Musings on shopping for a new vehicle.

Teacher Terry said:
My insurance actually went down when I bought a new car versus driving my old car. I was really shocked, but maybe it has to do with the safety features on the new car. I have to say that I’m really enjoying driving the new car as it drives so much nicer and I’m really appreciating the safety features
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Mine did as well. I traded a '17 Audi A4 for a '25 Audi A5. My insurance briefly went up but two months ago it went down to the original rate. I don't think my insurance company took into account the fact that the car has some automatic tracking if it is stolen and many other electronic nannies. You raise a great point.
 

officerripley said:
Was there anything else you didn't like about the RAV, Trade? We've been thinking about it; the Mazdas sound good but we don't like the looks of it as well as the RAV. (Silly reason maybe, but you pay that much for a car, you want to be happy with the looks of the thing.)
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Not really. The RAV4 is a nice vehicle. I'm the opposite of you on looks. I like the look of the Mazda better. Especially the interior.
 
Jules said:
When we bought our Infiniti the dealer told us not to get the navigation system - it was garbage that rarely got updated and was only minimal quality. I believe it was free for one year and his assessment was correct.

If you don’t use a GPS system now, do you even need it. Or go to your Best Buy and see what they have.
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I use a GPS occasionally when I am in an unfamiliar area. I have an old Garmin that I use in my Honda. Still working good after over 10 years and I get free updates of the maps off the internet every year.
 

Been doing a little more research on the Mazda cx-5. Apparently some models have "cylinder deactivation" where 1/2 of your engine shuts down under light loads to save gas. Now I want to do my part in trying to save the planet but that has got to be the lamest idea yet. Well maybe that and the stop start feature. But according to what I have read on the internet if your Mazda has an "M" in the 8th position of it's VIN then that car has both of these features, but if it has an "L" in the 8th position it has neither. So from now on I'm going to be looking for those L's.
 
I have the Stop Start feature on my just purchased 2023 Trailblazer LS. At least on this model, one can set up an option to turn that off with an easy button push. Thus, one ought not simply reject a vehicle model with that feature if it can be turned off.

I've now driven a few days with the Stop Start feature enabled and don't find it too annoying, though do notice the minor sound that makes. Can understand why even at that level might annoy some.
 
Trade said:
Been doing a little more research on the Mazda cx-5. Apparently some models have "cylinder deactivation" where 1/2 of your engine shuts down under light loads to save gas. Now I want to do my part in trying to save the planet but that has got to be the lamest idea yet. Well maybe that and the stop start feature. But according to what I have read on the internet if your Mazda has an "M" in the 8th position of it's VIN then that car has both of these features, but if it has an "L" in the 8th position it has neither. So from now on I'm going to be looking for those L's.
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My new CX5 has the cylinder deactivation, I had hoped to find one without that feature but didn't have any luck. I rarely use cruise so not sure how often it will activate but have not noticed anything so far in my typical driving. I wish there was an indicator light showing when it was active.

I read online that a mechanic can "tune" it off by changing some engine settings so it won't activate. That's not something I would consider doing on a new car, vehicle modifications are exactly the kind of thing that void your warranty.
 

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