About to purchase a MS6....

[MikeSkillZ]

my first 4 banger turbo...wish me luck just a few things:

its a 07, one 70+ year old owner....looks mint(about to test drive tomorrow)...clean carfax...all maintained by mazda dealer...never seen snow LOL....looks to be a great buy....just one thing 70k miles on it ....hmmmmm he says they are all highway....and i cant imagine this crusty old dude to be ripping full boost around town...LOL Hence why im super interested....

i am a newb to 4 cylinder turbos...but no stranger to modding and car knowledge....but this car intregues me ....ALOT.... am i in for a big suprise or what fellow Mazda-donians???

[ccspeedsix]

Your looking at an 07 so it should stay together a little better then the 06's. Uhm Ive seen ms6's reach 130k already. Theres one in alaska thats up there. So as far as mileage goes, if they were all highway and maintenance was kept up it is possible its a nice find.

A couple things i will point out.

IF you can, drive it cold. THe ms6 transmission behaves differently before its warmed up. If its still smooth when its first running, theres a chance the tranny is holding up. My ms6 had serious issues when cold. Mazda wouldnt do anything about it because it was driveable. Other than that, be real quiet and listen for creaks, mine and others local to me creaked like a mofo. internally and suspension creaks.

at this point if tranny feels good, let the car idle for a while 10-15 mins, then rev in neutral. This is looking for leaking oil in the turbo.

I could go on and on dude.

Except all the info is here on the site, i contributed my 2 cents from previously owning a MS6.

Do research before you buy a used car especially getting closer to 100k miles

I loved the 1.5 years and 26k miles i had my ms6.

[MikeSkillZ]

Originally Posted by forcedinduktion Brakes, cant really ask for much more. They are AWSOME! Clutch feels like an aftermarket one, and if you dont plan on going real big then it will hold up. Even with a BT it will hold.

BT= Big Turbo??? lol sorry

[MikeSkillZ]

and im no stranger to forums and the search feature...butttttt.....i have a few inquires, i keep getting 5000 results for searches, so im going to ask them here

brakes? are they good enough or what? im used to 2 piston calipers on my acura ...

and hows the stock clutch? i usually like the feel of a nice aftermarket clutch...is it worth my time to drop a lightened flywheel and fresh clutch in?

i am not going to be heavily modding this car...but dont put it past me to do some minor bolt ons and tuning i do want to bring this car above 300 HP but want to keep everyday drivability up to snuff...is this possible for this car...my first Mazda sorry for the newbish questions....

[forcedinduktion]

Brakes, cant really ask for much more. They are AWSOME!

Clutch feels like an aftermarket one, and if you dont plan on going real big then it will hold up. Even with a BT it will hold.

[ScarMS3]

300 at the wheels ain't gonna happen without a new turbo...gotta go big

[MikeSkillZ]

Originally Posted by ScarMS3 300 at the wheels ain't gonna happen without a new turbo...gotta go big

yea i figured as much...but i got some spares laying around but i dont want to dig in deep...i need this thing to drive back and forth to NYC .... not going big yet

[ccspeedsix]

yup yup. CHeck the vin at your local dealership and see if it got the TSB clutch or if it qualifies. The clutch may be worn out by now. I mean if you increase your power levels to were you want them it could push the clutch over the edge. But if the clutch is recalled you can get a new one possibly for dirt cheap.

Oem unit is pretty hefty. and you dont wanna go with aftermarket flywheel. These cars use DMF dual mass flywheels, aftermarket SMF will chatter like a mofo

Brakes are fine dude like said. There hefty units with ferodo pads, and 300whp 330wtq is achievable at stg II pwr levels. this is damn near bolted though. intake+ic+dp+APtune

I should say these power levels are maxxing the stock turbo out. also depending on your dyno....

[MikeSkillZ]

Originally Posted by ccspeedsix yup yup. CHeck the vin at your local dealership and see if it got the TSB clutch or if it qualifies. The clutch may be worn out by now. I mean if you increase your power levels to were you want them itll push the clutch over the edge. But if the clutch is recalled you can get a new one possibly for dirt cheap. Oem unit is pretty hefty. and you dont wanna go with aftermarket flywheel. These cars use DMF dual mass flywheels, aftermarket SMF will chatter like a mofo Brakes are fine dude like said. There hefty units with ferodo pads, and 300whp 330wtq is achievable at stg II pwr levels. this is damn near bolted though. intake+ic+dp+APtune

ok...sounds good...and i wont be shy if i need a new clutch...ill just get one...no biggie....any good suggestions?? for light mods?? and sorry im an newb when it comes to abrev. ic? dp? aptune? LOL

[Stealth01]

You can get to 300 BHP easily. Just an intake and a tune should put you there. If you want 300 WHP, you'll have to go at least GT2871R to get there, and that's some money.

Some things to check on ANY MS6:

1. Does the turbo smoke? Drive it hard for a few minutes, then let it idle. If it smokes, have the replace the turbo before you buy it. Not a catastrophic issue, just irritating.

2. WHen you launch, any clunking sounds under the car? If so, check the rear diff braces. Plan to replace them anyway, since they SUCK from the factor.

3. Check the transfer case and everything else for leaks or oozes.

4. Have fun!

Brakes rock, but are probably due for replacing. I recommend stainless brake lines, but the OEM pads and rotors are quite good.

[Karmat]

The car is full of contradictions.

There are parts that are quite beefy from the factory like the clutch, brakes and as we are finding the internals when fueled and tuned properly.

However there are parts which are flimsy and suck right from the factory mainly the mounts. Rear engine mount, the 2 diff mounts.

Other than that common issues seem to be a leaking transfer case and a smoking turbo.

300whp is a stretch goal for the stock K04. 300hp crank is easy.

I believe the 2007s did not have the factory clutch issues the 2006s did.