Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Conrad on August 28, 2016, 06:58:21 AM
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VW will be buying back my 2012 Jetta Sportwagen TDI sometime in the next few months. I should be getting around $24k for it with ~45k miles on the clock.
I'm wanting to buy a smallish SUV or crossover. After a lot of reading online the Mazda CX-5 Touring is at the top of the list. I test drove one locally and I really liked it.
Anyone have an opinion of these Mazdas?
(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mMEJ3eMf2lM/maxresdefault.jpg)
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Personally, I think Mazdas are underrated. I've always found them to be really good cars. I say go for it, Conrad.
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I have one, a sport model so not quite as well appointed as the touring. Most of the issues I have with mine are minor inconveniences that will be addressed by the higher trim level. The only issue I can think of usability of the the center armrest for the passenger. The center console houses the cup holders behind the rotary dial for the entertainment system. The center armrest has a cut out on the passenger side that effectively makes it useless for the passenger. Small thing but it drove my wife nuts for the first few months. She's used to it now.
In my opinion, the thing drives very well and is extremely comfortable. Fit and finish is very good and I like the interior materials. Going from it to our other car highlights how tight everything on it is. For a small suv I paid $26K for, it feels better than the price point. We piled up more than 20K miles in the first year, averaging mid to high 20s in mixed driving, which is good for my wife as fuel mileage drops significantly whenever she is behind the wheel.
I installed a class III hitch and tow a 4x8 trailer with it. It drags the trailer well with no issues. Haven't done it yet but I'd have no qualms about trailering the C14 with it.
Overall, I love it. I've had very good experiences with Mazda. I'd buy it again but would likely spring for a higher trim model. You may also want to go look at the Kia Sportage and Sorento. We had a 2011 Sorento and loved it, only sold it to PCS to Italy and it was on the short list when we returned. Very nice vehicle and a great warranty.
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Next question is all wheel drive or just front wheel drive?
All wheel drive adds ~$1k to the total price and reduces the fuel economy by ~3 mpg on the highway. I'd prefer all wheel drive to deal with our lovely Illinois winters but the Jetta is front wheel drive and I've never had an issue getting around when the weather turns to ****.
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Personally, I think Mazdas are underrated. I've always found them to be really good cars. I say go for it, Conrad.
I would absolutely agree. I had a 2000 Mazda MPV minivan that made it 250,000 miles before my son killed it with neglect and lack of even the most routine maintenance. Apparently, no matter how much I try, if I'm not there to do it for him, my son has no concept of taking care of a car no matter how much he has been taught or reminded.
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Next question is all wheel drive or just front wheel drive?
All wheel drive adds ~$1k to the total price and reduces the fuel economy by ~3 mpg on the highway. I'd prefer all wheel drive to deal with our lovely Illinois winters but the Jetta is front wheel drive and I've never had an issue getting around when the weather turns to ****.
Front wheel drive, I live in Eastern North Carolina, no need for all wheel drive.
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I have one, a sport model so not quite as well appointed as the touring. Most of the issues I have with mine are minor inconveniences that will be addressed by the higher trim level. The only issue I can think of usability of the the center armrest for the passenger. The center console houses the cup holders behind the rotary dial for the entertainment system. The center armrest has a cut out on the passenger side that effectively makes it useless for the passenger. Small thing but it drove my wife nuts for the first few months. She's used to it now.
In my opinion, the thing drives very well and is extremely comfortable. Fit and finish is very good and I like the interior materials. Going from it to our other car highlights how tight everything on it is. For a small suv I paid $26K for, it feels better than the price point. We piled up more than 20K miles in the first year, averaging mid to high 20s in mixed driving, which is good for my wife as fuel mileage drops significantly whenever she is behind the wheel.
I installed a class III hitch and tow a 4x8 trailer with it. It drags the trailer well with no issues. Haven't done it yet but I'd have no qualms about trailering the C14 with it.
Overall, I love it. I've had very good experiences with Mazda. I'd buy it again but would likely spring for a higher trim model. You may also want to go look at the Kia Sportage and Sorento. We had a 2011 Sorento and loved it, only sold it to PCS to Italy and it was on the short list when we returned. Very nice vehicle and a great warranty.
What year did you buy Mac? 2.0 or 2.5 liter motor? It seems that Mazda made some updates to these cars from 2016 to 2016.5. I'm looking at the 2016.5, gotta have heated seats for those cold mornings.
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I would absolutely agree. I had a 2000 Mazda MPV minivan that made it 250,000 miles before my son killed it with neglect and lack of even the most routine maintenance. Apparently, no matter how much I try, if I'm not there to do it for him, my son has no concept of taking care of a car no matter how much he has been taught or reminded.
I feel your pain on the son who won't take care of his cars. I have two boys, the oldest is like me in that he does all his own wrenching and is meticulous/anal about his vehicles. The youngest, not so much. I've given him two cars and he's killed both of them with neglect, there won't be a third.
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What year did you buy Mac? 2.0 or 2.5 liter motor? It seems that Mazda made some updates to these cars from 2016 to 2016.5. I'm looking at the 2016.5, gotta have heated seats for those cold mornings.
I bought an early 2016 in July 2015, 2.5. One correction, looking at the paperwork I'm into it for under 25K with an extended warranty. Probably could have paid less but I was back in the states on a humanitarian reassignment with no vehicle, a wife and kid and a 120 mile round trip between work and my parents house I had to make daily.
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So this is the interim thread before you actually buy it, C? :rotflmao:
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Personally, I think Mazdas are underrated. I've always found them to be really good cars. I say go for it, Conrad.
+1
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Other than the buyback is VW offering any deep discounts to keep you in the family?
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Next question is all wheel drive or just front wheel drive?
All wheel drive adds ~$1k to the total price and reduces the fuel economy by ~3 mpg on the highway. I'd prefer all wheel drive to deal with our lovely Illinois winters but the Jetta is front wheel drive and I've never had an issue getting around when the weather turns to ****.
I you plan to do much of any winter towing with it I would go with the AWD. Usually you get a bit more suspension than the FWD version.
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So this is the interim thread before you actually buy it, C? :rotflmao:
The MX-5 is at the top of my list so far, didn't say that I was gonna buy it though. ;)
Both Car and Driver along with Motor Trend have the MX-5 at the top of their lists too.
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I you plan to do much of any winter towing with it I would go with the AWD. Usually you get a bit more suspension than the FWD version.
I sold my sleds and trailer so the only thing that I might tow would be if I was trailering my bike somewhere. If I was going somewhere in the winter months most likely I would be pulling the trailer with the RV. So I'm not really sure that I need AWD but I sure do want it.
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I sold my sleds and trailer so the only thing that I might tow would be if I was trailering my bike somewhere. If I was going somewhere in the winter months most likely I would be pulling the trailer with the RV. So I'm not really sure that I need AWD but I sure do want it.
Life is far too short to not get what you want. Get the AWD. Just because.
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Ok, I am getting what I want. :)
I have to wait on VW for the buyback before I can buy our new car, well, I don't HAVE to but I am. I've been negotiating with area Mazda dealers via e-mail. It's amazing the lies I get told in 'writing'. The small town local dealers are the worst, such bullshit. The closest Mazda dealer to me (they don't have what I want on their lot) told me that there are only 5 of the Mazdas that I'm looking for in the Chicagoland area and they could get one for me, at a 'price'. One of the 'big city' (Chicago) dealers, has 8 of the exact cars I want on their lot (confirmed by Mazda) and this dealer gave me a great quote. If a salesman is going to flat out lie to me they should at least make it over something that's not so easy to check on.
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Ok, I am getting what I want. :)
I have to wait on VW for the buyback before I can buy our new car, well, I don't HAVE to but I am. I've been negotiating with area Mazda dealers via e-mail. It's amazing the lies I get told in 'writing'. The small town local dealers are the worst, such bullshit. The closest Mazda dealer to me (they don't have what I want on their lot) told me that there are only 5 of the Mazdas that I'm looking for in the Chicagoland area and they could get one for me, at a 'price'. One of the 'big city' (Chicago) dealers, has 8 of the exact cars I want on their lot (confirmed by Mazda) and this dealer gave me a great quote. If a salesman is going to flat out lie to me they should at least make it over something that's not so easy to check on.
Had that exact experience about 10 years ago when we bought our Toyota Highlander Limited. Colorado Springs dealer told us they are rare and very hard to get. Drove 35 minutes north to south Denver and found about 15 on the lot. :rotflmao:
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Had that exact experience about 10 years ago when we bought our Toyota Highlander Limited. Colorado Springs dealer told us they are rare and very hard to get. Drove 35 minutes north to south Denver and found about 15 on the lot. :rotflmao:
That's when you buy it and go back to the first salesman and show it off, mentioning how truthful and trustworthy the second guy seemed...
Jamie
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That's when you buy it and go back to the first salesman and show it off, mentioning how truthful and trustworthy the second guy seemed...
Jamie
Excellent idea! :)
I decided to have a little fun with the local salesman who is feeding me a line of bullshit about the availability of the Mazda that I want.
Here's our conversation.
Salesman- Only (5) CX-5 Grand Touring exist in the Chicagoland area. Titanium Flash Mica, AWD, 2016.5, black interior. They would be closer to 50 to 100 miles on the odometer. Pricing would be at invoice, minus the $500 customer cash. Based on MSRP of $30,770. Invoice is $30,068.
Me- There are only 5 of the CX-5s I want in Chicagoland? We are talking about the 2016.5 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD in Titanium with black interior with no options or 'packages' right?
Salesman- Yes, that is correct. Some others were available, but too far of a distance. Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, etc. Those states are in our market region. We do not a trailer for picking up vehicles out of state.
Me- Are you aware that at the Mazda USA website that I can select the exact vehicle that I want and then enter my zip code and a mileage radius? They will then show me what dealers in that radius have that exact vehicle, provide pricing, and that dealers website.
I don't know where you got the info that there are only 5 of the CX-5s that I want in all of Chicagoland but Mazda tells me a different story. Plus I can go to these dealers websites and I can verify how many CX-5s they have, and surprise, the count matches Mazda's number from their site. I can tell you that there are a LOT more than 5 available in Chicagoland. One dealer has 8 on his lot, the exact CX-5 that I want. Even Dixon and Ottawa have the car that I want on their lots.
So what am I to think when you tell me that there are only 5 in this area? Also, that price that you gave me as the invoice price is incorrect too. Do you think that I haven't done any research on this vehicle before contacting dealers in my area first?
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What response did you get to that?
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What response did you get to that?
I just sent that last one a few minutes ago. I'll let you know what he says. If I had to guess I'd bet that I get no reply at all.
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I finally received a reply from the dealer I posted about above. I had to resend my original e-mail to him before I got his reply.
Salesman- Thanks for the reply. I am sorry that you were not happy with the numbers that I provided. If one dealer has 8 in stock. I would think that they would be dealing. If it does not work out as anticipated, send me an email. I will offer invoice pricing. I will be happy to show a factory invoice from Mazda.
So he completely ignored me calling him out on his lies. That dealership is off my list.
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I finally received a reply from the dealer I posted about above. I had to resend my original e-mail to him before I got his reply.
Salesman- Thanks for the reply. I am sorry that you were not happy with the numbers that I provided. If one dealer has 8 in stock. I would think that they would be dealing. If it does not work out as anticipated, send me an email. I will offer invoice pricing. I will be happy to show a factory invoice from Mazda.
So he completely ignored me calling him out on his lies. That dealership is off my list.
Just way too hard for them to own up to the lie.
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After the sale go to the offending dealer with the printed emails and ask to see the sales manager and or the owner and explain the situation. Tell them you wanted to give him your business but due to the salesman lying to you he lost the sale.
And tell them due to the one dishonest person you wont have the car serviced there. Service is where they make their money.
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After the sale go to the offending dealer with the printed emails and ask to see the sales manager and or the owner and explain the situation. Tell them you wanted to give him your business but due to the salesman lying to you he lost the sale.
And tell them due to the one dishonest person you wont have the car serviced there. Service is where they make their money.
Another excellent idea! Fun too! :thumbs:
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I'm getting more lies, this time from one of the 'big city' dealers. Maybe I shouldn't call it lies, more like deception I guess.
This salesman in question gave me a great quote in October which put his dealership #2 on my list of 10. I came back to him this month to see what his quote looked like with the new incentives available from Mazda this month. He gave me a new quote but the numbers didn't work out right. I asked him about the discrepancy and he played dumb for 5 or 6 e-mails back and forth between us. Finally he came clean and told me that his dealership had a price increase from October to November and that the quote he gave me in October was no longer valid.
WTF? I asked him why he didn't come right out and tell me that there was a price increase instead of trying to hide the price increase in his numbers and the Mazda incentives. He hemmed and hawed a bit and told me that there was no deception intended on his part. Yeah, right.
Of the 10 Mazda dealers in the area that I'm negotiating with this dealer in the only one who had a price increase from Oct to Nov. I told the salesman this and I also told him that I thought that his dealership saw the great new Mazda incentives for November and decided to jack up their prices, burry the increase in the incentives, and hope that the customer wouldn't notice.
No reply to that yet.
This is some fun!
In contrast. The three dealerships at the top of my list have given me a good prices with no attached bullshit. They're straightforward and to the point and answer my questions when asked.
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And you're buying Mazda why?
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Why am I buying a Mazda?
Car and Driver rates the CX-5 tops in the segment. http://www.caranddriver.com/mazda/cx-5 (http://www.caranddriver.com/mazda/cx-5)
Motor Trend also rates the Mazda top in it's class. http://www.motortrend.com/cars/mazda/cx-5/2016/small-crossover-comparison-big-test/ (http://www.motortrend.com/cars/mazda/cx-5/2016/small-crossover-comparison-big-test/)
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/mazda/cx-5/2016/2016-mazda-cx-5-grand-touring-awd-first-test-review/ (http://www.motortrend.com/cars/mazda/cx-5/2016/2016-mazda-cx-5-grand-touring-awd-first-test-review/)
Consumer Reports also rates it highly, not at the top but close.
Lots of other reviews of the Mazda that put it near or at the top of the list.
In all the reviews of small SUV/Crossovers the reviewers consistently say that the CX-5 is fun to drive and it's handling beats all others hands down. Plus it gets the best gas mileage of the lot and it's the quickest.
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I like Mazda's as well but if the dealers are sh*t then they can rust in the lot.
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I like Mazda's as well but if the dealers are sh*t then they can rust in the lot.
I didn't mean to make it sound like all the dealers are difficult to work with. Of the 10 only 3 have been like that.
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I got fed up with the dealership that I mentioned in post #26 above and sent this. I know, I'm a mean man...
"Here's how all this looks from my point of view.
You had to know that I was referencing your October quote with the numbers I copied and pasted directly from the quote in your October 18th e-mail. You saw that I was trying to find out where the price difference was coming from. All along you knew that the price difference was from your dealership's October to November price increase. But you played dumb about the whole thing, appearing to burry the price increase in your numbers along with the Mazda's November incentives.
Why you didn't just come right out and tell me that October's quote was no longer valid and that there was a $300 price increase for November I have no idea. Yes, you told me, but right at the very end.
I'm negotiating with around 10 area Mazda dealers for the CX-5 and do you know that your dealership is the ONLY dealer who had a price increase from October to November?
You know what I think? I think that your dealership saw all the great Mazda incentives starting in November and your dealership decided to jack up their prices and hope that your customers wouldn't notice because of the Mazda incentives will hide the price increase. Did you think that I wouldn't notice?
I'm guessing that you've been selling cars for a while and that you know exactly what your doing. I won't be dicked around and that's what you've been doing with me.
Now I know how you and your dealership do business..."
The reply to the above saw me handed off to a female sales person who wrote.
"Good afternoon to you. I wanted to reach out as Lee is out of the office today. I am so sorry that you feel you have not been treated fairly. I do see that there has been some concern over the pricing, and I am happy to jump in.
I do want you to know that Lee is not a salesperson but a customer experience representative. He works to provide the information he is given from the sales team out to our customers to make sure they have the information that they need. So please know that he is given the pricing and relays that information on.
I would be happy to work hand in hand with you on pricing to clearly lay out what we can do to try and earn your business. I am sorry this process has been confusing, and I really do hope that I can help make it a better experience if you would allow me to.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope I can work to earn your business and trust back."
There's no confusion on my part as I know exactly what's going on...
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WOW...talk about a patronizing, condescending load of BS....
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We went Mazda shopping yesterday and inked the deal on a 2016.5 CX-5 Grand Touring AWD in Titanium with black leather interior with 3 miles on the odo. :)
Adding up all the incentives available from Mazda took $2,250 off the already great price that we got!
That includes the Mazda incentive of $750 for owners of VW TDIs involved in the DieselGate emissions scandal. ;D Yeah baby!
VW is buying back our TDI on 11/29 and we're picking up our new Mazda on 12/3.
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congrats C, pics when you get it.
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Thanks G!
Even my wife is excited about the new Mazda now. :)
By the way, I hate driving to and in Chicago. People are assholes and I was involved with some dickhead who had major road rage issues on I-88. My wife was so upset that it almost ruined our entire day. Not to mention that the asshole almost caused an accident. If not for my cat like reflexes... ;)
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I can sympathize with your opinion of the city. St Louis with the family on occasions it can't be avoided.
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There's too many idiots on the road all over. Heck I got them in my community and we don't have that much population.
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There's too many idiots on the road all over. Heck I got them in my community and we don't have that much population.
Thick as thieves those idiots. Some of them even vote...
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Some of those even vote for the wrong people. ;)
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Some of those even vote for the wrong people. ;)
:thumbs: ;)
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Drove into Chicago yesterday and look what followed me home. :)
[smg id=798]
[smg id=799]
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Drove into Chicago yesterday and look what followed me home. :)
[smg id=798]
[smg id=799]
Sweet! :thumbs:
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Nice!! congrats on your new car, wishing you many safe miles
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Thanks guys!
I was hoping to get a coat of wax on that thing before winter sets in. No can do, we had 10" of snow the next day. :o
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Nice ride. My coworker has one in black too. Loves it.