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Any Mazda5 owners here?

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#42 ·
GolfTango said:
I finally found the one I was looking for! '09 Grand Touring, 45K miles. $15K. Leather, heated seats, rain sensing wipers and HID. Pick it up as soon as the title comes in as it was just traded. One owner.

All the others I was looking at in that price point were in pretty rough shape or ex-rentals.

Looking forward to my first Mazda.
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Congrats! I can live without most of the niceties of the Grand Touring, but I'd really like to upgrade to the leather-wrapped steering wheel at some point. Didn't think I'd mind, but the base plastic one is just a little too cheap and sharp for my liking.
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
ArmenB said:
Congrats! I can live without most of the niceties of the Grand Touring, but I'd really like to upgrade to the leather-wrapped steering wheel at some point. Didn't think I'd mind, but the base plastic one is just a little too cheap and sharp for my liking.
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So could I, actually the wife wanted the Touring so we could get the sunroof. But I'll take the extras with the Grand. Just found out it has Bluetooth too, that is a necessity nowadays.
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
Took longer than expected, plus my first born came Tuesday, so priories changed, but as of yesterday it's in my garage.

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First impressions are very positive. There is a shimmy in the steering wheel and it pulls to the right, but I intended to put new rubber on so it's a non-issue. It was advised to move up from the stock 205s to 215s for a better ride. Other than that, I really like it. So tires are number one. Secondly, it needs a good cleaning and buffing. Car dealers always suck at that. Finally it is dying for tints.
 
Discussion starter · #45 ·
Quick update. I decided that the stock 17" wheels provided a too harsh of a ride, so I grabbed some 2012 knock-off "16 wheels (complete with tires) for a song. Much better ride. So far, we are loving our 5.

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The brakes need to be done. So I'll tackle that soon. Any suggestions on pad/rotor combos? I've always had positive experiences with Advanced Auto's brand, so I may just go that route. Also, I want to replace the rear shocks and grease all the sway bar bushings with synthetic grease.

Only other gripe is man this paint is thin. Crap loads of scratches and dings. I've noticed that the paint is actually sandblasted off the lower front rockers.
 
#46 ·
I figured going smaller would look awkward, but those wheels look good.
That was a good find (for cheap). :thumbup:
Good thing the front rotors didn't require 17" wheels just for clearance.
 
#47 ·
One Mazda vice is putting 'too large' wheels on all its cars. It's kind of odd for a handling/low weight oriented company.

I would consider downgrading the 18s on my 6 to 17s. Cheaper tires down the road would offset the cost of the wheels.

(I have the same brakes as the 6 with 17s)
 
#48 ·
ArmenB said:
Congrats! I can live without most of the niceties of the Grand Touring, but I'd really like to upgrade to the leather-wrapped steering wheel at some point. Didn't think I'd mind, but the base plastic one is just a little too cheap and sharp for my liking.
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Try something like this - http://www.wheelskins.com/original_wheelskin.php

Many options out there, but the higher quality wraps I've seen feel really good, almost OEM

I have the little brother of the 5, a 2007 Mazda 3, and I have also noticed that the paint is thin, as is the sheetmetal. However I am very happy with the car, have fun with your 5s!

And yes, the stock 17" wheels look nice, but replacement tires are $$; I had considered buying a set of steel 16" wheels for winter use
 
Discussion starter · #49 ·
BRealistic said:
I figured going smaller would look awkward, but those wheels look good.
That was a good find (for cheap). :thumbup:
Good thing the front rotors didn't require 17" wheels just for clearance.
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I was thinking this too, but once I seen the 2012 underpinnings are the same as the 06-10 (including brakes) I figured it was a non-issue.

And yes, the sheet metal is thin too.
 
#50 ·
I have a Mazda MPV, I looked at the Mazda5 but I can't really justify it. The last row seats look really dangerous to have kids there. It is way too close to the rear trunk lid. It looks like a decent people hauler but not spacious enough to have the family and do some IKEA shopping.

Gas consumption just slightly better than the MPV. I know the MPV is no longer sold here but I would easily upgrade to the JDM MPV in a heartbeat.
 
#51 ·
Vision33r said:
Gas consumption just slightly better than the MPV.
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We are getting high 20s in mixed driving. My last highway trip at mostly legal speeds gave 35mpg.
 
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#53 ·
Vision33r said:
I have a Mazda MPV, I looked at the Mazda5 but I can't really justify it. The last row seats look really dangerous to have kids there. It is way too close to the rear trunk lid. It looks like a decent people hauler but not spacious enough to have the family and do some IKEA shopping.
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If you have a large family, then the Mazda5 isn't for you in the first place. The 3rd row seats are basically emergency seats for taking friends or relatives out to dinner.

BTW, I can't imagine the 3rd row seats being any more dangerous (in terms of closeness to to the hatch glass) than lets say a Yaris' or a Mini's 2nd row.
 
#54 ·
genjy said:
If you have a large family, then the Mazda5 isn't for you in the first place. The 3rd row seats are basically emergency seats for taking friends or relatives out to dinner.

BTW, I can't imagine the 3rd row seats being any more dangerous (in terms of closeness to to the hatch glass) than lets say a Yaris' or a Mini's 2nd row.
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Yes. Even the defunct domestic short wheelbase minivans (Uplander, Caravan, et. al.) had really close third rows to the rear glass. So does the much larger Chevrolet Tahoe.

And then there's the type of third row I used as a kid:

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(in W123 iteration)
 
#56 ·
Nice :thumbup:

I was very tempted by all the leftover, manual trans. Sports for around $16.5 when we were shopping (eventually bought the Prius).

There are definitley days I wish I had that extra cargo space, it would make hauling the dogs much more pleasant.
 
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Discussion starter · #57 ·
MikeNoGo said:
Yes. Even the defunct domestic short wheelbase minivans (Uplander, Caravan, et. al.) had really close third rows to the rear glass. So does the much larger Chevrolet Tahoe.

And then there's the type of third row I used as a kid:

Image

(in W123 iteration)
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When I see kids in seats like this they always flip me the bird or stick their tongue out at me. :eek:
 
#58 ·
GolfTango said:
Only other gripe is man this paint is thin. Crap loads of scratches and dings. I've noticed that the paint is actually sandblasted off the lower front rockers.
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yeah, I've noticed that too... my wife sometimes opens the door and rests the door against the house and the paint is all worn away there. I have some touch up paint I keep with it...

GolfTango said:
When I see kids in seats like this they always flip me the bird or stick their tongue out at me. :eek:
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that's what you're supposed to do
 
Discussion starter · #60 ·
FlashRedGLS1.8T said:
I like the original wheels better. :confused:
But I'm glad you got the ride compromise you were looking for. :thumbup:
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Me too, but the previous owner curbed them pretty bad. Plus it needed new tires and the 17's were pretty expensive. So for the price of one new 17" tire, I got 4 brand new 16" wheels with new rubber. Downside, they are OE Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02s which are garbage. I'll run them a year then replace them.
 
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