Is it just me?

[pedro_mazda]

...that when walking away from Parking, would I really need to look back to have another glance at my M5 once or twice, with a long pause before finally entering the building ? (rlaugh)

[dreamym5]

hey i thought i was the only one..(cryhard)

[pedro_mazda]

ok, that was comforting .. LOL

[jandree22]

Had mine for about 1 1/2 years and I still do it :D

[major error]

I think it's a symptom of Mazda ownership... (rockon)

[slvrsleeper]

Especially when she is clean and parked next to a regular mini-van that isn't. I think to myself "damn that doesn't look like a mom-mobile to me"

[coolmazda5]

(boom06) It is just you, that is sick, it is just a Mazda car man...

Oh, guess what I'm looking through my window at work, it is my favorite parking spot ;)

I also love to see them when clean and parked next to each other (freak)+(sick)


Update:
(***) <- Sarcastic Smiley inserted in case it reads out wrong. 1st line is a joke. 2nd and 3rd lines posted are true. 1000+ posts in this forum attest it :D

[daan]

I've been at work for less than 3 hours now and I've gone outside to check on my 5 several times... there's nothing wrong with you.

[mrbwa1]

I have to get my glimpses in before leaving for work, as it's the wife's car. *sigh*

[jandree22]

major error, LOVE the pic in your sig (2thumbs)

[pedro_mazda]

whew! glad I'm not alone. I wonder how long will this last :)

[rweatherford]

major error, LOVE the pic in your sig (2thumbs)

Ditto... I think I need a picture like that of the 5...

[mrbwa1]

Ditto... I think I need a picture like that of the 5...

I have thought about doing something like that in the snow, but I don't think the wife would be willing to let me do that to *her* car, so I'll stick with the stationary stuff. Have a different interpretation of the taillights though for everyone:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/2040929120_52234a0cdb_m.jpg

[jandree22]

I have thought about doing something like that in the snow, but I don't think the wife would be willing to let me do that to *her* car, so I'll stick with the stationary stuff.
yeah, but the snow can't duplicate that mad aggressive body lean to the front left wheel. Normally body lean isn't desirable, but makes for a pretty wicked auto-x action shot!

I have to make a 180* turn into my parking spot at work, and the past few days I yanked on the e-brake around the turn in the snow. Cheap thrills get me goin :D

[skyhawk]

I used to be able to do the 'drift' like when pulling on the e-brakes. But with the winter tire, side-ways sliding does not happen as often anymore.

[mrbwa1]

OK, now you guys have me bummed out. E-brake drifts are ok in a FWD car, but I miss my old '77 Volvo... That car was the drift king in the snow! On a side note, the photo reminds me of the Loaner 3 I was given when the 5 was in the shop. My dad is thinking about buying one and took her for a spin in the back country twisties. He was pushing through some flat S bends and lamenting how the 2.0L seemed a bit low on midrange power... that is until I looked over a told him he was accelerating from from 55-70 MPH! I guess that's what you get from a guy who drive an RX-7 every day.

[coolmazda5]

You guys are hardcore, good thing this 'little'-n-fun people mover is able to do that and more (bump)

For the sig, Remember that old youtube video of the Mazda5 race smoking some Hondas and an MPV? I took some ugly screenshots the other day, in case you are not able to take pics of crazy stuff on the works, you might want to use these at least :D

The video here (deadhorse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU4paH8qcQ8

[rweatherford]

I watched a Ukraine review and the guy was hustling the 5 pretty good around a race track. Watching it 4 wheel drift was too cool.

From this Post: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123695284


I'm an auto-x guy but haven't been in a while. My last race was in the Buick Roadmaster station wagon. (street tire class) Beat 2 SRT-4 Neons, an SRT-10 pickup, an Audi S4, some other cars and lost to a WRX by 0.1 seconds in raw time. (I also had a cone that you had to add) Now THAT is hustling a wagon! ;) I think the 5 is probably pretty capable, but the acceleration is pretty weak. Can you say momentum preservation. ;)

[coolmazda5]

I watched a Ukraine review and the guy was hustling the 5 pretty good around a race track. Watching it 4 wheel drift was too cool.

From this Post: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123695284


I'm an auto-x guy but haven't been in a while. My last race was in the Buick Roadmaster station wagon. (street tire class) Beat 2 SRT-4 Neons, an SRT-10 pickup, an Audi S4, some other cars and lost to a WRX by 0.1 seconds in raw time. (I also had a cone that you had to add) Now THAT is hustling a wagon! ;) I think the 5 is probably pretty capable, but the acceleration is pretty weak. Can you say momentum preservation. ;)

Cool, you gotta post some of your pics sometime. I like those street car races, make it feel closer to an average Joe's car like the ones we own. Also, just browse around these forums, there are several Protege, MSP, Mazda3, MazdaSPEED3 and Miata owners who are really into it as well, and their daily commuter is a Mazda5 :D

From that perspective I can of understand the Mazda5 "momentum preservation" you talk about, the car is a heavy and tall Mazda3 from that angle.

Yet I think the MT adds a decent spice to it. I took my coworker for lunch the other day (he owns an auto Mazda3 Grand Touring) and he was quite surprised when I needed to join fast traffic at a merge after a full stop. I just accelerated and shifted at around 5500rpm on 1st, 2nd and 3rd, then let go once reaching cruise speed. He was, like: "Wow, Zoom-Zoom-Zoom soccer mom car, huh? That was fast". I actually forgave him about the soccer mom car mention, but just because he said Zoom 3 times, not 2 ;). Of course, it was not a 4 second accel, but decent enough :D

[rweatherford]

Well I guess my last family car did 15.5 in the 1/4 stock and the car I drove before that did it in about 13.5.

So that has a little to do with why the 5 seems a little weak.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the wagon auto-xing. Only went once. I have tons of videos and pictures of my old Berettas. (back in the OLD days)

This is drag racing against an LS1 powered Trans Am with long tube headers. My last 2.3L 4-cyl was home brew turbocharged. No one made "kits".

http://www.beretta.net/fast_lane/drag_racing/movies/wentz_6_12_04/TurboGTZvsFireBird.mpeg


Versus modded WRX......
http://www.beretta.net/behind_the_wheel/movies/WRX-TurboGTZ-256.avi

Ok I'm off topic so if you want more PM me.

[jandree22]

A Mazdaspeed5 would be the ticket for auto-x. That being said, that concept seems a little silly to me for real world driving... paying to haul my family around in a theoretical $25k <20MPG 91 octane high performance minivan wouldn't exactly be my cup of tea. (potkettle

[coolmazda5]

Berettas, yumm. That was around the time when we had 3 Chevy Cavaliers at home, my dad and sister had the 2.8L V6s (I'm not sure if they made it here as 6 cyl) and I had a 1991 2.0L i4 (here).Yes I know, owning 2 of the same cars is not a new thing now that I see it (freak).

Thanks for the videos. Yes, it is off-topic, but is easy to get off-topic with the Mazda5 as it offers something to every taste (family, enthusiast, cargo) or is it just me? :D

[jandree22]

few years back I had a 93 3.1L 5MT Cavalier Z24. Wasn't fast, think the 1/4 was high 15’s, but had so much lo-end grunt and a throaty exhaust…. loved that car. But alas, I had to put an end to 19MPG ;)

[coolmazda5]

few years back I had a 93 3.1L 5MT Cavalier Z24. Wasn't fast, think the 1/4 was high 15’s, but had so much lo-end grunt and a throaty exhaust…. loved that car. But alas, I had to put an end to 19MPG ;)

Z series were (2thumbs), but yeah not fast really, yet V6s had decent torque and their sound was very distinctive. I had to stick with my i4 student car, but had 5MT! I still chuckle at the fact that it was such a low trim it did not have the RPM gauge, just a "SHIFT" yellow light in the dashboard to indicate the obvious after certain RPMs.

OK, NOW we went really Off-topic (wrong), I'll go mum

[major error]

I used to have a '94 Ranger (still mostly Mazda, right? ;) ), and even though its 4cyl was comparatively weak, I still had a lot of fun driving it.
In getting a 3, I've lost the ride hight and condensed the cargo capacity, but the driving fun has increased exponentially! (naughty)

In one regard, Mazda's advertising is spot on....a part of me hasn't grown up, and every time I look at the car, I know what it means to go out...

...and play
http://www.major-error.net/images/autox/dsc_0025.jpg

Anyone who says they don't like driving just hasn't found the right car.

[jandree22]

^-- (me drools at pic) (thumb)


did not have the RPM gauge, just a "SHIFT" yellow light in the dashboard to indicate the obvious after certain RPMs
lol, forgot about the beloved shift light! My Z had one too. Just remember, all these Civic rice-boys are buying up these massive tach’s with, you guessed it, shift lights! I guess everyone can use a little bit of assistance with knowing when's the right time to shift. :rolleyes: (lol2)

[coolmazda5]

^^ R U serious? RPM Gauge + Shift Light? Get outta heah, LOL...

[slvrsleeper]

(ricer)^^^ Yes, of course, one must monitor the health of ones 1.6 liter tea-kettle. Especially when feeding said tea-kettle a 150 shot of NAAAAWWWs

[mrbwa1]

...and play
http://www.major-error.net/images/autox/dsc_0025.jpg


So is the slightly open sunroof there to provide extra downforce? (j/k) Very nice action photo, though if Mazda were advertising, you'd have a much larger grin...

[rweatherford]

If the 3 is in HS the 5 is definately in HS! Nice pic!

Yea we got a bit off topic, but that allows us to get to know each other a little I guess.

[coolmazda5]

Yea we got a bit off topic, but that allows us to get to know each other a little I guess.

pedro_mazda started it (eekdance) (Can it read more childish?). No, that is true, it brought good memories as well (yes)



Oh, guess what I'm looking through my window at work, it is my favorite parking spot ;)

So, you were saying? See thumbnail. The parking lot view, cube perspective. Yes, yes, what you see there is a Mitsubishi Galant, LOL. So, it is just YOU guys...

[major error]

So is the slightly open sunroof there to provide extra downforce? (j/k) Very nice action photo, though if Mazda were advertising, you'd have a much larger grin...
nah, it was the middle of a typical humid summer day...
The only reason my smile isn't bigger is because I came into the turn too hot and was starting to push quite a bit. The only problem running HS is that it's almost always in the first run-group, which I've unceremoniously dubbed the street-sweeper group.

I know the 5 is based on the 3, but with all it's comparative top-heaviness I'd be wary of using it to compete in "tests of driving skill"... (attn)


getting back on-topic, I think the behavior we're discussing is a sure sign that we are throughly pleased with our vehicle choice.

[pick41]

I catch the GF doing double takes of it everyplace she goes and parks, even does it at the house, checking on it in the garage before bed. Or maybe that's just her OCD kicking in?