Hi...Just picked up a new-to-us CPO '16 CX-5 Touring AWD...my introduction

[GoFrogs]

Hello Mazdas24/7 community. I would just like to take the time to introduce myself and the 2016 CPO CX-5 Touring AWD in Soul Red that now occupies my garage. The vehicle is for the wife and she traded in her '04 Pathfinder SE 4WD, with less than 99k miles. It was tough letting the PF go as it tackled everything we threw at it and the truck ran flawlessly. Despite the PF being easy on maintenance, it was a heavy drinker and the wife was tired of getting 19mpg on a good day. So, here I am, back in a Mazda after 19 years out of one ('88 323 LX).

We are hoping that the CX-5 will give us another 13 years or more of flawless service and be just as easy to live with as the PF was. I will say, the toughest part of shopping for the (new) car was finding one in the right colors (interior & exterior) and at the right price. We looked for 8 months and at many of the obvious and not so obvious competitors. We would have been in a Nissan Rouge as the wife liked her '04 and wanted to stay with the Nissan brand, but I wasn't as sure of the "new" present-day Nissan and their use of CVTs, so we kept looking. Luckily, Mazda makes a great argument to not choose a Rogue.

I am not new to the "forum life" and will look around at all of the different areas to see what other owners are doing and saying about their CX-5s.

Zoom-Zoom. Cheers. (cheers)

 

[7eregrine]

Zoom Zoom, brother. Welcome back.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Kaps]

You should rent a Nissan - they are pieces of art. Oh I meant fart.

 

[Unobtanium]

Hello Mazdas24/7 community. I would just like to take the time to introduce myself and the 2016 CPO CX-5 Touring AWD in Soul Red that now occupies my garage. The vehicle is for the wife and she traded in her '04 Pathfinder SE 4WD, with less than 99k miles. It was tough letting the PF go as it tackled everything we threw at it and the truck ran flawlessly. Despite the PF being easy on maintenance, it was a heavy drinker and the wife was tired of getting 19mpg on a good day. So, here I am, back in a Mazda after 19 years out of one ('88 323 LX).

We are hoping that the CX-5 will give us another 13 years or more of flawless service and be just as easy to live with as the PF was. I will say, the toughest part of shopping for the (new) car was finding one in the right colors (interior & exterior) and at the right price. We looked for 8 months and at many of the obvious and not so obvious competitors. We would have been in a Nissan Rouge as the wife liked her '04 and wanted to stay with the Nissan brand, but I wasn't as sure of the "new" present-day Nissan and their use of CVTs, so we kept looking. Luckily, Mazda makes a great argument to not choose a Rogue.

I am not new to the "forum life" and will look around at all of the different areas to see what other owners are doing and saying about their CX-5s.

Zoom-Zoom. Cheers. (cheers)

Welcome! I def. would have kept that pathfinder for probably what you got for it. My .02 anyway.

Regardless, I think you made a helluva smart buy!

 

[Unobtanium]

You should rent a Nissan - they are pieces of art. Oh I meant fart.

My 370Z looked good, but reliability and performance (except acceleration, which was as-expected. Decent but not impressive) sucked.

 

[CX-5um]

My 370Z looked good, but reliability and performance (except acceleration, which was as-expected. Decent but not impressive) sucked.

Was it just me or was the Z's manual transmission a bit too hefty to shift? The s2000 and Miata manuals were easier to row.

 

[GoFrogs]

Thanks for the well-wishes.

Don't get me wrong, the (2004) Pathfinder was a great vehicle. The 3.5 V6 was good and did well to move the 4k lb truck when asked. With an actual transfer case, the 4WD duties were rock solid, even though it lacked lockers and even a limited slip diff in the rear, the 4WD system got us through plenty of mucky stuff in both CO and OH and the occasional monsoon along the gulf states.

The 2004 was the last year of the "rounded" Pathfinder body style. 2005 started the blocky, larger era Pathfinder with the 4L V6 and 6spd auto. Of course now, the Pathfinder is a FWD minivan in SUV clothing and preserves its pathfinding ability in only its name....a shell of its former self...and over-priced for what you actually get, IMHO. It was just time to let the Pathfinder go to a different pasture.

At trade-in, it was hard to say no to 10% of the truck's MSRP. Could we have gotten more in a private sale; sure, but doing the dealer trade-in thing was easier and we were satisfied with the offer. I almost guarantee that our Pathfinder will end up on a lot for $6K-$7K after some cosmetic touch-ups and with it being the Canteen Green, it will stand out among all of the silver, black and white that I saw on Autotrader.

Anyway, back to the CX-5...we choose it after test driving many different vehicles, to include the Rogue. We were trying to hold out for the Rogue Sport to arrive, but Nissan is dragging their feet in getting it to dealerships and so, we didn't want to wait any longer. We did test drive the Rogue in "S" trim, and it was just ok. The biggest let down had to have been the CVT. Plus, in the last few years, Nissan really hasn't done anything ground-breaking and the rogue is just mid-pack in the compact SUV market, despite it being Nissan's best selling vehicle. Besides, Nissan now is not the Nissan of 13 years ago.

Mazda's use of an actual 6-spd auto helped propel it to the top of our list, right next to the KIA Soul+ and the extra space in the CX-5 caught the eye of the wife. Granted the Soul and CX-5 play in different size categories, but for about a grand over a new Soul+, we got into a larger, and possibly more capable vehicle...the AWD should help in that regards too.

We are hoping that the CX-5 will stay with us for many years to come.

 

[Unobtanium]

Was it just me or was the Z's manual transmission a bit too hefty to shift? The s2000 and Miata manuals were easier to row.

It wasn't hefty, it was notchy, and ground. First time or two it ground, I figured it was my fault. Then I made a very conscious effort to mat the clutch and slowly shift. Still ground for the first shift on cold, wet days. Humidity made it so much worse. Weird. Anyway, yeah, it was a notchy POS and sometimes would not go into first right off on a wet morning unless you double-clutched it (yes, I mean the actual thing, not the F&F bulls***). I even replaced the trans fluid with Redline MT85 specifically made for that car. No dice.

 

[GoFrogs]

some people have no respect

haven't had the car for a week and we get our first door ding...some people have no respect...

Got the ding on the passenger side front door on the lower character line, pretty much in the middle of the door. I applied some wax and was able to remove what looked like a paint scuff. I couldn't feel a break in the paint, but the ding is there; however, only really noticeable if the light catches the door just right.

I have learned a good lesson...just park out further than the other lazy people who don't care and the sides on our CX-5 should remain door ding free. I know I can't stop them all, but I can take measure to prevent as many as possible.

Of course, with out CPO car, I am beginning to notice a lot of little rock chips that are not that visible until you are about 10" from the body panel. I even have some on the rear quarter panels. Not sure how, but I guess rocks can hit you anywhere. I can't wait until I get to wax the car for the first time. I sure hope I don't get too many "surprises".

My VW clear coat seems to be a bit tougher. I'm not sure if it is thicker, but even our Pathfinder was easily chipped, or at least seemed more susceptible to rock chips. Not sure if it a Japanese car thing or a German car thing, but I can tell a difference between the the two as far as number of layers of primer/paint/clear.

We are pleased with our estimated mpg...still working on the tank from when "new".