New (to me) Mazda5

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:35 am

Traded in the '03 Santa Fe for a 2009 Mazda5 Grand Touring. 31k miles. Loving it so far. Certainly won't miss the 17 mpg average of the Santa Fe. Only problem I had to deal with were noisy (creaking/groaning) rear sway bar bushings which are a known issue with these. A coating of lithium grease and they're quiet once more.Planning on a trip to MD later this month for a few weeks (w/2 adults and 2 kids under 6) so I'll get a good idea of how it works as a long distance cruiser.And my choice was in no way influenced by Cougar Vibe's post below, I've had my eye on these for a while

KITT222 · Post by **KITT222** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:17 am

That's a nice van. Congrats on the upgrade! Even though I don't like minivans (no Mazda, you're not fooling me with that MPV label) I do kinda like the 5. It'll be good to hear about how well it does on your road trip. I'm surprised by how small that third window is, though.

star_deceiver · Post by **star_deceiver** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:38 am

That's very nice!

TONY TAT2 · Post by **TONY TAT2** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:57 am

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:28 pm

Congrats on the Mazda

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:36 pm

Quote, originally posted by KITT222 Â»That's a nice van. Congrats on the upgrade! Even though I don't like minivans (no Mazda, you're not fooling me with that MPV label) I do kinda like the 5. It'll be good to hear about how well it does on your road trip. I'm surprised by how small that third window is, though.Thanks. I don't like full-size "minivans" either (why they still refer to them as mini, I have no idea) and would never consider one. Compared to our Vibe, the 5 is maybe only a couple inches longer and about the same height. Basically it's a car with sliding rear doors. I don't even refer to it as a mini or microvan. I'll just call it a car.

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:17 am

I would have bought one of these if it weren't for the hump by the drivers right leg. Just couldn't get comfortable driving the thing....so I bought the Rondo. I wanted those sliding doors. I'm a fan of mini vans....just not a fan of the gas mileage. The micro van will have to do.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:21 am

Very nice!! Looks like its been very well taken care of.Be sure to join us over @ http://www.mazda247.com where I am a Moderator, not for the 5 series though.And @ http://www.mazdaforum.com where I am the Senior Moderator.

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:06 am

Quote, originally posted by 06pvibe Â»Very nice!! Looks like its been very well taken care of.Be sure to join us over @ http://www.mazda247.com where I am a Moderator, not for the 5 series though.And @ http://www.mazdaforum.com where I am the Senior Moderator. I've signed up at 247.com, but doesn't seem to be much action over there. I posted a "Hi, just bought a 5" thread and got like 2 responses even though there have been 270 views. Maybe they're just not as friendly as you guys are over here. Haven't checked out the other forum yet.

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:29 am

Quote, originally posted by Tubaryan12 Â»I would have bought one of these if it weren't for the hump by the drivers right leg. Just couldn't get comfortable driving the thing....so I bought the Rondo. I wanted those sliding doors. I'm a fan of mini vans....just not a fan of the gas mileage. The micro van will have to do. Hmmm....haven't noticed anything by my right leg, but I do wish there was a dead-pedal. Left leg gets kinda restless w/no clutch and I don't have a good spot to rest it.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 11:58 am

The Mazda 5 is on my short list (as is the Rondo) if, God forbid, anything should happen to my '09 Vibe.

06pvibe · Post by **06pvibe** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:57 pm

There aren't as many owners that wish to "mod" their 5 series cars, so the audience is a bit smaller for sure. And don't take the 270 views personally either. SPAMBOTS are everywhere. They are probably cataloging the thread and searching for tags. Many people don't understand that.As for Mazdaforum, we are a smaller forum, less about modding, more about repairing or maintaining. People come and go all the time.I am surprised and didn't know the 5 had no dead pedal. Perhaps its time to visit the aftermarket for one? For example, I have these in my 3 series and love 'em to death!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 9:55 am

Congrats on the new ride, that is pretty sharp. I'm looking forward to hearing how it works out for ya! A car like this seems "small" now, but it's amazing how bloated our "minivans" have become. I don't know the size differences between the new 2012 and the last gen 5's, but I just read a review that said the 2012 5 is nearly the same size as the original Caravan! I wanted a Rondo, but they are no longer in production. It would be nice to have something a little larger than the Vibe but not an SUV. Until Ford releases their version which may or may not be related, I guess this is the only game in town. There are some fairly attractive prices on used ones.Wasn't fond of them at first but I've grown to like these, it is a neat concept. The only one I've experienced was a rental with a smashed in bumper that I rode in briefly, so I guess it wasn't fair to judge it based on what I saw with that specimen.

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 11:47 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Congrats on the new ride, that is pretty sharp. I'm looking forward to hearing how it works out for ya! A car like this seems "small" now, but it's amazing how bloated our "minivans" have become. I don't know the size differences between the new 2012 and the last gen 5's, but I just read a review that said the 2012 5 is nearly the same size as the original Caravan! I wanted a Rondo, but they are no longer in production. It would be nice to have something a little larger than the Vibe but not an SUV. Until Ford releases their version which may or may not be related, I guess this is the only game in town. There are some fairly attractive prices on used ones.Wasn't fond of them at first but I've grown to like these, it is a neat concept. The only one I've experienced was a rental with a smashed in bumper that I rode in briefly, so I guess it wasn't fair to judge it based on what I saw with that specimen. Thanks! I hope you don't plan on waiting for the C-Max, because it's no longer coming: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/0...s-so/ So the Mazda is the only option for the foreseeable future. There weren't a whole lot of used ones in my area, actually this was the only one. But you can get pretty good prices for used ones (well under $20k). This one was listed on the dealer website for $16.4k, KBB value for it was right at $20k. Honestly I'm not sure the dealer knew what they had (it was a Honda dealer). They had it listed as a Sport (lowest trim level) and I suppose they priced it as such. My gain, I reckon

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 7:18 pm

That's a great price! I haven't seen one that nice for that kind of money.

jake75 · Post by **jake75** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 12:47 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I wanted a Rondo, but they are no longer in production. I guess my "short list" just got shorter.

Kincaid · Post by **Kincaid** » Wed Jul 20, 2011 2:56 pm

I love the "5"! congratulations!

DeClerq · Post by **DeClerq** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:20 am

Here's something I couldn't have done with the Vibe: New grill with both rear seats up (and occupied by my 2 girls), hatch completely closed with room to spare. With the Vibe I would have had to fold the rear seats to close the hatch.On a side note, recent 2 week vacation covering 1,500 miles with about a 1,000 of those miles fully loaded with 4 people and luggage. No issues at all and averaged ~27 mpg. I don't think that's bad at all. That also included some mountain driving. So far I'm liking it quite a bit. So I'm pleased with my decision to get the 5

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 11:02 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»I wanted a Rondo, but they are no longer in production.They are still in production. They just don't sell them in the United States. They do sell a lot of them in Canada.

journeyforce · Post by **journeyforce** » Sat Sep 24, 2011 4:34 am

A late congrats on your Mazda5. They had one at Carmax while i was waiting for them to allow me to finish the paperwork I went over an looked at it. It really does not look at all like a soccer mom mobile. It looks like a tall station wagon/hatchback car. How is the engine compartment? Is it easy to get at stuff to repair it?

New (to me) Mazda5

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