What did you pay for your CX-5?

[Turbovski]

New Jersey usually is a lot more expensive when it comes to car purchases compared to other states i think... so i was happy with 31.500 $ cash out the door for my wife's 2025 CX 5 select in rhodium white. Cargo tray and cargo net were included.

The fees they want to charge in my area are a lot higher then what i read here, usually 749$ documentation fee (way overpriced) across all dealers plus the registration fee for the first 5 years at 364 $ (a legit thing to pay) and of course the NJ 7.50 $ tire fee That doc fee didn't fly with me.

I didn't really plan to buy another 2025 model year, but when i saw how they destroyed the interior of the 2026 (in my opinion) with this cheap plastic buttons on the steering wheel and more hard plastic in the inside of the cabin plus no buttons for heat/AC any more i knew i had to bite the bullet.

Tax here in NJ is 6.625%.

 

[zx10guy]

I had the same thoughts when looking at what the 2026 model brought to the table. I too got a Select trim and frankly, it checks off most things on my list. The major thing I did not want is iStop and cylinder deactivation which the Select trim omits. Looking at the line up for 2026, all the trim levels now have iStop and CD. Also, not sure if I want to deal with a new infotainment system where everything is integrated into it. I want physical HVAC and volume controls. Many complain about the knob which is second nature for me coming from my experience with my BMW iDrive system. And the 2025 also has full touch in motion for both Android Auto and Car Play.

The updates such as more cargo and rear passenger space doesn't overcome the above limitations I've listed. The CX-5 is actually a step up and roomy for me since I came from a Toyota C-HR.

Being that the 2026s are coming out soon, I figure deals can be had with picking up a 2025.

 

[Turbovski]

I didn't even check that the 2026 trims all have CD and iStop! This huge infotainment screen and the cheap clicking noise from the steering wheel controls shown in a short youtube video was all i needed to know i don't wanted one of those redesigned ones. The Turbo Premium i purchased in July last year i got because of the news at the time that there will be no turbo option any more in 2026. Wife doesn't like the torque so we got the Select for her, because the premium,carbon edition and the premium plus have that CD and iStop also.

Those 'features' only really help Mazda with their emissions = carbon points they get. Real world gas savings are way too slim and the chance of engine failure and starter replacements negate those savings for me.

 

[zx10guy]

Mazda's US website now has the 2026 CX-5 page up. You can go look at the specs and actually do a build of one in each of the trims. That's how I discovered all the 2026 trim levels now have iStop/CD.

ETA: I'm a performance nut. But chose to keep things simple with my daily driver. My garage queen is a BMW 135i with a N55 twin scroll turbo. And if I want to really scare the crap out of myself, I'd just jump on one of my sport bikes.

 

[Turbovski]

they get 2 mpg more with that 'feature'
maybe 1 mpg in real life...
i didn't check yet, but i think in 2026 those infrared eye monitoring cameras are mandatory too now... yay!

 

[gman1868@ya]

We just bought ours at Walser Mazda. With the incentives we got around $3900 off the sticker price. First dealer I can ever say lived up to their promise of not trying to pressure us into add-ons.

 

[Ninja_Matt]

New Jersey usually is a lot more expensive when it comes to car purchases compared to other states i think...

This is actually not true at all, but is a perfect example of buyer perspective. I happen to have been a sales manager at a Mazda dealer in NJ not terribly long ago and we typically were in the top 10-15 volume dealers in the US at the time. We still do a ton of Mazda business in the NJ/NY tri-state area via Auto Ninjas. NJ has literally the highest volume dealers in the country and the most aggressive pricing (some competition in NY).

Fees are really just perceived costs, not that they aren't real, but the average consumer would rather pay $1000 off with no dealers fees than $3000 off with $1500 in dealer fees, even though the net better deal is the one with the huge dealer fees.

It's such a stark contrast to say FL, where the fees are about double NJ and the net pricing is much worse. I can ship a car from NJ to FL and still save money in many cases (and shippings not cheap).

I always implore people to shop net price and set the emotional aspect of fees aside.

Another example is CA, they have state controlled dealer fees of only $85, yet their pricing isn't typically super competitive (although its gotten a bit more recently).

-Matt

 

[Turbovski]

This is actually not true at all, but is a perfect example of buyer perspective. I happen to have been a sales manager at a Mazda dealer in NJ not terribly long ago and we typically were in the top 10-15 volume dealers in the US at the time. We still do a ton of Mazda business in the NJ/NY tri-state area via Auto Ninjas. NJ has literally the highest volume dealers in the country and the most aggressive pricing (some competition in NY).

Fees are really just perceived costs, not that they aren't real, but the average consumer would rather pay $1000 off with no dealers fees than $3000 off with $1500 in dealer fees, even though the net better deal is the one with the huge dealer fees.

It's such a stark contrast to say FL, where the fees are about double NJ and the net pricing is much worse. I can ship a car from NJ to FL and still save money in many cases (and shippings not cheap).

I always implore people to shop net price and set the emotional aspect of fees aside.

Another example is CA, they have state controlled dealer fees of only $85, yet their pricing isn't typically super competitive (although its gotten a bit more recently).

-Matt

I am no sales manager so i don't know any better... what i do know is that when i compare out the door prices others boast in forums from other states then new jersey, they usually got a better deal out the door then i got.
Now, is it because i did get such a bad deal at 31.500$ for my wife's 2025 CX 5 select in rhodium white or to the others just lie too look good?
I bought the car with cash by the way and we got 3.000$ off from Mazda because of the 2.500$ cash incentive plus the 500$ off for loyalty credit from Mazda. Without that it would have been 34.500$ out the door.... but without the incentives i would have not bought the car.

Tell me, how did i do in your opinion Matt?

 

[Snake]

I am no sales manager so i don't know any better... what i do know is that when i compare out the door prices others boast in forums from other states then new jersey, they usually got a better deal out the door then i got.
Now, is it because i did get such a bad deal at 31.500$ for my wife's 2025 CX 5 select in rhodium white or to the others just lie too look good?
I bought the car with cash by the way and we got 3.000$ off from Mazda because of the 2.500$ cash incentive plus the 500$ off for loyalty credit from Mazda. Without that it would have been 34.500$ out the door.... but without the incentives i would have not bought the car.

Tell me, how did i do in your opinion Matt?

If it is a 2025 model year, I would have been firm about getting a discount from the dealership as well. They really, really need to get the 2025s off the lot to make room got the new gen 2026s.

 

[Turbovski]

If it is a 2025 model year, I would have been firm about getting a discount from the dealership as well. They really, really need to get the 2025s off the lot to make room got the new gen 2026s.

Well they started with 33.500 OTD, they always start up extremely high here in my area at the jersey shore (so that would have been 36.500$ otd without incentives from Mazda which is crazy)

It would have not made any difference where you go, those guys are the professionals, they do that every day, i buy a car (or 2 in a matter of months this case) every 15 to 16 years so i am at a huge disadvantage right from the start. Where i really save money is after the sale, no interest for car loans, i do my own oil changes (with proof of receipts ect.) plus i always try to get the last year before that new model comes out. (No recalls or software updates so far, and i don't expect any in the future) My last purchase was a new 2010 Sonata, last year of that body/engine, never had a problem with it, i still have it and it runs strong. I will sell it in a couple months if the 2 Mazda's behave like i think they will because they seem to be very reliable...

Yes i could have been more firm, but i hate to deal with them and the price was good enough. They will see me again maybe in 12 to 15 years if nothing out of the ordinary happens with those 2 new cars.

 

[Snake]

Well they started with 33.500 OTD, they always start up extremely high here in my area at the jersey shore (so that would have been 36.500$ otd without incentives from Mazda which is crazy)

It would have not made any difference where you go, those guys are the professionals, they do that every day, i buy a car (or 2 in a matter of months this case) every 15 to 16 years so i am at a huge disadvantage right from the start. Where i really save money is after the sale, no interest for car loans, i do my own oil changes (with proof of receipts ect.) plus i always try to get the last year before that new model comes out. (No recalls or software updates so far, and i don't expect any in the future) My last purchase was a new 2010 Sonata, last year of that body/engine, never had a problem with it, i still have it and it runs strong. I will sell it in a couple months if the 2 Mazda's behave like i think they will because they seem to be very reliable...

Yes i could have been more firm, but i hate to deal with them and the price was good enough. They will see me again maybe in 12 to 15 years if nothing out of the ordinary happens with those 2 new cars.

If you're happy, I'm happy. Personally, I like to play the game with them for a spell. It's productive and it feels good to pull back on them as they are surely pulling on you. I've had the salesman going back and forth between me and the sales manager as many as a dozen times on the day of the purchase. One salesman had a look in his eye like, "when is this gonna be over?". Another time, the sales manager got upset and asked me to leave because he wasn't going to budge and he was tired of the back and forth. I gladly left and I made sure to tell them that I was headed from the next closest dealership.

 

[Turbovski]

Well of course the sales guy went back and forth to the manager, maybe about 5-6 times or so... until the manager himself showed up. Of course i was waiting for that to happen. Those sales people have no power when it comes to price negotiations, its really a stupid system but i guess it is designed that way on purpose to wear down the customers and it seems to work just fine for them.
What was really more important to me was the fact that my wife was happy with the price, that was all that counted for me: happy wife happy life

 

[Snake]

Well of course the sales guy went back and forth to the manager, maybe about 5-6 times or so... until the manager himself showed up. Of course i was waiting for that to happen. Those sales people have no power when it comes to price negotiations, its really a stupid system but i guess it is designed that way on purpose to wear down the customers and it seems to work just fine for them.
What was really more important to me was the fact that my wife was happy with the price, that was all that counted for me: happy wife happy life

My wife and I bought her S-Select at a preset price that was set up online by our auto insurance company. No haggling. We walked in, test drove the car, went over the paperwork and then we went to visit the finance office. It was pretty painless. She got a fair price but I wouldn't call it a good deal.

 

[Turbovski]

Well good deal or not, the CX-5 is a great car to have and shouldn't cause any major problems, so in the end should save us a lot of money over time. I am amazed about the interior and overall quality of the car, better then whats coming in 2026 (interior quality wise imo)

 

[Snake]

Well good deal or not, the CX-5 is a great car to have and shouldn't cause any major problems, so in the end should save us a lot of money over time. I am amazed about the interior and overall quality of the car, better then whats coming in 2026 (interior quality wise imo)

Yeah, it's a big step above everything else for the money. It's suspension is not as refined as my CRV but the build quality is top notch. Mostly, I'm just happy to have an old school, naturally aspirated 4 cylinder engine mated to an automatic transmission. E-cars are still a ways off from actually being better. Hybrids still have highway driving and mountain climbing weaknesses.