To 5 or not to 5.. potential owner questions

[k.vanbrandt]

I am SO SO confused right now.

We're in the process of replacing our current vehicle (06 Freestyle FWD). It's been a great car, but I don't trust our local dealership. The CVT developed a noise 500kms before powertrain was up and they returned it saying "Yes there is a noise, but we can't find out what it is, so we're considering it to be normal". (uhm)

The Freestyle consistently gives us 8L/100km on the highway and loads of room, which we don't really need. I'd keep it if I trusted our dealer. I ran out and bought it when we found out we were going to have a 2nd child, but really don't need all the room.

Currently I'm looking at 06/07 M5 GT's and 05/06 CRVs, just because my wife will be the primary driver and those are in our budget and she likes the looks of both.

I've been researching like crazy and am leaning towards the M5. We've had a P5 before and loved it (not a fan of the typical short gearing on the highway. What does a GT 5spd rev on the highway?) and I was fortunate enough to have had an 88 Mazda 323GTX.

What should I look for when I'm out kicking tires?
I've noticed that the 2008's get about 15% better fuel economy than the 06/07's. What changed?
Is tire alignment a legitimate concern?
How are they in the snow? Definitely will be purchasing winter tires. Will 16" steel rims fit a GT? Can you go smaller, like 15"?
Should I spend an extra $4k to go to an 07 from an 06 with 40k less kms?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DKaz]

The 5spd revs pretty high, 3,000 RPM at 100km/h. Would've been really nice if they geared it higher.

16" is the smallest you can go with tires, the front brakes are huge. Winter tires will be expensive as a result, I wouldn't go with a smaller brake assembly though the car is 3400lb and could use all the stopping power it can get.

I average 7.5L/100km on the highway, 9.2L/100km in the city. And I can fit myself and 3 teammates + 4 hockey bags including goalie gear for me and 8 hockey sticks in there comfortably. The third row although not very often used has come in handy when we had relatives over.

I love my 5 so far. 06, 07, negotiate the price either way.

 

[chitownpete]

The first thing you should do is firmly decide if youre getting the Honda or the Mazda. Then search out info on the car you want. They are both fine cars but there is no way you will drive both and not have a favorite, they feel very different. Dont worry about the small details until you get the car home, they are both nice. Your wife will probably like the Honda better, its no coincidence so many women have that car.

 

[Robotazky]

For what it's worth, my Mazda dealer is the worst dealer by far that I've ever had. I WENT TO A DIFFERENT ONE FOR SERVICE. That said, they're all bottom-feeding scum in my opinion. If your dealership drives your family's economic decisions then you are in for a very long, painful process of learning not to be that way. All dealerships are predators.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

funny, the 2 dealerships i deal with are pretty awesome. they let me drive a 40th anniversery rx8 for an hour while i waited for my oil change!

anyways, about the 5.

a lot of things changed from 07-08. are you looking for a manual, or an automatic?

in 08, the 5sp auto came out, and has much better highway gearing. i am at ~2800 at 75mph.

you really got to go and drive both. that is what the wife and i did. you cant just decide on brand based on the dealership. however, if they wont let you drive the thing like you normally would, then dont give them the time... find a different one. figure out which car you like, then look around for a good one.

are you looking for a new or used? from the looks of it, you want a used car. i still think the 08 is the better option. all of the little issues were addressed with it.

 

[k.vanbrandt]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm in a situation where I have one mazda dealership and one honda dealership in town.. the rest are over an hour away.

We've driven both (and have had a CRV in the past), but are still humming and hawing. I don't think we've ever been so indecisive about a car in our lives.

There are a few used 08's around (which I didn't drive), but no GTs and no manuals at all.

Since we always pay cash for our cars we don't want to borrow anything just to go up a model year or two.

From the sounds of things it was the 06/07's that are a little finicky 'eh? Good to know!
Thanks again.

 

[Robotazky]

^^^ "they let me drive a 40th anniversery rx8 for an hour while i waited for my oil change!"

They can't even give those cars away. All a person has to do is a little research and you hear story after story of having to replace the engine twice under warranty, at 15,000 miles, at 30,000 miles. It's pretty sad really. And just wait until you have a serious issue that the dealer is supposed to handle. You'll see why I hate them all. You will be left standing all alone while they snub their nose at you waiting for the next sucker to come along for them to leach off of. It's not about repeat business anymore. My dealer has never, ever called since I bought the car. They did not even wash it or take the plastic off of the seats. Just handed me the keys and said bye. I never heard from them again and I've tried to call and talk twice. No response. They're ingrateful, bottom-feeding maggots.

 

[DKaz]

Yah it would've been nice to have the passenger side armrest, outboard 2nd row armrests, and the auxilary audio input in the 08-09s but moot point, moot point, and I have a decent FM transmitter anyway so also moot point. Awesome vehicles, glad you found some GTs in manual! Super fun to drive cars.

 

[AwaKeN]

I don't understand your point, we have all that in the 08-09s

 

[DKaz]

I don't understand your point, we have all that in the 08-09s

What I mean is that I have an 07 and would've been nice to have those features that are on the 08 and 09. (guitar)

 

[AwaKeN]

Ohh i see !

 

[trilith]

hmm, how come you guys can get 9.2L/100km ? I can only get around 400km ( max) for a full tank so it works out to 400 / 58 = 6. 89 !!!!

BTW, I don't have anything extra -- other than the roof rack ... It's 09 GT version

 

[DKaz]

hmm, how come you guys can get 9.2L/100km ? I can only get around 400km ( max) for a full tank so it works out to 400 / 58 = 6. 89 !!!!

BTW, I don't have anything extra -- other than the roof rack ... It's 09 GT version

1. Is the engine broken in?
2. What are your driving habits?
3. Where do you get your gasoline?
4. Do you idle the car excessively?
5. Tire pressure?

400km on 58L is horrible, you should get it checked out if everything is normal and you don't drive like a race car driver all the time. The worst I got was 10.5L/100km because I was doing a few 1/4 mile runs.

If you don't need the roof rack all the time, take it off.

 

[Rockin03mp5]

^^^ "they let me drive a 40th anniversery rx8 for an hour while i waited for my oil change!"

They can't even give those cars away. All a person has to do is a little research and you hear story after story of having to replace the engine twice under warranty, at 15,000 miles, at 30,000 miles. It's pretty sad really. And just wait until you have a serious issue that the dealer is supposed to handle. You'll see why I hate them all. You will be left standing all alone while they snub their nose at you waiting for the next sucker to come along for them to leach off of. It's not about repeat business anymore. My dealer has never, ever called since I bought the car. They did not even wash it or take the plastic off of the seats. Just handed me the keys and said bye. I never heard from them again and I've tried to call and talk twice. No response. They're ingrateful, bottom-feeding maggots.

your dealer sucks
mine, not so much

to the original poster...

there is nothing wrong with 06 or 07. just little things added to the 08. obviously if you are looking for a manual, that will be the deciding factor. i dont think they changed much from year to year.

 

[trilith]

1. Is the engine broken in?
2. What are your driving habits?
3. Where do you get your gasoline?
4. Do you idle the car excessively?
5. Tire pressure?

400km on 58L is horrible, you should get it checked out if everything is normal and you don't drive like a race car driver all the time. The worst I got was 10.5L/100km because I was doing a few 1/4 mile runs.

If you don't need the roof rack all the time, take it off.

Thanks for the reply. to answer:
1 how much mileage is considered as "broken in" ? Mine is on it's 4000 KM.
2 mostly in the city , 30% or less on highway
3 Superstore , if that makes any difference
4 it's been used on daily basis
5 I got it new in July and it's on whatever the orignal tire pressure from factory.

no I didn't notice anything worng other than the mileage . BTW, jsut to make sure I am doing the right calculation, I consider "a tank" when the meter points to "E" -- I know there is still some gas but when I fill it up it always goes beyond "F" as a starting point ...

 

[Robotazky]

Thanks for the reply. to answer:
1 how much mileage is considered as "broken in" ? Mine is on it's 4000 KM.
2 mostly in the city , 30% or less on highway
3 Superstore , if that makes any difference
4 it's been used on daily basis
5 I got it new in July and it's on whatever the orignal tire pressure from factory.

no I didn't notice anything worng other than the mileage . BTW, jsut to make sure I am doing the right calculation, I consider "a tank" when the meter points to "E" -- I know there is still some gas but when I fill it up it always goes beyond "F" as a starting point ...

If you fill the tank completely it doesn't matter how low the gas was in the tank. It's just math that works regardless of how much you put in as long as you're filling it completely. Now, letting it go lower is a better efficiency measurement, but some say it's not desirable to go below 1/4 tank. Not sure why it matters really.

Make sure your tire pressure is at least 34 psi. City mileage should be expected to be relatively poor in comparison to highway, on this car in particular.

 

[skyhawk]

I average 7.5L/100km on the highway, 9.2L/100km in the city. And I can fit myself and 3 teammates + 4 hockey bags including goalie gear for me and 8 hockey sticks in there comfortably. The third row although not very often used has come in handy when we had relatives over.
I love my 5 so far. 06, 07, negotiate the price either way.

I have never gone better than 9.2L/100km of city driving. Everytime I fill up, I divide the liters of fuel put in with the km reading, and I'm always above 10liters/100km. Maybe because I have the 2006 M5 4AT?

 

[DKaz]

Maybe, the 5 is rated 10.6/8.0 city/hwy with the 5MT, 11.2/8.3 with the 4AT. Take it easy when accelerating. I find the best fuel economy is achieved when keeping RPMs below 2,500.

 

[skyhawk]

Maybe, the 5 is rated 10.6/8.0 city/hwy with the 5MT, 11.2/8.3 with the 4AT. Take it easy when accelerating. I find the best fuel economy is achieved when keeping RPMs below 2,500.

Thanks, I'm glad to know its within specs.

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

Should I spend an extra $4k to go to an 07 from an 06 with 40k less kms?

VOTE: Yes, but is it in better shape, like the color, has extra items?(wiggle)

Peace!(rei)