u/A_canning_queen

I was ready to jump on a Mazda CX 5 or the CX-5o from my local dealer, but all of their listings have an M in the VIN and I have over educated myself about the risks of the CDA and now don’t want them.

I’ve been scouring online and finally found a 2024 MAZDA CX-5 2.5 S SELECT PACKAGE with an L in the vin at another dealer.

It seems like a base model. No sun roof.
I was previously looking at a Preferred package. Am I losing out on anything else by switching to the Select instead of preferred ?

I currently drive a 2007 Lexus IS 250 with 175k miles. It’s been a great car, but it’s tired. I just found out that to fix the AC, I’m looking at $4,000 in front-end work because the surrounding components are so rusted that everything will likely crumble once they start the repair.

I’ve decided it’s time for a replacement. I test-drove a 2018 RAV4 with 55k miles yesterday, priced at $21,000. With $5,000 down and some negotiating, I think I can make the payments reasonable at a 4.99 rate.

However, I’m really struggling with the feeling of "downgrading" from a luxury brand to a base model. My 2007 Lexus has everything—heated and cooled seats, a moonroof, and GPS. This RAV4 has almost no interior amenities; manual seat adjustments, no sunroof, cloth seats, just a radio. The only "upgrade" is the lane assist and the lower mileage.

Am I being irrational for hesitating? The market is so much more expensive than it was ten years ago, and I’m finding it hard to justify paying more for a car that feels like it has "less" than my 19-year-old Lexus.