Gettin' the wife a High5!

[TheDirtyGoatee]

Gettin' the wife a Mazda5!

So over the last couple of weeks, I've been chipping away at my wife to get a Mazda5. She's been a Honda person since the get-go about 10 years ago when we started driving.

She's a nanny and watches a couple of kids (still in carseats) and her 98 Honda Civic isn't doing the task anymore. It lacks creature comforts that make the kids more at home... like AC. So we decided to get a new car.

At first I had her set on the new (when I say new I mean 2008-2009) Ford Fusion SEL AWD. There's nice one around the corner for not much money and low miles. However, it lacked one thing she'd really like to have... 3rd row seating.

Introduce the Mazda5! She, at first, said the obvious... "It's a minivan." I quickly hushed that with "No, it's a wagon." So over the last couple of weeks we've been crunching numbers, doing research, and then today finally went and looked at one. When we arrived at the dealership, her first reaction is "Wow... that's not really much like a minivan at all." The sliding doors I think give it the "soccer mom van" appearance. Make no mistake, it's not a van.

Here's the scoop, we want to get her a GT because we want the best. We've found one with 10k on the clock going for just above $20k at Carmax. The dealership had some Touring's with 50k on the clock for about $13-15k. Her boss (who can afford to just hand over the money to us) might be willing to lend us the money, however, we're not sure how much she's going to be willing to lend (her boss claimed she just puts all her income in savings and they live off the husband's. They live in a nice neighborhood of $400k+ homes and are debt free with a BMW X5 and a Land Rover Discovery... they're not hurting).

Long story short, what problems have my fellow Mazda guys had with their 5's and what was the experience dealing with getting it fixed? Are there any recalls that are so major that should deter us from getting this car and do you guys enjoy yours? Let me know. I've already got her excited over it and she's sold, we just need to get the best bang for our buck. Also, as a bonus, what kind of money did you guys pay for yours (new or used and if used what kind of mileage)?

Thanks in advance! If all goes well, I'll post up some pics in this section as I'll have a new reason to!

TheDirtyGoatee!

 

[KBrian]

06 models had some problems with auto trans overheating (inattentive owners leaving the shift lever in 2nd gear), excessive tire wear, sliding door latches, and rear suspension noises/wear. Other years may have had problems, but in below average numbers.

The 5 forum will reveal all from a few hours browsing.

 

[skyhawk]

I can report on some of the good things of our Mazda5. The winter squeak, and tire wear issues are not serious enough to make us regret our decision.


1. The height of the seats with respect to the ground is kind of ergonomics
for us. There is no climbing up and crawling into the car to buckle up the little ones. Less back pains.

2. I like the open space in the middle. Allows the little ones in the 3rd row to move up to the 2nd row (and vice-versa) without having to exit the car.

3. some pics below. Even with fully bundled up passengers it is still spacious.
and every one gets a window seat.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

Thanks! The pics defintely helped!

 

[coolmazda5]

A quick advice

- Stay away from the 06s, nothing deal breaker but most of the warranty work fell on those. Grand Tourings are only 07 up anyway
- You can get a very decent 08 or even an 09 for low $$ nowadays
- Space is great, but 3rd row seat for short trips only (even for kids IMO)

Tons of info around, but here are is a good thread:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123758040

And also a quick finder in your area (?):

Autotrader

 

[Rockin03mp5]

the rear ac in the 08+ is great as well.

i say look for them. they had the better wheels as well, and the 5 speed auto (for the wife im sure).

 

[x10dude]

I have an 08 Touring.

1. I agree with the previous poster, the rear AC/heater vent really makes a difference. I think they made that change in the 08 year.
2. The 3rd row seat is indeed small. It is an engineering feat that they even managed to put one in. It's OK for short trips but I wouldn't wish it on anyone for long road trips. One plus is that the 2nd row seats adjust up and back to give a bit more toe room if needed.
3. We actually own a larger Sienna minivan too and for about 90% of the time I prefer to drive the Mazda.

BTW, why the aversion to calling it a minivan? It reality it's more of a "minivan" than the current behemoths on the market.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

I guess the only aversion to calling it a mini-van is that when you're 25 (wife's 24) and you're getting a new car... you don't want to be getting a mini-van before you're 30. So, it's a wagon. I actually own a 1987 Dodge Colt Vista as well. Funny thing is, it's got 3rd row seating and is smaller than the Mazda5 by a significant margin. I've posted pics before on here. I'd say it's between a Protege5 and a Mazda5. The 3rd row is cramped and the driver position is... uncomfortable. I drove it on a 45 mile trip once and being 6'2 was not fun. I drove the Mazda5 (on a test run) for about 15 miles and I gotta be honest, I had plenty o' room in both the front and middle seat (my wife drove to and I drove from). We actually had the sales guy (a friend of mine too I might add) help us. I sat up front all the way back. The sales guy (6'1) sat in the middle with the seat in a comfortable position so his knees were barely touching the front seat. My wife was in the 3rd row and she was barely touching the middle. So I know it can be done and somewhat comfortably too. As long as it's warrantied, I'm not too fearful of major recalls. I found some nice 09's with 4K miles going for just a hair under 20k. Only missing navi! I think we've found some winners. We'll see tomorrow whether or not her boss has made up her mind yet.

 

[x10dude]

I guess the only aversion to calling it a mini-van is that when you're 25 (wife's 24) and you're getting a new car... you don't want to be getting a mini-van before you're 30.

LOL... that's so true. When you get over 30 and 40, the label doesn't bother you too much. I understand, but its still the coolest minivan on the planet. (does that sound any better?) LOL

 

[Rockin03mp5]

i tell people it is a minivan, and they dont believe me.

then i open the sliding doors.

you can call it what you want, but at least it doesnt look like a minivan, even if it meets the criteria.

the sucky thing is that it is classified as a wagon, i believe. i think this is why they cannot have the dark factory tint on the rear like most minivans and suvs.

 

[Wagonbacker9]

LOL @ changing what you call it to suit your tastes.

my dad was looking at buying one of these, and I'm glad I talked him out of it. WAY more car than he needed. the yaris is a lot better fit for hime, but if he would have had use for the space, I'm sure it would have been a good choice.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

the yaris... is a toaster on wheels.

and lol at calling the 5 "way more car".

 

[Wagonbacker9]

my dad is retired... and both his kids are moved out. a 6 passenger vehicle would be STUPID. and yeah, it takes a pretty small lunchbox to undersize a mz5 lol

 

[coolmazda5]

my dad was looking at buying one of these, and I'm glad I talked him out of it. WAY more car than he needed

Somebody has seen the light (lol2)

 

[thaxman]

Got an 06 Touring MT myself - you want the 08+ for the 5 speed auto, not the 4-speed auto the 06-07 has. Plus the rear air vent will make quite a bit of difference in GA. The big diff btw a Sport and a Touring will be the fog lamps, side sills & tailgate wing. The 08+ Touring/Grand Touring has LED taillamps too for the ultimate in good-looks snobbery
Inside, I think the Sport gets shorted on the stereo, with a single CD instead of a 6 disc changer. I believe the 6-disc MP3 player is an option on the Touring/GT.
The 06 definitely has 1st year bugs: for me, the tailgate wing cracked (07s do this too, but thicker plastic was introduced somewhere in the 07-08 transition IIRC), both indide sliding door latches were bad, and the door locks on the same doors had failed too. I got it with 1 year/23,000 miles left on the warranty, so I had lots of things addressed for free - AC compressor, rear suspension bushings, and the power steering pump too. PS pump is pretty weak across all models its used on apparantly tho - I had mine sold out from underneath me, the second one ordered was backordered and the 3rd one is still in transit. So I would say that the PS pump is the big problem with the vehicle.
But it is still one of my favorite purchases, hands down!

 

[Robotazky]

TheDirtyGoatee, you need to hear my story. I had an '08 Civic Si coupe, an '09 Accord V6 coupe with every single option, and wound up finally getting the 5 and couldn't be happier. The Hondas now are junk. If you want me to elaborate, PM me. I will spare everyone from having to look at a post that's 700 lines long listing all of the defects and scary problems that the Accord had. The Civic was leaking fluid from the diff with less than 5,000 miles. The seats were falling apart. Let me just say that the Accord went to the dealer three time for serious issues where thing like SEATS were missing bolts and incorrectly installed. People can die from the problems that my cars both had. The only, and I mean only, "problem" I have had with the 5 is the stupid plastic valence in the front that smacks the windshield over and over (*shakes head*). I finally just fixed it myself by installing two-way padded tape between it and the glass. Problem solved. Other than that, it's not had any problems. By the way, ours is an '09 GT with navi, remote start, Sirius, and basically anything else possible other than the roof rack. Another comment: I took the garbage 205/50/17Toyos off the first day I had it and put 215/50/17 Michelins on it. That dramatically increased the comfort and stability. I have rotated them myself once, and with 16,000 miles there is not abnormal tire wear of any kind. I'm pleased. If the general layout and purpose of the vehicle is something that you need and want, then you will not be disappointed. Lemon cars migrate to me for some reason and this one has been a great car so I feel pretty confident telling you that you'll be pleased. I can promise you that you will not be pleased with a new Honda if you compare it to a 5.

 

[Robotazky]

Got an 06 Touring MT myself - you want the 08+ for the 5 speed auto, not the 4-speed auto the 06-07 has. Plus the rear air vent will make quite a bit of difference in GA. The big diff btw a Sport and a Touring will be the fog lamps, side sills & tailgate wing. The 08+ Touring/Grand Touring has LED taillamps too for the ultimate in good-looks snobbery
Inside, I think the Sport gets shorted on the stereo, with a single CD instead of a 6 disc changer. I believe the 6-disc MP3 player is an option on the Touring/GT.
The 06 definitely has 1st year bugs: for me, the tailgate wing cracked (07s do this too, but thicker plastic was introduced somewhere in the 07-08 transition IIRC), both indide sliding door latches were bad, and the door locks on the same doors had failed too. I got it with 1 year/23,000 miles left on the warranty, so I had lots of things addressed for free - AC compressor, rear suspension bushings, and the power steering pump too. PS pump is pretty weak across all models its used on apparantly tho - I had mine sold out from underneath me, the second one ordered was backordered and the 3rd one is still in transit. So I would say that the PS pump is the big problem with the vehicle.
But it is still one of my favorite purchases, hands down!

I read all of the complaints about the power steering before I bought mine and told my fiancee to make sure she was moving when turning the wheels, which I know isn't easy from some people to remember. So far no problems. I did have to add a little bit of fluid though because the idiotic dealership didn't bother to check the level on the power steering and the brakes when the prepped it.

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

Well thank you all my fellow Zoom-Zoomer's. It is much regret that my wife is losing her job and is no longer in need of a 5. However, she found a new job. She still needs a new car and with much luck, a friend is selling his 6. It's an 05 with 55k on the clock. He's the only owner, and it's been meticulously maintained. She'll still be zoom-zoomin but in a different fashion. We pick it up tomorrow!

 

[KBrian]

Congrats on the new 6. Love the 6!

 

[TheDirtyGoatee]

Most def.! It's the only car we've driven all weekend and I'm in love with the 6 now. I'd almost sell my MSP for a 5spd 6. However, they don't even make a 5spd non MS6 do they? Before someone corrects me, I know the Speed6 is a 6spd.