Used 2007 Mazda5 questions

11B-33T

11B-33T

Grumpy Vet
:
MSP 2003.5, Laser Blue
Greetings to all. I usually hang out in the Mazdaspeed Protege forum but have questions for you Mazda5 owners. I' m looking for another auto and being a Mazda enthusiast always steers me to look at Mazdas first.

I've come across a used '07 Sport (AT) with only 37k miles on her and one owner listed according to Carfax. Local used car dealership is asking $12k (negotiable) which seems NADA & KBB ballpark for a well-kept, low-mileage Mazda5. Dealership has no maintenance records as the car was originally bought in Florida, moved to AZ in 2010 and traded in last month. The dealer had the car QA inspected by a local garage. The oil was changed, front brake pads/rotors replaced as well as the front sway bar links. Test drive was good to go, acceleration from stop/hwy speed, turning & cornering, A/C tested with no issues noted.

Questions are:

  1. Good price?
  2. Do these Mazda5's have weak brake pads/rotors?
  3. Sway bar links wear prematurely?
  4. Anything else to check for?

I appreciate all feedback that y'all can provide.
 
1.That asking price is WAAAAAY too high, knock off $3K then consider it. I don’t care for the low mileage either (not a good thing for an old car). Personally, two things set my radar off: “local used car dealer” + title moved across state. There might be a legitimate reason behind this and it could be a quality used automobile but I won’t look any further than that.

2.Depends on your needs, driving habit, and definition of weak. Stockers are fully capable of stopping the car but added weight can be a strain. Also, if a brake job was done, you have no idea what was used.

3.No if on stock suspension.

4.06-07 has camber (and toe setting) issues in the rear resulting in excessive tire wear. Being an AZ resident, I’d recommend looking into ’08 as that is the MCR car with AC for the 2nd row. Also has the revised 5sp auto vs 4sp in the <’07. All model years <’12 need sway bar bushing servicing and shocks do not last.
“09 is THE year to get IMO and I’d recommend saving for the GT –it’s worth it even though you are in AZ where hot leather and heated seats/mirrors are useless :)
 
11B-33T said:
Questions are:

  1. Good price?
  2. Do these Mazda5's have weak brake pads/rotors?
  3. Sway bar links wear prematurely?
  4. Anything else to check for?
I appreciate all feedback that y'all can provide.
Click to expand...


There have been issues with transmissions, I'd pull the transmission stick and look to see what the fluid looks like. If it looks ok (pink), then they probably changed the ATF at some time. Otherwise, you could get a fluid analysis done if they let you have some fluid. Wind it thru the gears some and see if it shifts smooth.

Also, some people have had problems with brake pads wearing out and rotors. If it brakes smooth and the pads look ok, you should be ok. This is a wear item that can be fixed. Make sure to check the inner pads since the pins can seize and wear the inside out first.

Another known problem is the sway bar bushings - they wear and start making noise.
 
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Like they said above. Plus:

Check the rear sway bar bushing and see if they're new or recently greased.

Check the motor mounts! The OEM ones are crap.

Makes sure the sliding doors catch when you close them.

Drive over some bumpy roads to feel if the rear shocks are on the way out.

Other than that mine has been super!
 
All, thanks for the prompt replies. I figured asking the MZ5 owners on our boards is one of the best sources of info available.

@Silentnoise713: The two-state ownership does not rally bother me too much as this is a military town and military folks move cross country alot as well as two car households being the norm. Local used car dealership is a necessary evil as our only Mazda dealership closed over 3 years ago. (headshake Gotta travel 70+ miles for any kind of Mazda warranty work to be done..

@kw_da: I did check all fluid levels, PS, coolant, ATF, engine oil and all were topped off and shiny-looking of course! Visual check of brakes/rotors showed new items and no curb rash on the rims so the PO's weren't total loser drivers and spare tire, jack & all tools were present in pristine condition.

@Indelibility: Doors did lock in open position and remained shut when closed (I always check this function for sliding doors having lived in the Bay area years ago!) but did not get to hit the 'trails' as the roads here are pretty good. I did not get into the engine bay to check motor mounts (that bay is tiny!) and I figure sway bar bushings on Mazdas wear quick 'cuz we drive our Mazdas!

Again, thanks for the input and I did find an '09 GT w/52k miles for $12.5k that's about 200 miles away that I will have to look into as well..
 
11B-33T;

If you want a good Mazda5, I can get you in touch with the guy who got me mine. I paid $11,500 for an 06 4 1/2 years ago w/27K on the clock. Now, since it was a 5MT, it WAS a bit cheaper over the AT premium price, but even still, I bet he could get you an 09 or better w/low mileage for $12K. Then you can get the 5AT instead of the 4AT, and skip a whole slew of 06-07 issues.

So are you in Tucson or SV? (Don't say Yuma, or I'll have to come put you out of your misery over Thanksgiving break.)
 
11B-33T said:
Local used car dealership is a necessary evil as our only Mazda dealership closed over 3 years ago. (headshake Gotta travel 70+ miles for any kind of Mazda warranty work to be done....
Click to expand...

OK, Tucson is out. Ft. H. or YPG??
 
Don't forget to check the rear shocks and shock mounts. All of these Mazda 5's minus the 2012+ (revision happened then) have had suspension issues.
 
Little bit of mis-information from a couple members... specifically about the transmissions. The really bad transmission and the one to avoid is in the '08. That's when the switched from the fairly robust 4 speed in the '06 and '07 to the newer 5 speed. Seems they fixed most of it's issues with the '09, but the '08 is prone to expensive failure. Have a look through this to get a good idea about issues - http://www.truedelta.com/Mazda-Mazda5/reliability-173

And of course, if it hasn't been mentioned enough, if the vehicle you're looking at has stock front struts, rear shocks, front sway bar bushings and rear sway bar bushings... they may have failed, are close to failure or will fail soon. Good news is, most of it is fairly easily DIY'd (with the help of some good how-to's from this forum) and fairly cheap for parts if you don't go for performance upgrades (which aren't really all that expensive either), just don't install OEM for any of the suspension parts!
 
Choices-choices abound now. I've been pointed to a '10 Touring MZ5 w/66k miles for +/- $12.5k as well. More research shows that DSC/TSC comes standard on 2010 models. I do like this safety feature as well as the all row curtain bags. Any input from current 2010 owners is welcome.
 
Wishmaster said:
Little bit of mis-information from a couple members... specifically about the transmissions. The really bad transmission and the one to avoid is in the '08. That's when the switched from the fairly robust 4 speed in the '06 and '07 to the newer 5 speed. Seems they fixed most of it's issues with the '09, but the '08 is prone to expensive failure. Have a look through this to get a good idea about issues - http://www.truedelta.com/Mazda-Mazda5/reliability-173
Click to expand...
Before you stand firm in this belief for ‘08s, ask yourself this. Do you think/believe Mazda likely 1) re-designed, 2) revised, 3) put in a whole new/different 5sp transmission starting ’09 and up, or 4) didn't do a thing? Could it be that since ’08 was the first year for the change over that these owners naturally tend to carry more miles and the car more abused? What about the +’12 autos?

We will never officially know but I am putting my money on all 5sp autos are identical throughout the years. Remember Mazda was a starving little company then, not the one with the edge (sky stuff) we know today.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...ansmission-Fluid-Dark-and-needs-to-be-changed


11B-33T said:
Choices-choices abound now. I've been pointed to a '10 Touring MZ5 w/66k miles for +/- $12.5k as well. More research shows that DSC/TSC comes standard on 2010 models. I do like this safety feature as well as the all row curtain bags. Any input from current 2010 owners is welcome.
Click to expand...
:) which is why I say the ’09 is better b/c I dislike electronic nannies but I can see the advantage for some. You lose the fender blinkers.
 
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Silentnoise713 said:
Do you think/believe Mazda likely 1) re-designed, 2) revised, 3) put in a whole new/different 5sp transmission starting ’09 and up, or 4) didn't do a thing? Could it be that since ’08 was the first year for the change over that these owners naturally tend to carry more miles and the car more abused? What about the +’12 autos?
Click to expand...

Could all come down to software. 01-02 Volvo transmissions earned a very unglorious reputation and it mostly came down to a feature programmed into the 01s and some early 02s that switched the transmission into a neutral state whenever it came to a stop to increase mpgs. It caused the throttle body to fail and later the software was removed, allowing later 02s to have a higher chance of survival until a different transmission was put in place in 03.
 
Silentnoise713 said:
:) which is why I say the ’09 is better b/c I dislike electronic nannies but I can see the advantage for some. You lose the fender blinkers.
Click to expand...

This really boggles my mind. How is it that we here in the US get the deletion of the side markers on the fenders but everyone else in the world (I assume) still gets them. Even on the newer 2012+ models as well!! The 2013 model at least got side marker mirrors which by the way are not a simple bolt on mod because the 2012 models are not pre-wired. I loved those fender side markers....they were functional and looked cool too....end of rant, now back to the topic at hand.

I have to agree with Silentnoise on this one. The 2009 model year would be the best choice when considering a 1st generation MZ5. Especially a Touring or GT model because of these reasons (subjectively):

1. Refreshed front end
2. LED tail lamps (on Touring and GT)(I hate the nasty Sport model tail lamps)
3. 5-speed transmission
4. Rear A/C (this is a must, trust me I had an 2006 myself)
5. All 4 captain chairs get both sided armrests (06-07 did not)
6. Most bugs ironed out from the previous models
7. Fender side markers :)
 
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