07 LGT Limited ex-owner signing off

Just wanted to drop a line saying bye to all my friends on LGT forum. I kicked my LGT to the curb after 2500 miles. Below are the problems which instigated my costly decision. Thanks to Pete for buying my Blizzaks and Ed for your moral support through my ordeal.

1. I got stuck in 5 inches of snow with Blizzak's on.

2. Clutch had sgnificant chatter taking off from first -dealer denied a problem

3. Clutch stunk so bad I nearly vomited once- dealer denied

4. Lack of on board stability control

5. Had major studder problem when I floored it around 3500-4000 RPMS severe enough to make my head bob. Happened about 50% of the time. The dealer denied it and said it was turbo lag even after I explained that it happened after the turbo already kicked in with full throttle.

6. Suspension felt like mush and hd a lot of body roll- worse than my sisters boring Accord 4 cyl.

7. Steering wheel was off center--and it wasn't due to the banked roads. The dealer denied this also and said it was "normal because I had Blizzaks and aftermarket wheels on the car" What a load of B.S.

So I ended up trading the car in for a MazdaSpeed 6 which I have had for about 1 month now. I know there are a lot of haters here with biased oppinions. Since I have owned both cars I think I am in a good position to comment on why I like the MS6 better.

1. Suspension set up is much better, and steering is less boosted giving a much better feel.

2. Has on board stability control /TCS--this technology has been shown to significantly reduce accidents.

3. Better tires --18" with Bridgestone RE50 vs. RE92's on the LGT

4. Standard 6 speed tranny with better shifter feel. Clutch on MS6 sucks and makes it hard to drive car smoothly though.

5. Better Value for the Price. LGT Limited = $27000 (no nav)

MS6 GT = $27000 (with Nav)

6. Car and Driver article "Quickest cars under $30K" 0-50 and 0-100 times are identical for LGT and MS6. LGT is quicker by .1 Sec on 0-60 due to not having to shift into 3rd.

7. Better gas mileage. I got 19-20 mpg from my LGT vs. 21-22 from the MS6 so far driving both of them fairly agressively.

8. THe MS6 has standard HID lights, LGT should have these what gives? I can see better at night with the MS6.

9. LGT was quiter than the MS6. Could be due to the tires though.

In summary, don't bash it until you've tried it-I've owned both vehicles you probably haven't. peace

With full respect your feelings, anytime a post like this is made, it deserves response. I mean, that's the point of posting anything anyways, right?

1. I got stuck in 5 inches of snow with Blizzak's on.

Something is wrong. I drove a FWD mazda protoge through that much. Possibly a solid ice base under the snow? up a hill? snow made from grease?

2. Clutch had sgnificant chatter taking off from first -dealer denied a problem

see another dealer. You even admitted to driving aggressively and stated only 2500 miles. you can EASILY damage a new clutch with poor driving choices. Not all dealers are great, that goes for ANY brand.

3. Clutch stunk so bad I nearly vomited once- dealer denied

See #2, aggressive driving.

4. Lack of on board stability control

It would be nice - I agree.

5. Had major studder problem when I floored it around 3500-4000 RPMS severe enough to make my head bob. Happened about 50% of the time. The dealer denied it and said it was turbo lag even after I explained that it happened after the turbo already kicked in with full throttle.

Mine is very slight at about 3500 - no head bobbingly though.

6. Suspension felt like mush and hd a lot of body roll- worse than my sisters boring Accord 4 cyl.

Possibly just deceiving, because this car stock will out handle my VW Corrado on it's stock suspension any day. However, suspension is very subjective - personal, so there you go.

7. Steering wheel was off center--and it wasn't due to the banked roads. The dealer denied this also and said it was "normal because I had Blizzaks and aftermarket wheels on the car" What a load of B.S.

Again, stop going to a dealer that treats you that way! very easy to align the steering wheel, unless you broke something with your aggressice driving and off roading in the snow

So I ended up trading the car in for a MazdaSpeed 6 which I have had for about 1 month now. I know there are a lot of haters here with biased oppinions. Since I have owned both cars I think I am in a good position to comment on why I like the MS6 better.

I've driven the MS6 and driven the v6 also.

1. Suspension set up is much better, and steering is less boosted giving a much better feel.

LGT has crazy heavy steering compared to other cars I've owned. I don't remember feeling one way or the other about the MS6.

2. Has on board stability control /TCS--this technology has been shown to significantly reduce accidents.

a plus for sure. slowing down and not following at 2 car lengths at 80mph (aka 'common sense') will reduce more accidents than any technology though....

3. Better tires --18" with Bridgestone RE50 vs. RE92's on the LGT

replaceable -

4. Standard 6 speed tranny with better shifter feel. Clutch on MS6 sucks and makes it hard to drive car smoothly though.

6speed means nothing to me personaly. It's mostly hype in todays cars.

5. Better Value for the Price. LGT Limited = $27000 (no nav)

MS6 GT = $27000 (with Nav)

Nav makes up for the TCS in accidents.

6. Car and Driver article "Quickest cars under $30K" 0-50 and 0-100 times are identical for LGT and MS6. LGT is quicker by .1 Sec on 0-60 due to not having to shift into 3rd.

So that 6 speed helps a lot huh? j/k whats the rpm at 65mph in 6th?

7. Better gas mileage. I got 19-20 mpg from my LGT vs. 21-22 from the MS6 so far driving both of them fairly agressively.

admitting aggressive driving and complaining about clutch issues on a 2500mile car is not a smart idea

8. THe MS6 has standard HID lights, LGT should have these what gives? I can see better at night with the MS6.

I live on unlit roads and the LGT's lights do great. toss in higher wattage bulbs if you feel the need.

9. LGT was quiter than the MS6. Could be due to the tires though.

and the LGT tires are a weak spot for noise too. imagine it with better tires.

2500 miles ... hardly past the 1000 mile break in. I wish you had given it more of a chance.

BTW - You should have originally tried the spec.B for more of the refinements you were looking for, although no stability control.

I'm not sure why you would have problems driving in snow.

I remember there was one time last year after a snow storm when I was stuck in a lane that in some places the snow was as high as the bottom of my car. The only problem I had was not enough ground clearance. I could feel in some places the car was being high-centred. But the car still plough through, until I was able to move to a clean lane.

If you need TC to save you, then you're driving too fast for the condition. It's not a tank you know.

Why two of the same threads? I hope you are not trolling!

X

To further the response.

1. Suspension on the MS6 sucks. I took one around a track and it was pitching, diving, swaying all over the place.

2. I thought 07s had VDC...perhaps I am mistaken

3. Right because the RE050s are so amazing....

4. True, the shift is nice, and true the clutch pedal is garbage

5. Hey, saving green is saving green.

6. C and D recently held a "enthusiast" meet to see if what consumers would pick, camry, accord, or fusion. They picked Fusion. Point...C and D don't know sh!t

7. There is an extra gear, obviously you'll have better gas mileage.

8. The LGT should have HIDs

9. Really? I thought the MS6 was quieter on the inside. Then again..Stg 2 with CAI...makes things kind of noisy.

Most of your points are subjective. I think you just got a poorly made car, followed by poor service. Sucks that it happened to you, I hope you don't have as many problems with the MS6

Sucks about your bad experience, but I can't help but seriously wonder about the snow thing especially. What exactly happened? Level ground, incline, ice underneath?

Every car I've ever owned had no problem going through less than a 1/2 foot of snow, and both my subarus drove like it wasn't even there. So I can't even fathom what happened there.

The rest of the stuff would definately make me re-consider. Luckily I've never experienced clutch stink, any rattles, or any stuttering at all. The steering is much much lighter in my wife's Mazda 3, I like the LGT's just fine. And I've never felt any need for stability control, and I drive on plenty of mixed surfaces.

Good luck with the Mazda though, seems like a pretty decent car to me.

lol you're gonna regret getting a ford mazda over a subaru. sounds like you had a few problems with the subie, and had bad luck with a dealer. also sounds like you can't drive through snow worth a f***.

good luck with your MAZDA LMFAO. worried about reliablity and he got ford niiiiice.

p.s. what was that guys name? oh yeah, DARWIN!

jk; good luck, man.

lol you're gonna regret getting a ford mazda over a subaru. sounds like you had a few problems with the subie, and had bad luck with a dealer. also sounds like you can't drive through snow worth a f***.

 

good luck with your MAZDA LMFAO. worried about reliablity and he got ford niiiiice.

 

p.s. what was that guys name? oh yeah, DARWIN!

 

jk; good luck, man.

Mazda although partly owned by Ford has much better reliability. Let's be fair here.

First, I cannot possibly believe you got "stuck" in 5 inches of snow especially if you had Blizzaks on the car. Simply impossible, unless you did something really smart like some how high-centering the poor thing?? Second, I can't help but notice you had issues with the clutches on both cars...maybe you need to work on your shifting technique?

As for your LGT. I can agree with some of your points, which is why I replaced my springs, wheels/tires, installed HIDs and a Kartboy shifter. I'm surprised you didn't mention the easily over-heated brake pads, which is why I also added Hawk HPS pads.

Basically, if you wanted a more track ready car, built for aggressive driving and abuse, you should have went with an STI OR been more prepared to pay to play. As others have mentioned, you also would have been smart to properly break in the car. Aggressively launching a car with a brand new clutch? Especially one with AWD...not a good idea.

Mazdas aren't such a bad car, I've owned an Mx-6 LS and an Rx-7 which I enjoyed the hell out of. However, IMHO the MS6 the interior and exterior styling are just to f-ugly to ignore. Not to mention that the stock MS6 wheels are just about the ugliest I've ever seen. I guess they do go with the rest of the car though...

Good luck with the new ride. I'll be keeping my LGT

First, I cannot possibly believe you got "stuck" in 5 inches of snow especially if you had Blizzaks on the car. Simply impossible, unless you did something really smart like some how high-centering the poor thing?? Second, I can't help but notice you had issues with the clutches on both cars...maybe you need to work on your shifting technique?

 

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As others have mentioned, you also would have been smart to properly break in the car. Aggressively launching a car with a brand new clutch? Especially one with AWD...not a good idea.

 

You can't believe he got stuck in 5" of snow on Blizzaks? Just reread the rest of your own post. Believe!

Sorry to hear about your dislikes about the LGT......did you actually test drive it before you purchased it?

Research before you purchase is a good idea

I know you took it in the shorts on that trade in......

As far as the MS6 goes.....I hope you do not live in a area that has temps above 80. if you do......on those days, look out for Civic Si's on the road, they will blow your doors off;)

yeah, our mazda never had ONE. SINGLE. ISSUE. period. sold it with 140K miles for something nicer. NEVER BROKE ANYTHING.

I had a 2001 Mazda Tribute LX V6 4WD shit the transmission at 52K miles in late 2004 (powertrain warranty ended at 50K). And my mom had it in for tranny work 3 times through the first 2 years of owning it (I bought the car off my mothers estate when she died). The dealership refused to fix it under warranty for me. Cost me $2K to get it repaired. There's no way an automatic transmission w/ 52K miles should need to be replaced/rebuilt.

I'll never purchase another Mazda again (I actually talked my father out of a Mazda 6 hatch because of my experience).

...

I was behind a Mazda today going up hill in the snow/freezing rain we're having here.....I made it up the hill. It did not.

And believe me you will have alot more problems with the Mazda. Don't believe us? THen ask the guys on the Acura Legend Forum. BUt if you have the money to drive a car for 2500 miles, eat the resale losses and buy a new car, then you have nothing to worry about.

You can't believe he got stuck in 5" of snow on Blizzaks? Just reread the rest of your own post. Believe!

I dont believe it then. Dump the Blizzaks then and just use regular tires. Ive never had a problem and I go to Penn State, aka the snow capital of Pennsylvania.

I had a 2001 Mazda Tribute LX V6 4WD shit the transmission at 52K miles in late 2004 (powertrain warranty ended at 50K). And my mom had it in for tranny work 3 times through the first 2 years of owning it (I bought the car off my mothers estate when she died). The dealership refused to fix it under warranty for me. Cost me $2K to get it repaired. There's no way an automatic transmission w/ 52K miles should need to be replaced/rebuilt.

 

I'll never purchase another Mazda again (I actually talked my father out of a Mazda 6 hatch because of my experience).

The Tribute is 100% Ford-it's a rebadged Escape. True Mazda built cars are pretty reliable (the rotaries are a little questionable though).

Every one I know that's owned a Mazda has had many problems with their vehicles. I'm surprised to see even someone on the internet exclaim that they've been problem free.

hah! I should have stated that it was a 98 Protoge ES (1.8l 16v) I understand the 2000+ models really suck

you're right, guys. i apologize. my dad has a '96 mazda mx-6 4-cyl. i think ford owned 40% then. not sure. i also recall it being basically teh same car as the ford probe. anyway, it has 210,xxx miles on it and it's running strong. very few problems. i mean it has a few trivial things but nothing that gets in the way of driving it.

i was operating on generalizations. my bad. i guess i got caught up in all the hating. sorry.

You can't believe he got stuck in 5" of snow on Blizzaks? Just reread the rest of your own post. Believe!

I have to agree this guy sounds like a noob.......

The Tribute is 100% Ford-it's a rebadged Escape. True Mazda built cars are pretty reliable (the rotaries are a little questionable though).

Well aware about the Escape/Tribute being twins. Isn't the 6 a shared vehicle w/ ford also? Like the Five Hundred or something?

The rotaries are pretty stout. Just gotta do preventative maintenance on them (I've owned 4 RX7's.....2 of them FD's). The RX8's are just underpowered.