P5 for Mazda5?
 

Anyone here either own both a P5 and a 5 or have owned a P5 before the 5? I'm curious because I'm contemplating trading in my P5 (or selling privately) to finance a new Mazda5. I love the P5, its styling, handling, reliability, and utility, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm drawn to the Mazda5's extra seating, and larger (maybe?) cargo capacity. I play keyboards in a band, and although my rig fits in my P5, I need to put the back seat down, and move the front passenger seat all the way up, making it possible to carry only one person, behind me, and I am pretty tall (6'2") to begin with. Plus, I may be able to do the trade-up without spending a single penny. In fact, I was thinking I could put some money from the sale of my P5 down on the new car, put the rest in the bank, and come out with monthly payments that are pretty close to what I'm paying now. So, what do you guys think? If you can convince me otherwise, that I'd be stupid to trade in such a great car...

I don't own a P5, but I do have a '99 Protege LX as well as our new 5 Sport.

We traded in an '04 MPV for the 5 after debating many pros and cons as well as taking the financial hit for buying another brand new car. But we took the plunge and haven't looked back. You always take a financial hit, though, when you buy a car--that's not something you should kid yourself about. I haven't seen your numbers, but I'd be willing to bet that your payments will last much longer with the 5, and that the insurance will be more expensive. BTW, our MPV was paid off and our out-of-pocket expense for the 5 was thus minimal, but we found a 5 with no options, adding only a cassette player and splash guards.

We are very happy with both of our cars, but they play different roles in our life--the Protege is my commuter and the 5 is our family car. The 5 has a much more upright seating position, and although I can get comfortable in the 5, I actually feel that I have more room behind the steering wheel in the Protege. The 5 is considerably quieter and smoother--for example, the stick shift doesn't vibrate at all in the 5, something it does quite readily in the Protege. I also find the seating and carpet materials cheaper and thinner appearing in the 5--something that was probably done to keep the costs down.

My opinion? I would keep the P5 unless you don't like it and are willing to spend some money, or if you have a serious life change and carry passengers with any regularity.

I've owned both. I traded into a M5 in July after owning a P5 for 3 years. I loved my P5 as well. As you said, it hadnles great and was blast to drive. The M5 is a very different car. It was about 600 lbs more and is quite a bit larger. It does not drive anything like the P5. You can feel the added weight in the M5, which at first takes a litle getting use to. With time and some pushing, you'll come to realize that the M5 has ome decent limits particularly for its size and weight. I have followed a few Altimas around corners quire closely. The engine is fairly good but again not as powerful as the P5. The variable valve timing is great but this does not kicj in until about 3000 RPM and then it gets going fairly well. I have owned 5 speed in both and would suggest this. The auto does not work as well since the engine is a little sluggish at low RPM. Also, it is hard to get a good launch im the auto since the tires like to spin. This is much better managed with the 5 speed. The shifter is not quite a slick as with the P5 but it is fairly good. All in all I would say that the P5 was designed for great fun but the ride was harsh and the car noisy. The M5 has a great ride and is quite and as a result, it is no sport car. I think it is a different kind of ride but once you get use to it like I have, it can be fun as well. I also recommned the GT with the 17 wheels for the best steering responce.

I am completely in love with my M5!! My wife and I have 4 kids and she has a Grand Caravan Sport and I have the M5. The versatility of the M5 is amazing! The gas mileage is awesome and I love how it drives. I had a PT Cruiser before this and I do not miss it for the world. Being that I have only driven Chrysler products I was in the process of purchasing a Calibre RT when I thought I should stop and take a look at the Mazda dealership. The dealer there heard what I needed put me in a M5 for a test drive and I signed the paperwork about 2 hours later. My M5 is a 5 speed and it is very good. Enjoy your new car....we sure do!

Thanks for your responses... interestingly enough, though, I had a surprising experience when I went to the dealer over the weekend to have a look at a 5, and they also got in an '07 3. An important selling point for me is that my keyboard in its case must fit while still letting me carry two passengers if need be. So, with measuring tape in hand, I put the 3 against the 5, and believe it or not, the 3 has the longer useable cargo space with the seats folded down. In the 3, the seats fold flat with or without removing the seat bottoms. In the 5, the seat bottoms have to flip up and thus no matter how far forward you slide the front passenger seat up, you are limited by where the seat bottoms protrude. Am I making any sense? So, in that regard, I think the 3 may actually end up being a better fit for me, that is, as long as I am able to drive it off the lot at what I think to be a fair price (invoice!). We'll see as the week progresses!