That would ass-plain it!
That would ass-plain it!
'09 MZ5 - No negatives.
Lots of mz5 love here.
I'm 6'5" and was able to find a semi-comfortable position but I'll make the adapters some day. Once I find the pics I'll post them up. FWIW the only cars I've found comfortable have been my MINI Cooper, Porsche 911, and Passat.
I haven't found anything on the Mazda difficult to do, it's just following the process. There is a spot near the control arm for jacking so you don't have to put the jack so far under the vehicle. A low profile jack is helpful but not necessary.
edit: I do need to replace the front sway bar linkage on our van as it clunks like crazy. If you're in a state where vehicles rust prepare for teaching the neighbor kids new words when it comes time to do your front struts. Plan on replacing the upper strut bearings too, I did ours at 100K and while the old ones weren't worn out they did need a good servicing. Same setup as the Focus, V50, and S40 that share the platform.
I'm late to this thread, but we bought a manual '06 model recently after being rather disappointed in the the used wagon market. It wasn't the vehicle I had in mind, but man do we love it. Definitely drives like the 3 it's based on, which is a fantastic thing for the mid-sized glorified-hatchback/van/thingie it is. I find myself bombing through corners in much the same way I would in our Integra.
The engine is adequate, but isn't anything to write home about. The manual trans makes up for a lot of that though. The thing is so quiet compared to what I'm used to that I find myself revving the crap out of it if I don't pay attention. I've actually considered installing some sort of mild aftermarket muffler just so I can hear my shift points.
Space-wise, it's pretty perfect for me, my wife, and our big ass german shepherd. We can finally fit the dog and 4 adults in a car at the same time. We don't have kids yet, so it's our hardware store hauler and road trip machine. Functionally, it compliments our Integra and MR2 nicely without being a driving-dynamics penalty box.
My wife is averaging 24mpg on her stop-n-go ATL traffic-jam infested commute with plenty of mixed highway/city. It's almost a worst-case scenario for mileage, so I'm not too disappointed considering the size of the thing. It could also have something to do with our tendency to chirp the tires and rev it to the moon. 
Complaints:
I'm about 6' with 32" inseam and the seat goes plenty far back enough for me. That said, I have a hard time driving it for more than a couple of hours due to the go-pedal angle. It wears my ankle out for some reason. I've tried several different driving positions, but I can only seem to mitigate the problem. Maybe I'm just used to driving relatively low-slung cars with my feet in front of me instead of the more upright position of a van. Dunno?
Oh yeah, we also have the problem with the rear sliding doors not unlocking. I get the feeling there's a worn out plastic part in there that isn't catching correctly. Something like missing cogs on a gear.
I'm kinda shocked (no pun intended) that I'm the only one that's experienced the static electricity issue. Seriously, twice a year for at least a month I get electrical burns on my hand if I'm not extraordinarly careful.
In reply to ReverendDexter:
Don't slide your ass on the seat? I dunno man, I wear khakis, dress pants, jeans, etc in mine and I hardly ever get shocked. Do you have a bare wire in your driver's door?
Javelin wrote: In reply to ReverendDexter: Don't slide your ass on the seat? I dunno man, I wear khakis, dress pants, jeans, etc in mine and I hardly ever get shocked. Do you have a bare wire in your driver's door?
I think it's the process of opening the door when I have long sleeves on; the sleeve runs across that bit of fabric insert over the arm rest and builds up a charge.
Happens to the wife, too.
In reply to ReverendDexter:
Ahh, that would make sense. I never touch that piece. I would try re-upholstering it. Snap that thing off, pick your favorite static-free textile, and glue/staple away.
Javelin wrote: In reply to ReverendDexter: Ahh, that would make sense. I never touch that piece. I would try re-upholstering it. Snap that thing off, pick your favorite static-free textile, and glue/staple away.
I would consider that if it weren't the wife's car bought new-off-the-lot and still-making-payments.
She would be double-plus unhappy.
In reply to ReverendDexter:
Use the door pull/handle/armrest instead of the mouse fur then! 
(Or match the new fabric to her favorite purse...)
I much preferred driving the rondo to the 5speed m5 I drove. It felt smaller and more toss able. I would have bought the rondo, but decided I needed towing ability more than a third row of seats so I ended up with a v6 rav4. The only cons so far are the small fuel tank and the swinging door hits my trailer/ bike rack.
To update where I stand on it: I went to the dealership yesterday to test drive the Mazda5. They had just received it in trade and were going to have some parking lot dings taken out (I was going to see it pre-bodywork to confirm), but somehow they didn't get my voicemail that I wanted to come see it. 
They offered to drive me to their body shop, which was 15 minutes away, but I didn't have the time. I test drove a '12, which outside of a facelift is essentially the same thing. I was very impressed. Drove like a car, felt like a car. Very versitile seating. A lot to like.
However, they weren't willing to give me as much on my trade in as the dealer with the Kia. Only $500 difference, but still it's money. Since they didn't offer a "better" deal than the dealer with the Kia, I think my wife will go for the Kia. It's 2 years newer, only has 15k miles, has 4 years left on warranty, is better on gas, etc... That and she just likes the look of the wagon/hatch better than the Mazda. So as much as I liked the Mazda, we're likely to end up with the Forte.
How does warranty work on a used Kia?
In the earlier days of Hyundai/Kia i think they used to offer 10 years to the new buyer but if that was transferred to a secondary buyer it was then only 3 years total.
Some dealerships used to claim you got the longer warranty but what you were getting was an aftermarket warranty that was weak and did not really hold water.
Warranty is 5/60 bumper to bumper, all owners. Buying a CPO gets the 10/100 b2b, but has to come from a kia dealer. Any private party or non-kia dealer purchases still hve the remaining 5/60 b2b. So, if you buy a 2 year old Forte, you get 3 years or whatever the miles it has up until 60k miles.
Klay, you won't be disappointed. They are a very nice car.
Bobzilla wrote: Buying a CPO gets the 10/100 b2b, but has to come from a kia dealer.
This. I got the full 10/100 on the Rondo because it was from a Kia Dealer. Nice. Too bad nothing goes wrong and I'll probably never use it...
Right, the car would have the balance of the 5yr/60k miles. It didn't go into service until the very end of 2011, must have been a leftover or late sale, so warranty has 4 years left on it.
It's a very nice car. I didn't drive it, but I liked what I saw and what I've heard. But as I said at the outset, my opinion is worthless, it's all about what she likes. And she seemed to really like this car.
Wow, a Forte is not anywhere near the same car as a Mazda5. The Rondo I totally get (and like), but the Forte? Cool if the Mrs likes it, just an odd choice of cars to compare.
Yeah, the Rondo and the 5 are true "mini" minivans, where the Forte is a Mazda 3 wagon competitor. But they're both small to midsize family haulers with something other than a sedan trunk, which is what my wife wants. She likes the looks of wagons/hatches better, but was open to the idea of the mini minivan. Before I write the check, I'm racking my brain and scouring Autotrader to see if I missed anything that fit our criteria, but I think that's about it.
Shoot, if she's into small hatchwagons, there's about a bazillion to choose from! Mazda3, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra GT, Hyundai Veloster, Volvo V40, and the MINI Clubman all come to mind...
Elantra Touring? Its bigger than the Forte wagon I am pretty sure.
TBH I dont think the Forte wagon looks that big.
Compared to her Honda Fit, the Forte is a tank...
We want something bigger, but not huge. When we want to go big, our Sedona fits the bill. Surprisingly, the Forte is actually wider than the Mazda5, just not as long or tall.
The Mazda3 was on our shopping list too, but is a couple grand more than a same year/mileage/options Forte.
Klayfish wrote: The Mazda3 was on our shopping list too, but is a couple grand more than a same year/mileage/options Forte.
And having driven both, it's worth every single penny. There's a reason the 3 is on of the best hatchwagons of all time...
failboat wrote: Elantra Touring? Its bigger than the Forte wagon I am pretty sure. TBH I dont think the Forte wagon looks that big.
The Touring had the same engine as the 01-10 Elantra, the old reliable 2.0L Beta II and either the 5-spd manual or the 4spd auto. Super reliable drivetrain as it was in my elantra, but we drove it AFTER driving the new EGT and the Forte5. It was by far the loser in this group.
Now, I loved my old Elantra. It was a fun, durable, dependable car that I really had no complaints with. But it was starting to feel a little long in the tooth. After driving the "new" breed from Hyundai/Kia, the older Touring and my 02 Elantra just feel archaic.
Javelin wrote:Klayfish wrote: The Mazda3 was on our shopping list too, but is a couple grand more than a same year/mileage/options Forte.And having driven both, it's worth every single penny. There's a reason the 3 is on of the best hatchwagons of all time...
And I'd have to disagree, after driving both. ;) Now, if you're comparing the Forte5 EX to the Mazda3, then it is really really close. But the better tires, suspension, brakes and 30hp of the SX make it stand out as the clear winner in my book.
About the only thing that the EX/SX share is the skin. Everything else is better on the SX...... and SX's are hard to find around here. Especially used.
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