Well, I guess I'll have to change my screen name here. On Saturday March 10, 2018 I returned my 2016 Mazda3 Touring a year early in it's lease for a new 2018 CX-5 AWD Touring. I didn't plan on that happening but it did.

On Saturday morning brought in my Mazda3 for it's 25K (miles) service. Car was running fine, no major issues with it. My only complaint is that even though it's front wheel drive with traction control it still has problems in snow. Here on Long Island we've have had some nice storms this winter. After one storm in January I got stuck twice where the town hadn't plowed the lots by the train station very well. So I had been thinking that when the lease came due in April 2019 that I would replace it with either a AWD CX-3 or CX-5.

Well, I arrive, and while waiting for the service advisor to finish with the customer ahead I get to talking with the manager of the dealership, mainly about how much I like the Mazda3 and this particular dealership. Excellent service, and lower pressure sales (They don't try to force you to add dealer options). After that I arrange for 25K service with the advisor. I then go into the showroom to wait for the car.

While I am waiting I decide to look at the CX-3 and CX-5. I see the salesman from whom I leased the Mazda3. I tell what I am planning on doing at the end of the lease, and about how things have changed from when I leased the Mazda3 in 2016 to now. By changing jobs I went from driving over 40 miles a day round trip to work to only 10 miles a day round trip to the train station. So as a result fuel economy wasn't as big as issue now as it was then, so a AWD SUV was more what I would like. I then returned to the waiting area for my car.

While I was reading a magazine (April 2018 MotorTrend) the salesman comes over. He said that the manager looked at my car and would like to buy it out of it's lease (2 year old car with 25K miles in very good condition would be a good used car for them to sell, probably more money for them that letting my lease go to the end), and that they could do something good regarding a 2018 CX-5 AWD.

So I go to his desk and he proposes a 2018 AWD CX-5 Touring, without the option package (moon roof, etc), $2500 for the various costs, $70 for DMV plate change. The lease would go from $320 per month (15K per year) to $389 per month (10K per year). When I considered the features that the 2018 CX-5 has that the 2016 Mazda3 doesn't have (safety, leather, heated seats etc) I decided that it was worth it.

So I ended up leaving that afternoon with a Soul Red 2018 AWD CX-5 Touring. So far I am very happy with it, and I hope whoever buys my old 2016 Mazda3 is happy with that car.

Stuart

 

Congrats on your new ride!

 

Really nice. I have a 2017 GT and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned. I have to say though you could finance a 2017 GT for less. A 2017 GT vs a 2018 GT's really the only difference is the cylinder deactivation.