Time to Dump or Repair?

Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
2,529
Location
NC
I'm at a cross road on whether to repair or replace my 2011 Mazda6 with 141,000 miles.

Long story short is has rust issues and from what I've been told by dealer and going through Mazda corporate Mazda won't help me with this.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...mazda-rear-subframe-rot-pics#Post5420175

I have cash in bank to replace ($10k) if need be with another used car that is slightly newer. KBB book value is about $3,700 but the car is not saleable without repair because it is unsafe and won't pass a NC inspection. I also won't dump this car on an unsuspecting car buyer so that is not an option. This car with similar mileage sells on Autotrader for $6-7k.

Car will need $3,000 - $4,000 in work to replace the rear sub frame (too complicated of a repair for me). Rest of car is rust free and in good condition and has been well maintained since new.

Dump or repair? Thanks.
 
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Personally I'd dump it. I have other things in life to worry about, especially if I could afford to replace without undue financial hardship. The cost of this repair is too close IMO to the car's value for me to feel like it is a smart repair. I mean, some people are ok with that kind of risk; others would be concerned that it'd get sideswiped the following week and that it'd be money down the drain. For something that I had no love for, I'd pull the plug and move on.

Maybe someone else can snap this up for a kilobuck or two, do the work, and make out like a bandit, but that's if their labor was free. All the power to 'em.
 
If you like the car, and it is very good except for the parts that you can have repaired for max $4000, and then the car would be worth a minimum of $6000, and the car has virtually a 0 value as is, I would fix it. If only to then sell it and pocket the $2000 profit.
 
Surely down in NC you can find some good ole boys with a MIG welder and lay some reinforcements on there.
This should not result in a premature Mazda death.
 
Murphy's law. If I pay for the repair the AC compressor and radiator will go out in 3 months. If I junk it and didn't repair it the car would have run for another 60k miles trouble free. I was hoping to get 200k miles and at least 10 years out of this car...

I considered the welding option but the sub frame is so badly compromised at this point there isn't much to weld to. If you press hard enough with a screwdriver the metal will just collapse.
 
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Can't really tell from the pictures, but I'm pretty sure there are a few million cars running around New York state with way worse rust than that. If you can't knock holes in it with a hammer, drive on.
 
Originally Posted by ripcord
Can't really tell from the pictures, but I'm pretty sure there are a few million cars running around New York state with way worse rust than that. If you can't knock holes in it with a hammer, drive on.


Early pics show general rust, but later pics I show holes after I sanded (posed later in the orig. thread) when I was working on the car to apply POR15.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ciRsffJIt9JD_bUKwccdpyLDQim0WKLb

I pushed with a screwdriver and it just pokes through. I didn't bother with POR15 after I discovered this.
 
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Originally Posted by Donald
Can't you get used parts from a car from a non rust state like Arizona?

Does it need welding? FInd someone who will do it on the side!

A used part from a rust free area sounds like a good alternative. You could rust proof it extensively and be good for another decade. Sounds like this vehicle is too good to junk.
 
If you're in North Carolina I can't imagine that the local 6's suffer from this issue. Couldn't you call up one of the full service auto wreckers that deal with latter model wrecks and ask how much for a rear subframe (already removed from the donor car). In a full service indy shop I can't imagine the subframe replacement taking more than 4 or 5 hours, that plus the cost of a used subframe I would think would bring you in well under $3K.
 
Dump it and get a 9th gen Accord
smile.gif
 
Sorry if I missed this, but do you live near the ocean? Did this 2011 live in the rust belt at some point in it's life?

That's mostly why I've avoided Mazda living in the Buffalo NY area. As nice a vehicle as they are, they just aren't corrosion resistant enough.

In regards to your issues, I would have dumped it long ago.
 
Don't waste your time repairing a rusty car and especially RUST BUCKET MAZDA. I knew the Mazda 3 were bad did not know it extended over to Mazda 6 also.

You can get decent money from a place like copart for something like that. Don't mention the rust just take pictures and they will make an offer online and pickup. Copart wanted to give me $1000 for rotted 2007 MDX but was able to coax over double that from a new car dealer who I think thought they were stealing it from me. They asked if I was trading and said what can you offer. I had put a screwdriver through the back floor of vehicle near severe body rot, it was bad from a poor collision repair with first owner.
 
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Originally Posted by JTK
Sorry if I missed this, but do you live near the ocean? Did this 2011 live in the rust belt at some point in it's life?

That's mostly why I've avoided Mazda living in the Buffalo NY area. As nice a vehicle as they are, they just aren't corrosion resistant enough.

In regards to your issues, I would have dumped it long ago.


Car is originally from upstate NY but has been down in NC since 2015 so it spent 4yrs up in NY. No doubt road salt played a factor, but the front sub frames on these rot out too. The front sub frame on this car was replaced about a year ago since it was under recall, but no recall for the rear. In any case, its a metal/finish issue. Other bits of the car are barely rusted at all - just the sub frames rust like cheap steel.
 
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