'06-'07 Owners, how's your 5 doing these days?

[Katner]

I'm in a situation where I may need to get rid of my current car and buy something new (it's all about moving money to and from the right places and I need to free up my credit where my current 5 is being financed).

My initial instinct is to replace it with another Mazda5 since I love the car and Mazda Canada is offering 0% APR for 60 months, although the purchase price of the one I want is STEEP ($28,237 for GT with Auto).

Looking back over the year I have owned my 5 though, I see a few little problems that could be expensive if not under warranty. Nothing with the drive-train, but I've had suspension, power-steering, weather stripping, and now fan-blower motor issues with my car and it's made me consider some other options (don't flame me!).

Our only other major consideration so far was a 2009 Subaru Forester which, although mechanically brilliant was completely boring to drive compared to the sweet little honey that is the Mazda5. Won't touch a Honda CR-V or a RAV-4, so don't worry. Only other consideration is a Mitsubishi Outlander.

Just wondering what grief you guys have had to deal with since your warranties have expired, and if you feel the car has been a burden financially beyond the typical BS of maintaining a man-made, deprecating machine such as a car.

 

[Heat]

A coworker of mine had an '06 Mazda5 (US market), hated it.

The rear tires would grind down due to bad alignment from the factory, went through two sets even after having alignments done. Their key fobs went bad and replacement fobs were extremely expensive through the dealer (still are). No inside armrests. Four speed automatic transmission (five-speed auto started in '08). No auxilliary input for the radio (though an aftermarket radio can be put in of course).

I wouldn't touch an '06 or '07. Just my opinion.

On the flip side, they did get a price for it when they traded it in for an '07 Toyota Highlander with three rows of seats.

 

[coolmazda5]

US 06 warranty is running until December 09 after the exhaust recall extension. No major issues that if I would be out of warranty I would had to pay a lot of money so far (battery, keyfob, tires, liftgate strut), it has been very cheap to maintain although we don't put a lot of miles nowadays.

Thinking beyond the Mazda5 I would check out the Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy Wagon, not the Outback (you still have it there in CAN I believe) VW Jetta SportWagen (or Jetta Wagon as is called in CAN), VW Passat Wagon, even a VW Tiguan or a Ford Flex. I also like the Mitsubishi Outlander, but only the top trim level with the HIDS, paddle shifters and bigger wheels, the rest of the trims look extremely boring

If space is really an issue, Honda Odyssey, just needs after market wheels badly

It's a shame the limited options for wagons around here in NA...

 

[Katner]

I suppose it really is a little too early to know if the '06 kinks really have been ironed out in the '08/'09 models. I guess I'm just looking at this as a second chance to choose. I've loved my 5, but now that I need to change my finances around I'm just giving some other options another look and reliability is definitely a priority. It's tough to find anything with this much space, this much FTD factor, and this price point.

 

[raspykart]

my 07 GT still puts a smile on our faces all around... sometimes it'd be nice to have a touch more room in the back with all seats up.

 

[skyhawk]

We have mazda5 06. No major issues so far. plastic shields under the car have loosened I only needed to replace the plastic fasteners that held them up. This is a 'keeper' vehicle .

Future scenario, is this vehicle will be taken over by the daughter.. and we will go for a newer mazda5. I already have the workshop manual and wiring diagrams. Another mazda5 will allow me to swap parts for troubleshooting tough problems.

 

[antlind]

Got mine in Feb 2006. Love the car. I lowered it so I had to install the MazdaSpeed 3 camber adjustment plates. Apart from that and the squeaky front/rear bushings I have no problems.

 

[doctorz]

no cost issues because our 5 is still under warranty. Gotta like that 4 year / 50 K mile warranty the '06 US 5s enjoyed. We've certainly got our money worth.

Having said that, the 5 seems to be holding up okay. We've had a bunch of niggling issues and have replaced bushings all around, the A/C belt, and the left rear strut. But there are no weird noises, no drivetrain issues, etc., with the car right now. I notice a little more flex in the body, nothing unexpected.

 

[Katner]

Glad to see some positive feedback on some of the more long-term 5's here. I think besides the regular Mazda BS (suspension and tire wear seem to be frequent issues) so far the car seems to be holding up after some decent mileage. This is good to know because if we go ahead and get a new one we will be keeping it for at least 5 years, probably longer.

Got mine in Feb 2006. Love the car. I lowered it so I had to install the MazdaSpeed 3 camber adjustment plates. Apart from that and the squeaky front/rear bushings I have no problems.

Cool! Anthony it's been a while. I kind of disappeared when our 5 went temporarily out of commission after the accident. She's back in action though and looks and runs as good as new.

You are using the standard struts with your H&R springs right man? And they have held up just fine so far eh?

 

[antlind]

Cool! Anthony it's been a while. I kind of disappeared when our 5 went temporarily out of commission after the accident. She's back in action though and looks and runs as good as new.

You are using the standard struts with your H&R springs right man? And they have held up just fine so far eh?

Glad to hear you're back on the road. Any ill effects from the collision? And yes, I'm still running my stock OEM struts with my H&Rs. I have about 50k with this set up so far. Drop by for a test drive anytime.
Anthony

 

[2003proes]

My '07 Touring is doing fantastic! It makes a thump in the front suspension when I hit a bump, but I read a service bulletin about that and I will get around to taking it in. Other than that the only issue I have is that it won't pull my trailer or my wife's horse. But I didn't really buy it for pulling.

 

[Rocket]

http://www.msprotege.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123731884

 

[scknight2]

We have an 06. No major issues...squeaky bushings when cold, blown rear shock, AC compressor. Similar issues to what a lot of others have had.

Unfortunately, I just noticed some rust forming around all 4 wheel wells! Maybe it is the same issue some Mazda 3s had: http://www.torontomazda3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25439&page=7. If it is, and I can get mazda to fix it, I will probably get rid of it before the rust comes back.

I am also looking at the new Forester, but I really like the handling and the sliding doors of the Mazda 5.

 

[antlind]

We have an 06. No major issues...squeaky bushings when cold, blown rear shock, AC compressor. Similar issues to what a lot of others have had.

Unfortunately, I just noticed some rust forming around all 4 wheel wells! Maybe it is the same issue some Mazda 3s had: http://www.torontomazda3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25439&page=7. If it is, and I can get mazda to fix it, I will probably get rid of it before the rust comes back.

I am also looking at the new Forester, but I really like the handling and the sliding doors of the Mazda 5.

Strange you should mention the Forester. A buddy of mine just went from an 06 Mazda 5 to a 09 Forester (non-turbo) and he has no regrets....apart from the seating capacity. He swears that he will never go back to Mazda after driving the Subaru. I haven't driven the Forester so I cannot agree/disagree with him.

 

[deisz001]

Totally happy about my 2005 Mazda5, except for cracks in the liftgate which seem to be an issue with the early model. (see my other post)

 

[perfecto]

No real big issues here either, and I got one of the first ones off the boat here in Vancouver. I still love to drive it, and will probably end up replacing it with a new 5.

 

[Katner]

It appears there is an accumulation of "little issues." Drive-train reliability so far seems to be just fine, but the other BS could cost a person a little bit of extra cash post-warranty. Especially if you got hit with more than one of these problems.

Strange you should mention the Forester. A buddy of mine just went from an 06 Mazda 5 to a 09 Forester (non-turbo) and he has no regrets....apart from the seating capacity. He swears that he will never go back to Mazda after driving the Subaru. I haven't driven the Forester so I cannot agree/disagree with him.

I wonder what specifically has converted him to the Forester. It can't be the drive, or else he'd rather have a cushy, pitch-and-roll type car that washes all over the road instead of a sharp, direct, responsive handler with excellent directional response. Hey, my grandma prefers the former as well. He probably just means that the car feels more solid, and durable, which I completely agree with. That's what most people buy cars for. But if you care about the driving experience then the Forester and the 5 are like night and day.

 

[antlind]

It appears there is an accumulation of "little issues." Drive-train reliability so far seems to be just fine, but the other BS could cost a person a little bit of extra cash post-warranty. Especially if you got hit with more than one of these problems.



I wonder what specifically has converted him to the Forester. It can't be the drive, or else he'd rather have a cushy, pitch-and-roll type car that washes all over the road instead of a sharp, direct, responsive handler with excellent directional response. Hey, my grandma prefers the former as well. He probably just means that the car feels more solid, and durable, which I completely agree with. That's what most people buy cars for. But if you care about the driving experience then the Forester and the 5 are like night and day.

He purchased this Forester based on the fact that one of his co-workers had one and also he had several bad experiences with the Mazda dealership where he purchased the '5'. They didn't want to replace his rear tires and repair the camber problem. So I think his choice was more an effect of a crappy dealer as opposed to a crappy '5'.

 

[Katner]

He purchased this Forester based on the fact that one of his co-workers had one and also he had several bad experiences with the Mazda dealership where he purchased the '5'. They didn't want to replace his rear tires and repair the camber problem. So I think his choice was more an effect of a crappy dealer as opposed to a crappy '5'.

Makes sense then. To be honest when we drove the Forester I immediately noticed the quality feel it had. I would say interior fit and finish was a little better than most of Mazda's stuff including the 5. Not quite on the level of Honda's latest, but definitely better than late model Toyotas. I can see how a person could fall in love with a Subaru if you're not a stickler for steering dynamics. And the symmetrical AWD is freaking awesome.

My prediction is that the next 5 will be more on this level as that's where they went with the 3. A big upgrade in interior quality and materials, more quiet cabin etc, but slightly less steering feel, and the car has less agility. Basically less raw, more refined.

Sadly we looked at a Hyundai Sante Fe today. I don't know what to think of it. It's not a bad car, and Hyundai has come a long way with interior quality, plus it has a brilliant warranty. Just kind of a vanilla feeling about it, no flavor like you get with Mazda, and I feel apprehensive about buying a Hyundai to own due to depreciation, even if they are built better these days. Leasing is out since they are almost 9% lease right now.

 

[coolmazda5]

You should also check out the 09 Rondo if that is the case, same as Hyundai, they have come a long way. That is the closest to a Mazda5 with regards to the car segment, space and features, and that is why the typical bashing here in this forum

The 09s have a new Theta II 4cyl engine (more HP than earlier Rondo models) and they are popular in Canada