New Member looking for a Mazda5

[CrAnSwIcK]

Hi, I just registered, and I googled around for some mazda support forums, and found this one was quite active.

A little intro, i'm 27, i'm an avionics systems technician by trade, but mechanically inclined by nature. I'm a (Mitsubishi) car enthusiast, I participate in a few local clubs and track events. My DD/track car is a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 2.4L turbocharged, which I modified quite extensively, and spend a lot of time working on, and I know the motor and transmission inside and out. Mazda is new territory for me so I thought I would come here to find out what I need to know about this vehicle, I already browsed through the FAQ, and most of it seemed pretty minor. My second car is a 2003 Lancer ES, that recently the clutch slave failed, now I've already replaced the whole clutch assembly, wheel bearings, tie-rods and brakes, and looking to sell it for the down payment on a 5. The wife and I decided that we no longer have the need for 2 compact sedans and we want something with more functional seating and/or cargo space. I looked around and did some searching, and the Mazda 5 suits our needs the best of all other vehicles, I wanted 3rd row, manual transmission, and 4 cylinders, and the pre-owned prices are within our budget.

So basically i'm looking for some input or suggestions on which year/trim, and mileage would be my best option. As of right now we are looking at 2007's with the GT trim, fog lights and sun roof are preferred. I can't afford the latest model, and we don't like the wavy design on the body anyways.

Are there any common mechanical failures?

What is the towing/load capacity?

thanks in advance.

 

[hibern8r]

here is a good site for you to start, other than this one~~~~>http://www.consumerguide.com/mazda/5/used/

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

thanks for the link, seems like the cons of the driveability are related to sluggish acceleration for the auto, which is fine, because I want a manual, and road noise which is no issue since my lancer has loud exhaust, solid urethane engine mounts, and you can hear the turbo spooling at cruise, lol...some of the reported issues are a little worrisome, is it likely if I purchase one from a dealership that I could request proof the problems have been corrected, or a discount if no proof is available?

I did that with my 2003 lancer, they wanted $7,950 for it, and I couldn't get them to prove it had the timing belt/water pump changed, the winter tires on it were nearly bald, and the clutch slave had a bit of a rattle (didn't fail until a month ago, and had the car for 5 years), so I talked them down to $5,000.

 

[Secondtyme]

Bad news first, you couldn't get the Grand Touring trim in 07 with a manual trans. Oh no wait a minute, you are in Canada aren't you? OK, so maybe you CAN get the GT with a manual. If you can, great! If not, get the highest trim you can w/ the trans you want. Whatever you do don't compromise on the tranny, i say this because you have come from a background of more powerful cars and will probably feel the loss of power associated with the auto more than most. That being said, be aware that the five is no drag racer, even with the manual, they are NOT FAST. Fun to drive, absolutely, better in the twisties than damn near anything in the compact car class that spawned it. The auto is fine in the 06, and 07 model years it is the 5 speed auto that has had the lions share of the problems. It is still a good idea to change the fluid and filter every 12,500 miles just to be safe however. That and the shocks that seem to fail early are the only issues these things seem to have. I bought mine used with 110K on it and it still drives like a new car...

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

awesome post, thank you...and yes a 2007 GT is available in manual gear box up here...i'm not looking for speed, I need functional and reliable. the car it's replacing is not modified.

I just thought of another question. Are there any options for ECU tuning? I don't want any piggyback ECU garbage, or stand alone system, so if it's not possible to tune the stock ECU i'm not interested, and it's by no means a deal breaker, just curious.

The guy that tuned my Lancer to run the turbo setup on the stock ECU is confident he can tune mazda3's and mazda5's.

 

[chandlerGTi]

There are a couple firms that will tune the stock ecu. Not sure if any 5 owners have done that but there are a few 3 owners who have and the ecu is pretty much the same.

 

[thaxman]

I believe the tune is good for some petty amount like 7 hp or something - the amount you can get from a CAI or SRI. I guess if you went SRI, modified the intake path before the filter to pull air directly from in front of the radiator, did a header and exhaust, then the tune would probably be worth it - but it still wouldn't be a rice rocket by any means. I've heard that it takes at least a 10% power gain before it makes any real impression in the butt dyno besides the placebo effect.

Also wanted to remind you that unless its not sold in CA, the Mistu Endevour is a pretty roomy CUV that gets almost the same mpgs as the Mazda5. Its got real doors tho, and I think the cargo doors are what really makes the Mazda worth its power penatly.

IMO pros:
cargo doors
better handling than any other 6-7-8 seater
better mpgs than most any other 6-7-8 seater
relatively maintenence-free - esp the MT
center row is pretty spacious with the adjustable buckets
MT is pretty fun

cons:
AC - less of an issue in northern locales
power, but the MT does work well with the suspension setup
battery - my 06 is on battery #4
electrics - window switches, PDL, and northern owners have had probs with the cargo doors icing shut and sometimes open
suspension - you gotta pay to play. This ain't not Toyota and it doesn't handle like one either.
plastics - in general, the plastic pieces are cheap and lack sufficient reinforcement. Small stuff breaks. you get used to it.
tight cockpit means happy drivers are not "all leg". If you or your mrs. could be a b-ball center or in The Rockettes, be sure to do a long test drive.
5MT is geared towards lower-speed in-town driving can't comment on the 6MT

 

[Silentnoise713]

5MT is geared towards lower-speed in-town driving can't comment on the 6MT

Ditto x 1000. The 5MT is more fun and peppy but it's gets annoying and old quick especially if you have kids in the car. The gearing does not suite the intended purposes of this car but I’m sure some will disagree. In the US, you can’t get away from a long highway stretch, unlike Europe/Asia where it is mostly in-town driving. I would not recommend the 5MT if you intend on hitting the highway often, but I may consider the 6MT. If only Mazda will reskin it.

Since you already have a manual turbo Lancer, stick with an auto GT. It really does make the car a much nicer package.

Had a 2008 5MT Sport for ~1 year before upgrading to the 2008 Auto GT.



EDIT: Come to think, the 5MT will suite some pepole just find if you don't mind the drone or cruise at a lower speed.

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

The main reason I stick with manual gear boxes is maintenance, there's so little that can go wrong with a manual...the only thing I ever take my cars to a shop is for high speed tire balancing and alignments, and the odd time I need to take parts to a machine shop (turning rotors, flywheels, decking heads etc.) all maintenance and overhauls I do myself, I can rebuild a manual transmission with my eyes closed.

The tuning question was more for fuel economy...with a good tune, that 7hp is coming from leaner AFR's so you're increasing combustion efficiency, therefore you make more power, but ultimately in the long run you're using less fuel. Right now for my lancer i'm using a beta version of a windows based program called UVtune/Fastworks, that works with a tacrix openport 2.0 cable. the guy who wrote the program and built all the definitions himself over the last couple years, is the guy who reflashed and tuned my lancer for forced induction, and he says he has definitions that work with mazda3's, so he said it's likely I could use the same software to tune the 5. That would be ideal if it worked for both cars, since I've already pay for the software suite. His software will eventually support Mitsubishi, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai and lotus.

thanks for all the input. As soon as I get my other lancer put back together and sold, i'll be looking for a reasonably priced 5 in my area.

 

[Silentnoise713]

The main reason I stick with manual gear boxes is maintenance, there's so little that can go wrong with a manual...the only thing I ever take my cars to a shop is for high speed tire balancing and alignments, and the odd time I need to take parts to a machine shop (turning rotors, flywheels, decking heads etc.) all maintenance and overhauls I do myself, I can rebuild a manual transmission with my eyes closed.

That's fantastic! Perhaps you can pursue the taller 5th gear or even a 6th sp swap. Good luck in your hunt.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123816310-Manual-Owners-Taller-5th-Gear

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

thanks for the link, there are similar swaps done on the lancer/mirage platform as well...that is definitely worth looking into, though when I split a transmission case I will replace all the bearings and seals, so unless something goes wrong I wouldn't drop the tranny just to install a 5th gear...dropping a transmission on jack stands in my driveway gets tiresome, I've done 2 clutch jobs, and 3 transmission rebuilds between my two lancers in the last 4 years, it gets easier the more you do it, but it hasn't gotten any more fun

Not all of my suspension, engine mount, bushing work is documented, but if any of you are curious about what I've done with my car, here are some links, enjoy

http://forums.evolutionm.net/04-06-lancer-ralliart-show-shine/548495-my-dirty-lancers.html

http://forums.evolutionm.net/04-06-...ain/550013-cranswicks-4g69-build-rebuild.html

http://forums.evolutionm.net/04-06-...d-induction-tech/541828-diy-log-manifold.html

http://forums.evolutionm.net/04-06-...h/567873-cranswicks-4g69-build-phase-2-a.html

 

[Wishmaster]

Fellow Canadian '07 GT owner (auto). Bought mine almost 3 years ago now, it had 80,000 kms, now up to 120,000 kms.

Yep, looks like one of the first things you'll want and probably enjoy doing, is swaping out the suspension if it has OE parts. The suspension design is good in terms of handling, it's just the OE components don't last very long. If you're looking at an '07, it will most likely have been through some suspension parts already or have aftermarket parts already. It could actually work in your favour with regards to negotiation... pointing out worn or blown shocks/struts and sway bar bushings backed up by almost every single forum member here having to switch out their parts could get you some cash off the sale.

Search around, many members have some good detail on what they've done to their suspensions. Koni yellows or sports seem a good fit and Koni are one of the few manufacturers that make suspension parts specifically for the 5. Generally Mazda 3 and Mazdaspeed 3 suspension parts don't transfer well to the 5 because of different spring/damping rates due to the 5 being about 400 lbs heavier. But there are some other parts of the same year that do transfer (front brakes, sway bar, etc).

Another issue that plagued many early 5's was it's ability to eat up the inside of the rear tires very quickly do to the 5's aggressive rear camber. Look for this when looking at 5's. If it's an 07 it's probably been dealt with but you never know. Again do some searching on here and you find lots of info on how to fix it.

Some '07's I believe qualified for the power steering pump failure issue which was a problem on many 3's as well... a search will bring up the info... Maybe bring the info and serial number range along with you to see if the cars you are looking at fall within the recall and ask if it's been done.

Other than that, good luck with the search!

 

[thaxman]

Do yourself a favor and get the newest Mazda5 you can afford. I like the 06-07 grille, but the rear A/C in the refresh is a necc IMO. Mileage is less important than skipping factory defects, so even a higher mileage 08-09 may be a better value than a 30,000 mile 06.

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

Hello again, reviving an old thread, but I just wanted to let you guys know I did end up getting a Mazda 5 that summer. I ended up getting an 08, cause it had passenger side arm rest, AUX port, and we liked the interior better. Because we got a year newer than we planned originally, of course the prices were higher, so we ended up getting a GS cause the GT on average was just over $3,000 more. We loved it, it was great for camping, and long road trips. The first summer we had it, we drove it to Nova Scotia and back. The reclining middle seats was the first sign we got the right car for us, as I drove straight through, and the wife and kids slept all through the night. We did the same drive two years prior in the lancer, and I can't say it was as pleasant. Screaming kids, and stressed out wife led to an early stop at a dingy, run-down and over-priced motel off the highway. Loved the car, but after that drive (14 hours one way) I realized the only thing I hated about the car, and I mean REALLY hated was that it didn't have cruise control. This was killing me inside, but I kept my chin up, cause my wife still loved it, cause she didn't have to drive it for 14 hours.

two winters later, I was given a blessing in disguise. The car was destroyed by an 18 wheeler in a pileup on the highway...I was at a friends house from my lancer club helping him install a limited slip diff in his transmission, on the way home I stopped for gas at the rest area/service station, cause the empty light had been on for quite a while, I was only about 2km (1 mile) from my exit, but I didn't want to risk running out of gas, it had JUST started snowing. I got back on the highway and not a half mile down the road there was a Honda CRV rolled over in the ditch, and as a service member certified in combat first aid, i'm obligated to offer assistance, so I pulled over. The roads were slick, it took me a while to stop. Another car skidded into the ditch nearby, and so I ran there first, the driver was ok, and I advised her to get away from the road, and up into the tree line. Then I ran back the rolled over vehicle and the driver was conscious, and not visibly injured. He informed me that he'd already called for an ambulance, but refused to get out of the vehicle, and would not let me in, despite me warning him of the danger. Just then, what looked like from our perspective, a trailer with no truck came sliding by, fully jackknifed, the cab hit the center median, swinging the trailer into the road, and 2 other trucks slammed into it, and from there, the carnage began, sounded like gunfire in a war zone. So I told the guy in the CRV to get out of his car and run for the trees, and I took off running back up the side of the highway, flagging down oncoming vehicles...I ran the full mile back to the service station pull-off before traffic actually came to a stop. once the emergency vehicles began to arrive, and traffic was still, I walked back to the scene, and found a maze of destruction a half mile long that was not there when I had left...anyway, this is what the car looked like when I finally found it in the pileup...





So it's hard to tell from the pics, but I had a really good look through the car at the impound lot, I looks really bad, but the damage barely touched the third row seating, I mean you'd be hurt but had someone been sitting there, I don't think it would have been life threatening. It instilled confidence in me, and I had no doubts I would get another Mazda 5.


Here's a news article about it, there's a video in the article, at 10 seconds, it shows a blue CRV rolled over, that was not part or the cause of the pileup, that was the first car to slip out on that corner
http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=52214


Sooooo, the point of the story is that with the insurance pay-out, I was able to pay off what I still owed the GS, and get a GT model of the same year, and same color, same mileage for $2,000 less than what I paid for the GS in the first place, and even put another $1000 down which was my deductible I got back from the insurance company, because they deemed I was not at fault, because I wasn't even in the vehicle. So now we have the sunroof, the fogs, the nicer wheels, and most importantly, the cruise control! An added bonus was that the winter tires on the GS were mounted on steelies, so now I have stock GS rims for my winter tires So that's the story of how I finally got my 2008 Mazda 5 GT, and I did get one with the manual transmission. Just did the entire front brakes today, cause one side had a seized caliper, and I changed the oil...Our family just loves this car...I'm still looking to tune it, and maybe even install a turbocharger in the future. My wife thinks i'm retarded.

 

[thaxman]

DA-ANG! That's quite a story.

snif- played out like a Subaru commercial. So sentimental.

 

[75aces]

Hello again, reviving an old thread, but I just wanted to let you guys know I did end up getting a Mazda 5 that summer. I ended up getting an 08, cause it had passenger side arm rest, AUX port, and we liked the interior better. Because we got a year newer than we planned originally, of course the prices were higher, so we ended up getting a GS cause the GT on average was just over $3,000 more. We loved it, it was great for camping, and long road trips. The first summer we had it, we drove it to Nova Scotia and back. The reclining middle seats was the first sign we got the right car for us, as I drove straight through, and the wife and kids slept all through the night. We did the same drive two years prior in the lancer, and I can't say it was as pleasant. Screaming kids, and stressed out wife led to an early stop at a dingy, run-down and over-priced motel off the highway. Loved the car, but after that drive (14 hours one way) I realized the only thing I hated about the car, and I mean REALLY hated was that it didn't have cruise control. This was killing me inside, but I kept my chin up, cause my wife still loved it, cause she didn't have to drive it for 14 hours.

two winters later, I was given a blessing in disguise. The car was destroyed by an 18 wheeler in a pileup on the highway...I was at a friends house from my lancer club helping him install a limited slip diff in his transmission, on the way home I stopped for gas at the rest area/service station, cause the empty light had been on for quite a while, I was only about 2km (1 mile) from my exit, but I didn't want to risk running out of gas, it had JUST started snowing. I got back on the highway and not a half mile down the road there was a Honda CRV rolled over in the ditch, and as a service member certified in combat first aid, i'm obligated to offer assistance, so I pulled over. The roads were slick, it took me a while to stop. Another car skidded into the ditch nearby, and so I ran there first, the driver was ok, and I advised her to get away from the road, and up into the tree line. Then I ran back the rolled over vehicle and the driver was conscious, and not visibly injured. He informed me that he'd already called for an ambulance, but refused to get out of the vehicle, and would not let me in, despite me warning him of the danger. Just then, what looked like from our perspective, a trailer with no truck came sliding by, fully jackknifed, the cab hit the center median, swinging the trailer into the road, and 2 other trucks slammed into it, and from there, the carnage began, sounded like gunfire in a war zone. So I told the guy in the CRV to get out of his car and run for the trees, and I took off running back up the side of the highway, flagging down oncoming vehicles...I ran the full mile back to the service station pull-off before traffic actually came to a stop. once the emergency vehicles began to arrive, and traffic was still, I walked back to the scene, and found a maze of destruction a half mile long that was not there when I had left...anyway, this is what the car looked like when I finally found it in the pileup...





So it's hard to tell from the pics, but I had a really good look through the car at the impound lot, I looks really bad, but the damage barely touched the third row seating, I mean you'd be hurt but had someone been sitting there, I don't think it would have been life threatening. It instilled confidence in me, and I had no doubts I would get another Mazda 5.


Here's a news article about it, there's a video in the article, at 10 seconds, it shows a blue CRV rolled over, that was not part or the cause of the pileup, that was the first car to slip out on that corner
http://www.qnetnews.ca/?p=52214


Sooooo, the point of the story is that with the insurance pay-out, I was able to pay off what I still owed the GS, and get a GT model of the same year, and same color, same mileage for $2,000 less than what I paid for the GS in the first place, and even put another $1000 down which was my deductible I got back from the insurance company, because they deemed I was not at fault, because I wasn't even in the vehicle. So now we have the sunroof, the fogs, the nicer wheels, and most importantly, the cruise control! An added bonus was that the winter tires on the GS were mounted on steelies, so now I have stock GS rims for my winter tires So that's the story of how I finally got my 2008 Mazda 5 GT, and I did get one with the manual transmission. Just did the entire front brakes today, cause one side had a seized caliper, and I changed the oil...Our family just loves this car...I'm still looking to tune it, and maybe even install a turbocharger in the future. My wife thinks i'm retarded.

Glad to hear nobody was severely injured. Going back to your inquiry of a turbo, since you have less emission restriction than, Sat, California, you should look into the jdm Nissan version. I believe it's 2.0t and may have awd option. I know there is an article on the internet of ms3 motor and tranny swap into m5. Good read. I believe they ran into an issue of the ms3 ECU unable to communicate with the m5 wire harness. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.

 

[FiftySix]

So it's hard to tell from the pics, but I had a really good look through the car at the impound lot, I looks really bad, but the damage barely touched the third row seating, I mean you'd be hurt but had someone been sitting there, I don't think it would have been life threatening. It instilled confidence in me, and I had no doubts I would get another Mazda 5.

That's good to know. It does worry me when I have people in the 3rd row. They're usually the smallest and youngest in the family.

BTW, in that first picture there some guy trying to break into your smashed 5. Just a heads up in case you're missing your used up airbags or something.


(naughty)

 

[pnambic]

Even though your service wasn't for my country, I thank you for your service still. And thanks for just being a good hunam being and trying to help.
Glad you're OK and I appreciate your comments on the likely outcome had there been someone in the way back. I have worried about this as well.

Regarding the wiring harness, Mazda has apparently changed these quite a bit between model years even within the same generation. When we bought our 5, we had taken a test drive in a 2015 and really liked it, but didn't want to pay new prices. The dealership we went to is really large with locations all over the country and they showed us another one they had in stock at another location a couple hours away. It was a 2012 of the same level with ok miles and a lower price. They promised it had all the same features. When it was delivered a couple days later, found the radio didn't have the USB port that the 2015 did, so we couldn't control the music on the iPhone and answer calls through the head unit and stuff. After letting us drive the 2015 for a few days waiting for the 2012 to come in, my wife had really taken to those features. To the dealer's credit, they promised to make it right. We thought we could just swap out a radio. Nope. Not a stock one anyway. The wiring harness of the 2012's wouldn't support the stock radios of the 2013 and newer radios (the ones that had the features we wanted). In the end, the dealer had a Parrot installed for us and it's not perfect, but it gets the job done. Bought a 9.6 amp car aux plug to 4 USB adapter and can charge the iPhone and do the music/calls through bluetooth with the Parot. But I was stunned that the harness was so very different between the 2012 Mazda5 and the 2013 - they're the same generation, same body, same engine, can't tell 'em apart just looking at them. *shrug*

Anyway, welcome back into your new Mazda5. We've had a couple people bail on us recently for lessor damage than you suffered there. Glad you're sticking around.

 

[CrAnSwIcK]

That's good to know. It does worry me when I have people in the 3rd row. They're usually the smallest and youngest in the family.

BTW, in that first picture there some guy trying to break into your smashed 5. Just a heads up in case you're missing your used up airbags or something.


(naughty)

that's me taking the plates off it...another funny story is that I was coming home that night from a friend's house, and his wife gave me 2 bottles of wine for my wife, and the wine survived the collision...

Glad to hear nobody was severely injured. Going back to your inquiry of a turbo, since you have less emission restriction than, Sat, California, you should look into the jdm Nissan version. I believe it's 2.0t and may have awd option. I know there is an article on the internet of ms3 motor and tranny swap into m5. Good read. I believe they ran into an issue of the ms3 ECU unable to communicate with the m5 wire harness. Good luck and keep us posted on the progress.

My tuner, who is not just a tuner, but also a programmer, says he may be able to communicate with the ECU. I was really just wondering if a stock MS3 exhaust manifold will bolt up to the head, if it does, then I can fabricate the rest quite easily...it's fabricating the turbo manifold that sucks. when I turbocharged my lancer, I made my own turbo manifold, but the exhaust comes out the front, so It was easier to work during the mock-up phase. thanks for the info.

 

[FiftySix]

that's me taking the plates off it...another funny story is that I was coming home that night from a friend's house, and his wife gave me 2 bottles of wine for my wife, and the wine survived the collision...

The 5 saves the wine. Who wouldn't need a drink after that? Well done, 5. Well done.