Help me pick a small/midsize car

momme2_3

New member
DH has decided that it is time to trade in our 06' Buick Rendezvous. He wants to downsize me back to a car after 4 years . I am ok with it (lower payment=more money:D) however the decision is just not easy!! We have 3 children (12,10, and 4). Our 4 year old is in a radian and marathon. We have 3 other cars, malibu, ram truck, and a subaru outback (all of them dh drives not me)

I really want a Jetta/Passat which he has agreed on, but now the dealer is trying to talk us into a mazda 6i (great price of 12k for 07 13k miles)? THis dealer is a multi dealer and sells both so there is no more push for either I just don't know which is a better car? Right now these are all untested (we need to decide before we get to dealers on what we want to look at instead of being aimless)**sounds funny but dh talked to the dealer on the phone..

I kind of like the mazda 5 because of the seating room DH hates it!! (too minivan like for him) He hates minivans! This would also be our first non american car....so I have no idea what to expect long term. I also like the honda civic, nissan sentra (he said no), and subaru legacy. ANything we would get would be at least an 07 model


If you have any of these or any car that you really like and why please help me make a decision
 
ADS

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Has he actually driven the Mazda 5? Because while it does look like a minivan because of the sliding doors, it absolutely does NOT drive like a minivan.

Oddly enough, I also have very few people call it a "minivan" when they ask me what it is. Most are shocked to see the third row of seats - they think it's some kind of "station wagon" if they're older, or "a hatchback" if they're younger.

You could probably fit all 3 of your kids into any of the other vehicles you mentioned, but it's not going to be comfy. Are either of your older two still in boosters? Buckling a booster next to a carseat is possible, but I certainly wouldn't choose it. It's not fun! Plus, your older two are just going to keep getting bigger, and needing more room - if you've ever sat 3-across in a sedan, you know how quickly that gets tiring and frustrating.

And hey - if this is "YOUR" car, you should have the final say, right? :D
 

momme2_3

New member
LOL...funny you responded.. I saw it was in your siggy and was hoping you would ;)

Can you give me some reviews of it? what do you like/don't like?

I am barely ever in the car with all 3 at once so room isn't much of a problem but I really think I like the 5 mostly because of the sliding doors....I wont' have to worry about dd denting cars in the parking lot :) Of course the kids are really not liking the idea of downsizing at all so this would work perfect!!

Oh and I am only 4'11 so I need something that will work for shorter legs...
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
The only issue I've had with it are the 3rd row seat belts. They're a stupid, hard-to-describe mess. I've got a thread around here somewhere with my long, detailed review and ranting.

Here's the pics to demonstrate the issue, without you having to scroll through the old thread:

IMG_0818.jpg


IMG_0822.jpg


IMG_0826.jpg


That's how my 13yo and 11yo fit in those seats - even with a booster. I did get it worked out, but it drove me nuts for a while there.

Not everyone will be bothered by it, but I'm a safety nut and a "poorly fitting" seat belt isn't good enough for me.

Also, they've improved that seat belt design a bit in the '09 models. I'm not exactly sure how improved they are, because I haven't had my kids with me to check, but they're definitely different.

Other than that, I adore my car. It's absolutely perfect for our needs. My priorities were a vehicle with better gas mileage than a minivan, good safety ratings, seats six safely & comfortably, and in our price range (less than $20K.) The Mazda 5 is the only vehicle that does that! :)
 

Prof

New member
I have an 08 Fit and love it. But I do not as yet have children to tell you how it works as a family car. We're actually looking for another, safter car.

The only mazda I like is the miata. The others I find less reliable, less maneuverable, over-priced, and not as comfortable as other cars. But then again, my parents and sister have bought some real lemons in the Mazda line and I'm sure not all are as bad as theirs.

We've been looking over consumer reports (I hope this isn't a repeat for you) and it seems as though some of the Volkswagons are quite excellent in terms of safety. I've been looking at the rear passender side safety (as I believe those are some of the most dangerous crashes for kids) and both the Rabbit (Golf) and Jetta get top scores (that is no or minor injury). The front and rollover ratings are rated second (moderate injury). And overall safty ratings in terms of accident avoidance and crash saftey are top scoring. Now this is across all review types (CR, IIHS, and NHTSA). For the Mazda 6, the ratings are top of the line for front and side for NHTSA, but the rear is marginal with IHS and the information is unavailable for the IIHS side. Mazdas 3 and 5 have worse ratings on the rear side (moderate injury). And Mazda 3 and 6 have worse ratings on accident avoidance (which measures things like breaking, maneuverability and visibility).

Of course, these rating systems may be flawed....I'm not really a car person and can't tell you. But if you think they're accurate, then you're better off choosing the Volkswagons over the Mazda 5 (or 3) in terms of child safety in the back seat. Same with the Honda Fit by the way, it is also a rear seat safety of moderate injury.

Gas mileage kinda sucks on the volkswagons 21city/29hwy, but it's about the same for all the Mazdas. The Mazda 5 is the lowest (27 hwy) and the mazda 3 is the best 33).
 

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