Would you trade your Sienna minivan for a Mazda5?

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

By the way....also agree that buying a car for a DVD is RIDICULOUS!! Color, read a book, or heaven forbid interact as a family.

Respectfully disagree with this. We've done 45 7 hour road trips to Disney, and it's nice for the kids to be able to relax, tilt the seats back, and watch Nemo on the way down with the headphones on.

It gives my DH and I wonderful, uninterrupted time to have adult conversations. I have fabulous memories of making great plans for our future as we drive down to Disney. Nothing to do but talk .

The kids will usually watch about 2 movies and spend the other time chatting, playing nintendo, or reading.

I highly recommend one. But get an aftermarket DVD player, preferably a portable one so you can bring it into the hotel room with you. The prices they charge for the ones in the car are insane. Ours came with the car but I got a *fantastic* deal on the vehicle(out the door for less than 19k brand new) so I don't think I paid extra for it...

 

[RyJMom]

I traded my 04 Sienna for an 08 Outlook in Nov and I've been happy with the trade. My problem was I was over the look of the Minivan. That being said there are LOTS of things I miss about the van. The room, the gas mileage, the cupholders. I really do think the minivan is the way to go for a family if you don't mind driving it.

 

[karenos]

Also, conventional wisdom says to never buy a new model car the first year it comes out because they haven't worked the bugs out yet. THis was especially true for the Nissan Quest minivan-it was notoriously buggy the first year. I'd give the 5 a year or two.

I agree w/your conventional wisdom, but I believe the Mazda5 has been used in Europe (or Japan) for a few years, under a different name. In one of those places it actually seats 7 - but b/c of our automobile laws in the U.S., it seats 6 here. It actually depends upon your perspective, I never drove anything larger than a Camry and it feels big to me! Now my good friend has a Navigator and we laugh that we could fit two of my Mazda5s in her back seat - but I wouldn't want her gas bills!!

 

[Va-bear]

we bought a Mazda5 in October and love it! We have two children and it is perfect for our needs. Each can have a friend (it seats six, w/minimal storage) or 4 w/room for luggage or groceries. I have yet to calculate the mileage, but it is close to our other car a 1997 Toyota Camry. The Mazda5 is highly rated by Consumer Reports and very economical - we bought a new 07 Touring edition for a lot less than a used Sienna (and we looked at both).

Just my 2 cents
Karen

I'll dissent with you!!!! I am SOOOO not a minivan person and though the Sienna is VERY attractive it is still huge as far and the "feel" of it for me. The Mazda 5 is so perfect! Has a 3rd row seat but still is small and economical. In the end, the OP's friend has to decide will she miss the "mini-vaness" of the Sienna, some could never do w/out that space, or will a small car suit her? Good luck to her.

 

[Pigeon]

I rented a Sienna last month for a weekend trip. If I owned one, I'd trade it in a heartbeat. What a pig, both in terms of mileage and performance.

 

[vellamint]

I gave up my mini van and traded for a car to save on gas last Sept. (not the specific models you mentioned though). I'm happy I did it, there have been only 2 times where we needed the extra 2 seats and had to take 2 vehicles somewhere (I have 4 kids, but seldom are we all in a vehicle together). The gas savings was noticeable last fall, and even more so now.

I just did the same thing....gave up my full size conversion van for a Hyundai Tucson.....we are also seldom all together in a vehicle and will also take 2 cars when we need to .

Can I just say that I just filled up my tank for $56!!!! The last time I filled the van (about 3 weeks ago) it cost $103 and wasnt even completely empty.

 

[pbharris4]

No way. Sienna has a better value and should last longer. I'd rather drive less, if possible. We used to have a Toyota Highlander and traded that in for 2 cars. Dh needed a car (tree hit his) and we didn't want a car payment. So we got a program Dodge Caravan and he got a Neon. We are Toyota, Honda or Nissan people. They last very long. We haven't had a car payment since 1998. I hated getting rid of the Toyota. Mazdas might be ok, but I don't think they have the same longevity. I'd just cut back on driving around or combine errands.

 

[daisy1234]

Thanks everyone! This has been a great thread!

 

[Chereya]

I posted this in a previous thread about gas prices. I've been really happy with my Mazda 5. One of the big factors for me was that it cost roughly $10,000 less than the Honda or Toyota minivans. I have two kids in car seats and we usually leave the 3rd row down for groceries and trips to the hardware store. We flip them back up when we have out of town guests. It can be a cramped fit sometimes but a little creativity, patience and good humor goes a long way. I love that it has a lot of little storage nooks and crannies that take advantage of space in the design. The glove box is extra deep and has a little shelf in the back alcove that I use to neatly store CD cases. I can tuck spare clothes into a little nook in the trunk that has a pop out door. The trunk has a covered horizontal well that I store map books and juice boxes in. The 2nd row seats also have hidden storage in the seat bottoms. I think it's great that those of you who own a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna love your vans, but you don't need to knock other people's car choices as being inferior. Different strokes for different folks. As for the MPV, wasn't it discontinued this year? And now Mazad is pushing a behemoth 7 seater SUV as its "replacement"? I'm really saddened that there's not more advertising for the 5. I think it's a great alternative for some families but they just don't hear about it enough to give it serious consideration.

I don't think it makes any sense to trade in a nearly new Sienna for a new car (any new car). The value has depreciated the most percentage wise in the first few years and you can really buy some type of portable DVD player for much less than what they gouge you for when you buy it as an option on a new vehicle.

We bought a "compact minivan" in 2007. Would have bought one used but they just came on the market for 2006 and we figured we'd get the new "high end" model for the heated seats. I hear these types of vehicles are very popular in europe and asian countries but they are pretty non-existant here in the US. The ones that we do produce do not get any marketing at all. I'm really happy with it so far. It's a Mazda 5. Drives very peppy and is much lighter than a mini-van. The base cost for the low end model is under $18k. Our high end model was $22k with taxes. It seats six (2/2/2) and all 4 rear seats can fold down flat. Space is tight if you are large or if you have a lot of extra gear to take with you. Gas mileage started out around 22-23 mpg and has steadily been moving up. I use the heater frequently during winter and it's still averaging about 25mpg. I think if it wasn't for the heater use I'd be getting 27-28 mpg. Ideally we would have wanted to buy a used car but I think we got all the other things we were looking for, just happend that there wasn't enough years of production to get a used version.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Yeah, my beloved MPV was discontinued, I think 2007 was the last year they made them. I'm not suggesting the OP get one, I was sort of using it as a comparison.

I call it "Goldilocks", because it's gold colored, not too big, not too small, but juuuuuuuuuust right .

I agree with Mazda designing mpv's and 5's with really ingenious storage and nooks and crannies. We put a dining room table and six high backed dining room chairs in our MPV. My DH lost a bet that day and had to take me to dinner because he swore it wouldn't all fit!

I'd rent one of each kind of car for a bit if you really want to see if you could get used to the 5 being smaller-it's cool that it's not completely new, that's great. I love, love love the mint green colored 5's that I see zipping around.

My MPV has four more years to go before I trade her in, though. She still looks brand new. (knock wood!)

Here's a photo of the Mazda 5 and the MPV:

MPV (not mine-mine is covered in Disney stickers!)

I think the reason that the Mazda 5 is only a 6 seater in America is because Americans have bigger fannies than Europeans!

 

[Chereya]

I agree with Mazda designing mpv's and 5's with really ingenious storage and nooks and crannies. We put a dining room table and six high backed dining room chairs in our MPV. My DH lost a bet that day and had to take me to dinner because he swore it wouldn't all fit!

I'd rent one of each kind of car for a bit if you really want to see if you could get used to the 5 being smaller-it's cool that it's not completely new, that's great. I love, love love the mint green colored 5's that I see zipping around.

I think the reason that the Mazda 5 is only a 6 seater in America is because Americans have bigger fannies than Europeans!

I'd forgotten all about a similar incident we had with fitting dining chairs in the back! My husband insisted he would be able to squeeze 6 farm style dining charis in the back with the rear rows all folded down and I was really amazed when he did it! Saved us an extra trip back to the store! You've got us beat though with the dining table in there, too!

I always try to be the first to get in the rear row when my mother in law visits because it's just sad/funny to see her squeeze between the two middle row seats and then try to get comfortable in the back. For some reason she likes to insist that we stay in our usual configuration (I usually drive). Whenever my DH and I switch seats we have to pump the seat up for me or down for him and we have a running joke about the car being made for small japanese people. I like that I can pump it up to a height that I can see well and don't need a cushion! Besides, he still has 3-4 inches of clearance to the ceiling when he drives!

 

[tnkr_bell]

We have an '06 Mazda5, and while there are things I really like about it, there are also things I really dislike. It's great for two adults and two kids and just traveling around town. However, I'v found the front passanger seat to be really uncomfortable on any drive longer than two hours or so. Also, I felt really uncomfortable putting anyone, let alone my kids in the back seat. There is litteraly inches from the rear of the car and the back seat. It wouldn't take much of a rear impact for whoever sitting back there to get seriously injured.

So, for a family of four using it to just get around town and to soccer games etc. I think it's great. It's really peppy and fun to drive. But if it being used for the main car for the family and they will be doing long trips I wouldn't recommend it.

Honestly, I'd keep the Sienna. I don't think the gas mileage is that much better. My dh uses to and from work and gets about 22-24 mpg (city).