Welcome back! Today we’re checking out a couple of smallish boxes on wheels, just the thing if you need plenty of seating or stuff-hauling capability, but have a small parking space. And just to keep things interesting, they’re both stickshifts.
We had to settle for automatics with yesterday’s choices, but sometimes you do what you have to do in order to get that sweet V8 rumble. This was one of those days when I had no idea what the outcome would be: On one hand, we had a Jaguar-designed Ford product with a somewhat sketchy reputation, and on the other, we had a mechanically-solid but somewhat childish Dodge. I couldn’t have guessed which way you were going to go.
In the end, the Lincoln won out, and I don’t know if it’s due to the lower mileage, the recent maintenance, or just the animosity towards Chrysler products that seems so prevalent. Me, I’d take the Magnum – if I didn’t already have a Hemi-powered car with a much nicer interior.
So far this week, we’ve determined that you all like Mazdas, and dislike Mopars. That might seem to make today a foregone conclusion, but as always, the devil is in the details. Let’s go over these with a fine-toothed comb and see which one really is the better deal.
2012 Mazda 5 – $3,700
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Richfield, WI
Odometer reading: 210,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Vehicle taxonomy gets a little muddy sometimes: What makes a vehicle a van, for example, instead of a tall wagon? Is it just the presence of sliding doors? Mazda seems to think so; it calls this car, known as the Mazda Premacy in Japan and the Mazda 5 here, a van, yet when Nissan built a similar tall wagon with sliding doors on both sides, it was marketed as the Stanza Wagon. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, I guess.
Here in the US, the 5 is powered by our old friend the MZR four-cylinder, here displacing 2.5 liters. It powers the front wheels through a six-speed manual, pretty racy stuff for a family hauler, but Mazda rarely does boring. It has 210,000 miles on it, but it has had a ton of work, and the seller has all the records dating back to 2015 when they purchased it. It runs great, and comes with an extra set of wheels with snow tires – a nice touch for the Great Lakes region.
It’s in good condition inside, which isn’t always the case with a used minivan. Vehicles like this tend to lead hard lives, and for this one to be this clean north of 200,000 miles, someone must have cared for it. The seller says, and I quote, “Everything works exactly as it should,” including the all-important air conditioning.
It looks good outside too, but it’s a Mazda, for sale in Wisconsin. Better take a good hard look underneath, to make sure the floors and rocker panels aren’t pulling a disappearing act.
2014 Jeep Patriot Latitude – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: St. Charles, IL
Odometer reading: 130,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Brand names get muddled and diluted too, even when they probably shouldn’t. One weak product, one thing that doesn’t measure up to the standards that the brand has always set, can do a lot of damage. If they say Hanes before Inspector 12 says they say Hanes, then the Hanes name means a little less. And when a so-called Jeep is nothing more than a Dodge Caliber in cosplay, it dilutes the entire Jeep brand. Even when it’s a sensible, popular little vehicle like the Patriot.
Jeeps are four-wheel-drive; everybody knows that. Except when they’re not. The Patriot was available with two different 4WD systems, but this one has neither. Its 2.4 liter “World” four-cylinder drives only the front wheels. But unlike most Patriots, which have an automatic transmission – or worse, a CVT – this one has a proper five-speed manual. It has a new clutch, and runs and drives well, but that’s all we know about its mechanical condition. The ad is one line long.
It looks used, but not abused; the interior has some wear and scuffs, but it’s intact and undamaged. This is the fancier Latitude model, so it has power windows and locks and stuff, which makes it even stranger that it’s 2WD with a stickshift.
I have to confess I always kind of liked the Patriot’s looks; it’s chunky and purposeful, and I tend to like boxier vehicles anyway. Unfortunately, I also know what northern Illinois winters can do to cars, having grown up there, and this little Jeep is already showing signs of rust. There’s a pretty good bubble on the right rear wheel arch, and you know there’s always more than what you can see.
I’ve been through a lot of used cars in my life. I mean, not as many as some, but I’ve had my fair share. Every time I go looking for a car, vehicles like these – practical all-rounders with manual transmissions – are exactly what I probably ought to shop for, but rarely do. They make sense, unlike most of the cars I end up with. But at least I get to shop vicariously for cars every day, and show you what I find. Which one of these makes more sense to you?
(Image credits: sellers)
I, unfortunately, buy shitboxes fairly regularly. I split my time between Florida and Texas for my job and keep the shitbox in Florida to drive while I am there. My last one as a 2010 Honda Pilot. The Pilot died a horrible death shaking and shimmying down the road…kinda. I have a friend who willingly sells me new shitboxes when I need them. He has a Ford Escape, Jeep Patriot and a Dodge Durango. I ended up gong with the Durango (a 2006 SLT) with the 4.7 liter (GAH!) V8. The Ford shook and rattled just sitting still (the small V6), and the Jeep just seemed like it was kind of wheezing when I started it a couple of times. I drove the Durango from Florida to Texas, about 1160 miles and somewhere in Louisiana, the thermostat went out. I had to run the heater while sitting in traffic for a bit. It kept the temp down low enough I wasn’t to scared of it dropping a valve and when I got home to Texas, went through it and did a few small repairs as well as the thermostat. My buddy called me a few days later and said someone had purchased the Jeep and that is had basically just stopped compressing at all in some parking lot, so be glad I didn’t buy it. And I was. Mostly. I still would like to have one to run around int just to have a little fun with it!
This one is a foregone conclusion considering I basically have the same exact van (year, model, trans, etc) but in red with 146k miles. 2012 and up seem to rust much, much more slowly than the earlier ones – I had a 2006 up until 2019, and even when we first got it in 2014, it needed almost 2″ cut out of the wheel wells all the way around, had giant holes in the inside of the rear wheel wells running up the rockers and into the unibody, most of the rockers had disintegrated, and EVERY. SINGLE. FASTENER put up a fight if not breaking outright. In comparison, the 2012 I now have only has the smallest of rust bubbles near one rear wheel arch despite being older than the ’06 was when we first got it. Plus, the 6 speed is nice since the gearing on the previous 5 speed manual left the engine singing at almost 4k RPM at 80 mph – its down near 3k RPM at 80 with the new transmission
Common, when are you going to do s Shitbox Showdown between the Ford Transit Connect (mine) and either the Nissan NV200 or the Dodge Promaster small vans??
Current Build Status: https://medium.com/@FlordPerformance
I have an adult kid who wants a 5. With a stick. Sold.
A friend has one of those Mazda 5’s and it’s a reliable vehicle. I would do it.
The Mazda5 is one of my favorite vehicles so easy yes, although I’d prefer a PNW car since they don’t see road salt
Never touch the Patriot, nope not ever. I road tested a Mazda 5 automatic. It needed a much larger rubber band. The thing was slower than I thought possible, dangerously slow.
Mazda, without even a question.
Patriot is the least objectionable of its platform-mates, but it’s still a turd.
My daily manual is that Jeep, although not at that trim level. I’ve got manual locks and winding windows and 16″ steel rims.
Probably take the mazda just because of the doors.
Number 5 is alive!
The Patriot was TRASH
I was seriously considering buying this Mazda at one point, but a friend got one and was pretty dissatisfied: said it was underpowered and wind-battered on the highway. But it still sounds a lot more appealing than that Jeep.
Even with a stick, the Patriot is a penatly box. Mazda all day long.
Eh, the 2.4 motor was ok as long as you drove it regularly and maintained it, the lack of CVT wins it for me here, though only barely, I truly disliked this year patriot body style, but not quite as much as the Mazda Mini-Mini Van thingy. I actually rented one of those in WV and it was pretty terrible to drive.
I believe this generation of the 2.4L is notorious for severe oil consumption.
I voted Mazda. I wouldn’t want any thinking I bought the ersatz Jeep.
Fun fact, the Mazda 5 is longer, overall, than the original K-Car Caravan and Voyager. It is most certainly, 100% a minivan.
Here, it’s a Focus based minivan w a 6 speed stick. All day long, Mazda 5!!!
Patriot is the worst “Jeep” ever.
Mazda is an easy choice; I’ve driven the previous gen 5 and liked it. While there’s zero cool factor here, these are on my radar as a potential mountain bike hauler/commuter. I think with the seats removed I’d be able to roll my MTB right on the back without removing the wheels.
I would have accepted Compass, but yes
I lump them in as one. Though, the newer Compass actually looks decent.
agreed and understood x2
Ok the Patriot is going to get slaughtered here, but let me defend it for a moment. I voted for the 5, but the Patriot is a fantastic beater these days. The powertrain is actually super reliable, and the good news is the only ones left are the manuals and the Hyundai-sourced automatic (yes really). The horrible early CVTs died long ago.
I have driven a manual Patriot and I can say the shifter feel was not a consideration in the design of this vehicle. Very vague. The interior is indeed as bad as everyone says. It’s the Mazda for me, but really I’d want a both option.
I can’t go for the Patriot
for me that spells doom
so that leaves the mazda
with the Zoom – Zoom
😉