Newbie looking for purchasing advice

[Mud Dawg]

Hey guys/gals. Nice forum with a good mix of tech and non tech content. We're looking for another family hauler and would love your opinions please and thank you.

Wife and I have 1 kid now, and plans for another soon. The Mazda5 has caught our eyes as a good compromise of all things considered. I was dissaponted to read some of the issues of the first few models, and I'm really hoping the newer years are better.

My wife is going to be driving the vehicle mostly, but we need something for long road trips and camping as well. We both prefer a stick to auto tranny, but won't turn down a good deal on a decent auto. I want something reliable for the long haul. My Civic and Chevy Suburban each have almost 400,000 KMs on them. I have the tools and know how to fix and replace my fair share of parts, but I want something my wife doesn't have to worry about.

We're not dead set on the MZ-5, so if you think the 6 or CX-5 are better, then please let me know. And I'm very curious about the Skyactiv technology, and if it's worth holding out for. I'm not sure if I want to buy brand new, but certainly nothing older than 3 or 4 years.

Thanks very much.

Cheers.

 

[ukulele]

Hey guys/gals. Nice forum with a good mix of tech and non tech content. We're looking for another family hauler and would love your opinions please and thank you.

Wife and I have 1 kid now, and plans for another soon. The Mazda5 has caught our eyes as a good compromise of all things considered. I was dissaponted to read some of the issues of the first few models, and I'm really hoping the newer years are better.

My wife is going to be driving the vehicle mostly, but we need something for long road trips and camping as well. We both prefer a stick to auto tranny, but won't turn down a good deal on a decent auto. I want something reliable for the long haul. My Civic and Chevy Suburban each have almost 400,000 KMs on them. I have the tools and know how to fix and replace my fair share of parts, but I want something my wife doesn't have to worry about.

We're not dead set on the MZ-5, so if you think the 6 or CX-5 are better, then please let me know. And I'm very curious about the Skyactiv technology, and if it's worth holding out for. I'm not sure if I want to buy brand new, but certainly nothing older than 3 or 4 years.

Thanks very much.

Cheers.

Well, i'm sort of in the same boat as you. My son is 4 y/o, my wife is due with our second son, Jan. 4 but looks like might be a Christmas baby. The Mazda5 was literally the only vehicle, the only "compromise on wheels" we could get. I like minivans, we've had minivans in the past, but she's squeemish about driving something so large on NJ roads, and a car just won't do. Why did we go with the Mazda5 instead of an SUV?? THE SLIDING DOORS. When you constantly have to reach in and out, putting the child into the seat, finding the buckle, finding the buckle lock, then when you get to where your going you have to reverse that and lift him/her out again... etc. You just can't beat the ingress/egress of sliding doors for infants and children, its really a back saver, not to mention getting in and out of the car in parking lots you don't have to worry if the door bumps the car next to you.

As far as reliability (and this is where lots of car guys disagree with me) I believe vehicles made in Japan and Germany are the best on the road in terms of the quality of the engineering, the build quality and the aforementioned reliability. I have purchased NEW cars made in MEXICO, CANADA & THE U.S. and all have had factory issues/warranty repair work before 10k miles (don't know how many km that is but it's not alot considering how much we drive here in the U.S.) My 2012 Mazda5 has given me some issues already, even with 2k miles, and i'm not the only one, i've been reading quite a few 2012 Mazda5 owners have the same vibration in the steering at highway speeds (50mph - 70mph or so). I'm sure it's probably a bad batch of tires, could also be a few other things, but best thing is if you want a specific Mazda5 off the lot, test drive it on the highway at over 50mph, make sure yours doesn't have the vibration, it might be specific only to certain trim levels with certain tires so you might get lucky, but honestly, other than that, the car is pretty amazing, I mean my Touring came in at around $21,000, consider that I purchased my Toyota Corolla S back in 2011 for the same price... and I didn't get leather wrapped steering wheel or shift knob, didn't get auto climate control... and i didn't get sliding doors LoL.

I've put more than 2k miles on the odo and even though i'm haggling with Mazda North American Operations at the moment over the vibration issue, I would still at least test drive a 5 if you haven't done so. Now, if you guys are the kind of family that tend to haul ALOT OF STUFF with you everywhere you go, you might want to go for a full sized minivan, the Mazda5 def has more space than a compact but not quite as much as a full size minivan. Then again, you can get a manual trans with a Mazda5 sport trim you can't get with any other minivan. Now, i'm not a fan of "manumatics" but every once in a while if I want to drive a bit more spirited, you can engage the manual mode in the a/t and it doesn't do magic but it can hold a gear alot longer as if it were a manual, increases the fun-to-drive factor a few percentage points.

The seating positions for the first and second row are really good, i'm 5' 11" and it's a decent position for me, though I think I like the 2nd row the best, I feel the 2nd row captains are more comfortable than the first row, you could sit in those chairs for hours they are comfy, the 3rd row is another story and should only be used for children (around ages 4-9 or so) they will be comfy there, adults not so much.

My fuel economy is about 18.9 mpg according to the vehicle's computer and that's probably right. I do mostly city/suburban driving and I drive it like a Mazda when i'm alone in the car, that's all I will say about that. I would find it hard to beat that # in a regular V6 minivan. If you have a light foot and keep it in auto mode you'll probably beat that # easily.

I hope I answered some of your questions/concerns. Good luck shopping!

 

[JMJinNC]

Similar situation

We just bought a 2012 Mazda5 Sport with 6-speed manual, copper red with sand interior (really wanted grey/sand but they are hard to come by in the USA).

We just had our 3rd child in November, and have 5YO and 3YO daughers. My search criteria were FWD (no AWD), automatic climate control, holds 3 car seats/3rd row, decent fuel economy, as small as possible/good handling, good access to all seats, good reliability, and if possible, manual transmission.

The Mazda5 Sport is the only vehicle that hits all criteria (in the USA). We test drove a Kia Sorento, but access to the 3rd row is not good, and the 3rd row seats are right against the rear glass. Lucky for you in Canada that both trim levels (GS & GT) of Mazda5 have access to a manual transmission. Only the Sport in the USA offers a manual (Touring & Grand Touring get auto).

My wife likes to drive a manual transmission, so she's happy with it. We sold her 2002 Saab 9-3SE 5-door/5-sp to get the Mazda5, so we took a +200lb/-50bhp hit there, but it handles quite well. Surprisingly, the Mazda5 is lighter than its garage-mate, my daily-driver 2002 Saab 9-5 Aero 5-sp wagon (+100bhp). It's large enough to squeak 3 car seats in the back, but just barely. The 5 will be our family trip car and large item hauler (though I can fit a refrigerator in my Saab wagon, which can get over 30mpg on the highway).

I, too, read about the rear suspension issues with the previous model, but I've not heard about the same issues with the 2012 model. Ours has no vibration issues running OEM 205/55/16 Toyo tires.

With the Sport, we gave up leather and a trip computer, but I Scotchgarded the seats & carpets, added the rear bumper guard, and we're adding an UltraGauge computer to give us distance-to-empty, mileage, etc. displays like our Saabs have/had. Not much I can do about the reduced power though.

I drove a Mazda B2000 pickup in Canada back in the late 80's, early 90's and I've always liked Mazdas, so the decision to buy the 5 was fairly easy. The financing rates now are obscenely low, so that made it even easier. The only hard part was finding a manual transmission in the southeast! I had to get a local dealer in NC to swap for one in GA.

If I had to do it again, and I had more time, I'd look into buying a manual transmission leather-equipped model in Canada and importing it.

If the Mazda5 fits your needs, I'd go for it. We're pretty happy with ours.

JMJ

 

[Mud Dawg]

Thanks for the replies guys, and congratulations on the multiple bank account drainers and sleep deprivers. I'll be there soon enough, my little rug rat needs a partner.

For us a full-size minivan is an absolute no go. The whole soccer mom image turns my wife off, and I hate their costs, even though I appreciate their versatility. I'm happy that my wife is mostly like me with cars, the cool gadgets are very nice to have, but you'll have to be prepared for more breakdowns in the future. My Honda is pretty basic, and since it just makes noise and no horsepower, it'll easily live another 10 years.

I think the Mazda 5 is a good size for 2 kids and most of our road trips. I know they aren't rated to tow anything in north America, but I wouldn't hesitate to tow a 400 trailer and 400 lbs of gear if we needed more, or worse case scenario I'll drive my diesel Suburban (AKA the school bus). The desire for a manual transmission isn't so much for throwing it into corners, but I love their reliability and simplicity. I have changed many clutches on different vehicles, but I know very little about repairing an auto tranny. I just know they can be pretty expensive. Yes many will disagree, but I really prefer Japanese 4 cylinders over Korean, German, or American. Their assembly location has less impact than their inception location. My Honda Civic was built 20 minutes north of me in Ontario, and my Chevy Suburban was built in Mexico. And I thought the Honda was the import (scratch).

I know there was no model in 2011, but any thoughts on the 2009 or 2010 models? Like I said, I'm not to sure if I want to buy brand new(but I'm open to it), however I've always gotten the best value out of buying something in the 3-5 year range, but I always had to live with the options and colors someone else ordered. There are a few 2012s still sitting on lots, but I don't think they've discounted them enough, when for another grand or two I could order brand new with my choices, but it's possible if I wait until the spring I might have a lease return.

Thanks for the all info (drinks)

 

[Orangutan]

You can pick up a used 2012 for dirt cheap. The 0.0% financing on new ones is nice, too.

 

[DKaz]

Mazda 5 is an awesome car, fun to drive, compact, sliding doors, two extra seats in the back, six speed manual, good space, I got 30-35 MPG on the highway and averaged 24 MPG in the city. I only got rid of it because we needed two cars, a more fuel efficient car and a more proper minivan.

 

[metalfab]

Previous to the 2012 5, we had a 2003 MPV which was excellent. I immediately had the 5 and CX-5 in mind, nothing else out there impressed me much. My trust in Mazda is maybe a bit too much but I have had both a great van and service by them. So why go elsewhere and take a chance?

Down to reality; family of 4.

Room:
It's a wagon.
We bought it mainly for the 4 of us however, when the occasion arises and when needed we can fit 5-6 people.
Camping for 1-2 weeks (clothes, tent, sleeping bags, tarp, small bbq, etc, etc.) just barely fits had to scale somethings back but it works.

Engine:
Love the sport shifting when I want to play and auto when in bumper to bumper traffic.
No complaints about power. Wish we had the European version which has a 1.6L 113HP/199 Torque diesel, I'd have bought it in a heartbeat.
Gas Kilometerage/Mileage could be better. At 3500KM I'm getting about 10.5L/100KM or 27MPG on 87 octane. I'm still on my first tank of 94 (no ethanol) to compare and the results might be a bit better. I have been really sick the last few days so the 5 is idle atm. There is another thread that I'll give the results in.

Interior:
Dashboard layout is clear and RED better than the MPV; no shifter in the way of the centre console. Only thing I wish I could do is change the "Hello" greeting to something else like, "Ignition" or "Zoom Zoom"

Exterior:
The sliding doors of the 5 won me over the CX-5. My kids are 7 and 10 and can open the doors just fine but with sliders we don't have to worry at all in parking lots. As mentioned, loading and unloading sliders beat doors any day.
I like the overall design, I didn't really notice the 'grin' until I saw comments on here and another Mazda3 site, thanks guys!, lol.
One thing I don't like, and it is nit picky but the antenna can be unscrewed, by anyone. Now antenna theft is not on the rise in my part of town however, it is a bit odd that Mazda made it that easy to take off.

 

[ukulele]

Previous to the 2012 5, we had a 2003 MPV which was excellent. I immediately had the 5 and CX-5 in mind, nothing else out there impressed me much. My trust in Mazda is maybe a bit too much but I have had both a great van and service by them. So why go elsewhere and take a chance?

Down to reality; family of 4.

Room:
It's a wagon.
We bought it mainly for the 4 of us however, when the occasion arises and when needed we can fit 5-6 people.
Camping for 1-2 weeks (clothes, tent, sleeping bags, tarp, small bbq, etc, etc.) just barely fits had to scale somethings back but it works.

Engine:
Love the sport shifting when I want to play and auto when in bumper to bumper traffic.
No complaints about power. Wish we had the European version which has a 1.6L 113HP/199 Torque diesel, I'd have bought it in a heartbeat.
Gas Kilometerage/Mileage could be better. At 3500KM I'm getting about 10.5L/100KM or 27MPG on 87 octane. I'm still on my first tank of 94 (no ethanol) to compare and the results might be a bit better. I have been really sick the last few days so the 5 is idle atm. There is another thread that I'll give the results in.

Interior:
Dashboard layout is clear and RED better than the MPV; no shifter in the way of the centre console. Only thing I wish I could do is change the "Hello" greeting to something else like, "Ignition" or "Zoom Zoom"

Exterior:
The sliding doors of the 5 won me over the CX-5. My kids are 7 and 10 and can open the doors just fine but with sliders we don't have to worry at all in parking lots. As mentioned, loading and unloading sliders beat doors any day.
I like the overall design, I didn't really notice the 'grin' until I saw comments on here and another Mazda3 site, thanks guys!, lol.
One thing I don't like, and it is nit picky but the antenna can be unscrewed, by anyone. Now antenna theft is not on the rise in my part of town however, it is a bit odd that Mazda made it that easy to take off.

Ah... the antenna screws off?? Interesting, didn't know that.... now at least if mine gets stolen I can "re-steal" another one from a parked 5

Maybe if I unscrew my antenna, my vibration will go away?? That's something the dealer technicians would tell me to do. They already told me that the Mazda5 is "not engineered with the same aerodynamics as a smaller vehicle such as a compact car, therefore the vibration is more pronounced." I was also told "The road is crowned, that can produce vibrations in the steering." I'm not kidding either, wish I was, this is the crappy service we have to deal with in Jersey, it's not just the car dealerships, I have been to other states, other parts of the country, and for what you pay to live here in Jersey, the service in just about any industry is horrible, nobody wants to deal with the customers.

SIDE NOTE: Look at the power companies after Sandy... they still don't have power out in parts of Staten Island and the Jersey Shore, the utilities are getting sued left and right. We had lineman crews from Ontario and Illinois in our area repairing the downed wires because PSE&G doesn't have the capacity to deal with hurricane damage. BTW... I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I'VE SAID ABOUT THE CANADIANS OVER THE YEARS (wedge) You guys are awesome! Should've seen these linemen outside my home on a 40 degree morning with a t-shirt and an open work jacket... they must've felt like it was summer.

 

[metalfab]

Ah... the antenna screws off?? Interesting, didn't know that.... now at least if mine gets stolen I can "re-steal" another one from a parked 5

Not sure how different the American 5 manual is but on page 6-11 there is a note advising "when leaving you car unattended, we recommend that you remove the antenna and store it in you vehicle."

Sounds extreme too me and silly in design at the same time.

Here on the Wet Coast (pun intended) we rarely dip below 5C

 

[JMJinNC]

To metalfab: 2 of the last 3 Saabs I owned were hatchbacks with auto-retracting antennas (to prevent vandalism according to the owners manual). When they broke (backing into a low tree, for instance), replacement was $12 and about 10 minutes. Luckily my 9-5 wagon has the antenna built into the rear glass. The shorter screw-off antenna from a Dodge is supposed to fit. Might be good to have a spare?

My wife had a 2001 VW GTi GLX that had a screw-off antenna. We took it to a carwash once, and the attendant unscrewed the antenna, threw it into the trunk area, and promptly slammed the hatch down onto it, breaking it. Thanks - nice job, buddy!

Regarding the greeting - Saab electronics can be programmed via a Tech2 computer at the dealership - I wonder if Mazda has something similar. A custom message would be pretty neat.

To ukelele: I'm Canadian, but moved to the USA almost 20 years ago. When the mercury drops below 50F, we break out the "heavy" T-shirts.

JMJ

 

[ukulele]

I would check my manual but the wife is out and about with the 5, but i'm sure it says the same thing. I've found car manuals usually differ in the ability to tow and what capacity between USA and Canada. For example, my old 2008 Yaris sedan, the owner's manual says in Canada you can tow 700 lbs., then it says: United States - Not applicable or not recommended some horse s*** like that. I went to etrailer and got me a class II hitch, and I was hauling up to 1000 lbs. with my 5x8 Aluma trailer all around the tri-state. As you would imagine I was probably the ONLY Yaris for miles around that did this. The glaring looks from pickup truck drivers was enough to keep me entertained.

I think it boils down to that the NHTSA (DOT) thinks we can't safely tow like they do in Canada?? I don't get it.