picking up 2006 Mazda5 today

rkhanso

Member
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2006 Mazda5
I will hopfully be picking up a 2006 Mazda5 sport today. It's black, with black leather and heated seats, Navigation system, 5-speed, sunroof and 100K mi. I've owned more than 35 cars in my lifetime, but this is the first Mazda.

I'll be searching the forum for all things related to Mazda5 and hope to find some nice hacks/tweaks and ideas for making it 'mine' - well, actually 'my wife's'

Somewhere (can't remember where) I read that someone used some 16" rims from a Nissan Maxima and found some better traction tires for winter (very important here in Minnesnowta).

The Radio reads CDs fine, but doesn't read the navigation DVD. I'm hoping it just needs a new DVD. I'm sure other bugs will surface after we drive it over the next week.

Here's a link to the car
 
Looks like a nice ride indeed. I like the tail lamps on the 06 & 07's more than the ones on my 09 sport, they just look cooler to me. So very good for you. Looks like the leather seats need some good leather conditioning, but to be expected for the year and mileage. The Mazda5 was my first Mazda, too. I have to honestly say that it is now my second favorite car that I have ever owned and I have owned approximately 12 cars over the past 22 years. I have driven over 20 different makes and models from friends and family, and Mazda5 is awesome for me. Enjoy.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Thought you might like to know that your Navigation DVD Drive should be in the back of the glovebox.
 
We did find the DVD - it was already in the radio/nav system. It gives a read error and then ejects the DVD.
Hopefully it's just a bad DVD, or maybe getting one of those polishing kits will help? It doesn't appear to be very scratched up, but just a little.

We tried an audio CD in the radio, which plays fine.
 
I think you might be misunderstanding where to put the navigation DVD.

Unless you have an aftermarket Nav system, the DISC DRIVE slot in the dash/radio is for AUDIO CD's whereas the DISC DRIVE slot inside the GLOVEBOX, is for your NAVIGATION drive.
 
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I think you might be misunderstanding where to put the navigation DVD.

Unless you have an aftermarket Nav system, the DISC DRIVE slot in the dash/radio is for AUDIO CD's whereas the DISC DRIVE slot inside the GLOVEBOX, is for your NAVIGATION drive.
Well, I did not know there was a slot in the glovebox. I haven't picked up the car yet, they're waiting for the money transfer. But, you've given me hope!!

Bummer - I found out there's only ONE key for the car. That means I have to spend the big $$ to get a new one programmed.
 
Got it!!

I picked up the car today. Gotta say I like it so far overall. I'd like to do some minor things to it (LED lights inside, replace the scratched window tint, install mud flaps, maybe new shocks, iPod connection, etc). It's fun to drive, the seats are pretty comfortable and though winter is on it's way out, the heated seats can still come in handy on cold nights. And when it gets hot out, the sliding moonroof will be nice.

It's got some nice options/features. The Navigation system is pretty basic and not very user friendly, except for the voice commands - which I can see as coming in handy. The stock 6-cd radio is not very impressive. It just doesn't sound very good. For such a small car, there sure is a lot of room in the back with all the seats folded down.

The RPMs at highway speeds surprised me that they're so high. That's gotta cut down on mileage. I suppose the 6-sp MT manages better mileage.

My wife is going to be the main driver.
 
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The RPMs at highway speeds surprised me that they're so high. That's gotta cut down on mileage. I suppose the 6-sp MT manages better mileage.

My wife is going to be the main driver.

My M-I-L borrowed ours for 2 days, lives 30 mi out of the urban in a rural area butting an exurb. All speed limits are 45 her neck of the woods, except the freeway coming in (75) and the hwy we usually take (55) When she returned it, pretty sure she returned it w/only 60-some mi used, but the needle had barely moved. I figure it was over 30 mpg she got. The gearing in the 5MT is 1/2 of what makes the Mazda5 so much fun, tho. If the overall drive ratio was lower, it would be like driving any old Camry.
 
First tank of gas: 24.75 MPG. Not as much as I hoped, but I did deliver meals on wheels with it a couple days where it sits and idles for a little while. Hopefully the mileage will improve as we get used to it.

I agree with the gearing about making it fun to drive, but a really high (tall?) 6th gear for highway cruising would be nice for good MPG.
 
6th gear for highway cruising would be nice for good MPG.

Thought about that too, but the 2.3's lack of torque most likely works against it. The 2.0L gas engine in EU is also only 5MT, while the torquey diesel gets the 6MT. Notice the new 2.5L in the '12s has 20 ft/lbs more torque, so I bet the 6MT is alot of fun. If only it was offered on the Touring in the US.......... :(
 
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