Hi all....potential 5 newbie here......some questions.....

[Mazr]

Two important factors in comparing the 5 and the Fit have been unsaid:

1) the view from the driver's seat compared to the Fit is much higher, making the view over traffic much easier.

2) sliding side doors, which improve in and out/buckling younger passengers, and parking lot access.

Forget about things like fun to drive, cool looking, track record (including Premacy) and 6 passenger capacity vs 5.

Get a 5 and get out and drive. (ooh, I like that)

Actually in my original post I mentioned that 2 of the big selling points for me are the sliding doors and the sliding rear seats.

I like the higher view from the driver's seat.

My wife told me to point out one to her when we're driving together and not a whole lot of 5's on the road where I live. As a matter of fact the local Mazda dealer has 1 5 on the lot. Many 3's and 6's but only 1 5. Think I'll be going out of town if we do purchase.

 

[mpvue]

My wife told me to point out one to her when we're driving together and not a whole lot of 5's on the road where I live. As a matter of fact the local Mazda dealer has 1 5 on the lot. Many 3's and 6's but only 1 5. Think I'll be going out of town if we do purchase.

that's a typical problem, most mazda dealers don't know what to do w/ the 5. I had to drive past 2 mazda dealers, going over 45 miles away to get mine. my salesman told me they couldn't sell them until a good housekeeping article came out recommending it.

 

[ljmattox]

I actually cross-shopped both these vehicles before buying our 10 Sport 5MT.

Our shopping criteria was, at a minimum, what can hold a 31" dog crate? You'd be surprised at the number of (far) larger SUVs that cannot.

Anyhow, the FIT could (but only with 2 passengers, which was OK for us) and so could the Mazda5 (with seating for 4).

We drove standard Fits with MT, and an AT Fit Sport Navi (like Mazda, they've stopped offering/importing MT with the upper end US model(s)). We thought the AT really sapped a lot of the fun-to-drive from the Fit; that, plus the Mazda5 offering standard climate control (even on the Mazda base "Sport" model), a lot more room, quieter and smoother riding on long trips all tipped us to buy our 5. Even if it couldn't match the exceptional fuel economy of the Fit, not a deal breaker.

A concern I'd have for you would be: make sure you can get comfy on your test drive. I'm 6'0 with a 34 inseam, and I have *just enough* legroom, and another inch or two would be great if available.

Lotsa posts here from satisfied owners, etc. We have 8500 miles on ours since February, highest mpg about 31, averaging 27 or so with our mostly highway driving. No issues at all so far.

 

[Robotazky]

The Fit will beat you up compared to the 5. It's very stiff. The 5, in my opinion, is a safer vehicle for a bad accident with a car load of people. I drove Fits before I bought my Accord and they are not in the same league as a 5 as far as the weight and solid feeling go. They're good little cars, but the 5 just does more and is more civilized, in my opinion. Now that I think about it, seems like the 5 Sport is the same price as a Fit. No comparison when you look at it that way. The Fit I drove was really slow, slower than a 5. Not cool.

 

[wmzda5]

Two between driver/passenger, 2 in the middle fold-away table and a couple on each side of the third row seats. You could also use the 2 just rear of the first 2 cupholders (square shape cubby hole, I use them sometimes if I have things on the 1st 2 sets of cupholders = 8 not including the side of the front doors.
This is on a 07 GT

 

[doctorz]

Now that I think about it, seems like the 5 Sport is the same price as a Fit.

hey...not a secret that Hondas tend to be priced a little higher, but the Fit is significantly cheaper than the 5. The base Fit MSRP is $14,900. I got a loaded Fit Sport for $16K, less than what I paid for a very basic 5 three years earlier.

I do think the Fit and 5 are very different cars, and if you want six passenger seating, sliding doors, and reasonable fuel economy, the 5 is in a class of one. The Fit is not for everyone. But it does have a spare tire.

 

[Heat]

... Think I'll be going out of town if we do purchase.

Where do you live? Or at least which state / province?

 

[Mazr]

Where do you live? Or at least which state / province?

Peoria, Illinois. The 5 I found is about 45 minutes away. I've already conceded that we'll be traveling to shop for a 5.

 

[Robotazky]

hey...not a secret that Hondas tend to be priced a little higher, but the Fit is significantly cheaper than the 5. The base Fit MSRP is $14,900. I got a loaded Fit Sport for $16K, less than what I paid for a very basic 5 three years earlier.

I do think the Fit and 5 are very different cars, and if you want six passenger seating, sliding doors, and reasonable fuel economy, the 5 is in a class of one. The Fit is not for everyone. But it does have a spare tire.

Well, who would buy the base model when the "loaded" model is only $1100 more? If you consider $16K-$16.5K the Fit price, then it's the same price as a 2010 5 Sport where I live. Even if they are $1K-$2K different where others live, that's still not enough to say the Fit is a significantly cheaper car, again in my opinion. With moderately priced cars and trucks, $1K-$2K gets racked up with just a few options (i.e., Ford F150 that I'm shopping for right now).

 

[skyhawk]

The Fit is just a Honda. The 5 is a Mazda. No contest.

 

[Heat]

I live near Springfield, Illinois, and bought my Mazda5 in St. Louis at one of the Bommarito Mazda locations.
http://adzone.stltoday.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=20721&adid=9484392&type=

The Mazda5 in the ad for $16,500 would be with a manual transmission, add about $1,000 for an automatic. And add $500 if you want to do the 0% financing for 36 months. The tax rate will be the base Illinois tax rate which is 6.25%.

Or if you do want to buy used, take a look at http://hertzrent2buy.com/Content/Default.aspx which is where Hertz rental company sells used cars. An example would be a used 2009 Mazda5 in Peoria for $12,700 with 33,000 miles. Or a used ’09 Mazda5 with 27,500 miles for $13,000 in Bloomington. Just keep in mind that you will probably need new tires in the near future for these and four new tires will run about $800 or $900.

 

[chief_wiggum]

I live near Springfield, Illinois, and bought my Mazda5 in St. Louis at one of the Bommarito Mazda locations.
http://adzone.stltoday.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=20721&adid=9484392&type=

I bought my 5 (and my speed3) from Bommarito; they are a volume Mazda dealer which allows them to make some pretty unbeatable deals. If you're willing to drive that far, send me a pm and I'll put you in touch with the internet salesman I worked with for both my Mazdas.

 

[Mazr]

Thanks for both those links. I'll keep those in mind.