Good morning! This week, we’re going to embark on a quest: We’re going to leave aside the projects and the money pits and actually try to find something good for a change. All of this week’s choices will be between three and four thousand dollars, all will be in good running and driving condition, and I will do my best to make sure there’s at least something interesting about each one.
We finished off last week’s matching prices with a pair of $15,000 classics, and in what was probably a foregone conclusion, the “secretary-spec” Mustang wiped the garage floor with the high-mileage Toyota pickup. A lot of you thought the truck was cool, but just too much money for its condition.
I agree wholeheartedly. I admit that there are a lot of other vehicles I’d sooner spend fifteen grand on than either of those, but if those are my choices, I’ll take the clean cruiser over the rough-and-ready off-roader.
All right, let’s get sensible. I’m kicking the week off with two not-quite-twenty-year-old sedans from southern California, both silver, both four-cylinders, but to make up for it, they’re also both five-speed sticks. Let’s check them out.
2005 Mazda 6i – $3,950
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Orange County, CA
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The early 2000s were a good time for Mazda. The rotary engine was back, the Protege and Miata both got turbocharged, and the frumpy also-ran 626 gave way to the sleek new 6 (technically Mazda6, no space, but that always irked me, so I’m just going to call it the 6). In 2003, I got to participate in the “Mazda Rev It Up” driving school/autocross competition, in which we drove brand-new 6s, and I learned two things: I am terrible at autocross, and the 6 is a really fun car to drive.
This 6 is spec’d just the way I’d want it, with a 2.3 liter version of Mazda’s MZR four-cylinder and a five-speed stick. The MZR is a great engine, so good, in fact, that it has won the praise and appreciation of our own David Tracy, a man not easily impressed by engineering. This one has 160,000 miles on it, not a young engine by any means, but there are plenty of MZRs out there with more miles than that. It’s a one-owner car, which is good, but it’s for sale at a dealer, which is maybe not as good. Don’t expect any maintenance records, and just assume everything needs to be done; that’s the safest bet.
It’s pretty clean, with very few signs of wear and tear. I see the remnants of a stain on the back seat, and I think there’s a broken cover on the storage bin on the dash. Or maybe it just needs to be snapped back into place. It’s got the basic equipment you’d want, power windows and cruise control and whatnot, and the seller says the air conditioning works just fine; hopefully everything else does too.
It’s clean and shiny outside, and this is another example of the base model with no adornments looking better than the sporty model with a bunch of crap stuck on it. Its only cosmetic issue is the black steel wheels with surface rust, visible through the spokes on the plastic wheel covers – a problem that afflicts a large number of base-model cars.
2006 Toyota Camry SE – $3,650
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Canoga Park, CA
Odometer reading: 209,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
When the history of the internal-combustion-powered automobile is written, the Toyota Camry will have a bigger chapter than anyone wants to admit. For decades, if you wanted a nice, simple, reliable four-door sedan, there was no better choice. There still isn’t, really. But I also believe that one of the death-knells for the manual transmission will someday be recognized as the discontinuation of the Camry equipped with a manual transmission.
This Camry has the standard-equipment four-cylinder, in this case the 2.4 liter 2AZ-FE. This engine doesn’t exactly have the same flawless reputation as other Toyota engines; it is known to consume quite a bit of oil. The problem seems to be hit-or-miss, and there’s a chance this one is okay, or has already been rebuilt or repaired, at 209,000 miles. It does run and drive beautifully, according to the seller, and was just tuned up and just received new brakes.
It’s in good, but not great, condition, and it has a few yellow flags, like the cheap window tint turning purple, and some silly stick-on air diffusers above the rear window. Still, you can’t judge a book by its cover, and I guess you shouldn’t necessarily judge a car by its Pep Boys accessories.
The photos in the ad are weirdly oversaturated, and I have a feeling it was done on purpose to hide blemishes. What we can see doesn’t look all that promising: Scrapes and dings abound, especially on the rear bumper, one of the perils of parking in Los Angeles, I suppose. At least it’s mostly shiny.
The key to an enjoyable, reliable, inexpensive car, as we’ve discussed here many times before, is a manual transmission. They just last longer, and while shifting gears can’t necessarily make a humble midsize sedan into a sports car, it can help keep you from nodding off due to boredom. And because many “normal” car buyers don’t want manuals, you can sometimes get great deals on them. Which one of these feels like a better deal to you?
(Image credits: sellers)
As much of a Toyota advocate as I can be, the Mazda wins this showdown.
I had an 04 6s…V6 manual, and only option was the Bose. Other than that bone stock. in the beautiful blue of that era. Still so much fun…easy vote.
No contest. The better car is also the one with 50k less miles. Anyone going camry needs… I’m feeling nice today, anyone who voted for the Camry needs a hug and a couple hours in a Mazda.
I have the badge engineered version of the Mazda: a manual Ford Fusion. It’s a bit of an appliance in styling inside and out, but the power train is….reasonably fun actually. I’d take a Camry too, so both would be my choice. But I went with the Mazda here.
Right motor, fewer miles, better condition vs the opposite. Mazda today.
Had a Mazda3 with this drivetrain. Boring, but nothing like the aggressively bland Camry, of which I had ’08 with this drivetrain—an oil burning, oil leaking, cast iron tank of merely adequate power devoid of any and all character. The seats were also less comfortable and supportive than if they had been a church pew covered in teflon and sex lube, and the suspension was nowhere near nice riding enough to make up for the shit handling even as an SE. The interior looked as quality as an off-brand boombox, though at least it was hard wearing. More fun with the manual? If anything, that flaccid clutch pedal, spoon-in-mashed-potato shifting manual made it even more disappointing. And mine appeared well cared for. This thing was owned by someone who likely thrashed the hell out of it (as much as that matters with the engine that at least would run forever as long as you kept dumping oil in it, the single only reason anyone would choose to drive such a thing). The Mazda is probably just as reliable as the Camry—their problem was rust—has a lot fewer miles, and has the driving experience of a Lotus in comparison.
I’m in a second-generation Scion xB with the 2AZ-FE engine, and I really don’t relish the idea of driving another one with more miles on.
I used to have one of these Mazda6s, great car. Probably one of the best handling FWD cars I have ever driven.
I rented a Mazda 6 I think a year newer than that for a trip. I really liked it. In a stretch of wide open highway in Wyoming (US 287) I hit my all time speed record. The car starts to feel a little light in the front end over 110mph. Anyway, picked the Mazda.
Yeah, gimmee the 6, at least it’s not so boring as a Camry even though I loved my 87 Camry in high school. Plus lower miles and looks more fun to drive
That generation of Mazda6 was always a looker in my eyes. Good clean exterior lines, not excessively styled for the sake of. Gives me the last of the late ’90s styling vibes. The times before pillars got thick, before proportions got wonky due to the need to have more upright seating positions, and styling wasn’t just a contest of who could produce the most outré abomination. A simpler time.
Alas by the time I could afford one, years of salt-belt treatment had ravaged them. I’ve done rusty cars enough, thanks.
Alas, California Dreamin’ is a thing. If only it was a stick and a V6. Probably best for my bank account I’m nowhere near the state.
“I guess you shouldn’t necessarily judge a car by its Pep Boys accessories“
Bruh. You most definitely should.
I was ready to vote Toyota- My friend had a turbo Mazda 6 that went poof, and I’ve yet to forget how badly the paint and body of this era of Mazda held up to Canadian winters.
That said, this Mazda6 has clearly been well maintained by a mature, competent owner, and led an easy life. Look at how bright and clean that light grey driver’s seat upholstery is!
The Toyota on the other hand, with its bumper scuffs and accessories that haven’t been removed for the sale, looks to have suffered abuse at the hands of both senior AND adolescent drivers. No way.
Toyotas of this era had very clunky styling and interior design. The Mazda just comes across as a much more sophisticated and less dated experience. Polish those headlights, Grab some alloys and a CarPlay head unit and you’ve got a very pleasant budget sedan.
The Mazdaspeed6 was indeed very rough reliability wise, but the standard version is pretty bulletproof.
I might be a bit biased, but the Mazda gets my vote!
It’d have to be the Mazda6 for me, even if it weren’t in seemingly better condition than the Camry.
I mean, I get the Camry is apparently boring but… Why would you put it through whatever that one has been through?
Gimme the Mazda.
Yeah this was easy.. I mean the Mazda could have been though worse, but they cleaned it up afterwards..
I was going to go Camry until I saw the Evo-esque vortex generators. That tells me everything I need to know about his that poor, boring sedan was treated.
Mazda all the way. I loved that generation of Mazdas, but they’ve all rotted out to nothingness here in the salty mid-west.
I almost fell asleep reading about the boring Mazda. I almost slipped into a coma reading about the even more boring Camry. So, Mazda?
The Mazda’s the easy choice here. I’ve never really understood things like rear wings on Camrys (I’m still trying to get the “why” of the whole Camry TRD thing that seems so popular around here), so the stick-on diffusers really put the car into an absurd realm for me. Clearly, the owner is not someone who can appreciate a good, solid car for what it is. Add in the Mazda fun factor and the (at least apparently) good condition of it, and the Camry is left in the dust.
At first glace, my thought was the Mazda would run away with this. Then I took a beat and thought, “Mark is trying to trick us. Obviously he’ll find a mint but boring Camry to put up against the more fun Mazda, but his example will be trashed.” Welp, I was wrong, this is a nice Mazda going up against a tired Toyota, so one of the easiest Shitbox Showdowns ever. Mazda every day and twice on Sunday.
Mazda by a country mile. We all know what that Camry smells like inside and it’s not good. The Mazda might too, but it’s not as obvious from the pictures
I was ready to vote Camry since it’s one year newer and cheaper.
But that Mazda looks almost mint, and I like the MZR engine better than the 2AZ-FE as it’s a bit more playful and forgiving with maintenance.
Other than the Pep Boys accessories I don’t feel lucky enough to own an old car with a sunroof. The less options the better in this scenario.
So Mazda6 is my pick.
I’m normally a Toyota fan, and even a decent Camry, but I think the Mazda is a better vehicle here.
If this were a Buick Park Avenue 3.8 V6 vs that Camry…3.8 V6 no question…Those engines did have their problems, but withstood flogging VERY WELL…
I like both of these, they were both options in some of my past used car searches, and a selection from a personal favorite C/D comparo. But it really comes down to the condition, so I went Mazda.
I test drove a used Mazda6 back in the late-2000s, but couldn’t get the numbers to work. Always remember that it was a fun and engaging car on that test drive. Fast forward to now, and I bought the last of the line back in 2021 but by then they were all automatic. I’d be happy to take this one in, find a set of proper factory wheels for it somewhere, and enjoy it the way it was meant to be driven.
I like them both. The novelty of a manual Camry almost sold it until I saw the outside. That rear bumper looks like a crappy rattle can job. I always liked these early 6ers. I’d LOVE a manual wagon from this era. WAY better looking than that bloated thing that came after. Grail idea: Manual V6 Mazda6 wagon. Rare bird for sure!