Want to buy a MZ5,have some questions

[newbornFL]

As a man that has an dacia logan for over 7 years,a car that has failed me many many times(engine got destroyed,twice and turbo problems aswell.Over 6k EURO to repair,the car has hit 200k kms with an semi-new engine block that has around 90k kms)I can't blame myself completely(yes im a sporty family guy that has a lot of driving and rally experience,i tend to drive cars harshly if im angry)but then there is renault's extremely bad reliability with cars. I decided to look for a family car,found the mazda 5 2008 sport edition at 9000Euros,ithas everything,strong engine(2.0 TDCI 143horsepower),great leather seats ,sliding doors and the car has only 88k verified by mazda dealer.Now,I don't a very fond reputation with japanese cars,but I hear they are very well made and build,with a very good reliability,but ive never had one,long term. I heard that the mazda 5 has a really low ground to wheels profile,could it pose problems in the french mountains(alt 2000 meters),where it snows,a lot.But ive had no problems with an 1.5 tonnes ,78 horsepower dacia in the snow. How is the engine reliability?heard aswell that there are big problems with the particle filter(plan to remove it,i do so with any car i own,that thing is useless,and while i do so i plan to add an chip to better fine-tune the engine and lower the fuel economy(not a lot,10-15%) .I will do regular-each year trips from france to romania(1900 kms) so the comfort has to be nice. Any tips or things i should know?Thanks.

 

[FiftySix]

I heard that the mazda 5 has a really low ground to wheels profile,could it pose problems in the french mountains(alt 2000 meters),where it snows,a lot.

If you mean what we in the US call ground clearance (height from the ground to the underside of the car), yes the Mazda 5 is fairly low to the ground with factory sized wheels and tires. My 2013 with 205/55-16 tires scrapes the tail of the exhaust pipe and the bottom of the front bumper cover pulling into or out of some driveways. The ground clearance for the 2008 seems to be the same as my 2013 at 5.5" per Mazda specifications.

On my last car, I changed the tires from 205/55-16 to 215/60-16 to get a tad more ground clearance and add cushioning to the drive since I drive on really bad roads. I'm thinking of at least doing the same to my Mazda 5 and have even thought about going as far up to 65 profile tires, but I'd probably have to stay with 205 width for fender clearance (205/65-16).

Plus, I'm thinking about adding the Firestone Coil Rite air springs since I use my 5 as a working/family vehicle and the rear sags about 3/4" (19mm) with my daily work load in the back.

I haven't done any of those things yet, but when it comes tire changing time I will be thinking seriously about it.

 

[FiftySix]

I will do regular-each year trips from france to romania(1900 kms) so the comfort has to be nice.

My prior car was a Toyota Matrix and I drove that car from Houston, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia a few times (about 800 miles or 1287 km one way). I've only driven my 5 on 350 mile (563 km) trips so far, but the comfort of the 5 is much better than the Matrix. That is for the driver (me) and the people in the second row of seats.

 

[newbornFL]

Does the 2008 has the same tyre replacement probs. as the 2007 one?

 

[FiftySix]

I do not know. I'm sure someone else here would, though.

 

[thaxman]

Does the 2008 has the same tyre replacement probs. as the 2007 one?

The answer to the tyre shred issues is to zero out the rear toe when getting an alignment. I have been through more than a whole set of tyres since zeroing mine out, and the wear has been nearly 100% even with regular (3000-4000 mi) rotations. It seems the mpv you are looking at is top of the line, so I expect it comes with 17" wheels not 16" wheels, so when its time to get replacements, if French law allows, go up to 215/50R17 for better comfort, control and a tad bit better road clearance.

There are very few European owners on this forum, so most of us don't know the diesel engine very well. The transmission is good though, and our 2.3L and 2.0L petrol engines are familiar and reliable. The plastic bits are less-sturdy than they are from many other carmakers though. I have had all sorts of plastic and small electronics parts fail, from the sun visor clips to the turn signal stalk. But to be truthful, I like taking the Mazda5 around town much more than my modified V70 turbo because it drives tighter.
In the end, I can't imagine a well cared for Mazda5 costing as much as a Dacia or a Renault to maintain, so there is a positive view from me.