Buyers Remorse

[STE92VE]

Personal preferences and environment is the reason why I'll be going with GT/tech pkg. The heated seats & side mirrors are good for the NE USA, not much for FL where you reside. I will only buy a vehicle with Xenons, far superior to regular halogens if you want to see the road at night and the adaptive lights are good for the twisties, on & off ramps. Also like the automatic climate control since I rarely touch the settings as well as the rain sensing windshield wipers. The power seat doesn't do anything for me since I'm the only driver so once its' set, it stays that way.

When a manufacturer bundles options into a package, you sometimes have to take some items you don't need with the ones that you want. When I ordered my E92, the only options I checked were heated seats (not the full weather package which included headlight washers and ski bag) and leather. Nice to have a car configured the way you want it not the way the manufacturer thinks you do.

 

[mixmasterlove]

I always say to buy OR lease fully loaded, as you don't get a second chance.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Back when I bought mine on March 10th, 2012, there were essentially no options, as they just started trickling in off of the car haulers.

Between the two dealers we visited, there were only GTs, which was great. The issue was the only colors that were available on the GTs were Sky Blue, Zeal Red and a CWPM, all of which are colors my wife despises. (rant)
I'm not big on color. I mean, the white would have been fine. I think we both wanted a GT. But, for my wife, color was more important (it's her car).

Then, we stumbled on a LPM Touring w/ tech and Bose. The only color my wife would settle on. Her Altima left her stranded days before, and in a fit of paranoia, she wanted a new car ASAP. So, no waiting around on better/more options...

In the end, I lost out on two important (to me) features - True Advance Keyless and dual auto climate. I'd like the 19" wheels too. But, I'll probably slap on my Konigs off my MS6 when I sell it.
But, I have no regrets. I love our Touring. It has exceeded my expectations. 14,500 miles on the odo, and nearly a year on the road, it has been great.

 

[Gio26NJ]

If they had that Leatherette option on the 2013 CX-5 Touring back when I bought mine I would have went for it as well with the Tech Package of course. Mazda for the new 6 got rid of the HID Xenon from their Tech Package for Touring models which really disappointed me. Advanced Keyless Entry, HID Xenon, Leather seats is what makes the GT/Tech Package worth it in my opinion.

 

[mpnret]

The biggest gripe I have about going with the Grand Touring are the 19" wheels. I feel that they make the ride worse. Handling might be a smidgen better. Replacement tires cost more. I would be more tempted to purchase the GT if I could get some credit for swapping them back for 17" wheels. And even though I live in Wisconsin, I don't like heated seats and hate paying for them.

I had the same gripe. I did back to back test drives comparing the 17" and the 19". The 19" definetly ride harsher than the 17". If I never did the test and just ordered the 19" I suppose I could live with them. I could probably even get used to them and convince myself they were almost as good as the 17". Also consider that replacement tires cost more and 19" wheels damage much easier from potholes, etc. due to the reduced wheel protection from the tire. But you can still get the GT. There are many people out there willing to trade wheels just to get the looks.

 

[popeyecahn]

So my question is how did you decide what model and trim you wanted and are you happy with the decision (be honest)? There is no way I wanted a MT at my age so the Sport was not a consideration. I have owned several new cars over the years and I have always thought about would I have done it this way if I had known what I know post purchase.

I wanted a bare bones MT in silver because I wanted to maximize the mpg potential and I wanted a MT after driving ATs for some time, sure some of the frills would be nice but I had a comfort level cost wise and I wasn't interested in going beyond that, soafter a month and a half I am happy with my purchase. I do have some issue with seat and driver position adjustment but I think I can sort that out. It's also a bigger vehicle than I'm used to, so washing the top requires a step stool. There will be adjustments, as with any change.


As for the things I 'missed out on', I will add my own hitch at 1/4 the cost, install my own speakers and enjoy higher fidelity (and maybe an HU) and should I want to spend the $800 for leather, I'll put that in as well. I do want a leather wrapped steering wheel and leather boots for the stick and e-brake and I will handle that myself in the coming months. That said I know many don't care to DIY and I appreciate that, hell there's only so much I'm able to do because of time and space but given some of the teething problems I've read about, I'm glad I didn't go whole hog.

 

[HandA]

A 225/55 tires still has a pretty decent sidewall

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
225/55-19 4.9in 14.4in 28.7in 90.3in 702 0.0%
225/65-17 5.8in 14.3in 28.5in 89.6in 707 -0.8%

and although tirerack doesn't have any reviews up on the 19" tires yet the stock 17" ones are pretty low:

and the stock 19" tires have already come down around $40 a tire there are now 3 choices in that size. As these vehicles get more popular there will only be more choices and even better prices.

but like mpnret mentioned if the dealer won't give you a discount for swapping out the wheels I'm sure someone else would trade + cash or buy them. Or you could sell them outright when you need new tires and go with 18" aftermarket wheels and 225/60-18 tires

 

[CX-SV]

A 225/55 tires still has a pretty decent sidewall

Yes, thankfully Mazda specified a taller diameter tire than all of the competitors (including CRV, Sportage, Tuscon, Escape, Rogue, Forester, Tiguan), so plenty of sidewall height for the OEM 19" tire/wheel combo at 4.872 inches, ability to handle potholes is very good.

 

[STE92VE]

ability to handle potholes is very good.

I always try to drive around them. But I swear, some people aim for them!

 

[popeyecahn]

I always try to drive around them. But I swear, some people aim for them!

Sometimes one doesn't have a choice...

 

[CX-SV]

I always try to drive around them. But I swear, some people aim for them!

Yes, obviously the ones that are not avoided cause the most potential for a bump... And sometimes potholes are covered with water (not visible), hard to avoid.

But the point is assumptions about sidewall height without knowing the specs are not useful. Most of the CX-5 competitors running 18's have about the same sidewall height at CX-5 on 19's. Mazda did a good job of designing-in the OEM 19's and specified a better tire too.

 

[Bombadil]

and although tirerack doesn't have any reviews up on the 19" tires yet the stock 17" ones are pretty low:

Most new cars come with mediocre tires. I've replaced the stock tires on the last 3 new vehicles I've purchased within 5000 miles. Not because they were worn out, but because they were lousy tires with poor handling and traction on wet surfaces.

 

[Bombadil]

I had the same gripe. I did back to back test drives comparing the 17" and the 19". The 19" definetly ride harsher than the 17". If I never did the test and just ordered the 19" I suppose I could live with them. I could probably even get used to them and convince myself they were almost as good as the 17".

Yes, that is what I would probably do too, if I got stuck with the 19". Although if I couldn't negotiate a discount on trading the 19" for the 17", then I would offer to swap them even up. You'd think a dealer would go for that. Put them on a Touring model and mark the price up.

 

[HandA]

Most new cars come with mediocre tires. I've replaced the stock tires on the last 3 new vehicles I've purchased within 5000 miles. Not because they were worn out, but because they were lousy tires with poor handling and traction on wet surfaces.

We also replaced the ones on our Mazda3 right away. I'm always amazed that they so often put really bad tires on since they do affect the driving impressions when test driving and when reviewers check them out. I know they probably get a good price on them from the tire companies but still.
I had some fairly expensive name brand tires on our P5 that gave it scary understeer and the final tires we had on it made it so much better than it had ever been to drive before. They were smooth, quiet and yet had great grip and decent handling.

That's what surprised me with the 19" ones, they don't seem bad. Traction and handling seem very good even in the rain. They seemed to want to hydroplane a bit more than I'd like but that might just be because they are wider than I'm used to. The ride isn't bad and they don't make much noise unless they are on rough pavement.

I'm curious how when people eventually start changing the tires it will affect the mpg. This thing seems to love to coast forever and some of that has to be the tires.

 

[CX-SV]

Most new cars come with mediocre tires. I've replaced the stock tires on the last 3 new vehicles I've purchased within 5000 miles. Not because they were worn out, but because they were lousy tires with poor handling and traction on wet surfaces.

Certainly not necessary with the oem Toyo 19's, a nice M&S tire, ideal for the intended application. I have 14,500 miles on them so far.

 

[Bombadil]

We also replaced the ones on our Mazda3 right away. I'm always amazed that they so often put really bad tires on since they do affect the driving impressions when test driving and when reviewers check them out. I know they probably get a good price on them from the tire companies but still.

I've seen specialty tires, made just for stock tires on new cars. Low cost, low-bid tires made to ride quiet on test drives. Most new car buyers pay very little attention to the stock tires.

When tires wear out on a car, many people go back to the dealers and have them replace them with the same mediocre tire that came on it.

A good example is the Dunlop SP31. These come as OEM tires on a number of new vehicles. They are terrible. Likewise for the Goodyear Integrity tires which are stock on many new cars. I've had these on 2 new cars and got rid of them quickly.

 

[sxa]

The OP asks "[H]ow did you decide what model and trim you wanted and are you happy with the decision..." I haven't fully made my choice yet but here is some back story and I have been using this site here to help get ideas and make that final choice.

I have always thought about it in terms of buying what is within in your needs and means. When I bought my current econo-box (Hyundai Accent) what I wanted was decent fuel economy and a cheap car for a college student, I didn't think about any of the other "features" that I miss now (cruise control being the biggest). I installed XM myself, so entertainment has never been a problem and I have always used either my old GPS or now my phone for nav. Essentially everything I needed.

Fast forward to my plans to buy something new this year, after 5 years and ~82,000 miles my car (which was bought with 38,000 on it) is worn and there are a number of things that are MUST haves in my next vehicle.

1) Cruise Control, my current car doesn't have it. I have never bothered installing it. As someone who drives a lot though it is really annoying to not have it. Yes I am that primitive not having cruise control.
2) Fuel Economy
3) Bluetooth (If I wanted I could add this to my car, but haven't. It isn't something I have needed until the last few months when I got promoted into a position where I am communicating with clients on a much more regular basis and it would be nice to be able to take client calls from the road without noisy bluetooth headsets or risking my life or others by using the phone while driving)
4) Aux port for audio / Bluetooth audio streaming. XM is great, but it is even nicer to use my phone to listen to podcasts and music and while again I could install a system in the car that allows this I am going to hold off.
5) An Alarm, my current car has one and I will most certainly get the tech package for the Alarm

So those are the "Must haves". I do want AWD in my next vehicle, there are many times even in Texas where I am out places where having the clearance of an SUV + AWD will come in handy (not really off-roading but driving on some farm roads where it would be helpful).

So for me it comes down to Touring w/Tech vs. GT with Tech. This is where the idea of needs vs. means comes into play for me. I am making enough now in my current position that I could easily afford a GT with Tech but I don't need the features, so the question is if it is worth spending another 3-4k for luxury features. I am leaning towards GT because of the small price difference and why not, but it will depend on what kind of deals I can get when I ready to move forward.

 

[rcs914]

5) An Alarm, my current car has one and I will most certainly get the tech package for the Alarm

Just as an FYI, according to the Autoblog article, the alarm is gone in the 2014.

 

[HandA]

Just as an FYI, according to the Autoblog article, the alarm is gone in the 2014.

looks like it was replaced with the Smart City Brake Support.

 

[sxa]

Just as an FYI, according to the Autoblog article, the alarm is gone in the 2014.

Thanks for letting me know. I don't know how I missed that. I checked the Mazda site and I see that it isn't listed anywhere as an option. They have the immobilizer, which is great for avoiding a stolen car. I suppose while we all like the idea of having an alarm, they probably don't work in today's world anyways. There are so many false alarms no one seems to care about alarms anymore. My main concern is things in the car, especially when I don't have an actual trunk to hide stuff. Guess I will get one of the cargo cover things that hide the stuff in the back.