So, I like my Mazda5. I've had a steady job for the past few years, my first real job out of college. With my parents' help, I bought the Mazda5 back in 2011. At the time I needed the space for me, my wife, and our family of three dogs. A year ago, one of our dogs succumbed to cancer, so now we only have two. I also was driving 120 miles/day for work with a carpool and needed something relatively efficient, as my previous vehicle was a Tahoe and cost an arm and a leg to fuel up. I liked the 3 but needed the space of the 5. I also found that the 5 was slightly better for me at 6'1". The seat travel on the 5 could be longer, but the telescoping steering wheel on the 3 feels a little too short. The back seat of the 3 is also pretty small, and while I don't carry more than two people most of the time it's nice to be able to have space for four. The wife is about 9 or 10 inches shorter than me and likes how the 5 fits her and she can see out if it perfectly fine. She drives an old cute-ute and likes to sit up higher than in a car, which she didn't like about the 3. The wife also can't really drive stick, and she needs to drive the car once or twice a week. Now all that said, I test-drove a Mazdaspeed3 (finally) about a month ago. It was awesome. It spurred my decision to break down and purchase my Speed3 wheels. My intention is to eventually fit the 5 with Speed3 sway bars and front brakes, but I'm also thinking about how much money and work that actually entails for little real gain. Yeah, it'll be better than a stock 5, but so what? I'm having a hard time reconciling my desires for a faster, better-handling car with the reality of the results. I love to drive, and we like to take road trips, do light hiking, go kayaking, and such things, all of which the 5 does reasonably well. When I was trying to purchase a car, what I really wanted to do was get a WRX. I enjoy having AWD and having the ability to tackle light trails and gravel roads without worrying, and the turbo power is just fun. I enjoy having SUVs and pickups, too, as I often haul junk around for projects and friends, like the 500 bricks I picked up for my outdoor fireplace.
Now my job is steady, and I'll have it at least another year. But most likely in a year or two we'll be moving elsewhere, where she'll have a job and I will not. I don't know what the future will bring in terms of a job, as it's a complete unknown what will happen when we move. The practical side of me says, "keep the 5, pay it off" so when we move, I'll have a car and our finances will be more secure. The childish side of me says, "get a fun car while you can". To me, a fun car is either a Speed3 or an Xterra (or something similar). I love what both have to offer. I looked at trading my 5 in one day, and the result was very disappointing. My car has 38k miles on it. Yeah, that's a lot, but it's also really a 2011, even though it's a 2012 model. I got it right after the 2012s came out back in early 2011. Yes, it's the Sport trim and yes it has miles, but still. I was offered 11.5k for it, and I owe only a couple thousand less than that. So my trade-in would only be about 2 or 2.5k, which just seems absurd to me. The practical side of me just screams, "that's stupid!" when I think about trying to trade it in on a Speed3, as much fun as it is to drive.
Finally, my question is this: do I try and trade in my 2012 Mazda5 on a (used) Speed3 or do I keep it for another decade?
Now my job is steady, and I'll have it at least another year. But most likely in a year or two we'll be moving elsewhere, where she'll have a job and I will not. I don't know what the future will bring in terms of a job, as it's a complete unknown what will happen when we move. The practical side of me says, "keep the 5, pay it off" so when we move, I'll have a car and our finances will be more secure. The childish side of me says, "get a fun car while you can". To me, a fun car is either a Speed3 or an Xterra (or something similar). I love what both have to offer. I looked at trading my 5 in one day, and the result was very disappointing. My car has 38k miles on it. Yeah, that's a lot, but it's also really a 2011, even though it's a 2012 model. I got it right after the 2012s came out back in early 2011. Yes, it's the Sport trim and yes it has miles, but still. I was offered 11.5k for it, and I owe only a couple thousand less than that. So my trade-in would only be about 2 or 2.5k, which just seems absurd to me. The practical side of me just screams, "that's stupid!" when I think about trying to trade it in on a Speed3, as much fun as it is to drive.
Finally, my question is this: do I try and trade in my 2012 Mazda5 on a (used) Speed3 or do I keep it for another decade?
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