Topic: New car next summer, I need your opinion

[alpineskier]

Hi everybody,

My 2008 Mazda5 GT will be 4 years old next summer so we'll be looking to change it. We purchased a fully-loaded version with leather/sunroof/nav//heated seats/HID lights for 32,500$ taxes in. We love it and although it's no luxury car (little noisy, 4 cylinder engine), it's fit our needs perfectly. We're almost sad to see it go. Even my preteens love it! Up until a few months ago, we were 100% planning to replace it with the new Mazda5, which comes in at about 34,000$ for the GT w/ Luxury Package taxes in. However, I've had a job breakthrough and can now afford to spend between 45,000$-50,000$ on a new car. I've always liked the Audi Q5 since it came out in 2009, and upon speaking to my Audi dealer, it seems I can get the 2.0T Premium Plus w/ panoramic sunroof, 19" wheels, and the wood trim for about 49,000$ taxes in. 49,000$ would be a little bit of a stretch for me, but given the fact that I make more money now and need a nice car in the family and the fact that I'm getting a different class of vehicle, it may be worth it. I've made a list of pros and cons for each vehicle.

2012 Mazda5 GT w/ Luxury Package (no options)
Pros
-very good price, 34,000$ taxes in.
-good value - leather, sunroof, heated seats, navigation, bluetooth, SIRIUS radio, HID lights.
-good gas mileage, cheap to maintain.
-we've been very happy with it over 3 years and it's generally a great vehicle.
-looks great

Cons
-little bit noisy on the highway
-4 cylinder engine is a little bit underpowered.
-now that I'm in a better job I may to have a nice car to drive to work.

2012 Audi Q5 2.0T Premium Plus (added options are panoramic sunroof, 19" wheels, wood trim)
Pros
-it's from a very well known luxury brand.
-based on reviews and people who have it, it's a great vehicle.
-it has the prestige I may need from it in my job.
-with the new engine, it has better fuel economy.
-it's really comfortable and quiet on the highway.
-it looks great and has decent performance.
-it's definitely a nice step up from the Mazda5
-AWD

Cons
-49,000$ taxes in. would be a bit of a stretch for me.
-the value is not really there. for 15,000$ more I do get features that the Mazda doesn't have, but there are some missing too. For 49k, there     would be no navigation, pre-installed satellite radio, and premium stereo (that I can get in a 15,000$ cheaper Mazda5).
-so so reliability and maintenance costs would push the lifetime price up even more.
-i'm not sure if it's worth 15,000$ more than the Mazda5. We've been perfectly fine with what we've had in the Mazda5 so I'm not sure if I can justify the extra cost to get something over what we have and we are happy with.

About the price difference, I can afford to pay the extra 15,000$ (although I can easily spend the money on something else!), but we would have a significant amount of extra income were we to go with the (much cheaper!) Mazda5. If money were not an issue, I would definitely go with the Q5, but given the fact that we're in a recession and I have 2 kids in private school, I'm not sure if I can justify the extra 15,000$ unless there's some huge benefit.

I'd like to know which one you think I should choose and/or what you would choose, as well as if you think it would be worth it for me to spend the extra 15,000$ for the Audi. Also, if you've had any experience with these vehicles, let me know what you think.

Thanks a lot for the help.
Jake

[Julie]

What about keeping the 2008 Mazda for a little while longer, see how the economy goes.  But start taking the extra income and stocking it away before you can touch it?  That's what I do now, so I can't touch it. Or else I have a tendency to spend it   

If you like cars like a lot of us here, there's often an itch for a new car after a few years, but if the Mazda is pretty satisfactory... 

But if you're going to go for a new, I think it all depends on how comfortable you'd feel being on the high side of the limit you've set for yourself.  Every will have an opinion on that, and you may have set the limit low or built in an ample cushion, but if it were a real limit, I personally don't like to go anywhere near a limit.

Lastly, this is just personal opinion, but with a nicer, higher paying job, it may actually be better image wise to stay under the radar at the beginning.  Until you've established yourself in the new position?  May depend on the type of business though, I dunno.

[tpl]

As someone who prefers smaller cars, who is not enamoured with the whole SUV concept I think I'd stay with the Mazda 5.  After all  $15000 would be a really nice Miata or siumilar for you to drive to work....

[ajay]

In 2012 the sky activ Mazda's brand new CX-5  will be out . Worth waiting for . It will be a looker too .

[articsteve]

Why are you not leasing 

Youre gonna get slaughtered on that Mazda assuming you are trading in.

Personally I'd replace the 2008 Mazda 5 with a 2011 Mercedes GLK 4 year lease if you can find one.  Move quickly because they are hot units.

Better unit, less money, more prestige than an Audi Q5.

[alpineskier]

In 2012 the sky activ Mazda's brand new CX-5  will be out . Worth waiting for . It will be a looker too .

From what I've seen it seems like it will be too small in cargo space and passenger space for our needs. The Mazda5 looks like it has a bigger trunk than what the CX-5 will have. I'm also worried about the size of the rear seat in the CX-5 vs. the 3 rows in the 5 or a bigger seat in the Q5.

[alpineskier]

Why are you not leasing 

Youre gonna get slaughtered on that Mazda assuming you are trading in.

Personally I'd replace the 2008 Mazda 5 with a 2011 Mercedes GLK 4 year lease if you can find one.  Move quickly because they are hot units.

Better unit, less money, more prestige than an Audi Q5.

I'm planning on selling the Mazda privately.
I personally don't like the GLK. I find the interior is austere and cheap-looking and I'm not fond of all of the sharp angles. It seems overpriced too for what you're getting.

[safristi]

..those NEW CHEQUES are burning a HOLE in yer pocket i see............. ...............unless yer BUFFET'ing salary wise(in which case you could ask for higher tax rates )....I would sock away a few Dinaro and see wot next Summer brings...Recession.....Hot Humid and silly spending i forecast...wot do I know.............sote voce BUY GOLD with the change in yer chinos....


 If you feel you need to win the biggest dick in the Co parking lot contest buy a Lexus /Merc.....2nd hand with all the toys aboard............

[articsteve]

I'm planning on selling the Mazda privately.
I personally don't like the GLK. I find the interior is austere and cheap-looking and I'm not fond of all of the sharp angles. It seems overpriced too for what you're getting.

Fair enough.  2 things.  Because you are at the edge of your comfort zone, sell the Mazda FIRST.  And if you're hell bent on the Audi, LEASE IT! 

[Arctic_White]

As Julie suggested, why not keep the current Mazda5 and use your savings to buy a used sports car (MX-5, S2000) for weekend use?

[alpineskier]

I'm planning on selling the Mazda privately.
I personally don't like the GLK. I find the interior is austere and cheap-looking and I'm not fond of all of the sharp angles. It seems overpriced too for what you're getting.

Fair enough.  2 things.  Because you are at the edge of your comfort zone, sell the Mazda FIRST.  And if you're hell bent on the Audi, LEASE IT! 

I usually wait until after I get my new car to sell the old one. That way, I don't end up in a situation where we're without a second car. After all, I can afford to spend 50,000$ on the Audi as long as I'm going to get 12,000$-15,000$ back from the sale of my old car sometime in the future. Leasing would be not possible for me. Since I have a long commute and we go to and from our country house most weekends in the summer and winter (150 km one way), and that's the vehicle we would drive, we would end up with 30,000 km/year. Since Audi charges 0.10$/extra km after 20,000 km in a lease, we would be killed financially for the extra mileage.

[alpineskier]

As Julie suggested, why not keep the current Mazda5 and use your savings to buy a used sports car (MX-5, S2000) for weekend use?

The Mazda would be driven 95% of the time and the sports car would be used 5% of the time, so I'd rather just get a new car that I can use all the time instead of a used sports car that I can only use on weekends.