3.0/manual Mazda6 is the slowest of the bunch by a good bit but still very pleasant. I put a trans in one a long time ago and took it on a very spirited test drive and generally liked it. For me it would be the Honda with suspension mods.
You'll need to log in to post.
