Hi,
I'm looking at used 2018 Mazda CX- 5 AWD with ~50,000 miles. I live in Minnesota and I'm looking to purchase a car that hasn't been used in the salt and sand of MN. The car I'm looking at is in Florida. I will be visiting FL a week from Friday for three days and want to know what advice someone would have for me when purchasing a car from a dealership.
My thought was to get it inspected independently and if purchased to drive it the three days I am scheduled to be in FL and drive it home should I be happy with my purchase.
Does anyone know if FL has a 24 or 48 hour purchase return on vehicles?
It's been 15 years since I bought my 2010 Ford Escape with 245,000 miles and I'm looking for something I can drive for at least that many miles and years.
So any advice is welcome.
Thank you in advance!

 

Welcome to the forum

 

Good choice - yet my suggestion is try to find one originally sold and still in the same state -Fl and southern states are high humidity and flood prone - I would look in Arizona / New Mexico -Utah - It will cost less , the climate is warm dry and if garaged -cars last there - Ca is also good - but $$$ - Mazda dealers offer a CPO Certified Pre Owned vehicle program for used cars still under warranty - Thats one more way to insure the vehicle had a good history and operates correctly - Bumper to Bumpee warranty 3/36 - Engine Transmission drivetrain 5/60 - fyi- definitly buy one with warranty and CPO which extends the warranty up to 100k - worth it -

 

Awesome, Thank you !
You have confirmed most of what I heard from my SO who suggested I post here. I'll focus my search in the SW and see what my options are to get it back to Mn.

 

Welcome to the forum.

You may well find the vehicle you want in MN.
Used vehicles from all over the country can be on your local used car lot.
A check with CarFax, or the like, will tell you what state it was originally sold in and what states it has been in since.

 

Yes states with salted roads - not good-- double check on that Utah rec ---Not sure if they use salts --

 

I can say that both 2021 CX-5s we've had since new here in New England have almost zero rust underneath. We try to get the bottom rinsed out as much as possible when everything melts in the winter. This gen of the CX-5 (2017-2025) doesn't really have the rust/rot issues that other vehicles do. I wouldn't worry too much, but if it's a first gen CX-5 then I'd be more weary.

 

Get a carfax report. Often the service history of the vehicle is on there. Hopefully the dealer/seller will provide that otherwise costly to purchase.

 

Certainly won't hurt to do.