I have gone from casually looking around to seriously needing a new vehicle (current car is failing fast) and I have my heart set on a mazda5. A couple friends have them and they seem like great family cars (I have two small children). I have test-driven one and now just need to find the right one to buy.

My budget is tight -- about 10K and change -- but that ought to be enough for a 2006 with say 50-70K miles, according to my edmunds.com research. I have seen a few cars on autotrader.com that would work but they all seem to be too far away.

I talked to one local used car dealer and he said he would try to find me one, but after a day he basically gave up, said my budget was too tight. I was a little surprised. Went to a different local dealer who found one that's kind of high miles (83K) and I just don't know...I could maybe try to talk them down on price due to the miles but I really just wanted lower miles to begin with. I have also looked at private sellers but the only one for sale near me seems way over-priced.

Any ideas? What do y'all think about 83K miles? I drove my Saturn SL2 for 13 years and whatever car I buy now, I expect to last 10+ years.

I am near Asheville, NC by the way.

 

Hmmm.... Getting 10yrs out of a car that already has 70-83k miles is not going to be easy these days. Things go wrong and can be expensive to fix when they do.

That said, what do you know or what can you find out about how those 83k miles were put on? Do they have service records available? Has the car been in any accidents and does it have a clear title?
If I were you, I wouldn't rush into that one. If you're serious about it, do as much research and ask as many questions as you can. If the car sells in the mean time, well, there'll be another.

As far as your 13 yr old Saturn is concerned... I understand completely.
We just replaced my wife's 15 yr old SL1 that I have been patching together (re: throwing parts at, mostly) for several years now. She didn't really want to. It was a good car, if not an exciting one, but like all cars has become unreliable.

 

Thanks for your reply. I think that car just isn't the right one for me.

I'm considering a different one now. It is white (my preferred color) and already has a roof rack, which I want. Miles are 51K and it is a 2007 model which I've read has slightly higher reliability ratings than the 06 year. Dealer is asking $9900.

The only negative is the carfax is not completely clean. There is a record of "Damage Reported" at 18K miles back in 2007. I had the salesguy fax me the actual report to read for myself and that is all it says. No more details. I had the impression that if it were a more severe type of accident there would be more information like a police report or details of the damage or whatever. Is that true? I sort of hate to write off the car for something so vague but other people are telling me in person that it's a bad idea.

 

I just bought my 5 at the end of January. The dealership found me an '09 Sport with about 45k on the clock (former rental car, but awesome condition).

They called me on the 30th (last day of sales in Indiana, since the next day was a Sunday), and offered to throw in $1000 on my down payment. I wound up paying basically $11,500 for it when it was all over.

The sales guy said that they really rush lots of cars out the door at the end of the month to make the numbers look good for the boss. This might not work at a smaller dealership, but it DEFINITELY works for larger automotive groups that are willing to sacrifice a couple of low-ball sales. I've heard the same strategy from other folks, and it's confirmed in my book.

Best of luck. Don't get rushed into a deal because of your old car. Find the right "5" at the right price. Take your time, and things will work out.

 

Tip #1 CARFAX!!!!!!! It seems these cars lived a lot of their lives as rentals. No offense to anyone who bought one, I considered it myself but the first few I saw were so beat up it soured me completely. I myself had a budget of around 10K and was looking at 08's with around 40K miles. I felt the updates for 08, mainly the 5 speed auto made older ones not worth buying considering the lack of HP and small price difference. In the end I located several leftover brand new 09 tourings in my area. With a little manipulation of my own with the dealers I got my blue on sand 09 for 18,200 plus taxes and fees of course. Sure its more money but I can guarantee I wont have any issues I have to pay for now. Of course a budget is a budget, if you have to stick to it check your carfax and try to find one that was in rental service for limited time and in an area where it probably saw light use. Dont buy an accident vehicle unless you have a mechanic check it out and even still I would steer clear, thats usually why the rental company dumped it. Good luck and beware!

 

I agree about the carfax completely. It should be mentioned that many dealerships are carfax subscribers, and they'll "show you the carfax" for free.

TWINTRBO is right. I think many of the used 5's you'll find will be rentals. They made a lot of sense to rental car companies and still do. The one great thing about rental cars at a reputable rental lot is that they will have been maintained regularly. They aren't ALL beat up, but it can take some digging to find one in really great shape.

I do think a bigger reason for rental companies offloading cars is the mileage. Seems that you won't find many with over 50k. Which makes sense, right? Because you wouldn't want it if it was more than that!

 

Thanks for all the feedback!

I picked up an 08 m5 from a Hertz Car Sales at an airport about 2 hours away from me. It had 40,000 miles and seemed to be in great shape. The price was $11,300 which seemed a lot lower than any others similar cars I was seeing elsewhere. The car seems to be in great shape. They did show me the carfax which was clean. Hertz has a program where you can take the car as a rental for a few days and then if you decide to buy it they waive the rental fee. So I drove the car away with nothing invested really and was able to drive it several days before making up my mind. Then I mailed them my check and they are mailing me the owner's manual, extra key, and title. I didn't even have to drive back over there. It has been a very easy transaction. I liked the peace of mind of having the car for several days rather than just a short test drive.

 

you're budget may be a bit tight, but i don't think it's completely far fetched. if there are potential cars that are out of the area, it would probably be a good idea to purchase a professional mobile inspection. small price to pay for knowing the true condition of the vehicle. once you find out any issues, you can definitely haggle down the price with the seller/dealer. i would definitely suggest not looking at anything over 70,000 miles though. it's just not worth it. good luck!