Looking to buy...
 

Hey guys what's up?

So I'm finally looking into buy a MS. After searching for a few weeks this finally came up in my area, seems to be legit. After texting the guy for a while he's been relatively straight with me. The engine was replaced due to a rod being thrown (which was due to a bad turbo if I read his message correctly). OEM turbo was replaced by a dealership's Sales Manager out there in Lincoln. After just speaking to him he informed me the power steering has been acting up and may not be working whatsoever. The owner told me he started searching for a new pump to get it back up and operating otherwise it may be a serpentine belt? Anyways all of these things he's going to pay for and take off on the price. Over text his last price was 6200 with the power steering fixed and he pays for that.

I'm a 17 year old about to go off to college, will this car last me (if I treat it right, which I work at a dealership so it won't be hard :smile:)?

2006 Mazdaspeed 6

I'm from Lincoln too and I know the guy that drives that car. Ask how the AWD works and stuff. Unless I'm mixing that car up with a different car, the AWD is broken.

Yeah that's probably pretty important.. I'm yet to actually go see the car, hoping to head out there sometime by next week and see how it drives.

Looking to buy...
 

Let me ask around about the car and the car. If it's the right car, I know it drives just fine and the motor and turbo are brand new. It would just be a FWD speed 6 until you fixed the transfer case or diff.

Edit: just asked a friend, AWD is out. Ask how much it is to fix the AWD. I can't remember what he told me if it was the diff or the TC.

Speaking in terms of money here how much should I honestly ask him to come down, both of those jobs could be anywhere from $500 - $2000+

Ask the seller about it, he might be fixing it before he sells it. He's a pretty cool guy and isn't going to try and screw you over. Just mention it to him and see if he will pay to fix it or drop the price for you to fix it yourself.

Awesome stuff, thanks for all the help! I'll post any updates to what's going on :wink1:

If you end up getting it, we'll have to meet up sometime. There are a few other speeds in Lincoln but I mostly talked to the guy who is selling this car.

Of course! My cousin drives a speed 3 and I've gone with him a few times to their meets. Until then I have to work on driving a manual better lol

What's your cousins name?

Zach, he drives a gen 1 speed 3, black had dark purple rims although he just took them off. We normally stay in Omaha

I might have seen you before then. I know Zach too.

17 years old + MS6 = very bad idea.

I was 16 when I got my Speed 3. I rebuilt it with my dad, overboosted and bent 2 rods after that. Now I have a fully forged bottom end. It's also my daily. You just have to be smart.

I'm sure a lot of kids say this but for my age I feel mature lol. I understand what these kind of cars are capable of and what I can do with them. This isn't a give me a fast car so I can tear shit up type deal

What kind of budget do you/will you have for maintenance and repairs? As you might be starting to guess the Speed6 tends to require more time & effort (and money) to own than your average Camry...

You wouldn't be the first student to live with a Speed6, but most all of them have hated not having a place to work on it, or the funds to keep it running through a semester away from the parents garage & credit card.

It's a great & very fun car, and I love mine. I've also put a ton of effort and cash into it to make it one of the more stable 6's out there, and I still have to tinker with it on the regular to keep it that way....

This is the problem. High mileage AWD turbo cars cost $$ to repair. And of them, the MS6 is one of the most expensive given the low production numbers. You're considering buying a car with no power steering and a bad AWD system. If you're serious about this MS idea, look elsewhere. Its pretty clear this car wasn't taken care of.

The seller stated that he will fix them before he sells the car.

I see it this way- Either:

A) The seller took care of the care very well, and it's still ended up this way, which means it's going to be a bitch to live with.

or,

B) The seller didn't take care of the car, which means it's going to be a bitch to live with.


And both of those are over and beyond the normal bitch status the 6 has....

It's nice that the seller is offering to fix stuff. Me personally, I'd run very far from this one, and I can afford to fix it and have the tools and ability to do it. Shopping for a used Speed6 isn't about finding the first one, it's about finding the RIGHT one....

Looking to buy...
 

Seller bought the car with all the problems. He put the new motor and turbo in. AWD has never worked. He's a straight guy that wants to sell a good car.

I'm sure the seller is an awesome guy, and isn't trying to slide anything past anybody.

I'll say again, especially for a student just starting college without budget/space/tools-

Car just got a new motor, turbo and is getting the AWD fixed? Whether or not its the current owner's fault, previous owner's fault or just aging/difficult car, the story is the same. This car cost its owners a good amount of money and I'd bet it will continue to do the same.

If you're on a budget and need the car for transportation, I'd walk. Don't try to justify the purchase with "xyz" is new or being fixed so it won't be an issue. That's the wrong way to look at it. The way I see it is all those parts just leave more room for an issue down the road and if you're on a budget or don't have access to the right tools, this could become a very expensive and frustrating car to own.

Considering I work in the service department for my dealership I'm not too worried about a little work. Not really a budget problem either, this was just a relatively cheap option which leaves me with cash to fix any future issues. Power steering is being fixed and I can live without AWD for the time being, altough that would be the first part I fix. I guess the final decision will come down to when I drive it.

Cool!
As long as your eyes are open, and you buy what you can handle in your new environment, I got nothing but the best hopes for ya!

And your concerns are taken into notice, obviously 180k miles is HIGH so I am prepared for a little bit of work. Hopefully nothing major happens, honestly I'm not gonna put a lot of money into mods for the car as it is going to be just a fun daily driver.

Looking to buy...
 

17 year old about to go to college... Buy a civic... Or Corolla... At that age you just need something to get you to and from school on the holidays.. You wouldn't have time to work on it cause you be to busy drinking or trying to get your dick wet or actually studying... You need something that is reliable and not high maintenance.... Take you time... I drove shitty cars until I was 25... The I got the speed... I graduated in 2012 and got my speed in 2015... Good things come to those who wait... Remember speed 6s are not 9-10 year old cars... It's not just the things you have to fix.. But the maintenance on a 10 year old car.. That clearly hasn't had the best treatment from previous owners...


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If you buy a speed6 expect problems. Out of my three years in college I've only driven my 6 full time my freshman year. Sophomore year I bought a beater, there's a reason for that.

**Update** The AWD is NOT out on the vehicle, the seller told me he managed to make it through the winter with no issues whatsoever and didn't get stuck once with, "EXTREMELY" bald tires. And everyone is saying expect work. What kind of work is everyone talking about? If it's simple maintenance things I can handle all that

Well, at 180,000 miles, and presuming no real old age maintenance has been done, then all the things are ready to be done. Pretty much start at the front and work to the back. Suspension is 80-100K beyond shot to hell, bushings, shocks. Brakes & brake lines are done. All the mounts will be worn beyond spec. All the fluids need to be done. Even things like vac lines under the hood. Clutch was probably replaced at least once already, but the second one is close to being done.

The engine- was it new or used replacement? Stock? If used it's very possible it will need the timing chain and VVT replaced- Look up the how-to to get an idea of the scope of work on this alone.

Was turbo swapped with new? if used K04 was dropped in expect it to go any moment. Hell, even if a new K04 was used you can still expect it to go at any moment....

Shift shaft seal/bearing/breather are probably in need of replacement.

Rear diff mounts, if stock, are trashed. They were crap to begin with, and at this age a marshmallow would be stronger.

Geez, I could do this all afternoon....
Yeah, Speed6- fun car.... it's put more than one mechanics kids through college...

"managed to get through the winter with no issues" does not inspire a ton of confidence. Do you want to just manage your way to class? I don't know, just seems like a thing you should walk away from rather than try to justify buying it. If you're game to do the work and foot the bill, maybe this car is your car but as a previous college kid needing a car, this is one that I'd probably steer clear of.

The engine was brand new, less than 36k on it. OEM turbo was new so around the same miles as the engine. The clutch is brand new. So really what I'm looking at is seals, the bearings, suspensions, and fluids.. I'll have to ask about all those, if they haven't been done then that's a problem lol

Gotta say man, you can get a sweeeeeeet miata for $6500ish.....

And, honestly, a miata in that price range chances are good all you'll need to do is pick up your girlfriend & head to dinner or autox....

Hell, get a damn fine example for under $4K and save the rest for, well, college stuff. You know, beer, and, well, more beer. Of course your young so I'm sure you wouldn't be drinking or anything... lolz

Wish I could say I was interested in miata's lol. Speed 3/6 are the only things I'm really interested in right now... And given their rarity it's a pain in the ass trying to find a decent one that isn't beat to shit. There's another one posted in my area at $7,000 I'll take a look at, can post info on that if anyone wants haha

At your age it'll be a money pit... and automotive modifications are one of the biggest money pits! Go for a simple car with lots of potential but a safe history. You don't wanna gamble with this big chunk of your savings, especially if you NEED a car.

I don't NEED a car, I have a fully operational one already.. Guys finances aren't a problem lol. I would be buying the car with cash and would still be fine.

This was his latest email: "I have not replaced anything that does not need done and upon my inspection nothing has been needed, tge rear diff mounts could use a replacement and the pto output shaft has a small seep but it wasn't more than saturation last time i looked at it, i could take it in for pre purchase inspection"

If there's work to be done I will take that into consideration when making him an offer, and as of right now I'd be looking at a $4500 offer. That'd give me room to make the repairs necessary to keep the car running in good condition.

An engine with 36k on it is not actually brand new. Still need to check compression. Does he have info where engine came from?

OEM "spec" turbo? Is it OEM? Is clutch OEM? Was FW is new OEM?

Not trying to dismay you but I bought a crazy clean Speed6 last August with 52,xxx on it. It's spent more time sitting in my driveway and barn waiting to be repaired than it has actually running. First thing was last a few days after I brought it home I noticed it needed injector seals. Que $200 and 6 hours worth of work. Car then ran great. Few weeks later it started smelling like gas every time I sat at a light. Que $90 and 5 hours worth of work for a new high pressure fuel line. Shortly after this, last November, crankshaft position sensor signal was lost. Que another $200 for a dealer repair and several days of (luckily) a company vehicle. Last spring, same thing, CKP sensor again crapped and another $200 repair and out for 3 days. Last June, however, without warning, it snapped a rod in half. It took 3 months to get pistons, 2.5 months to get machining and 2 weeks for someone to assemble it, not counting the many $1,000's to fix it. For a 2006 this is an EXTREMELY low mileage car, with 72,xxx on the odometer. No joke that for the price I paid for it and have paid for repairs I could have bought a new car, or gone halfway to owning a Lexus IS350, which has more hp, more torque, gets better MPG on cheaper gas and will probably run until the world ends hardly needing any maintenance. Oh and don't forget you'll be paying ~50 cents more per gallon to run premium or else it won't run. Lastly in the 7 months it had been running I probably went through about 3 sets of spark plugs from fouling which were $50 a set. Oil changes are also expensive because it takes a ton of oil. Does any of this make it worth it? No, but driving the car is one of the best things ever. It feels like a car that was meant to be driven and it responds exactly how you expect it to. I love it, but I work for a living. it's not a car for a college kid. If I were you I'd consider a 94+ 3000GT SL or VR-4. Similar driving, costs less and most importantly way less maintenance.

Agree that a speed is a rough car for a college kid but i would expect as much problem with any other old turbo awd car of 10+ years old. A 94 is going to be 25 years old soon....
A friend have one, and after 2 engines and turbos repair, i can't say it is more reliable than a speed...No space inside engine bay when you need to work on it etc...But it is a very nice car to drive for sure.

TBH used MS6's are bad ideas.. especially neglected MS6's. Get a Gen1 if you want to have a cheap used quick car. I've driven several BT modded MS6's tuned by some of the best here and was not impressed after driving my MS3 but just my honest opinion and seeing the shit that some of the owners deal with I wouldn't wish these cars on my worst enemy. Not enough potential to endure the bs that comes with em and some MS6 owners will keep it 100 with you about their woes lol