I'm looking at buying one of these fine cars!
Unfortunately, i don't know what's different between a 2006,2007,2008.....
i test drove a 2008, but that's not going to help me, since i'll be buying used
The a/c in the 2008 was great! vents in the middle console i could feel all the way to the back, but are all the years the same? I just noticed the tail lights changed....
-Wanting a manual trans in North America.

 

I discovered someone posted this attached page, for changes that occurred in 2008. Anyone have the changes for 2007,2006?

 

We ended up buying new, 2008, but I am not sure if there are any differences between the 06/07.

One question to ask your self is "Is it actually cheaper to buy used?"

Buying new, can be more expensive if you are financing.

We had to finance the entire purchase of our 2008. We financed at 1.9% over 84 months through the dealer. Had we bought used, we would have had to pay at least 8% interest. (6%+ more!). The used price was only marginally cheaper than brand new. When we calculated the entire $$ commitment over the 7 years of payments, the brand new 5, ended up costing less than buying used at the higher interest rates.

I strongly suggest considering new. Check to see what the best interest rate you can get is on a used one, and compare that to buying new, crunch the numbers, and see if it really makes sense.

If you have a decent down payment, or are paying cash for the purchase, then used definitely is cheaper, but if you have no down payment, new just might be depending on the bank rates etc, how many months you want to draw out payments for, what you can afford monthly, etc.

 

Oh, BTW, you will love your 5. We love ours, its the perfect car for our small family (1 child & 1 dog. Another kid to come some day).

There is really only one thing that irritates me sometimes, and that is it is slighly under powered. A vehicle of this size/shape, etc, should probably be closer to the 200 horsepower mark. 146, or whatever it is, seems a bit slim when the car is loaded down.

We also got a manual transmission - highly recommend going that route, makes it feel more like a car, and less like a van

 

I'd say go for an 08 if you can still get one. They added all the stuff I found to be a lacking whenI was looking at a used 06. Added arm rests, AUX input,rear vents etc... now things I miss, well really just the lower side sills, they dropped those in 2008 on the base, at least in Canada. But for $312.00 USI can add them already color matched.

And for HP, the 5 is a bit underpowered I supposebut the 5-speed manual does make it a blast to drive, one can always get a cold air intake and get maybe 10 more peak HP out of it. Ebay has some for $55 ish but I have no idea what quality they are - if anyone checks it out, they are chrome tubes with blueseals and filter. If anyone has one of those, I'd like to know what you think.

 

Just picked up my 09' on Friday! slightly used (21 days, w/1500miles on it) Manual tran...tax,tags,title....but since used, still got it below invoice. crazy lucky yes? or just looking for one for 2 years has paid off. LOVE IT.
Tho my interior cloth is almost WHITE.....i'm going to need seat covers. Even if you didn't have kids, the fabric would be a dirt magnet. And my wife loves it.....yep, very happy. Tho we went to the grocer on Sunday, with the car full of the family, and it was hard finding a place for the grocery bags. that's ok! my family fits, and i love the stashing in back w/the spare.
I like the gear ratio. I get more out of 1st, which helps in traffic. 2nd is a little short tho, but definately not under powered. I suppose as the kids keep eating, the car may have slower pickup...... )