New 08 or Used 06 -- help!

[obiedobe]

Howdy -- just found this forum and been reading up on the Mazda5...

Definitely decided this will replace my low-mileage but rapidly-aging 1999 VW Passat wagon. Started thinking about looking into pricing a new 08 Sport Auto, base model w/o options -- contacted a few dealers but haven't been able to procure any actual price quotes yet.

Meanwhile, I spotted a listing on Autotrader from a private party -- first owner of a 2006 Touring in Cardinal Red, only 16K miles, and asking $13K. Is this a fair price for an 06? Checked the Carfax and it looks fine -- car was purchased from a local dealer in July 2006, so there's a little over 2 years left on the warranty. No outstanding recalls or anything like that.

I've never done a private party auto purchase -- is this complicated? Seller states he has paid off his loan and should have the title in hand in a few days. Checked into online financing, and it seems a lot of places no longer do private party auto loans -- would I have more luck heading to my local credit union? Will the interest rates be outrageous?

Anyway, any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. Also, anything to look out for when I go to check the car out on Saturday?

 

[rweatherford]

If you have good credit there should be no problems getting a loan with your local bank.

I would go look at the car and give it a fair chance. There were a few issues with the 06's but it seems Mazda was pretty good at fixing most of them.

 

[doctorz]

We bought our '06 in May of 2006 and it does not seem to have many of the niggling issues that plagued the early models. That's not to say it doesn't have its quirks: creaky dashboard in winter, squeaky suspension under 10 degrees (not bad compared to the early '06s), and this intermittent squeal from the air conditioner that only seems to happen on the highway above 50 mph in a steady rain. Dealer is currently baffled. I have not look at the blue book value for an '06, but you could check that out yourself online. Offhand I agree with rweatherford, it's worth looking at, I'd stay away from the early '06s, but this one is probably fine. Check out the tires carefully, the stock Toyos stink and stink even more with some wear, and seem to be sensitive to alignments and rotation. Replacement tires can get expensive depending on what you choose.

 

[fam]

13k for touring with 16k miles = buy it.

I paid 12500 for my 06 with 23k on it and its just a sport with 6cd and power pkg.

 

[obiedobe]

13k for touring with 16k miles = buy it.

I paid 12500 for my 06 with 23k on it and its just a sport with 6cd and power pkg.

fam, is your 06 the Cardinal Red in the pictures? What do you think of the color? I'm waiting to see what I think in person -- it's difficult to tell from pictures if I'm going to hate it or not...might be a little too pink-ish for my tastes....although my 6-year-old daughter has always wanted a pink car...

I will be checking the car out first thing tomorrow AM, although I am not the first in line to buy it -- someone else had contacted the seller first, so they have "first dibs" if they want it. My husband is pushing for just getting a new one, but if we could get a gently used one and avoid the aggravation of dealing with car salesmen I would be happy. We'll see how things turn out...

 

[fam]

No the red one I bought new. THe black one I got used. It looks like a light maroon color with some silver flake sparkle in the light. In the sun it looks a little lighter but nowhere near pink. Sometimes photos dont take the color right hence the pink stigma thanks to perfecto.

 

[mrbwa1]

fam, is your 06 the Cardinal Red in the pictures? What do you think of the color? I'm waiting to see what I think in person -- it's difficult to tell from pictures if I'm going to hate it or not...might be a little too pink-ish for my tastes....although my 6-year-old daughter has always wanted a pink car...

I will be checking the car out first thing tomorrow AM, although I am not the first in line to buy it -- someone else had contacted the seller first, so they have "first dibs" if they want it. My husband is pushing for just getting a new one, but if we could get a gently used one and avoid the aggravation of dealing with car salesmen I would be happy. We'll see how things turn out...

Cardinal red is pretty sweet. I've only seen one Cardinal Red 5 in person, and unfortunately it was the victim of a fender bender. It seems that the color was dropped for '07, so it is probably a little rare. either way, I'd go for the '06 for the lower payments.

 

[Zenderfall]

Meanwhile, I spotted a listing on Autotrader from a private party -- first owner of a 2006 Touring in Cardinal Red, only 16K miles, and asking $13K. Is this a fair price for an 06?

Although 2007's go for around that much on the wholesale market (how much I paid for mine), the mileage is the decisive factor. There doesn't seem to be as much difference between '06 and '07 than between '07 and '08. With only 16000 miles on it, you're looking at very close to the wholesale value of the Mazda5 right there -somewhere around the 12000 - 13000 range.

Most of the problems should be covered by TSB's. I'd go for it.

 

[fam]

Here is a thread where I posted some accurate color pics of the red 5, notice the orange like sparkle it has in the sun and its maroon appearance in cloudy\shady. Its cool, but Im glad its for my wife though.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123709044

 

[perfecto]

It's still pink, Fam. <3

Honestly, I went to look at all the colors as the dealerships were getting them in. I was excited as hell to see a red one, but was really disappointed that the red was almost pink in the bright sunshine.

 

[fam]

<--------- has 2 pink shirts in his wardrobe.

 

[obiedobe]

So, I went and looked at the used 06 yesterday morning, and while it was nice and drove pretty well, there were a few things that turned me off about it -- it appeared they hadn't changed the oil since around 8K miles, the wife had scraped up the rear quarter panel pretty badly, but they'd never gotten it fixed (down to primer in a pretty big spot), and the tires looked pretty worn out (not sure if rotations and alignments were ever done). The Cardinal Red was actually pretty nice in person, so that wasn't a turn-off.

Turns out since the seller had another buyer with first dibs and he ended up selling to the other guy, which was okay with me. We decided to go for a new 2008, and headed down to the dealer to check them out. I really like the changes they made with the 08s, and as I'm likely going to move my Yakima racks from my old car to the 5, I don't really want or need a sunroof.

It seems that used Mazda5s that aren't former rentals or fleet vehicles are pretty hard to come by! This guy was only selling his because work was forcing an international move -- he was actually asking me all about the new 08s because they are likely going to buy another 5 after they move to South America! Owners definitely seem to love this car...

I can't get over how much fun to drive the 5 is! I was navigating through the crowded dealer lot, and the car felt so agile and easy-to-maneuver. This is the perfect car for our family of three! We ended up going for a Base Sport w/ auto transmission in Stormy Blue, and we'll be taking delivery on Tuesday -- I can't wait!

Thanks for all the advice from everyone here -- this is a pretty cool forum group...

 

[Dyx]

If you could afford it... get the 08, the refinements over the 06-07 makes it all worthwhile.

 

[mrguy19]

BE CAREFUL!!!!

A LOT OF 06 AND 07 WERE CAR RENTAL RETURNS......So make sure if you buy a used one its under 40k, so you have some time to see if it was used and abused and have

 

[rweatherford]

Sounds good. I'm glad you went and looked at it. That gives you an idea what to look for and how the model has changed in 08.

We love ours. It was a rental return and was likely in a light frontal accident. It shows little wear and only had 16K miles on it. It was a pretty good deal, so I took the chance.

 

[twentysixtwo]

The '08 has some nice upgrades

rear seat vent (AC only) Aux input to the radio and armrests. Also looks nicer, particularly the front.

We got a sport, the '08 taillights were less boy racerish which we didn't really like, also for 'o8 the sport gets auto temp control and the 2nd row tray - prior years came only on T or GT.

I can get you "S" plan pricing - just tell the dealer you have a Ford "X" plan PIN and he will let you know the appropriate price.