Considering trading the 5 for CX-7

Well...we traded a perfectly good two year old MPV ES for a 5 and don't regret it one bit.

After reading your link...why does your wife "hate" the 5? And if that's the case, what price for happiness are you willing to pay, given that you're upside down on the 5?
 
Depends on your particular situation. For us with two small kids, the 3rd row seat and mini-van type doors alone far outweight any of the features of a small SUV or crossover type vehicle. We used to own a toyota highlander and sure it was nice to have the all wheel drive in the snow, but I think the 5 is more practical from both a space configuration and fuel efficiency perspective.
My brother on the other hand has no kids, so he and his wife are more concerned with fitting their golf clubs in the back and the coolness factor, hence the CX-7 is pretty high on their list.
 
Wife likes to be up high, prefers the AWD (she has trouble in snow), and it's bigger inside. Plus when I drive, she likes to have somewhere to put her left arm :)

That and the whole 'minivan' thing she never got over. I LOVE the sliding doors, very handy with a two year old and another on the way in March.

Only mechanical issue we have with it is the noise when it's cold like it is now. Had the control arms and all the bushings replaced but it's still making racket.

That's it really.
 
The sliding doors are cool and handy.

But having a turbo and direct injection on the Mazda 2.3 makes for alot more fun.

The CX7 seems to be a bit more substantial in overall feel.

And given your situation with the neg equity on the 5, sounds like a good deal to me.

The CX7 lease has been tempting me for sometime now, $249mo for a CX7 sport.
 
Wife likes to be up high, prefers the AWD (she has trouble in snow), and it's bigger inside. Plus when I drive, she likes to have somewhere to put her left arm :)

That and the whole 'minivan' thing she never got over. I LOVE the sliding doors, very handy with a two year old and another on the way in March.

Those are tough reasons to argue with if you're wanting to keep the 5. I know that it's difficult to get the point across that if you're having trouble in the snow, AWD is worse, not better 'cause you still can't turn or stop and better, you just falsely think you can 'cause of the good acceleration.

So, the only thing I think worth mentioning is the negative equity. The dealer is most emphatically not willing to swallow a bunch of negative equity. You're keeping that in the new deal whether it's evident or not. So, in essence, that means you're paying ~$4,000 (wasn't that what you said?) more than you need to/should for the CX-7. It's your call whether that works for you of course, but it's worth remembering.

Good luck!
 
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I'm with HotRod

AWD is overrated for snow. I live in Colorado, and a FWD with the right snow tires can blow the doors off a an AWD with standard M+S tires... which is what most AWD owners stick with. I've left SUVs in the snow dust when driving with the proper equipment.
 
I also visit the other mazda boards.. they are talking exciting issues like CEL or computer errors etc.. So the mazda5 board is actually boring in that there is really not that much major issues. I mean not that much problem with the vehicle. (except for the 'mz5 sounds of winter').
 
Traded it Tuesday night.....

Anyone who wants my 5's all weather mats, soft cargo mat, or Protege coin holders (4 that I had in the switch blanks to the left of the steering column) PM me, i'll give ya a good deal :)
 
Nooo, don't do it!

Ooops, too late (lol2). Seriously, the CX-7 is a fine car, except that I'm not into crossovers or suvs. Well, at least drop by from time to time to let us know how are things doing... and to keep us on the loop for MZ5 insider info :D
 
I usually troll all over the board, any new info I have on any Mazda I post in the appropriate section. (2thumbs)
 
Traded it Tuesday night.....

Anyone who wants my 5's all weather mats, soft cargo mat, or Protege coin holders (4 that I had in the switch blanks to the left of the steering column) PM me, i'll give ya a good deal :)

I wish you the best of luck with the 7. I do understand where you are coming from, Noone needs to hear a spouse complain about a car, too many other things to worry about in life.

Thanks for all the great insider info posts you have made. You will be missed.
 
Benfolio what is the soft cargo mat you speak of? Might be interested.

This thing:

06_Mazda5_CargoLiner.jpg


Was GREAT for the dogs and wet stuff and messy stuff... might have a small snag in it, but just one. I'll hafta get pics. Been too busy shovelling snow all week. Stupid state. WI(piss)
 
The Traction Conrtol on the CX-7 will definitely make a difference in snow/ice packed roads. I just drove a TCS equipped vehicle today (Ford Escape).. and that thing really helps reduce the side-slipping during cornering. Yes. It does remove the 'fun' in driving over slippery roads. It will be like driving a bus.. But there is a big difference with TCS turned on, and TCS turned off. The engine revs but the car moves out of slippery 4-stop slowly.. Almost like how the MZ5 behaves after you 'modulate' the accelerator pedal to stop the slipping.
 
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