New family transport (Mazda 6)
Discussion
With an imminent arrival, we needed a more sensible car to replace my wife's MX5. I was very sad to see the MX5 go especially as we'd only had it a few months and I was really enjoying it. After looking a various cars such as the Civic, Focus, and Mazda 3 and getting a bit depressed at the thought of having to own something that makes me die inside every time I drive it, we eventually found something I could muster some enthusiasm for.
Firstly check out the comedy pedals and spoiler:
Rather a nice looking car really:
It's a 2 litre petrol, and being a'Takuya' it has a nice spec. As always it's noticeable how larger cars offer much better value for money on the used market. So far enjoying it very much; the ride is excellent, it goes well and is comfortable. And I still have the 550i in the garage for best!
Plans for the 6 are to get hold of a spare wheel for the boot, and possibly a set of winter wheels and tyres.
Firstly check out the comedy pedals and spoiler:
Rather a nice looking car really:
It's a 2 litre petrol, and being a'Takuya' it has a nice spec. As always it's noticeable how larger cars offer much better value for money on the used market. So far enjoying it very much; the ride is excellent, it goes well and is comfortable. And I still have the 550i in the garage for best!
Plans for the 6 are to get hold of a spare wheel for the boot, and possibly a set of winter wheels and tyres.
Quick update.
The 6 is behaving well so far.
Shortly after buying, the terrible Firenza tyres that were on the front of it were binned (well, sold on Ebay for 60 quid, but same thing...). Any kind of moisture with those tyres turned the car into a very exciting thing indeed, and not in good way. They were replaced with some Michelin PS3s as there was a decent offer on them before Christmas.
Meanwhile I'd also ordered a set of steels + winter tyres from mytyres.co.uk, so the alloys (and the Michelins) have been safely stowed since December.
This is how the car currently sits:
Looks a bit...different, but quite smart in a way.
To control costs I did a bit of reading up and ended up choosing Barum Polaris 3 tyres as these got good reviews. Have to say I've been very impressed with them. They really inspire confidence in cold/damp conditions and also seem excellent in standing water. They do make the car feel a bit floaty on the motorway though, especially if it's windy.
The car proved to be an excellent tool for the travelling over christmas with our newborn and all the associated crap that you end up lugging around. The boot is massive. We travelled from Wiltshire to Warwickshire to Anglesey in a single day in a good level of comfort.
One negative is that the engine does feel gutless sometimes. It's easy to find yourself in the wrong gear when say coming off a roundabout, especially with a car full of people/ stuff. The engine is very top-endy and does go well if you're in the right mood, but it basically needs plenty of revs which can be a bit tiresome as it doesn't make a great noise.
Overall we're very pleased with it though.
The only other news on it is that I've fitted a mini0801 dashcam. This has been neatly (if I do say so myself) wired in by cutting into the cables that power the auto dimming mirror, with one of these concealed inside the very roomy housing for the rain sensor:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vktech-Car-Charger-Voltage...
Here's a pic of the installation.
The 6 is behaving well so far.
Shortly after buying, the terrible Firenza tyres that were on the front of it were binned (well, sold on Ebay for 60 quid, but same thing...). Any kind of moisture with those tyres turned the car into a very exciting thing indeed, and not in good way. They were replaced with some Michelin PS3s as there was a decent offer on them before Christmas.
Meanwhile I'd also ordered a set of steels + winter tyres from mytyres.co.uk, so the alloys (and the Michelins) have been safely stowed since December.
This is how the car currently sits:
Looks a bit...different, but quite smart in a way.
To control costs I did a bit of reading up and ended up choosing Barum Polaris 3 tyres as these got good reviews. Have to say I've been very impressed with them. They really inspire confidence in cold/damp conditions and also seem excellent in standing water. They do make the car feel a bit floaty on the motorway though, especially if it's windy.
The car proved to be an excellent tool for the travelling over christmas with our newborn and all the associated crap that you end up lugging around. The boot is massive. We travelled from Wiltshire to Warwickshire to Anglesey in a single day in a good level of comfort.
One negative is that the engine does feel gutless sometimes. It's easy to find yourself in the wrong gear when say coming off a roundabout, especially with a car full of people/ stuff. The engine is very top-endy and does go well if you're in the right mood, but it basically needs plenty of revs which can be a bit tiresome as it doesn't make a great noise.
Overall we're very pleased with it though.
The only other news on it is that I've fitted a mini0801 dashcam. This has been neatly (if I do say so myself) wired in by cutting into the cables that power the auto dimming mirror, with one of these concealed inside the very roomy housing for the rain sensor:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vktech-Car-Charger-Voltage...
Here's a pic of the installation.
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