Mazda CX-5?

This is no help, but I can't think of anyone I know who has a Mazda these days. I can't even think of the last time I saw a Mazda on the road....

Huh? There's plenty of Mazdas running around here (NJ/PA)...especially CX-5's. They're everywhere...
 
My mom has a 2017 cx5 and absolutely loves it. When she first bought it there were not that many around here and now there are a lot more of them. My brother who is a car guy recommenmed it.
 
Huh? There's plenty of Mazdas running around here (NJ/PA)...especially CX-5's. They're everywhere...
Mazda sold less than 290,000 vehicles TOTAL in the U.S. in 2017, only 127,000 were CX-5s. Similar models like the Toyota RAV4 sold 407,000 cars. Nissan sold 403,000 Rogues. Honda sold 377,000 CRVs. Ford 308,000 Escapes.
 
Mazda sold less than 290,000 vehicles TOTAL in the U.S. in 2017, only 127,000 were CX-5s. Similar models like the Toyota RAV4 sold 407,000 cars. Nissan sold 403,000 Rogues. Honda sold 377,000 CRVs. Ford 308,000 Escapes.

That's fine. I don't think anyone is arguing Mazda is as big as Honda or Toyota. I think the point that was being made is that you said "...but I can't think of anyone I know who has a Mazda these days. I can't even think of the last time I saw a Mazda on the road." My reaction to that was also o_O. They aren't as common as an Accord or F150, but there are plenty of Mazdas running around on the roads. I know tons of people who have them...I've owned 7 or 8 myself, and I see them on the road every day. Mazda has a cult following among car enthusiasts. While they aren't a mega giant, they aren't an obscure brand either.
 


OP here -- thanks for all of the responses. It's good to hear that most people are pleased, and if we do look at a new Mazda, I will be sure to ask about the headlight issue.

However, what's wrong with the Mazda6 that has only 80k miles that you don't think it's worth repairing? If you don't want it because you don't like/want it, that's one thing. But those cars are darn reliable, I'd wonder what's so bad that it's not worth fixing?

I wondered the same thing and thought that if my car only had 80K and it was getting too expensive to maintain I wouldn't be getting the same manufacturer when I was looking to replace it.

As it turns out, the repair was not as extensive as feared. At first the mechanic thought we might need a new fuel pump, which would have been about $2000. The actual repairs ended up being about $800 so we decided to fix it. We had tentatively decided that if the repair were more than $1000 we would think seriously about trading in for a new car, but for now we've put off that decision.

I am not the OP but even with low mileage a 14 year old car is a ticking time bomb of reliability.

Absolutely not. Maintenance and brand play a huge role, but in broad terms a 14 year old car is nothing close to a ticking time bomb of reliability. Mazda has a pretty strong track record with reliability. Not quite up to Honda/Toyota standards, but pretty darn good...even in the years when they were owned by Ford.

This is the big question that will have to be answered sometime -- which is more important, miles or years? With our other cars, the two were pretty much the same -- by the time we'd had the car 15 years, it had 200,000 miles on it. MIL did do basic things like oil changes but she does not drive a lot so the car often sat in the parking lot for months without being driven at all.
 
OP here -- thanks for all of the responses. It's good to hear that most people are pleased, and if we do look at a new Mazda, I will be sure to ask about the headlight issue.





As it turns out, the repair was not as extensive as feared. At first the mechanic thought we might need a new fuel pump, which would have been about $2000. The actual repairs ended up being about $800 so we decided to fix it. We had tentatively decided that if the repair were more than $1000 we would think seriously about trading in for a new car, but for now we've put off that decision.





This is the big question that will have to be answered sometime -- which is more important, miles or years? With our other cars, the two were pretty much the same -- by the time we'd had the car 15 years, it had 200,000 miles on it. MIL did do basic things like oil changes but she does not drive a lot so the car often sat in the parking lot for months without being driven at all.

If your mechanic was going to charge $2000 for a fuel pump, you need a new mechanic. The part itself is probably around $100-$200 and the labor isn't much either.

As for miles vs years, really it's kind of hard to separate the two...there are so many factors. A 2018 car that already had 60k miles on it probably has been just running up and down the highway, which is less strenuous on the mechanical components. A 2013 car that has only 25k miles, but in all bumper to bumper heavy city traffic is the other end of that extreme. Cars don't like sitting for months on end, it's not good for things like seals, hoses and chemicals. You have to evaluate it as a whole. If it's been well cared for...or even simply not abused or neglected, 14 years and 80k miles is no big deal whatsoever.
 
I had a 2005 Mazda3 with 170k miles and just sold it this past August. I loved that car so much!! I've had a Kia Forte and Hyundai Elantra since then, and neither handles as nicely as the Mazda. I know these are sedans and not SUV's, but I just liked the sportiness of it. I also never had major issues. It was older with a lot of miles, so I did have to do repairs other than the routine, but the cost of the repairs was cheaper than the cost for financing a new car, so I did it. Would've kept driving the car if we didn't switch to a one car household.
 


That's fine. I don't think anyone is arguing Mazda is as big as Honda or Toyota. I think the point that was being made is that you said "...but I can't think of anyone I know who has a Mazda these days. I can't even think of the last time I saw a Mazda on the road." My reaction to that was also o_O. They aren't as common as an Accord or F150, but there are plenty of Mazdas running around on the roads. I know tons of people who have them...I've owned 7 or 8 myself, and I see them on the road every day. Mazda has a cult following among car enthusiasts. While they aren't a mega giant, they aren't an obscure brand either.
I actually saw one on the way home today. A CX3. Not as obscure as Mitsubishi for sure. Mazda was number 13 in sales of 18 Brands in the U.S. in 2017 https://www.automobilemag.com/news/u-s-auto-sales-totaled-17-25-million-calendar-2017/

My 2003 Ford Focus had the Mazda 2.3 Liter PZEV engine in it. Drove it until April of this year, 160,000 miles, and other than lousy motor mounts, a great peppy engine.

Just seems Mazdas were a whole lot more common when they had the rotary engines.
 
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Absolutely not. Maintenance and brand play a huge role, but in broad terms a 14 year old car is nothing close to a ticking time bomb of reliability. Mazda has a pretty strong track record with reliability. Not quite up to Honda/Toyota standards, but pretty darn good...even in the years when they were owned by Ford.

When we purchased the Mazda we traded in a 10 year old Nissan Murano and a 12 year old Toyota Highlander. Both were under 100k miles and we were spending thousands per year in repairs and were inconvenienced with unreliable rides at least 3 times between the two in that final year.

Every visit said the car is getting old - these things happen...sorry, new catalytic converter needed...sorry, sunroof seals start to degrade and leak overtime....etc...it’s definitely NOT the same level of reliability in year 10 or year 15 as it is in year 2 or 3.
 
We dumped our one and only Mazda over Labor Day weekend and will never go back. Ironically we moved over to a Rav 4.

We had bought a CX-7 in 2010 and had been having headlight problems for years. It got to the point we were using our older vehicle for night travel as we had no headlights at all. It was blamed on bad seals on both headlights, leading to moisture entering the headlamp itself. Multiple estimates lead to close to $2,000 to replace. There are numerous complaints regarding Mazdas and this problem with the NTSB, but nothing has been done yet.
In addition, the driver's seat was broken, we could not move it up. They wanted $900 to fix that.
We had sudden acceleration issues also, we'd go to back up and the vehicle would literally take off. Same going forward, we had to be careful in a drive thru line or at the bank. That was another grand.
The final straw was the driver side window would not roll down anymore. Didn't even bother with an estimate as that was it, time to dump.

We keep cars til the wheels fall off, but this car was only 8 years old with 110K miles and it was either put upwards of $4,000 in repairs into it, or dump it to some other poor soul. We traded it in and are thrilled with the Rav 4. We were quoted 28 mp highway, we're getting 31. The Mazda had been recalled multiple times, the dealership never had the loaner car promised by Mazda in the letters. Took several days off from work, had to cancel doctor appointments due to no transportation, it was a nightmare with both the car, and the dealership.

Never again.
I had a Mazda Tribute. 2003. It was terrible. It was the sibling of the Ford Escape. The transmission went at 115k. That was after having it in the shop countless times for stalling. It was our newest car at one time and we couldn’t trust it to drive on vacation.
 
OP here -- thanks for all of the responses. It's good to hear that most people are pleased, and if we do look at a new Mazda, I will be sure to ask



As it turns out, the repair was not as extensive as feared. At first the mechanic thought we might need a new fuel pump, which would have been about $2000. The actual repairs ended up being about $800 so we decided to fix it. We had tentatively decided that if the repair were more than $1000 we would think seriously about trading in for a new car, but for now we've put off that decision.





This is the big question that will have to be answered sometime -- which is more important, miles or years? With our other cars, the two were pretty much the same -- by the time we'd had the car 15 years, it had 200,000 miles on it. MIL did do basic things like oil changes but she does not drive a lot so the car often sat in the parking lot for months without being driven at all.
OP here -- thanks for all of the responses. It's good to hear that most people are pleased, and if we do look at a new Mazda, I will be sure to ask about the headlight issue.





As it turns out, the repair was not as extensive as feared. At first the mechanic thought we might need a new fuel pump, which would have been about $2000. The actual repairs ended up being about $800 so we decided to fix it. We had tentatively decided that if the repair were more than $1000 we would think seriously about trading in for a new car, but for now we've put off that decision.





This is the big question that will have to be answered sometime -- which is more important, miles or years? With our other cars, the two were pretty much the same -- by the time we'd had the car 15 years, it had 200,000 miles on it. MIL did do basic things like oil changes but she does not drive a lot so the car often sat in the parking lot for months without being driven at all.
$2000 for a fuel pump??? My husband had to replace his on his ford and it was about $1000. I thought THAT was a lot.
 
I actually saw one on the way home today. A CX3. Not as obscure as Mitsubishi for sure. Mazda was number 13 in sales of 18 Brands in the U.S. in 2017 https://www.automobilemag.com/news/u-s-auto-sales-totaled-17-25-million-calendar-2017/

My 2003 Ford Focus had the Mazda 2.3 Liter PZEV engine in it. Drove it until April of this year, 160,000 miles, and other than lousy motor mounts, a great peppy engine.

Just seems Mazdas were a whole lot more common when they had the rotary engines.

Pretty sure the rotary was only used here in the US in the RX7/RX8 and in the old REPU trucks. I think the sales numbers then were far less than now.
 
Also check the tire specs. The CX-7 had tires that only fit that vehicle, and once production of the vehicle stopped, so did production of the tires. When we had to replace the tires, the only places that carried the same size were NTB, and the dealership itself. We decided on the dealership and the set they put on had been sitting so long they dry rotted and failed within weeks of installation. The second set was better but it still was over $700 for 4 tires.
 
Also check the tire specs. The CX-7 had tires that only fit that vehicle, and once production of the vehicle stopped, so did production of the tires. When we had to replace the tires, the only places that carried the same size were NTB, and the dealership itself. We decided on the dealership and the set they put on had been sitting so long they dry rotted and failed within weeks of installation. The second set was better but it still was over $700 for 4 tires.

I think someone was telling you some lies, so they could make money.
 
We've rented a CX-9 before and thought it was a great car, tbh, and I have a coworker who has driven a CX-9 for years now and loves it. An old coworker currently has a CX-5 and seems to love it as well. If we weren't super into Hondas and Toyotas, I'd consider one, definitely.
 
$2000 for a fuel pump??? My husband had to replace his on his ford and it was about $1000. I thought THAT was a lot.

Yeah, we just had ours replaced on our Silverado and it was $400 and I thought *that* was expensive... (if we can find someone else who had it done cheaper we can go on forever, lol).
 
Yeah, we just had ours replaced on our Silverado and it was $400 and I thought *that* was expensive... (if we can find someone else who had it done cheaper we can go on forever, lol).
Just the fuel pump for my Taurus was $380, no labor. So $400 installed sounds reasonable.
 

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