Intro and purchasing story

I've been lurking on the boards since the beginning of the year to try to educate myself on the CX-5 and finally landed a purchase, so I thought I would post the process that landed me in a 2019 GTR:

In January, in the olden days before pandemics and social distancing, I took my daughter to the local auto show. At the time we weren't really on the market for anything; our 2006 Honda CRV had continually served us well and, even at 215k miles, showed no signs of slowing down. We go camping every year and it fits all of our gear, has a folding table built into the trunk floor, and carries two bikes easily on the spare tire mount. We sat in almost every vehicle on the floor but the one that stuck with me the most was the 2020 CX-5 Signature. I had no idea Mazda had this level of quality available.

My wife and I had discussed what we would like for our next vehicle and had conflicting priorities. I wanted something a bit more high-end than the CRV and was willing to give up utility for luxury. She, on the other hand, felt it would be irresponsible to purchase something that was not electrified in some way, either hybrid or plug-in. We both agreed that $30k would be about as high as we felt comfortable going so that almost automatically excluded all new hybrid and most used hybrid CUVs. (note: our other vehicle, which she drives the most, is a fully electric Ford Focus)

Having owned a number of Honda vehicles, my wife immediately leaned towards the newer CRV. I mentioned the oil dilution issues that Honda has had in recent years and schooled her on the differences between a conventional automatic and a CVT, and pointed her to reviews that plainly rated the CRV as "the best toaster" (e.g. an appliance used to get you from point A to point B with the least amount of thought or enjoyment). We also considered the RAV4 hybrids and would have loved to get into a RAV4 Prime but these won't likely be available in our price range until well into 2022 or 2023.

After watching a handful of CX-5 reviews with me, she agreed to give the Mazda a test drive. A local dealer had a soul red Signature model they could bring by to test drive. Needless to say, after her first drive she stepped out with a robust "we'll take it!" (not really, but she did love it immediately). While that particular Signature model wasn't for us, we landed on a private sale of a Snowflake White GT Reserve with 3000 miles for under $30k. While my wife wasn't wild on the light interior color, now that it's officially ours she is in love with it.

At 3000 miles (now 3100) it is practically new and it is definitely the nicest car that either one of us have ever owned. The technology is head-and-shoulders above our previous vehicles, including the 2013 Ford Focus. The Active Display alone is an amazing feature I never knew I needed. Apple Carplay and Andoid Auto future-proofs the infotainment system. We're thrilled to be part of the Mazda family.
 
I wish I had the lighter interior.

Just got the OEM tires off at 41k mi and replaced with Continental Cross LX25s.
 
Great story! I always enjoy reading purchase stories, good or bad. Happy to see that it went well overall. And I felt the same way about the ADD as you do. It's so nice to have the info I need available, without having to take my eyes off the road. I think all of my future cars will have this feature.
 
Welcome to Mazda family. I own 3 now.
Used to be a Honda fan (owned three Acura/Hondas), not any more.
One Toyota/Prius: solid hybrid system, bad handling.
One BMW/540iA: a money pit.
 
Welcome and congrats on the purchase.
Currently have two - 16 Touring and 19 GTR. You will love the turbo.

Previous Mazda's - 86 RX-7 91 626
 
They were moving out of state and, eventually moving out of country. (once borders reopen)

That’s some nice luck. I’ve had my new CX-5 now for about a month and if it wasn’t for the pandemic I’d probably have already surpassed that mileage (and I started at 4. As in, one-two-three-four miles).

I was a bit unfortunate in that my old (figuratively and literally) car committed suicide a bit sooner than I was planning and that left me in a bind. I’m still super in love with it and happy to have it ... but it does make me kick myself every now and again to acknowledge how I spent over five thousand extra dollars (compared to you, for example) just to enjoy that first 3000 miles. Lol. “You’ve only owned two cars in last 20 years, and never bought a new one. You deserve to splurge a bit!” — devil on my shoulder.
 
OP's 2006 CRV was made in Japan just like today's Mazda6/9/CX-5. Nothing wrong about US-built CRV's of today but I'm a stickler for made in Japan cars.
 
Just bought a 2017 Touring.
This is my first Mazda ever. Pearl White with tan seats. I took a test drive I was hooked. I was shopping Toyota happened to walk on a used Ford lot and Mazda was next door
 

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They were moving out of state and, eventually moving out of country. (once borders reopen)
Very strange excuse to me, selling a car with only 3,000 miles ⋯ :unsure:

Have you checked the history of the car before the purchase?
 
Yes, it all checked out. The previous owner's original plans were well designed but everything came to a crashing halt with the pandemic. They failed to adjust their plans and ended up having to sell the car or pay to have it shipped across the country, only to sell it there.

Their loss was my gain.

On a related note, though, my wife is taking it in for it's second oil change and the mileage is still under 3500 miles (but over 12 months since its first oil change).
 
Yes, it all checked out. The previous owner's original plans were well designed but everything came to a crashing halt with the pandemic. They failed to adjust their plans and ended up having to sell the car or pay to have it shipped across the country, only to sell it there.

Their loss was my gain.

On a related note, though, my wife is taking it in for it's second oil change and the mileage is still under 3500 miles (but over 12 months since its first oil change).
If you’ve checked car history, that will give you a peace of mind.

If you could, check your factory oil level hot, 5 minutes after the engine turned off, and check it cold again the first thing in the morning before you start the engine. See there‘re any difference between the two on oil level. It’d be nice taking pictures and post them in this thread:

Is the CX-5 Dip Stick Calibrated for Hot Oil temp? It would explain a lot

:)
 
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