I've never really been one to put a lot of time/money into a vehicle, seeing it as more of disposable means of getting around (past classic cars I've owned notwithstanding) and I figure that if you're going to put a lot of time and money into improving a car, you might as well just get a better car. But the Mazda 5's size and flexibility (sliding doors, can seat 6) make it a good fit for me into the foreseeable future. I expected to eventually get something like an Odyssey, but most of the time I don't need all that space and prefer being able to park and maneuver the 5 more easily.
So; now I'm beginning to make improvements: Koni FSD struts already on, front and rear sway bars going on soon, followed by a hitch for a bike rack, probably upgrading brakes and rotors soon, too - you know where this is going...
I'm imagining the Mazda 5 platform will serve me fine for 8 more years (kids). Or rather, I can't justify a mid-life crisis, red, sports car until then. I want it to be a car that I enjoy driving and that does what I need it to as opposed to feeling like I'm making do. It's got 95K on it and the MPG seems low (but acceptable from what I've seen in that thread), but I wonder how long the engine is good for.
Which is a roundabout way of asking how y'all decide how far to go improving your cars. What you guys do when something bad happens. If the car gets totaled, do you try to strip all the parts you can salvage and put the on a same model replacement car? Or do you just suck it up and start over? If the engine fails, do you get a replacement and start over or again, strip it and put it all in a replacement car?
So; now I'm beginning to make improvements: Koni FSD struts already on, front and rear sway bars going on soon, followed by a hitch for a bike rack, probably upgrading brakes and rotors soon, too - you know where this is going...
I'm imagining the Mazda 5 platform will serve me fine for 8 more years (kids). Or rather, I can't justify a mid-life crisis, red, sports car until then. I want it to be a car that I enjoy driving and that does what I need it to as opposed to feeling like I'm making do. It's got 95K on it and the MPG seems low (but acceptable from what I've seen in that thread), but I wonder how long the engine is good for.
Which is a roundabout way of asking how y'all decide how far to go improving your cars. What you guys do when something bad happens. If the car gets totaled, do you try to strip all the parts you can salvage and put the on a same model replacement car? Or do you just suck it up and start over? If the engine fails, do you get a replacement and start over or again, strip it and put it all in a replacement car?