- :
- RDX Aspec Adv.
...for another CX5. I know, I know, most of you didn't see that one coming, but let me explain...
As many of you are aware, my last CX5 stayed stock, right up until the very end when it got some Nightbreaker headlights.
Why? Because I didn't care about it other than to maintain it, honestly. It was a total "meh", basically serving as an appliance.
Over time, it grew on me as something I could trust. Then...it failed me. The fuel pressure regulator died. It was to be a $12-1400 repair that I wasn't going to sink into a car with a KBB trade-in of only a few thousand dollars. I didn't know this at the time I brought it in, and neither did the techs, they just knew "the fuel pressure sensor has an issue reported"...
So I leveraged all of my near sociopathic charm and managed to wrangle $9200 out of it + $1250 in rebates + purchasing a GT-R (the Mazda kind, not the cool kind) at invoice, and the dealer ate the repair bill for me, so really, I'd say I got $10K in trade-in (service said their cost on it would be nearly $800 to repair). I selected "Very Good" for the condition of the vehicle in this KBB evaluation...
So how did I pull this off? First of all, I have been using this dealership since I bought the car in mid 2015, and every time I go there, I try to talk to people about their passions. Their kids? Their college? Their dreams? Their cars? Buddy, we can chat it up! and I truly do find it interesting. They get to know you, and pretty soon all of your parts are internet price-matched and all of the labor is 10-20% off. So, when I came in all hang-dog over my dead Mazda (it had about 20 horsepower after 2000rpm, no lie, barely make it up and over an over-pass crossing the freeway...), and I saw the sales GM, I went over and asked how he was. He said "fine, you?" "Kinda betrayed, man, my Mazda betrayed me last night". Then I explained the above and told him it was in their shop, but that I was kindof jealous of the cars on his lot without a CEL on...
One thing you have to know about all car salesmen who last in the field is that they have a bit of a gambler in 'em. It's just how they're wired. Now, this dealer had offered me $9500 3 weeks ago for my car (killer deal then...), but I decided I'd just slog through owning the thing until I paid it off...because hey, why not? Well, then it broke and I was scared it was the HPFP (thanks, BMW 335i forum...). Anyway, I told him he didn't know what was wrong with my car, and neither did I, but I was willing to bet it needed a new engine if he was willing to bet a $25 sensor would fix it....This of course began...the game. He had the used car GM talk with the techs. Techs said "$7-1400...but we dunno..." I told him "Yeah, MY price...yours....?" He agreed I had a point, and said "Give you $9K for it. As it sits in my shop." I argued not a peep. Did tell him I had $200 in new belts, valve cover gasket, and tensioner pulley on the way though, and would have no use, could I get a we-owe for it if I brought it in? (all OEM Mazda). "grumble grumble....give you $9200 for the car". Deal!
Okay...so what do you want for yours? "Invoice" "What's invoice"? "about 2K less than sticker...plus your $1250 in rebates." "So $3500 under sticker, roughly?" "yup". Cool.
Well, we settled on a value for mine, and a value for his. The rest was simply up to finance. My bank loves me, and t hey g ave me 72mo@3.24%. Didn't even bother asking how much I made. Cool story.
Anyway, that is how I got into a CX5. Again. I was given at least. AT LEAST $3K more than my trade warranted, and I got their vehicle "right", too. They also threw in all-weather cargo mats for me, and I've been in their loaner car for the last 500 miles because we did this on the weekend, and the banks are kinda slow weekends and my ride is deadlined.
In short, it would have been stupid to walk away from this deal, financially speaking, even though yes, I was ugly upside down in my vehicle (owed $13,8XX) because of the (-)equity I carried over from my Jeep Grand Cherokee.
So...why another CX5? We all know I've been really "meh" on the thing since I got it.
Well, I needed a vehicle that had AWD. That was non-negotiable. I also needed a vehicle that I could get into with low miles for $35K or less, to fit my "comfort zone". The reason my CX5 fell out of favor with me was the loud ride (I came from a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, last), and the lack of power. It is the second slowest vehicle I have ever owned. Where I liked it was the fact that I had 106K miles on it, and it looked new inside and out. T he only failures it had that were not my fault were a fog light, and now the FP regulator. Not shabby!
My choices boiled down to:
WRX
Used Audi or Benz
Macan
Forester 2.0XT
Ford Edge Sport (used)
I chose the CX5 GT-R because of cost of maintenance (tires are $170 a piece! You price good 275/45/19's?! or something like on the GLA45 AMG? Yeah...) The performance is very adequate, in fact, being a ringer for the WRX (keep in mind that the below are test numbers, achieved by drivers launching the car who are not responsible for breaking it...on the street in the real world, most people don't do 4500rpm clutch drops or whatever...).
I have a friend with a WRX manual, and think it's plenty fast to keep me entertained. The 7.5" ground clearance out here is excellent. Also, the black polymer cladding all around the base of the car is a great thing for living on a gravel road! The interior of the CX5 higher trim levels honestly blew me away for the money. It really struck a note with me. My only legit complaint is...man...where's the remote start that my 2010 Jeep had? Seriously?
Complaints from my 2015 Touring AWD:
-Seriously? Has NAV screen and no NAV? Screw you.
-No remote start? This is 2015...
-This is slow. Good for its class, but meh.
-This is an SUV. It's as loud as some of my sports cars.
-Why can I not come CLOSE to the 30mpg advertised on road trips?
The 2019 GT-R addresses all but 1 of these (remote start), and remains to be seen what mpg I achieve.
Long and short of it, the GT-R is more lux than anything I've ever before owned, and the performance is good enough to keep me entertained, while the AWD and ground clearance and dog-storage ability is enough to fit my lifestyle.
yesterday the dealer took it to get the side windows tinted to match the rear, and the windshield tinted (80/20) all in Pinnacle F1 ceramic, to keep the heat out in a few months. I hope to pick it up in a few hours, and early next week it's off to be wrapped.
As many of you are aware, my last CX5 stayed stock, right up until the very end when it got some Nightbreaker headlights.
Why? Because I didn't care about it other than to maintain it, honestly. It was a total "meh", basically serving as an appliance.
Over time, it grew on me as something I could trust. Then...it failed me. The fuel pressure regulator died. It was to be a $12-1400 repair that I wasn't going to sink into a car with a KBB trade-in of only a few thousand dollars. I didn't know this at the time I brought it in, and neither did the techs, they just knew "the fuel pressure sensor has an issue reported"...
So I leveraged all of my near sociopathic charm and managed to wrangle $9200 out of it + $1250 in rebates + purchasing a GT-R (the Mazda kind, not the cool kind) at invoice, and the dealer ate the repair bill for me, so really, I'd say I got $10K in trade-in (service said their cost on it would be nearly $800 to repair). I selected "Very Good" for the condition of the vehicle in this KBB evaluation...
So how did I pull this off? First of all, I have been using this dealership since I bought the car in mid 2015, and every time I go there, I try to talk to people about their passions. Their kids? Their college? Their dreams? Their cars? Buddy, we can chat it up! and I truly do find it interesting. They get to know you, and pretty soon all of your parts are internet price-matched and all of the labor is 10-20% off. So, when I came in all hang-dog over my dead Mazda (it had about 20 horsepower after 2000rpm, no lie, barely make it up and over an over-pass crossing the freeway...), and I saw the sales GM, I went over and asked how he was. He said "fine, you?" "Kinda betrayed, man, my Mazda betrayed me last night". Then I explained the above and told him it was in their shop, but that I was kindof jealous of the cars on his lot without a CEL on...
One thing you have to know about all car salesmen who last in the field is that they have a bit of a gambler in 'em. It's just how they're wired. Now, this dealer had offered me $9500 3 weeks ago for my car (killer deal then...), but I decided I'd just slog through owning the thing until I paid it off...because hey, why not? Well, then it broke and I was scared it was the HPFP (thanks, BMW 335i forum...). Anyway, I told him he didn't know what was wrong with my car, and neither did I, but I was willing to bet it needed a new engine if he was willing to bet a $25 sensor would fix it....This of course began...the game. He had the used car GM talk with the techs. Techs said "$7-1400...but we dunno..." I told him "Yeah, MY price...yours....?" He agreed I had a point, and said "Give you $9K for it. As it sits in my shop." I argued not a peep. Did tell him I had $200 in new belts, valve cover gasket, and tensioner pulley on the way though, and would have no use, could I get a we-owe for it if I brought it in? (all OEM Mazda). "grumble grumble....give you $9200 for the car". Deal!
Okay...so what do you want for yours? "Invoice" "What's invoice"? "about 2K less than sticker...plus your $1250 in rebates." "So $3500 under sticker, roughly?" "yup". Cool.
Well, we settled on a value for mine, and a value for his. The rest was simply up to finance. My bank loves me, and t hey g ave me 72mo@3.24%. Didn't even bother asking how much I made. Cool story.
Anyway, that is how I got into a CX5. Again. I was given at least. AT LEAST $3K more than my trade warranted, and I got their vehicle "right", too. They also threw in all-weather cargo mats for me, and I've been in their loaner car for the last 500 miles because we did this on the weekend, and the banks are kinda slow weekends and my ride is deadlined.
In short, it would have been stupid to walk away from this deal, financially speaking, even though yes, I was ugly upside down in my vehicle (owed $13,8XX) because of the (-)equity I carried over from my Jeep Grand Cherokee.
So...why another CX5? We all know I've been really "meh" on the thing since I got it.
Well, I needed a vehicle that had AWD. That was non-negotiable. I also needed a vehicle that I could get into with low miles for $35K or less, to fit my "comfort zone". The reason my CX5 fell out of favor with me was the loud ride (I came from a 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, last), and the lack of power. It is the second slowest vehicle I have ever owned. Where I liked it was the fact that I had 106K miles on it, and it looked new inside and out. T he only failures it had that were not my fault were a fog light, and now the FP regulator. Not shabby!
My choices boiled down to:
WRX
Used Audi or Benz
Macan
Forester 2.0XT
Ford Edge Sport (used)
I chose the CX5 GT-R because of cost of maintenance (tires are $170 a piece! You price good 275/45/19's?! or something like on the GLA45 AMG? Yeah...) The performance is very adequate, in fact, being a ringer for the WRX (keep in mind that the below are test numbers, achieved by drivers launching the car who are not responsible for breaking it...on the street in the real world, most people don't do 4500rpm clutch drops or whatever...).
I have a friend with a WRX manual, and think it's plenty fast to keep me entertained. The 7.5" ground clearance out here is excellent. Also, the black polymer cladding all around the base of the car is a great thing for living on a gravel road! The interior of the CX5 higher trim levels honestly blew me away for the money. It really struck a note with me. My only legit complaint is...man...where's the remote start that my 2010 Jeep had? Seriously?
Complaints from my 2015 Touring AWD:
-Seriously? Has NAV screen and no NAV? Screw you.
-No remote start? This is 2015...
-This is slow. Good for its class, but meh.
-This is an SUV. It's as loud as some of my sports cars.
-Why can I not come CLOSE to the 30mpg advertised on road trips?
The 2019 GT-R addresses all but 1 of these (remote start), and remains to be seen what mpg I achieve.
Long and short of it, the GT-R is more lux than anything I've ever before owned, and the performance is good enough to keep me entertained, while the AWD and ground clearance and dog-storage ability is enough to fit my lifestyle.
yesterday the dealer took it to get the side windows tinted to match the rear, and the windshield tinted (80/20) all in Pinnacle F1 ceramic, to keep the heat out in a few months. I hope to pick it up in a few hours, and early next week it's off to be wrapped.
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(I'm so on the fence right now but that is a discussion for another time)
