Considering trading in my 2013 GT for a 2014 GT, Good idea or idiotic?

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Gio26NJ

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2013 CX-5 GT AWD Tech Package, 2014 Mazda 6 Touring
Good morning peeps, now I've been thinking about this for a few months now just wanted to get a few opinions. I currently have the 2013 CX-5 GT AWD with Tech Package, racked up about 15,000 miles, absolutely love it. The only minor, very minor issue I encounter is the daily fixing of the god damn plastic clips (underneath the front part of the driver seat only) that hold the front part of the leather seat in place.

Anyways I know I will be losing a few thousand bucks if I choose this route. I'm not counting the monthly payments I made while using the car, just the extra payments I made during the 1 year and 4 months I had it. Currently have a 0.9% 5 year term looking to get the same. There's about a $4,000 difference between what I owe and what the current trade-in value is. That's $4,000 I would get back towards the purchase of the 2014.

My main reason for wanting to get the 2014 you ask? the 2.5 liter engine and getting FWD instead of the AWD that never got used and should have never opted for in the first place, that was stupid. Would get a snow tire setup instead if everything pans out. Took the 2014 for a test drive a few months back when I was getting my 10,000 mile service and I can definitely feel a huge difference in terms of engine power and liked it.

So what do you guys think? good idea or just a waste of time and money?
 
Thought about that too but that will probably be next spring and the current car will continue to depreciate in value, while putting more mileage on. If I'm going to do it it has to be soon but I really am on the ropes about it. I babied any car I had and never ever traded a car in after only 1 year of use. I'm a car hoarder, it's hard for me to let go :D
 
Wait. At this point it would be foolish and expensive. You have a great vehicle now so enjoy it. JMO. Ed
 
Well since you asked for opinions.... I think you have a point here. What do you need the 2.5 engine specifically for? Is it the horse power for towing? The 2.0 liter is still a very good engine. You will still get the same head unit that hopefully will be replaced in 2015 with the same model as in the new M3. I also think there is a buzz about the diesel coming to North America and with that you might consider waiting and sell the 2013 either private or find a different way to consume the difference. Remember that the most depreciation of your investment is in the first 10 minutes of ownership....
 
I think demand will actually rise for an AWD 2.0L engine in the next few months... People looking for a 2-3 year used CX5 like yours will be plenty next fall... Especially in your area! Like many said here, I'd wait for the 2015.. Heck, that's what I'm doing before I change my m3! I test drove the new 2014 mazda3 and if the CX-5 can get a few goodies from it (SD card slot, HMI commander switch, new display, maybe new instrument panel et new transmission selector (no longer gated)), it'll be a great wait!
 
No reason not to do it, if it is something that you really want, and something that will prove its worth, in regards to your personal needs and utilities.

Personally, I don't see it as a wise financial choice. The 13 model is excellent.
Honestly, it has crossed my mind, doing the same. The 2.0 is pretty anemic. But, after consideration, I realize that it is completely adequate, and simply wanting a 2.5 doesn't justify the cost.
 
Considering the issues with the head unit, and the fact that they are giving it a facelift (supposedly) I would suck it up and wait til spring.
 
Thanks for the excellent responses guys, exactly what I was looking for. I think I will hang on and check on how well it depreciates in this upcoming second year. Stats say it should not depreciate as much as the first year. Looks like the trade value in my area is about $23,500-$24,500 currently (according to kbb I'm sure the "special software" the dealers use will value it a lot lower) so that's a depreciation of about $6,000 off the total MSRP. Not too bad in the first year. At least I don't have negative equity in it and that positive gap will grow next year and the following year after.

Like you guys say 2015 model might have some headunit upgrades and some other options. I guess I just wanted to see how many would actually go through with a trade in after only 1 year of ownership.
 
I'd only trade it in if there were significant updates. The 2.5, while nice, doesn't merit the extra money you'd have to pay to upgrade. Plus depending on how much they facelift the car you might be punching yourself for not waiting just a few extra months.
 
Unless you really hate your current or its simply not meeting your needs its almost always a bad decision to let go after a year as that is by far the worst depreciation year. I am guilty of this offense once with an 06 TL that i thought could handle all of my tasks. My first ever FWD car will very likely be my last. Torque steer and lousy in snow with dedicated winter rubber so i took a 6k hit to drive it one year and 24k miles...I would wait for the updated 2015 but only if its substantial and never the first few months after a new model drops. Be a little patient and good things will come. The 2.5 is very good and I'm glad I waited and by not jumping on it in Feb I saved about a g. Room for improvement inside and who knows maybe they'll drop the diesel in while they're at it...I'd def. wait no good reason not to. My 07 CRV was needing $ in many areas and had 100k on it so I felt the time was right- and I got over 11k on trade-that car owed me nothing...
 
I have a '13 GT AWD with Tech. have contemplated this myself, but without a doubt I will wait for when the SkyActiv-D and heavily revised Aha infotainment is avail. The Infotainment update will come by 2015, but the Diesel on the other hand is questionable as Mazda has promised in 2012 to bring it by Q3 of 2013 to the states (which obviously hasn't happened)...
 
Yeah, you're right I looked up some other people's experience in trading in after 1 year and hardly anyone ever even broke even. Thanks for saving me from a bad decision, not associated with too many car enthusiasts outside of here so I thought it was the best place to ask. My friends all abuse their cars with no regard for their value, just see it as something to get you from point A to point B.
 
IMHO, not the best use of money. Even though CX-5 resale values aren't bad, a trade-in transaction gets very expensive.
 
I got the '14 Touring 2.5, and later learned the diesel turbo is coming soon. I'm happy with the 2.5 but would have loved the extra torque a diesel brings to the table. I'd say wait for 2015 and the diesel.
 
As all above have said in a dollars and cents argument you'd be better off keeping the 2013. I did trade my 2013 sport in for a 2014 Touring with the 2.5. For me the upgraded options and larger engine was worth the small penalty I paid + I went from 28k miles to 0 again. Going from a sport to Touring has significant upgraded features. The 40-20-40 rear seats, the backup camera, the upgraded radio, the leather steering wheel and shift knob, the leather arm rests, the tinted rear glass, the Bluetooth features, and the 6-way power seat.

The larger engine is significantly more powerful in the lower rev range. It's also significantly quieter than the 2.0 and because of that I'm measuring 4 db less noise in the cabin at highway speeds than in my sport. Where the 2.0 required two downshifts to keep momentum up steep grades doing 70 MPH the 2.5 hardly ever has to downshift on the same hills. This isn't necessarily a bad thing just something I personally got tired of on my long commutes. The 2.0 is perfectly adequate in most situations and much better and more forgiving on fuel than the 2.5. this is especially true if you take advantage of the manual feature and keep the little 2.0 in its sweet spot.

I'm averaging 2 MPG less with my 2.5 and that gap seems to be getting larger now that the cold weather is here. I'm still averaging a very good 32 MPG though. When I initially made the switch I could also feel the weight difference when taking turns. Now that I'm use to the Touring I feel the handling is still fantastic for an SUV. I also noticed Mazda has made some small changes. The arm rests are leather now instead of cloth. The rear lift gate closes a little easier than before because the gas pressure struts have less spring.

Keep in mind things like having to buy new tires could be argued as offsetting the cost of trading up because you won't have to absorb that cost. I was faced with changing my tires soon when I traded the sport, which is at least an $800 cost.
 
V8toilet - Excellent and helpful report comparing the 2.0L and 2.5L engines. Sounds like the 2.5L 2 mpg gas mileage penalty is similar to the 2 mpg EPA combined rating difference.
 
If finances are a priority, then it doesn't make sense to trade, but there are always other trade-offs. I feel much more confident in my 2.5 GT in city traffic, especially in short entry/exit ramps, and merging where a bit of power is needed. I can say that I've not been left wanting for more power from the 2.5, but it was quite frequent with the 2.0. As with V8, I am enjoying the added features, especially the rear view camera and blind spot monitoring. I'll never buy a car again without these features.

The 19" tires took some getting used to, but I am now completely satisfied. Steering is razor sharp, so it has taken some time to learn and adapt to the new precision.
 
Thanks CX-SV, I forgot about the blind spot monitoring. It's a nice feature to have too. I find the backup camera especially useful in the morning when my windows are all fogged up and it's really hard to see. I do wipe the windows but they fog back up almost instantly.
 
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