Friday 7th November 2014

Shed Of The Week: Mazda MX-6

Look beyond the dubious stickerage and an honest little coupe could await your sub grand delight

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We've all seen those property programmes where punters are shown into a house and told to look past the purple shagpile carpets, dung-brown Formica kitchen tops and bilious lavatory suites in order to 'see the potential'.

This week's Shed is a bit like that. It demands a certain amount of imagination. You have to virtually strip off the Halfords stripes to see what lies beneath: most probably a very clean (and, as the years go by, increasingly distinctive) Nineties Japanese coupe.

'No parking' signs hold no fear for this beaut

Now, this ad is a bit light on MX-6 detail. We'll fill you in on some of that in a minute, but before we get there let's have a bit of fun trying to guess the story behind the car.

The LD reg means it started off life in London, north-west London to be precise. Now it's in Lancashire, Rochdale to be precise. We know that because the vendor has put his full telephone number on the ad. This tells us either that he's got nothing to hide or that he's not very computer literate - or potentially both, if it's an ad put in by a mature owner. Words like 'garaged' and 'Waxoiled' (sic) add some credence to this old boy theory, as does the wonderfully cheesy Smokey and The Bandit-style stickerage.

If the photos we see here were taken outside the owner's house, which looks like part of a terrace, then the garage is very likely a short walk away in an offsite lockup. That could point to a car that has only been taken out on special occasions, tying in nicely with both the low mileage and the very Northern 'don't go in there, it's the front room' philosophy of 'keeping it for best'.

Of course, that's most probably all rubbish, but even with his Meerschaum pipe firmly replaced in its mantelpiece holder Shed still thinks this is a loved car and a genuinely reluctant sale. Don't go crying to him if it isn't, though.

Alright, back to the MX-6 and its possible place in history. Eh? Well, for what it's worth Shed thinks that car designers working for the more sporting arms of Japanese car companies during the last decade of the 20th century were sadly unappreciated at the time. Certainly, this second-gen model MX-6 was greeted by the 1991 British specialist press with all the enthusiasm you'd expect to lavish on a smelly old aunt arriving at yours for an unexpected and disappointingly long stay. They saw it as an underperformer, and somewhat dowdy.

Peel away transfers and you could be onto something

It was hard to argue with the performance crit. J-spec cars pumped out nearly 200hp and had the extra bonus - or complication - of four-wheel steering, but in Euro-spec the twin-cam V6 engine (shared with the Ford Probe) whiffled forth an inoffensive sounding 164hp. In a luxury coop weighing around 1,250kg you're definitely looking at a lover rather than a fighter, especially if there's an auto box grafted on, like it is here.

But, and it's a big but, unlike last week's RX-8, there are few worries with that 2.5 engine. Mechanical woes are rare and the low state of tune bodes well for longevity. This '93 car is far enough away from the start of the six-year production cycle to be free of any new car glitchery, but it's over 20 years old now so besides the usual wear items watch out for failing distributors (cranking without starting). Poor running, especially in reverse, could indicate a split tube between the MAF sensor and throttle body. Sunshine roofs can be slow, valve cover gaskets can leak and spark plugs can short to the head, but otherwise the vendor's simple description of an excellent runner that starts first time should be pretty much bang-on. Everything is fixable and parts supply are easy.

1990s tech means 1990s fuel economy, but then again we don't all want to zip around the supermarket drift scene setting our tyres alight now do we? It's FWD anyway. Save that stuff for the Nissan 200SX.

The other big but is to do with the big butt. In standard trim, the MX-6 look won't be for everybody, even with those five-spoke alloys that Shed thinks might have been transferred from a post-'95 refresh car. But a quick internet look at some nicely-stanced red Sixes on big alloys will show you that this can be an arresting car. Better yet, if your licence is well-inked, a car you're unlikely to get arrested in.

Here's the ad.

Mazda MX6 GT COUPE
RED 2.5cc V6 24 Valve, Auto.
1993
87,462 Miles, sorn.
Many new parts fitted
Garaged
Waxoiled
Starts first time
Excellent runner
Reluctant sale
Tel: [phone]

 

[pSynrg]

I just want to get it, take the stickers off, put it on sale again +£250.

How were these better/worse than the Probe? Possibly one of the most unloved Ford's in (relatively) recent memory.