why would you buy a 2005?

[chimp]

well i don\'t know a whole lot of things but i do know how to keep money in my bank instead of giving it away. is there really any large changes between a 04 and an 05? here\'s what i know, now that the 05\'s are rolling in to dealerships, this is the time to get the best deal on a 04. unless your set on a new color option i would look into getting an 04 brought in. your more than likely going to get a great price on it and finance % aswell.
my personal experience i was in the hunt for a lancer around this time last year. i was goin to get a 0% deal and a ton of cash off the top of a lancer of i got an 03 instead of an 04 at the time. the dealer need the 03 off the lot to make room for more new cars. they were giving great deals and added incentives.

there are many new 04 mazda\'s sitting on lots across ontario and they will be going for great prices. they are still new and haven\'t been driven off the lot. this may sound stupid but i would look into if a dealer will cut u a deal on 04 that they haven\'t sold before i would go and order an 05. it might save you a few dollars that you can spend later.
just some thing to think about.

[FLIPDADY]

The only difference with the 04 and the 05 was the lease rate. It was going to cost me almost $20 more per month for the 04 model. A lot of dealers are hesitant to give a discount on these cars because they\'re so hot.

[Melenium]

When I started shopping around August, I didn\'t really care if I got 04 or 05. What I was set on was the options and color I wanted. When I finally got around to making the buy, all that was available in my trim level and color were automatics, and I really didn\'t want that. Otherwise I\'d have to go for leather or downgrade to a lower trim. So I decided to stick it out for an 05.

Most dealers really weren\'t offering any incentives to get me to jump on an 04 aside from more favorable lease/finance rates. There is such a demand for the cars that people will take what they can get, regardless of year.

One hope that I have about getting the \'05 is that they would maybe fix up all the minor issues that were present in the first year (like the CEL/SRS/Glovebox/rotor grooving/HVAC).

[Coaster]

If you were to sell your car in a few years it will cost you, since technically the 2004 car is 1 year older than the 2005 it\'s value is lower. It wouldn\'t matter that you started driving it at the same time as some guy with an 05. If all other things are the same the 04 will always be worth less than an 05

[fuey]

reason i look at 05 instead of 04 model is mainly the fixes that the 1st year model problems. resale value rings true for the post above. my first post =) ...just repeating what previous post said because there r my reasons as well.

[RedRaptor]

Ah...the \"first year\" problems were on the original build cars way back in November of 2003 when the car first came out. Since you guys are buying a car now or a month ago, those first year issues wouldn\'t even apply for you.

I have a July 2004 build model that I bought in September and if you think about it, the August 2004 builds (which are labelled as 2005) are the same. What would change on the assembly line over a span of a month?

I would have to agree on the resale value point, but let\'s look at the APR rates here. On a 36 month term, I am paying 2.9% on a 2004 model as opposed to 5.9% on a 2005 model for basically a car that is exactly the same except for the \"SAT\" radio button.

I wouldn\'t pay 3.0% more each year on interest for a 2005 model with a \"SAT\" radio button. Whatever I don\'t get for the resale value of my car, I am sure I got from the finance rate already.

[fuey]

the finance rate totally slipped my mind. yup 3% more doesn\'t justify it but i have been shopping around and there aren\'t any 04 m3 with my spec around. bummer!

[MAZDA Kitten]

Well said RedRaptor. Im in the same boat as you. My car build date was July 04 too!

2.9% sounded more appealing than 5.9% (even though I really *REALLY* wanted a white GT with 5spd but there was no more :( ) For some reason people dont like white cars...

[fuey]

white or black looks really nice when they r clean. initially i was looking for a white but then decided to go for blue or grey cause they can get away with some dirt/dust and still look decent. i am not a regular car wash/cleaning person =)

[majic]

Originally posted by MAZDA Kitten


Well said RedRaptor. Im in the same boat as you. My car build date was July 04 too!

2.9% sounded more appealing than 5.9% (even though I really *REALLY* wanted a white GT with 5spd but there was no more :( ) For some reason people dont like white cars...

yeha.. UNLESS you pay cash or can get a better loan from the bank then definately i\'d get an \'05 model..

[zRqTz]

Ok, let me add my opinion...

Let\'s take my particular situation. I bought a 2005 Mazda3 and the total came up to $23,545.00 (after taxes, trade-in, downpymnt, options, etc).

Loan Amount: $23,545.00
Loan Interest Rate: 5.90%
Loan Term: 5 years
Monthly Loan Payment: $454.10
Cumulative Payments: $27,245.78
Total Interest Paid: $3,700.78

If I had bought a 2004 instead for the same amount but @ 2.9%...

Loan Amount: $23,545.00
Loan Interest Rate: 2.90%
Loan Term: 5 years
Monthly Loan Payment: $422.03
Cumulative Payments: $25,321.63
Total Interest Paid: $1,776.63
======================================
So this means I could have saved:

$3,700.78
-$1,776.63
-------------
$1924.15 in interest!!!

======================================

Now, since we wouldn\'t know what the black book value would be 4 years from now, I took the value of its closest make/model --- 2000/2001 Protege (w/80,000km):
2000 Protege Low: $6,750.00 High: $8,250.00
2001 Protege Low: $6,800.00 High: $8,300.00

The model year didn\'t make much difference at all!

I don\'t know. I guess I just got too excited about buying that I didn\'t even think about these things. Or maybe it\'s because I just like the sound of \"2005\" better than \"2004\"? :sarc
In any case, I now know what to do next time I buy a car! (which hopefully wouldn\'t be anytime soon)

And yes, feel free to comment on these numbers. I wouldn\'t take any offense! :D

[Xenon]

There\'s nothing wrong with buying an 04 instead of an 05...

except finding an 04.