to Mazda5 or not to Mazda5

[pandus13]

Hi fellow Bittogers.
Please let me know what should I look into a Mazda5 or why should I run from it.
I know some eat tires but I think some figured out some fixes for that.

Thank you.

 

[SLCraig]

If you love fixing rusty cars, go for it.
I think Mazda's are all fine except for the fact their bodies are just horrid in the salted areas. Would never buy one in the area you live in, you will be fighting a losing battle with corrosion and it makes the car a huge pain to work on as well.

If you were in California or something, I'd say go for it.

 

[Gotch]

GF has a 2007. Nice car but rust has started in the wheel wells... Fun to drive, holds a lots of kids or cargo, not both. No issues so far other than clunking rear suspension (still investigating) and loose harware for ALL the doors... and yes, it eats tires on the front.

 

[bepperb]

I really wanted to like it since current minivans are so large. It easily would have saved 10,000 dollars off the van we bought. The problems I had with it are it was too small for people over 6 feet and had no cargo area behind the third row. And the mileage was only IIRC 28 vs 24 for most minivans, and we get 25 pretty easily in our van so there's not much gain there.

So make sure it will satisfy your needs. As for reliability it's based on the Mazda 3 which I would say is better than average. Reliability of it was a plus for me, not something I was worried about.

And I'm not sold it's "fun to drive". I'm pretty familiar with cars that are not fun to drive (both our current cars) and this would fit in pretty well with them.

What about a C-Max?

EDIT: Sorry, I didn't realize the Cmax was five passenger 2+3 like the Prius V and not 2+2+2 like the M5.

 

[pandus13]

actually I was thinking of mazda5 because of the 2+2+2.
Scenario:
-mom(driver seat), baby + big rear-facing car seat in second row, kid + forward-facing car seat in third row and rest of luggage all over the empty seats
-mom(driver seat) + grandma (passenger seat) , baby + big rear-facing car seat in second row, kid + forward-facing car seat in third row and rest of luggage all over the empty seats
-me(driver seat) + mam (passenger seat) , baby + big rear-facing car seat in second row + grandma, kid + forward-facing car seat in third row and rest of luggage all over the empty seats

is this makes sense?

 

[FirstNissan]

In laws have one. Rough ride due to stiff suspension, size of a van but narrow so it's kinda cramped. And the mugs are not that Mitch greater than a full size van.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

If I had a reason to get a minivan, this would be it! with a 6 speed manual.

I've noticed that there have been a lot of mazdas with rusty bodies though.

 

[pandus13]

How they drive in winter?
any clearance (height) issues?

 

[AuthorEditor]

Quote:
I think Mazda's are all fine except for the fact their bodies are just horrid in the salted areas.


I haven't noticed anything unusual in this regard on Mazdas around here, and this is salt territory. Wish there was some way of comparing rust resistance of various brands/models, because that is an important factor to me.

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
Quote:
I think Mazda's are all fine except for the fact their bodies are just horrid in the salted areas.


I haven't noticed anything unusual in this regard on Mazdas around here, and this is salt territory. Wish there was some way of comparing rust resistance of various brands/models, because that is an important factor to me.


Just Google Mazda rust problems.
My friend traded in his 2002 Protege5, the rust was starting to consume the whole car. At just 9 years old when he traded it in, (On a Toyota Matrix) it was starting to become unsafe to drive, rotten strut towers, rear brakes were seized and the e-brake cable had been broken for years because of the rust, wheel arches almost non existent, rear hatch rusted badly, horn even stopped working because the ground was pure rust. We had to grind it off and replace the ground strap to get it working. I told him it was time to get rid of it as it was starting to become very sketchy to work on, not to mention a challenge. He traded in the car in 2011 and got $900 for it, with only about 150K KM, the body was just a mess, I can honestly assume the car just went for scrap after they probably yanked the engine/trans for parts.

BEWARE.

 

[dwcopple]

There is one that a staff member drives at a school I provide therapy at. Both rear wheelwells are rusted through. I LOL every time I walk by it.

 

[scurvy]

We bought a new Mazda 5 this summer. Sport trim level with 6MT and it's been flawless. Excellent for my growing family and a real treat to be able to carry five passengers and a modicum of stuff in relative comfort.

I'm 6'3" with big feet and I fit fine in the front two rows. The back row is best left for kids or in-laws. Driving dynamics are excellent for the kind of car, i.e., far better than any other family hauler I've driven. Slushbox 1 MPG advantage evaporates once you actually drive it - they calibrated its shift points to play nice on the EPA driving cycle. Ride quality is smooth, the engine has sufficient power and fuel economy has been good. Cabin can be a bit noisy at highway speed but I don't have a good feel yet if's from a lack of sound deadening, noisy OEM tires or both.

I was also concerned about corrosion and talked at length with a guy I know who lives in Ontario and has a 2006 model. He's never bothered to have his sprayed and doesn't have any corrosion issues. Turns out my boss' wife also drives a 2006 Mazda 5 and he reported no issues (mechanical, electrical, corrosion or otherwise) with theirs either.

So far so good. It's nice to have a compact family hauler that has a bit of handling, good fuel economy and fits in our smallish 2-car garage.

 

[NHGUY]

The new term for "rust": Zoom Zoom

 

[mpvue]

this month is 3 years we've had our '09 Mazda5. just replaced the rear shocks (known issue) and that cured the rear clunking sound.
haven't had issues with tires, except I changed the OE ones when one got damaged pretty bad and didn't want to replace just one tire.
rust? no issues yet. I've had a few mazdas, and the only one with rust issues was a '96 MPV I got from Ohio, after it was more than 10 years old.
as for the size, it fits our needs well at the moment. 3 kids aged 12, 10 and 4, only the 12yo complains on the rare occasions he needs to sit in the 3rd row.
mpgs is 25 mixed, it will get 28+ hwy.
fun to drive? absolutely! exit ramps are awesome, steering is tight, grip is excellent w/ the 50 series 17" tires, brakes are great (12" rotors!)hwy passing is great, w/ the low gearing you don't have to downshift (at the expense of higher cruising RPMs)

 

[simple_gifts]

A friend has one; she does not like it and has spent a lot on suspension and tire issues; I'd e-mail her, but it is sort of a sore subject.

 

[Autobahn88]

We have one that we bought new in 08. It is pretty fun to drive for what it is. I bought the 5speed manual. Have not had any issues with the vehicle yet other than a recall for the power steering pump. Our Mazda has no rust issues what so ever, but, I do rust proof the car every year with Krown rust control. Living in a salt belt I rust proof all of my cars.

 

[rjundi]

Honda Odyssey with cylinder deactivation gets a few MPG less with far more comfort, utility and nice ride.

 

[Autobahn88]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Honda Odyssey with cylinder deactivation gets a few MPG less with far more comfort, utility and nice ride.



Yes. But you but it will not handle like a Mazda5. Two different vehicles IMO. The Mazda is fun to drive for what it is. Plus the Honda is almost $10 000 dollars more than the Mazda here in Canada.

 

[mpvue]

Originally Posted By: Autobahn88
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Honda Odyssey with cylinder deactivation gets a few MPG less with far more comfort, utility and nice ride.



Yes. But you but it will not handle like a Mazda5. Two different vehicles IMO. The Mazda is fun to drive for what it is. Plus the Honda is almost $10 000 dollars more than the Mazda here in Canada.

we bought our '09 at the end of '09 for like $14K new. aren't Odysseys like $30K?
they ARE 2 different vehicles; the Mazda5 is a 6 seater Mazda3, basically.
once you drive a 5, you will not mistake it for a minivan.