Faults:

ABS sensors, rear windows inoperative, generally smaller electrical faults, but never too expensive to repair.

Mechanically the car has been OK; at the age and mileage over my ownership I have obviously replaced brake discs and pads a couple of times, rear and centre exhaust, etc.

Engine a little noisier now but no major problems, I keep it serviced on time.

Cosmetically the car is nowhere near as bad as Mazda cars from this time period seem to be - only very minor rust spots, and no major rust ever reported under the chassis at MOT's. I do however keep the car clean and garaged which helps a lot.

General Comments:

Had this over 10 years now and it replaced my ageing 1980s Mazda 626 which was a dull but very reliable car.

This is a much sharper car to drive than the old 626. For a 2007 car, it still feels modern after 15 years. Interior has all the electrics you could want and is comfortable and stylish.

I have the 2.0 petrol which has excellent performance and manages to average 35 mpg.

Mine is a very dull grey colour but has nice alloy wheels.

In conclusion at the age and mileage it won't last forever and I will be sad to see it go, but will likely replace this car with the more modern Mazda 6 from 2013 onwards.

Faults:

Lots of mechanical things like suspension wear and tear, but the biggest expense was the brakes - had to renew discs and pads all round, however two rear calipers also seized at the same time costing me a fortune at one MOT.

I kept the car serviced on time and changed the belts, engine was generally reliable. Surprisingly, local Mazda dealer was actually reasonably priced for servicing and some repairs, I usually use local independents.

Paint-work wise this car was a major let down, so many rust spots. Happened at only 8 years old as well (I have had cars at 10 + years old with no rust) a little research shows this early rusting is common for Mazda it would seem. It is what eventually killed it off at its final MOT with me last year, with bad framework rust causing a failure, was just un-economical to weld.

Interior held up well against family use and wear and tear, air con did stop working, but this is typical of any car at a good age and mileage.

General Comments:

A very nicely styled car, this Mazda 6 2002 - 2007 model was very sharp looking I thought. Even better than the following models. Inside was nice as well, loved the look of the car in blue with alloy wheels.

1.8 petrol is the engine to have - high 30's MPG is not great by today's standards (you can get 40 MPG on a nice day cruising at a steady 60 mph), but I knew someone with a diesel one of these and had lots of problems (DPF, injectors, and so on), apparently it should be avoided. 1.8 has a nice turn of speed and I bet the 2.0 petrol is slightly better.

TS model is mid range but has plenty of electric equipment. Sound system was excellent. Interior is very comfortable, seats are nice, dash layout is good, and visibility is OK.

I can only recommend it if you find a low mileage looked after petrol car with no rust, otherwise avoid this generation of Mazda 6, this is not a durable car. Generally it was OK, but the amount of early rusting really ruined this car for me. I scrapped it at 14 years old with 120K on it, not bad but still a little under par by my standards (most cars I have had go to 15 years old + with over 150K before I scrap them).