Buying advice now that Mazda5 all but discontinued

My wife and I are seriously looking at a new Mazda 5 but are worried about parts availability as we like to keep our vehicles until they die.

Can anyone educate me on the extent to which major components are shared with other models or earlier models? Reliability concerns? I don't have any fear that mazda itself is going anywhere but worry about long-term parts availability for a somewhat niche vehicle that doesn't have the sales volume of many other vehicles.

Any advice you might have would be really appreciated.

Thanks

I remember that there are some law or industry standard that car manufactures has to have parts available for models that they discontinued for 10 years. Plus the 5 shares the same engine and transmission as other Mazda models. I wouldn't be too worry about not being able to get replacement parts.

The Mazda5 shares many bits and pieces with the Mazda3 since it's built on the 3 platform.

Not to mention that once it is very old and it's hard to find OEM parts there always the aftermarket.

The motor is still being used by Ford so engine parts are fine. But you should be fine for longterm parts as they need to make parts for 10 years after the last one rolls off.

My advice is to buy one before you can't anymore. They are awesome cars.

OP, look for a thread here, Mazda Canada has no plans (at least this year) to discontinue the Mazda5.

get it with the huge cash rebate now! (check unhaggle.com)

I really enjoy owning my Mazda5 but, (and I've posted a similar comment in another thread), regarding buying a brand new 2015 model... you're actually buying a 10 year old chassis and safety design... in 2015. This car was built to handle the crash tests of 2005... not 2015.

The problem going forward with this car is that as crash testing has become more stringent, and as a result automakers are making safer cars... the Mazda5 is now starting to fall way behind. The over 10 year old chassis design is really starting to show it's age in crash testing and against redesigned competitors. I don't think I'd buy a brand new car with a "Poor" rating in the "small front overlap" test and a "Marginal" rating in the "side impact" test. These really are not good for a car designed for families in 2015. It has lost it's Consumer Reports recommendation because of this... http://goo.gl/TLMkL4

So a full chassis redesign is needed and you'd think it wouldn't be too expensive or difficult because of it's extremely close ties to the Mazda3. The 2015 Mazda3, by the way, because of it's significant chassis redesigns has achieved top results of "Good" in all tests and is a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. The same can be said of the CX-5.

As a further comparison, a Ford C-Max received "Good" in all of it's tests except the small front overlap where it still achieved a respectable "Acceptable"

Then it's lack of even the Skyactive engine treatment makes it's engine design quite old as well... and so it's fuel consumption is surprising to shoppers who see a smaller vehicle but not much to gain in fuel consumption.

To me a 2015 Mazda5 is a poor buy. Don't get me wrong, I love the Mazda5 and still love mine... but due to all the above, there's no way I'd spend new car money on a new one. But then the bigger problem is... what car would I buy!!?? Unfortunately, I don't have an answer... Which is also why, for now, I'm stuck driving my 2007 into the ground

I just purchased a 2015 as there is nothing else like it on the market.

Some benefits:
Drive and handling; it's a Mazda.
Sliding doors.
Independent 2nd row seats that also recline and have arm rests; your passengers are as comfortable as you.
Storage under the seats in the 2nd row.
More usable cargo area than most behind the 2nd row.

As for the gas I'll compare a CX-5 GT AWD with a 2.5L: the MZ5 gets the same mileage. After only 6 fill ups I'm matching the CX-5's MPG (which was over the 600KM estimate after 4-5 months if I remember correctly.) SkyActiv is a marketing buzz word, an up sell. There is nothing special about the CX-5 over the MZ5, I had a 14 GT for about a year and traded it back for a MZ5.

Taken today:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwrNZhNSJgDMSnkycDZuWHo3aW8/view?usp=sharing

As for the crash test it's one test the MZ5 fails at. If it was really that bad the car would have been pulled years ago, there are worse around!

I highly recommend the 5, it's number isn't up yet. Buy one and your warranty is the same as anything else new.

We picked up our 2014 in October of last year and were surprised that there are "2015" 5s out there. We went away from a Honda CR-V to the Mazda 5 (I have only ever owned Mazdas).

I think the Mazda 5 is ripe for buying. They are being pulled from the NA market because they don't sell here, everyone wants a crossover/SUV instead. The handling/cargo/convenience of this vehicle is unmatched. I'm not overly concerned about safety and yes I have 2 kids in the car. I agree with comments that if it was "that bad" it would have been pulled off the market.

I've been meaning to find my dealer paperwork with the bottom line financials. I know I walked out for right around $19k after tags/tax/etc for the sport trim in an automatic and whatever dealer add-ons are always there. For a price like that this vehicle is unmatched.

Mazda is the lowest cost to own brand of vehicles for the first 5 years, I believe. My 3 has over 103k miles on it and the most expensive thing I've replaced is rear hubs ($100/ea). If the 5 is anything like it, with how few miles my wife will be putting on, I can't wait to keep this magical vehicle for many years to come.

If you want something that drives well and has sliding doors You don't have a choice besides the 5.

The cx5 motor is worlds better than the 5, it's not a gimmick, DI is not fake, the interior of the cx5 is about a decade more advanced than the 5, you really can't compare the two.

Even though I have problems with mine I know I'm the minority, I would still recommend one but I consider the 5 to be pre current Mazda quality, the 5 was neglected by Mazda and set to die because it didn't make $$

I do wonder about the trans, there is no good reason why it turns the fluid black so quickly.
I don't know how well it will fare when it reaches 200,000 miles

chad99 said:

I do wonder about the trans, there is no good reason why it turns the fluid black so quickly.
I don't know how well it will fare when it reaches 200,000 miles

Click to expand...

Typical of the auto trans in the mazda 3 as well, burns fluid and is very well known.

tchiarella said:

Typical of the auto trans in the mazda 3 as well, burns fluid and is very well known.

Click to expand...

Yea when I got my 5 I checked mine and found it as dark as my old 99 4runner when it already had 75k ish miles
I ended up doing a full flush on the 5 and installing a trans cooler meant for full sized trucks after I read about this being a common problem.
Im sure Mazda knows it has been a problem for quite sometime, and I am sure they knew the chances of the fluid causing a problem while in powertrain warranty was very minimal.

Luckily its easy enough to drain and fill once a year, you shouldn't have to but its still easy to do.

chad99 said:

If you want something that drives well and has sliding doors You don't have a choice besides the 5.

The cx5 motor is worlds better than the 5, it's not a gimmick, DI is not fake, the interior of the cx5 is about a decade more advanced than the 5, you really can't compare the two.

Even though I have problems with mine I know I'm the minority, I would still recommend one but I consider the 5 to be pre current Mazda quality, the 5 was neglected by Mazda and set to die because it didn't make $$

I do wonder about the trans, there is no good reason why it turns the fluid black so quickly.
I don't know how well it will fare when it reaches 200,000 miles

Click to expand...

I disagree with you. The interior of the MZ5 has more legroom for everyone, more cargo space and a better dash.

The CX5 has a tiny LED to show current gear. I prefer the LED strip at the top where its very easy to see information. The infotainment unit is pathetic in the CX5 it really is. I use my phone in a CD tray holder which uses Google Maps or Nokia Here map system for offline use. TomTom is slow and inaccurate even when updated weekly from the community.

Being newer isnt always better. The 5 is less expensive and you get all these benefits. It's a no brainer.

Honestly the cx5 I had as a rental I didn't even notice the gear selection not a big deal for me, one think I did like about the gear selection was the manual mode, they made the + and - in the correct direction, the 5 is backwards and I am not the only one to think this.

The 5 second row seats are really too low for most adults, what ends up happening is you either have to spread your legs or lean them to one side or another, this forces your butt to carry all your weight rather than spreading it out through your butt and thighs, I wouldn't want to ride in the second row for a multi state ride. It would be different if there was enough leg room to stretch out your leg so it touched the bottom of the seat cushion but there isn't, im 5'9" and with the 2nd row all the way back I can't do that, maybe if I removed the second row seat and sat in the 3rd row, or to ride like a pimp recline the front passenger seat and pop off the headrest then sit in the 2nd row and ride maybach style lol

I really like the cx5 front seats way better than the 5, the 5 seats have nearly zero bolstering on the sides forcing you to grip the wheel extra tight when having fun on the on ramps.
The cx5 I had as a rental had the bmw ish idrive style rotary knob very easy to use while looking straight ahead where as the 5 doesn't offer anything with a screen (except older gens or other markets)

Just driving the cx5 feels more like driving a new gen x3, the x3 was the first car that came to mind when I thought about what it felt like to drive, after thinking that, I checked on google and was not surprised to see others make that same comparison.

The 5 is much louder on the freeway than the cx5, the cx5 interior materials are higher quality than the 5, and I liked the dash layout of the cx5.

Really, these are two different cars, its not like comparing a civic vs a corolla, if the cx5 and 5 were even close to being comparable Mazda would not have offered both of them at the same time.

Its a know fact that smartphone navigation is always worlds better than any in car crap regardless of car make, finally car makers understand this and are starting to incorporate more of the smartphone into the the infotainment systems.

I really like using my pioneer deck that gives me full display of my android phone so I can run any android app without limitations with arunchained, I use my iphone in hotspot mode to give data access to the android phone since its not connected to a service provider.

Starting to get even more off topic but I really get a kick out of seeing the chevy commercials saying "were the first with wifi", only non tech or non diy people would be impressed by this. why would you pay for another data contract when you have one in your pocket?

Thanks all. My wife really likes the sliding doors and the 6 seats, I really like the 2nd row buckets, the manual transmission, and the compact size for day-to-day stuff, and that it's not a full-size minivan (?).

Just wish they were selling enough to have them come out with a MazdaSpeed5...too much to hope for the (final?) 2016 model year...!?

Pretty sure we will be holding out for a 2016 at this stage...apparently there are only 2 manuals left in BC.

Wishmaster said:

I really enjoy owning my Mazda5 but, (and I've posted a similar comment in another thread), regarding buying a brand new 2015 model... you're actually buying a 10 year old chassis and safety design... in 2015. This car was built to handle the crash tests of 2005... not 2015.

The problem going forward with this car is that as crash testing has become more stringent, and as a result automakers are making safer cars... the Mazda5 is now starting to fall way behind. The over 10 year old chassis design is really starting to show it's age in crash testing and against redesigned competitors. I don't think I'd buy a brand new car with a "Poor" rating in the "small front overlap" test and a "Marginal" rating in the "side impact" test. These really are not good for a car designed for families in 2015. It has lost it's Consumer Reports recommendation because of this... http://goo.gl/TLMkL4

So a full chassis redesign is needed and you'd think it wouldn't be too expensive or difficult because of it's extremely close ties to the Mazda3. The 2015 Mazda3, by the way, because of it's significant chassis redesigns has achieved top results of "Good" in all tests and is a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. The same can be said of the CX-5.

As a further comparison, a Ford C-Max received "Good" in all of it's tests except the small front overlap where it still achieved a respectable "Acceptable"

Then it's lack of even the Skyactive engine treatment makes it's engine design quite old as well... and so it's fuel consumption is surprising to shoppers who see a smaller vehicle but not much to gain in fuel consumption.

To me a 2015 Mazda5 is a poor buy. Don't get me wrong, I love the Mazda5 and still love mine... but due to all the above, there's no way I'd spend new car money on a new one. But then the bigger problem is... what car would I buy!!?? Unfortunately, I don't have an answer... Which is also why, for now, I'm stuck driving my 2007 into the ground

Click to expand...

I have to agree with "old design" statement. That's why I did not see any benefit in buying brand-new Mazda5 and bought 4-year old 2012 after lease. Essentially half-price of a new one, same car.

No complaints on fuel economy: so far 9.5litres/100km average, 7.8 on short highway trip. (For our american friends, it translates into ~25 and 30 mpg).
Definitely better than GM minivan it replaced (like 30% better). My Camry with a similar engine does better(of course!), it is lighter and more aerodynamic.

A few words about "skyactive". I test-drove a newer Mazda3 with skyactive and it was no "fun to drive" at all. I pressed gas pedal and the car accelerated very slowly. A salesperson explained that it was done on purpose to improve fuel economy. Zoom-zoom is gone! I didn't like that at all.

New_to_Mazda5 said:

I have to agree with "old design" statement. That's why I did not see any benefit in buying brand-new Mazda5 and bought 4-year old 2012 after lease. Essentially half-price of a new one, same car.

No complaints on fuel economy: so far 9.5litres/100km average, 7.8 on short highway trip. (For our american friends, it translates into ~25 and 30 mpg).
Definitely better than GM minivan it replaced (like 30% better). My Camry with a similar engine does better(of course!), it is lighter and more aerodynamic.

A few words about "skyactive". I test-drove a newer Mazda3 with skyactive and it was no "fun to drive" at all. I pressed gas pedal and the car accelerated very slowly. A salesperson explained that it was done on purpose to improve fuel economy. Zoom-zoom is gone! I didn't like that at all.

Click to expand...

If I could have found a 2012 with 30k miles on it I would have seriously considered it. The cheapest 2012s I found in my area were 75k miles and up, for still around 2/3 cost of a brand new one.

I think I said this before, I totally get that there are safety improvements made all the time. This is why I "need" to make sure my kids car seats are replaced before they "expire". I would just hesitate calling a vehicle "unsafe" because the standards it was built to were changed.

tchiarella said:

If I could have found a 2012 with 30k miles on it I would have seriously considered it. The cheapest 2012s I found in my area were 75k miles and up, for still around 2/3 cost of a brand new one.

Click to expand...

I bought mine with 79Kkm (just under 50Kmiles), ~13,000cad before tax. There was another one with 42Kkm, actually in worse condition than mine and a thousand more. I had my suspicions regarding such a low mileage.

Looks like we finally have cheaper cars than american friends

Good info everyone - thanks. I've been looking to replace our 2003/260,000 mile Honda Odyssey. Wife still wants three rows but I would like something smaller. We have a 2005 & 2006 Mazda6S both of which turned me on to Mazda. However it seems Mazda really missed the chance to make the 5 more competitive with the last update. Even the UK models have power doors, IIRC. ~200 HP would be nice too. Even the new Odyssey gets about the same gas mileage (according to the EPA...). Thought that maybe since the 5 will be going away that it would be a good time to buy but as alluded to previously, it's become tired and obsolete.