Shopping for a 5

[tomwitt]

There are not a lot for sale in my area... these are the ones we have narrowed it down to. Would love to know everyone's opinion on year/miles/pricing?

These are dealer asking price so what would be a good deal?

2007 touring, 48k miles $12,700
2009 touring, 27k miles $16,996
2010 touring, 7k miles $18,995

 

[flcruising]

Being in Texas, I would suggest you stick with and '08+ simply because they all have rear a/c.

We bought our '08 in Feb '10 w/12k miles for $13k to give you an idea.


Head to the end of this thread to see what others have paid recently - http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123732328-Mazda5-Prices-paid-and-related-questions

 

[tomwitt]

great catch!

That is exactly why I posted! Thanks for the help, and a great catch on the AC!

I will limit my search to 2008+. I don't find any 08 or newer, less than 30k miles, within 500 miles of me for under 18k on ebay, auto trader, dealers. With the exception of the 09 below for 17k

I see the price thread talking about deals similar to you 12k-15k on 5's with 12k-20k miles. Has the market on these things jumped significantly in the last year?!

From everyone elses pricing it seems that 09 with 25k miles should be like 15k or less??

 

[flcruising]

How much shopping time do you have? I searched for a month before finding our deal. Mostly stuck to SE region dealers, ebay & hertzrent2buy, but ultimately found ours in Michigan thru ebay. Purchased based on mileage, autocheck & pictures. Call me crazy!

 

[thaxman]

tomwitt, I think you may need to look outside TX for a good 5. I am sure you realize TX slants a little towards big trucks and SUVs and, as part of the MidWest (deny it all you want, but you guys down there share more idealology with KS than CA) you slant more domestic than import. These cars are everywhere in Tucson, even tho we DON'T have 50-mile commutes 1-way. You may need to look toward the Left coast to get a good deal. I picked mine up 27mos ago, 27,000 mi, for $11,500. But I got connections with a good broker who doesn't factor in huge overhead costs.

 

[Heat]

Avoid the '06/'07s, besides the lack of rear AC there are some alignment issues which cause them to wear down rear tires quickly (toeing). This was corrected starting for '08.

For those prices take a look at the 2012 model. I'd rather have a new 2012 Sport than an '09 or '10 Touring.

 

[streetfocus]

I am looking for one also and I am in Austin as well. Any other concerns to note? how about the manual trans?

 

[flcruising]

Manual is only available in the Sport model, atx is only available in the Touring and Grand Touring. Manual folk bash the atx because that's what they're used to, but since ours is a family vehicle, I'd never make my wife drive a manual again. Your lifestyle and need will determine your choice.

 

[Heat]

...how about the manual trans?

The manual transmission works well though I remember seeing reports of a clutch replacement needed "earlier than expected" - mine is still working fine but I only have about 20,000 miles on it (an '09 Sport). The thing to remember about the manual transmission on the '08, '09, and '10 is that it is geared differently than the automatic transmission, you'll get a real sporty / peppy vehicle at lower speed at the expense of higher RPMs at highway speeds (about 3,000 RPMs at 65 mph in fifth gear, compared to about 2,400 RPMs at 65 mph for the automatic transmission) which means that the automatic gets better gas mileage at highway speeds. That being said, the 2012 corrects this by adding a sixth gear to the manual transmission. And the manual transmission saves you about $1,000 up front.

And check out Mazda's website: www.mazdausa.com You can download brochures and search dealer's inventory within a 100 or 150 mile radius of whatever ZIP code you enter.

 

[streetfocus]

awesome info, Heat. Thanks. My wife has an '06 Mazda 3 hatchback with the 2.3L and manual transmission now already. We prefer this. Her car is our family car. The six speed would be nice.

 

[tomwitt]

Bought a 2010 with only 7k miles... I am happy with it so far, day 2 lol

 

[thaxman]

Bought a 2010 with only 7k miles... I am happy with it so far, day 2 lol

Details? pics??

 

[tomwitt]

Pretty plain right now. It is the dark silver/blue color. Black interior.

First steps, roof rack and DVD players.

 

[streetfocus]

Well done!

 

[streetfocus]

We bought a 2010 also yesterday! Same interior as the one above but black exterior. The only thing I want to get now is the spoiler. Any ideas?

 

[AzteCypher]

So does anyone know if the 2012 6 sp tranny fit the 5sp models?

 

[thaxman]

So does anyone know if the 2012 6 sp tranny fit the 5sp models?

IDK how controlling the ECU is on modern Mazdas. On other makes, you would need to swap everything in the engine compartment in order to switch trannys.

 

[was98strat]

IDK how controlling the ECU is on modern Mazdas. On other makes, you would need to swap everything in the engine compartment in order to switch trannys.

That's not likely as the 5 Spd and 6 Spd have no electronics in the gear box the ecu wnt even know the difference it's more a question of spacing and bolt patterns on the bell housing ( so to speak) the shift gates and the location of the reverse switch on the tranny itsself.

I'd love to do the swap as I constantly feel like there needs to be another gear to shift to for highway use.

 

[AzteCypher]

An adapter plate could be used to mate the block and the tranny together and the shifter opening might need to be made a bit bigger to accommodate the extra throw because of the placement of 6th and reverse. Might be a possibility.

 

[pkthomas]

I would think the 6 speed from a speed3 2.3 liter might bolt right up. But that is only my speculation/hope. When the warranty is almost up I will begin looking into that.