Hello everyone , I am in the market for a used Mazda3 or 5 , I don't know which one to buy , thankfully where I am looking there are both on the lot . The ones I am looking at are an 07' 3 and an 08' 5. I was wondering if there is that much difference in the two . I don't think the mpg is that big of a deal between the two. I was curious if the 5's third row seating is all its cracked up to be , I have kids , not sardines . Thanks for any opinions you all might have , they are appreciated !!


The 3 is a 2007 for $16,995 w/ 38k , there is also an 08' for $17,995
The 5 ( there are three of them ) are 08's , touring , for $15,999

I am hoping they might come down a little though.

 

It would depend on how much room you need? I own a 2008. Bought it used. Listing price was 18 thousand and got worked down to just over 13 thousand. A good deal! But, my mazda is an amazing car. There is actually quite a bit of space in the back too. Handles great, and drives great. There is enough power to get around as quickly or as steady as you need. Seeing that you have kids, heres a tip, if you get a stain in your seat, wet one end of a microfiber cloth. Rub the stain. Then, use the dry side and rub over it again. If the sain isn't that severe, it will come out, or at least become more un noticible.
Adding a cold air intake could boost your mpg. I get a good 34 mpg freeway with mine.
I would defently recomment the Mazda 3, I mean cummon, the looks are unbeatable!

 

Highly unlikely, in fact, adding a CAI has a much greater chance of reducing your fuel economy.

 

Wow, hard decision for cross-shopping. I have a 3 and absolutely love it. My father has a 5 and I love it too. Actually the only thing I don't love about his car is it's a ATX and the two of us (me and the tranny) were fighting a lot during a long highway trip through the mountains as it kept downshifting from fifth to third and jumping the rpms up to 5,500 so as to not drop 2 mph below the cruise setting.

Both cars are built on the same platform, and both use the same engine, though the tuning and gear ratios are going to be different between the two cars. The 3 is a little more peppy than the 5, but it's a tad lighter and again the gear ratios are shorter.

The 5 is a much roomier car, and sits up higher than the 3. For my 73 year old father this is great because he doesn't have to sit "down" into the car, rather he just sits. The sliding doors on the 5 are absolutely fantastic. I wish I had them. As far as seating goes for four people the 5 is more comfortable as each person gets their own bucket seat. Also the middle seats will slide back so if you have a car seat it will give a bit more room behind the front seats. The back seats are fine for children in boosters or larger, or for small adults for short trips....... or irrate adults on long trips. With both back seats up there is very minimal storage. The back door opens to two settings (push for the higher one), and gives a very large opening with a level surface for loading. There are no LATCH anchors in the back seats, only in the middle row.

All in all if I were looking for another car right now a MTX Mz5 would be high on my list as it provides much more space/cargo area over the 3 without sacrificing much of the zoom zoom the 3 has. The down side is you can only get the MTX on the base model without all the toys vs. the 3 having the MTX available on all trim levels.

 

Actually, I got 28 mpg freeway before, and after my CAI I got a whopppppinnnggg 34 mpg. I'd say a great improvement!

 

Sorry, huge amounts of science and scientific testing say otherwise.

 

Well it seems like it is either between having more room and having more features in your car. Generally the 3 is sportier, but I am sure the 5 is more convienient for what you are looking for. Tough decision! I personally have never driven a mazda 5, so I wouldn't know much about how it drives. But if it has the same motor and such, I'm sure it is a great mazda alltogether.

 

You never know. There are different variables that you have to consider that those scientists used too. And, I'm sure it differs due to different road and weather conditions. All I know is that MY mazda got better gas mileage after the intake mod. Thats true experience and true facts. Not testing and scientific mumbo jumbo.

 

Fact: At any given output level, at any given altitude-density and at any given temperature (downstream of the throttle body), your engine will consume the exact same amount of fuel regardless of whether the air filter is nearly clogged, or new and clean, or there is a CAI in place, or there is no plumbing upstream of the throttle body at all.

Why? Because your engine measures the weight and temperature of the incoming air downstream of the throttle body and then apportions the precise amount of fuel necessary for that weight and temperature. When you understand this, then you will understand why a low restriction intake cannot and will not affect fuel economy at all.

Fact: While "cold air" can help volumetric efficiency (i.e. more air into the cylinders) which will in turn improve top end power by a small amount, that same "cold air" (especially when it is below forty degrees) can and often will have a negative effect on fuel economy.

Why? Like it or not, believe it or not, "cold air" actually reduces your engine's ability to atomize fuel and as such, your engine needs a bit more fuel for every pound of air to keep the engine from running too close to stoichiometric (which usually causes detonation or pinging, I say "usually" because at altitudes of roughly 9,000 feet or greater an engine can run at stoichiometric with no fear of detonation).

The thing is, the combustion process has been well understood for seventy or eighty years now and none of what I've written is even remotely rocket science. Said another way, thousands of automotive engineers worldwide have worked many millions of hours over the years on ways of improving fuel economy, and if the simple addition of a CAI would improve fuel economy from ~28 to ~34 mpg, then you can safely bet your hind parts that EVERY car on the road would sport a CAI right from the factory.

Now, if you can offer a technical explanation on how your engine suddenly became more efficient by a HUGE degree, I'd be happy to continue this discussion.

 

28 to 34 mg was a rough estimate. The point that I was trying to cross was that a cold air intake CAN increase gas mileage. Every intake marketed claims that it is possible. They get that theory from tests and research as well. You know that false advertising is illegal, so why would all of these companies claim that an intake can increase gas mileage if it can't? Maybe it is to increase sales, but they don't pull these theories out of nowhere. "Theoretically, it will increase your mileage, but not by a lot. The more cold, dense air you add to the fuel/air mixture, the better the fuel burns, thereby using less fuel." Depending on how you drive and how much horsepower you are using in your car, you gas mileage varies. OBVIOUSLY. Now if you keep your rpms below 4500 which is where your cold air intake usually kicks in (for the aem intake on the mazda 3), you won't be utilizing the full horsepower of your car, or the added horsepower from the intake. Therefore, you will be using the stock horsepower that your car has and fuel efficiency, plus the cold, dense air that the cold air intake is pulling in. The colder, denser air (Not necessarily a 40 degrees or less or even that cold, just colder then the heat around the car) creates a BIGGER explosion in your engine, which burns the fuel BETTER and thus using LESS fuel.

Reasons why everyone isn't sporting a cold air intake? 1. Increase in noise isn't appealing to everyone, 2. Possible Hydrolock 3. They don't care, or care to mod their car, 4. Voids warranties on new cars, 5. Can cause problems or check engine light if not installed right, 6. Don't have the ability to install an intake, 7. Intakes are not made for their car, must I go on?

The reasons why people do add the intake,
1. Nice low rumble sound
2. Increased Horsepower
3. Increased Torque
4. Possible increase in GAS MILEAGE

Theres the explanation of the increased gas mileage that you requested. Now if you'd want to include research data, scientist after testing, and etc. Feel free to post it with your sources cited and make sure its accredited research not stuff any blogger could write up!