I don't post here a lot, but I browse occasionally.
I thought it would be interesting to give a recap of my Mazda5 ownership history.
Bought the car new in 2006. It's a Mazda5 Touring, 5 speed.
Currently it has 37,000 miles.
Repairs/Issues (the bad):
- trembling idle, comes and goes. Had ECU reflashed at my request (per TSB), didn't do much.
- key failed to unlock the car, had to have central locking ECU replaced per TSB
- ate the first set of tires very quickly (by 17k miles). Replacement tires are doing a little better at about 45% left.
- MPG has been very poor since day one. This car averages around 22mpg around town and highway, which is pathetic for a 2.3 4 cylinder. Dealer says they are all like this, and blames the current kind of gasoline we get with ethanol in it.
- Overall trim integrity (things like moldings, door seals, etc) is poor.
- Currently experiencing a knock/clunk in the steering, in the left side, when I go over a speed bump. Dealer checked and found the #3 passenger side motor mount is leaking, says that's it. I pointed them to the TSB for swaybar bushings but they said the bushings are fine. Steering and suspension feel substantially worse than on day 1.
- Lack of traction control makes takeoff in the wet really tricky.
- A/C stopped cooling, had to have it recharged. No obvious leak found.
- Sliding door locks seem to be getting intermittent. Unlock the car, but one of the doors is staying locked.
Positive:
- When new, the suspension was fantastic. I felt no need to tinker with the suspension on this car, unlike most I've owned.
- Overall the car has been very reliable - other than oil changes, nothing significant has needed to be done.
- For this kind of car, it's fun to drive. And nothing else met our space needs and came with a stick shift.
The car, being our family hauler, has not had the easiest life, as 3 kids will tend to do that to a car (sniff, sniff).
I'm now debating what I want to do. Keep it, and drive it to 100k, which was my original plan? Sure, but I see things like the locks failing, suspension getting sloppy, and so I am not sure if I want to do a suspension upgrade, fix what's broke, and be happy with it, or upgrade to something else.
The new 2012 is OK, but is disappointing in that I was hoping for the diesel to make its way over. The 2.5 does nothing for me.
A new 2010 would have stability and traction control, and address my trim (and warranty) issues, but at best my 2006 is worth 10k in a private sale, so I'm spending $8-10k to get essentially the same car. Plus buying a 2010, in 2011, with a 2012 coming soon, would be pretty silly from a resale perspective.
I'm curious to see how other 2006 cars are holding up compared to mine.
I thought it would be interesting to give a recap of my Mazda5 ownership history.
Bought the car new in 2006. It's a Mazda5 Touring, 5 speed.
Currently it has 37,000 miles.
Repairs/Issues (the bad):
- trembling idle, comes and goes. Had ECU reflashed at my request (per TSB), didn't do much.
- key failed to unlock the car, had to have central locking ECU replaced per TSB
- ate the first set of tires very quickly (by 17k miles). Replacement tires are doing a little better at about 45% left.
- MPG has been very poor since day one. This car averages around 22mpg around town and highway, which is pathetic for a 2.3 4 cylinder. Dealer says they are all like this, and blames the current kind of gasoline we get with ethanol in it.
- Overall trim integrity (things like moldings, door seals, etc) is poor.
- Currently experiencing a knock/clunk in the steering, in the left side, when I go over a speed bump. Dealer checked and found the #3 passenger side motor mount is leaking, says that's it. I pointed them to the TSB for swaybar bushings but they said the bushings are fine. Steering and suspension feel substantially worse than on day 1.
- Lack of traction control makes takeoff in the wet really tricky.
- A/C stopped cooling, had to have it recharged. No obvious leak found.
- Sliding door locks seem to be getting intermittent. Unlock the car, but one of the doors is staying locked.
Positive:
- When new, the suspension was fantastic. I felt no need to tinker with the suspension on this car, unlike most I've owned.
- Overall the car has been very reliable - other than oil changes, nothing significant has needed to be done.
- For this kind of car, it's fun to drive. And nothing else met our space needs and came with a stick shift.
The car, being our family hauler, has not had the easiest life, as 3 kids will tend to do that to a car (sniff, sniff).
I'm now debating what I want to do. Keep it, and drive it to 100k, which was my original plan? Sure, but I see things like the locks failing, suspension getting sloppy, and so I am not sure if I want to do a suspension upgrade, fix what's broke, and be happy with it, or upgrade to something else.
The new 2012 is OK, but is disappointing in that I was hoping for the diesel to make its way over. The 2.5 does nothing for me.
A new 2010 would have stability and traction control, and address my trim (and warranty) issues, but at best my 2006 is worth 10k in a private sale, so I'm spending $8-10k to get essentially the same car. Plus buying a 2010, in 2011, with a 2012 coming soon, would be pretty silly from a resale perspective.
I'm curious to see how other 2006 cars are holding up compared to mine.
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