Getting back into the game

[acb13013]

Hello All,

Well, time flies, and it's been 2-1/2 years since Sandy crushed my '09 GT with a tree. Sometimes I find it theraputic to write about my thought process, so here goes...

(TL;DR - After careful consideration, I want to find a new 2014 Mazda5 Sport 6MT and fix it up, al la Vasy or Tuanies.)

After the hurricane, we got by with our old beater ('02 Merc Villager) for a year, then got a great lease deal on a Chrysler T&C. That lease will expire soon, my little boys have graduated from bulky baby seats, and we're looking to go back to being a one-car family. The Chrysler has been everything we expected - a family room on wheels, but Brooklyn stop-and-go traffic yields about 10mpg (not a leadfoot), and parking is a pain.

So, my needs:

Room for two adults, three kids
Cargo space for homeowner-ly things (If we keep only one car)

My wants:

Fun to drive
Decent city MPG
Easy to park
Manual transmission (necessary - dealbreaker)
Ability to take road trips (not a lease, in other words)

I took my four-year-old and a booster seat to the NY Auto Show and tried out every possibility.

Candidates for living one-car:

Mazda CX-5 - too small in back
Subaru Forester - slightly more room in back but still cramped, feel great to drive - good candidate
Fiat 500L - too small, terrible driving position - armrest at shoulder height, really?
VW Sportwagen - high hopes here, but too small
Mazda5 - we've done it before and know it works. Sport trim for 6MT - gotta fix it up with leather, DVD, etc.

Candidates if we keep the old beater:

VW Passat - people knock this as a German Camry, but hey, leatherette seats, manual, available diesel, good size for family - so kill me, I like it
Mazda6 - backseat bigger than expected, leatherette seats, Mazda driving fun
Honda Accord Sport - no leather, but good size and great driving feel

When I cook up the numbers, I see I can probably buy the 5 for the same or less per month as leasing any of the others.

What do you guys think? Will I be able to find a new 2014 Sport with a manual?

 

[Vasy]

I'd go between Subaru Forester and the 5. Not sure why exactly you want new, used 2013-2014 can be found for many thousand less then new and Mazda is funny, they give you longer warranty on certified used then on a new. I'd check out lightly used 2014 from Mazda dealers and get extra 2 year powertrain warranty for free.

 

[acb13013]

Yes, it boils down to leasing a Forester or buying a 5. I'll choose buying.

That's very interesting about the CPO warranty. As of this moment, there are no CPO 5 Sport 6MT's on cars.com or autotrader, but I still have six months until go time.

Here's the thing, I'm seeing used ones with 25-30k miles for about $15-16,000. A couple months ago, I emailed a few dealers to get a ballpark figure, and one of them offered a new 2014 for $16,700. I think a new vehicle is worth $1,500 more, if that deal is still available in October...

Thanks for the reply, Vasy. I like all your threads about installing cameras, DVD players, etc.

- Chris

 

[MarkVII88]

New is nice but Mazda did away with manual trans for 2015, final year for the Mazda5. Good luck finding a used 2012-2014 with manual trans too. People who bought these did so for the trans and won't be giving them up. I'd go with the new Mazda5 with auto over the Subaru because you know you can seat 5 or 6 and you won't get that awful CVT trans that Subaru saddles their Foresters with. IMO, Subarus are horribly overpriced and for less money/month you could pay off the new 5 ($16700) instead of leasing a Forester For 3 years.

Yes, it boils down to leasing a Forester or buying a 5. I'll choose buying.

That's very interesting about the CPO warranty. As of this moment, there are no CPO 5 Sport 6MT's on cars.com or autotrader, but I still have six months until go time.

Here's the thing, I'm seeing used ones with 25-30k miles for about $15-16,000. A couple months ago, I emailed a few dealers to get a ballpark figure, and one of them offered a new 2014 for $16,700. I think a new vehicle is worth $1,500 more, if that deal is still available in October...

Thanks for the reply, Vasy. I like all your threads about installing cameras, DVD players, etc.

- Chris

 

[acb13013]

New is nice but Mazda did away with manual trans for 2015, final year for the Mazda5. Good luck finding a used 2012-2014 with manual trans too. People who bought these did so for the trans and won't be giving them up. I'd go with the new Mazda5 with auto over the Subaru because you know you can seat 5 or 6 and you won't get that awful CVT trans that Subaru saddles their Foresters with. IMO, Subarus are horribly overpriced and for less money/month you could pay off the new 5 ($16700) instead of leasing a Forester For 3 years.

Right, at ~$17,000 it's a no-brainer to buy the new 5 and pay it off quick, instead of leasing a Forester. I'd also rather buy new for $17k than pay $15-16k for a used 5 with at least 20k miles. I know they dropped the manual for 2015; I just hope dealers still have a few 2014 manual 5's sitting around in October. I think that's more likely than finding a low-mileage CPO.

As for the Forester, I really liked it. The driving position was excellent for me, and they offer a 6spd manual in the Premium trim level, not just the stripper base model. The suspension is also really good on terrible Brooklyn roads. The seating issue is what holds me back, as well as the price.

I also don't really need AWD. We only get two months of real winter in NYC, and not even every year. Besides, proper winter tires beat AWD with all-seasons. (the thing is, I wouldn't bother buying winter tires for a leased car anyway...)

Edit - I like your thread about adding reading lights for the middle row.

 

[tuanies]

I'll sell you mine

 

[acb13013]

No way, really? I've been waiting for the next article on Tom's!

 

[tuanies]

Haha. I'm working on it still. Just been busy traveling.