2012 Mazda CX-5 2.0 GT-M. Utterly random purchase.

[Vitorio]

jamiebae said:

Yeah, I thought as much. One of my favourite things at Le Mans used to be talking to Dutch and Danes about how much their (inevitable) Peugeot 407 diesel cost to buy and run, while standing next to my Lotue Elise

Thankfully in Switzerland there's no such rubbish, making it a financially prudent decision for me to opt for the 240BHP petrol 4x4 version over the more dreary diesel options

It is even worse for second hand cars, ive just bought a 14 year old alfa, and even with a rather low expected yearly mileage of 7-8K, diesels made just as much financial sense as petrol, i was looking at everything from 1.6 petrols (which i ended up buying one) to the 2.4 JTD in a 156. At least buying new petrol still makes sense for higher mileage.

And it isnt just company car tax, fuel is pretty expensive as well, and cars themselves get taxed pretty heavily, so performance-y cars are pretty rare over here, 90% of the population doesnt care about cars and simply gets a low engine specced grey vauxhaul/VW, or if they have to impress the neighbours, a black 1.6 TDI powered Audi with S-line exterior...

It makes shopping for interesting cars pretty frustrating

[Shadow R1]

13hrs in the seat, id need help plus a crowbar to get me out again.

Looks as if the mazda has done a fine job.

Edited by Shadow R1 on Thursday 14th April 10:30

[PomBstard]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

The more I drive it, the more I like it... thats for sure.

The i-STOP stop/start system also sprung in to life yesterday for the first time.... ive read on the Mazda forums it can be very picky about when to function, and it hadnt worked for me at all in the first 6-8 weeks.

For whatever reason, yesterday was the day, and now its functioning well!

Ive also arranged a straight swap for the wheels.

In place of the 19s, im getting a brand new set of OE 17s with brand new Yoko Geolander tyres (OE fit). Should be changing them on Saturday. Seems like a good deal to me.

Good stuff to read. Like you, I've also gone from Volvo to Mazda recently and I also continue to be impressed the more I drive it. Being a 2WD CX9 it lacks any sort of handling prowess, but the V70 it replaced was useless around corners too. Its just that now I don't live in fear of a wallet-thraping every now and then.

And, yes, its a comfy thing to do a long slog in too, albeit a tad thirstier than yours.

Re: Yoko Geos - had them as OE on the Forester - might have improved in the past 8 years, but I thought they were hateful things. Not nicknamed Squealanders for nowt. Outclassed in every way by the Dunlops and Pirellis we've used since.

[Shadow R1]

Nothing wrong with that.

[5potTurbo]

Be careful of the weight in the backbox. I've seen so many people load them up with heavy things, and they fail, of course. They're not like the U.S style hitch my brother had on his GMC truck, for which he had a gas grill and fridge attachment for parking lot parties before baseball matches!



Did they paint the Mazda without priming it?! That's poor.

[alec.e]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Guess where the Mazda is going next week - yup, back to the paint shop.



The new paint is peeling off in chunks.

So its another re-paint (I presume) and at the same time an assessor is coming out to judge the colour mis-match for any eventual loss claim.

Curious, was that small edge painted before? Looks like they did not mask it properly and it has oversprayed onto the unpainted part of the bumper, hence poor adhesion?

[Rensko]

I have a family member who is interested in getting one...

Recommended?

[5potTurbo]

Gits. I hate it when people don't take responsibility for crap paintwork.

As for fines, I get one from France recently too.....also nr Dunkirk. 99 in 90!

[Mr MXT]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Rensko said:

I have a family member who is interested in getting one...

Recommended?

Yes, subject to a test drive to make sure they get along with the engine.

As a daily tool, its excellent at just about everything it does, if a little lacking in character/inspiration.

I've got a 2.2D 2WD. Great car.

[Otispunkmeyer]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

I cant help thinking if they had made this car with a little turbo attached and given it 200-220bhp it would be a little corker.

Bad news... maybe.... Mazda are going for Skyactiv 2. No, not turbos again. Instead 18:1 compression and significant HCCI running! If anything it'll be bloody interesting to see how they stop it knocking its tits off.

Still haven't tried 98 RON in our 3 yet. I suspect it might be less noticable on the lower powered version but we'll see. I did want to get through a few tanks of 95 and get the consumption data logged in Fuelio. Over the first two fills it would appear the on board computer is laser accurate. 38.3 MPG on the dash. 38.2 MPG by the hand.

Still doesn't beat my tatty old V40 though. That thing told me it was doing 23 MPG when really it was doing 25! Excellent!

Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Friday 29th April 23:34

[EJH]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Had someone out to look at the car today.
'Has it ever been damaged'....
I have to tell the truth, of course.
And they walk away. fking fk sticks.... I would throttle the mong that drove in to the back of me given 1/2 the chance.

Edited by kapiteinlangzaam on Monday 23 May 19:41

Poo-flakes; how bloomin' tedious. How firm were the insurer when they said this:

kapiteinlangzaam said:

By coincidence I also got the decision from the insurance on the value reduction....
They politely told me to go forth and fornicate with myself

[Rensko]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

Biggest -VE. Boring. Accomplished, but boring. Ive missed just about every car ive ever had come sale time, but not the Mazda.

Heartily recommended to people who need a decent all round car that looks good, is competent, but ultimately doesnt have a soul.

Sums up my Mazda3 ownership experience in a nutshell. Good solid, reliable, dependable cheap motoring, but I often forget that I owned it...

I lost 3k AUD in depreciation in 18 months and 20,000km - totally worth it to get a good car :P