Thinking about Used Mazda5 GT had $4000 damage

[Davebert]

Hi everyone from Montreal, my first post and hope it will not be my last.

I am looking at an used 2006 Mazda5 GT with 108,000KM from a Mazda dealer, but it had an accident last Oct at 92,000KM. The total damage from the car proof report was $4000, and from what I can see the driver side fender was repainted, driver side head light, the bumper and grill was replaced. I checked out the frame and it does not appeared that there was structural damage. Is the $4000 repair cost in line with the type of work or does it imply that there was more damages?

From the test drive I feel the cars needs new tires and an alignment. Also, there was a whirling noise which can be caused by bad tires or bearings. I will be going for another test drive after the dealer put on new tires later on this week. I have already talked price with him and agreed on $14K out the door if everything if fine after my next test drive.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[DKaz]

Tell the dealer to throw in an alignment as well and if the whirling noise still persists, see if they can fix it.

$4,000 had to involve some structural work. I got side swiped last year and it came to $2,500 for sheetmetal work, repaint, and minor structure repair. Fortunately a lot of shops are good at repairing frames back to specification.

 

[AwaKeN]

I would buy it BUT take a good waranty ! If something is not ok after 2-3-4-5 months you won't have any headache !

 

[professorhank]

14000 CAD = 12500 USD. 108000KM = 67000 miles. Personally, if I saw a Mazda5 here in SoCal with that price with that mileage, I wouldn't consider it. If you throw in the 4000 in repaired damage then I absolutely wouldn't buy it. My local Mazda dealer here has a 08 Sport (albeit not GT) with 26000 miles for $12000 flat. Are you set on the particular color/options on that particular 06 GT? If not, then keep looking. I'd imagine there are plenty of used Mazda5 with no repaired damage, especially in a large metro like Montreal.

 

[DKaz]

Canada is a completely different market from the US. There are hardly any discounts or incentives on brand new cars which keeps the used resale value pretty high and Canadians tend to hang on to their cars longer as well, in contrast to how Americans tend to trade in their cars for a new one quite often. Maybe why car sales haven't completely tanked in Canada... we buy cars when we need to, not when we want to. Four of my previous cars all had over 200,000 miles on them, my last one being a 91 Corolla with over 250,000 miles with the body, frame, interior, and mechanical parts in very good condition. I sold her for $800.

What was the asking price of the car? Is that the lowest he'll go on the car? Do you think it's a good car for the price? Agreed, get the dealer to throw in a one year warranty, six months minimum, and you're good to go.

 

[dima_rus]

If the car was fixed by Mazda I can see how replacing the front body parts can cost $4000. What color is your car? From my experience I can tell you that to just paint my front lip in Water Pearl White, it cost me $250.

 

[professorhank]

My wife's Altima sustained just about 4000 in damage from an accident and one look at the mangled front end made me get rid of it immediately after the insurance fixed it up. My wife refused to drive it even after the shop fixed it up (more mental than anything else I guess). I'm actually a little surprised to be in the minority here. Unless he's fixated on that particular color/options, I'd suggest he keep looking. I just checked auto123 dot com and they list 69 used Mazda5s in the Montreal area.

 

[Davebert]

Too late bought the car

I got a call this afternoon saying they have put new tires on the car. My wife and I went after work to test drive it again. It was much better with the new tires, no more whirring noise just regular road noise from the new tires. A little louder than another GS that I test drove but I think it will quiet down some once the tires are broken in.

After the test drive, I had a better look at the car with a flashlight. It still had the original radiator and its support and I cannot find any crinkles in the frame and the area where the fender was repainted. The salesman said the $4000 was pretty much inline with this type of damage. He mentioned that just the bumper and paint is close to $1000, and if you add the price of the grill, headlight, fog light and the body work on the fender it can easily get up to $4000. He also indicated that the air bags were not deployed.

So, after some more talking, he agreed on not charging us for the new set of BFGoodrich g-Force Sport tires, four wheel alignment, and a oil change. In Quebec, by law all used cars over 3 years old gets a 1 month or 1700KM warranty. Addition warranty for 2 years will cost from $1000 and up depending on the coverage which we have not decided on. Otherwise we can hand them the cheque on Friday and drive the car home.

Here are a few pictures from the dealers web site:

 

[Davebert]

My wife's Altima sustained just about 4000 in damage from an accident and one look at the mangled front end made me get rid of it immediately after the insurance fixed it up. My wife refused to drive it even after the shop fixed it up (more mental than anything else I guess). I'm actually a little surprised to be in the minority here. Unless he's fixated on that particular color/options, I'd suggest he keep looking. I just checked auto123 dot com and they list 69 used Mazda5s in the Montreal area.

I have checked the used car listings and there are no Mazda5 GT listed that are under $14k except for the one that I just bought. In Canada the cost of cars, car parts and repairs are higher than that in the US and where I am, Quebec the cost of owning a car is more than the rest of the country. As an example I got a quote of $675 with a $500 deductible from my insurance company, but I also have to pay the public no fault insurance which will be another $260.

 

[professorhank]

Dave, despite my recommendation above, let me be the 1st to say Welcome to the 5 Family! (spin)

 

[dima_rus]

Congratulations and welcome to 5ers community!!! The car looks good, I guess they did a good job painting body parts. Hope you will enjoy your as much as we do.

Dima

 

[DKaz]

Congrats! I hope the dealer didn't give you the BFGoodrich g-Force KDW2s, they're pretty noisy tires but they do have awesome grip. I have the g-Force Supersport A/S not as noisy not as grippy but they're decent.

 

[Heat]

Congrats, and just be aware that excessive camber is a problem with the '06/'07 models - just be sure to rotate the tires regularly.

 

[AwaKeN]

That's only with the '06/'07 models ?

 

[Davebert]

A couple questions?

Thanks for all the replies. I have gotten the financing, insurance done and everything is ready for us to pick the car up on Friday. I have a couple of questions.

In Montreal it is mandatory to have winter tires which makes common sense given the types of winters that we have. So every winter and spring there is a rush and long wait at the local garage to change the tires. That cost around $70 per visit or $150 per year. So having a extra sets of tires mounted on rims make sense. I scan through our local craigslist and Kijiji classifies and found many Mazda 3 and 6, 16 and 17 rims on sale.

Will the 16 or 17 inch wheels from the Mazda 3 or 6 fit the 5?

Another question is sound. Which is the best iPod adapter with USB/MP3 capabilities that will allow me to use the steering wheel volume control?

Once we have the car for a while I will be starting new threads with more questions.

 

[AwaKeN]

Yes it will fit. For the best Ipod integration there is a kit that Mazda sells to charge, see the song on the screen, and switch song on the steering

 

[DKaz]

The 06 and 07 displays don't display iPod track information. That's only on the 08 and 09.

 

[wmzda5]

Congrats and welcome to the forum. I recommend getting the extended warranty just to be sure

 

[Heat]

That's only with the '06/'07 models ?

For the '08 model Mazda reduced the camber. I won't say that the problem is completely solved because I distrust any camber on a rear tire - but it is less. Just be sure to rotate the tires religiously.

 

[DKaz]

Yah congratulations on your 5!