It’s a rough time to buy a car these days. Soaring used car prices and dwindling new model inventories are making it tough for anyone seeking a new set of wheels. So if you walk into a dealership and find a gleaming new sedan on the lot ready to drive away, you might feel the need to pinch yourself.
Well, that’s exactly the scenario two buyers found themselves in last month. Only, the “new” sedan they were about to drive off the lot was a big ol’ Mazda6. That’s right — Mazda sold two 6 sedans last month, which is a pretty dramatic drop on the 2,335 units it shifted this time last year.
Of course, this is a car that was discontinued more than a year ago and hasn’t had a meaningful update since 2018.
In fact, the latest iteration of the 6 that these owners will now proudly be driving around town traces its origins way back to 2012, when the third generation of the midsize sedan was first introduced.
So, sure, it might come with that new car smell, those new car niceties and a minuscule mileage, but under the surface, it’s still pushing 10-years old. And that’s got to be worth a moment of our sympathies, right?
I wonder what other 10-year-old wares we can pass off to these buyers as new? Can I interest you in a first generation iPad Mini, a final-edition Mazda RX-8 or how about tickets to the Indian Grand Prix?
So join me in pouring one out for the two new Mazda6 owners in America, May their mid-size sedan offer them eternal comfort.
Don’t get me wrong, the Mazda6 is a lovely mid-size sedan that was a staple of the company’s lineup for almost 20 years. But, despite rumors of an update over the past few years, changing consumer tastes in America and less demand for nice sedans like this meant its hood was on the chopping block.
The firm announced it would kill the sedan off alongside its CX-3 crossover in May last year. Thankfully, nobody was duped into buying one of the CX-3s that Mazda might still have laying around its warehouses so far this year.
While we might contemplate the misfortunes of these two car buyers today, we should also consider the drivers who may soon be in the market for a midsize sedan that won’t break the bank. With no Mazda6 to opt for, what do you choose instead?
Sure, there’s the Kia K5 or Stinger, but their days appear to be numbered now too. Maybe the Hyundai Sonata or Honda Accord can entice those loyal Mazda buyers from now on?