Well.......the latest list of fixes on my R wagon pushed me over the top to see how I could leverage its value towards a new car. With $5000 in incentives on a Mazda6i wagon plus $6,000 in trade for my R wagon with 122K on it I went for it!! My R was at the point of needing the following "parts" 1)viscous coupling $1600 2)Airpump $300 3)Front struts/bushings $450 4)Emergency brakes cables $125 5)rear rotors and brakes $150. 6)Heater core starting to smell. All of these part costs with ME doing the labor! So handing it off to the indy to keep my hands and mind sane saw me putting about $3700 into a 7 year old car with 122K miles! Since we do use it as our primary "long distance" hauler on trips.......it felt like time to move on!!!! Well..............it was nice being in the volvo family for over 13 years starting with my 740GL brick but had to start thinking practical as well as spending more time on "fun" things as opposed to "fixing something else". The Mazda certainly is "no Volvo" but my previous experience with the Mazda products and my religious car care ethics should give me a good long happy life with the Mazda!

Enjoy your Mazda6. It should be a great car with 4yr/50K warranty. I too sold my
00 T-5 and bought an RX-8 (love the rotary engine).
Enjoy.

$6000+$3700 = $9700, not bad for a nice '98 V70R wagon....

I really do feel your pain.

But we have 3 Honda products in the driveway, including one so new we don't even have the license plates for yet, and when I needed to do all the driving on a trip to the other side of the state today, I chose the Volvo.

-BTC

'98 V70 T5 5-speed, 158,000 miles, IPD stabilizer bar, factory sport suspension, Bilstein HDs, Volvo tower brace and skidplate, e-code headlights, V-1, Mobil-1 always

My previous car was a Mazda MX-6 GT. (4-cyl 12-valve turbo w/Aisin-Warner 4-spd automatic)

'88 model I got 12/87, in TX, from Michigan plant. By '95 it was all used up.

The '95 854T has been a better car, for longer, needing fewer repairs. OTOH, the Volvo came as an unfinished "kit car" with serious problems (excessive turbo whine, non-functional suspension) that precluded enjoying it, something that was never true of the Mazda (blown head gasket to the contrary).

My Mazda was more lovable; my Volvo is more likable.

Good luck with your Mazda; if you don't expect it to be (or last as long as) a Volvo, you may be pleasantly surprised; if you do expect it to be a Volvo, you may be disappointed.

- Dave; '95 854T, 160K mi

Sorry to see you go Masher. Have fun with the Mazda. Beware of the service techies there, they are like Volvo, always looking to make an extra buck even when not needed.
When the new car smell wears off, we will still be here to welcome you back!

Klaus
--
98 V70Rawd(108Kmi), 95 854T(88K mi), 75 164E(173K mi)

good man! Keep your right foot from going thru the floor board! Now I will have more time to dedicate restoring a 66 GTO I have..........now thats talking torque!!!!!!!!!!!