Sayonara Kizashi!

[KuroNekko]

Well, the time has come. I am no longer a Kizashi owner. I officially sold my 2011 Kizashi Sport GTS to my nephew yesterday. I'm glad it went to a young driver so eager to learn and own a manual transmission vehicle in this era, especially the super rare and obscure Kizashi.

I bought the Kizashi in the summer of 2012 so I had it for almost 13 years. It's the longest I've personally owned any car largely due to the many merits of the Kizashi. However, as I have previously wrote about, my needs have changed for a vehicle and with the impending effects of the tariffs, I decided it was time for a new car. I bought my replacement vehicle about three weeks ago but hadn't had the time for a proper post until now.

These are some of the last photos I took of the Kizashi in my ownership. It really held up quite nicely over the years. It's been a very reliable vehicle that has never left me stranded or gave me a headache. I enjoyed many journeys in this car including a solo cross-country drive from Maryland to California. I part with it having many fond memories over the 130,000 miles I personally put on it.

As for the replacement, it's a very different kind of vehicle but one that I believe suits me best now. I wrote about it in other posts before I purchased it but seeing it in person and test driving it sealed the deal. I now have a Mazda CX-50 Hybrid.
Photos below are from a camping trip last weekend during its maiden adventure. The first of many to come.

As for the forum, I will continue to be a moderator and contribute as much as I can. While I will no longer join most of you in the ranks as a fellow Kizashi owner, I still intend to engage in discussions here and help out where I can. I will say I joined this forum weeks after I bought my Kizashi in 2012 during a rather difficult time in my life. The Kizashi and this community really helped me find joy and engagement thus has been rather special to me. For that, I thank you all.
With that, my chapter with the Kizashi comes to an end.

[SAEED_KIZZY]

Good for your nephew KuroNekko. I am sure he won't need to go to the mechanic for the next 10 years or more .
As for the Maza CX-5, a cool-looking car, congratulations.

[KlutzNinja]

I remember in my Kizashi goodbye thread, you said seeing the photos of my (totaled) Kizashi reminded you of yours, and now I’m getting that same feeling looking at your pictures lol.

Anyway, congrats on the new car and welcome (back) to the Mazda fam. I’m glad the CX-50 Hybrid ended up being what you had hoped for, and I hope you have a good ownership experience. Now that you have a car from an automaker that’s still in the US, how much of the maintenance do you plan to do yourself? And is your dealer at least somewhat nearby (for the sake of recall work)? I did my first oil change myself, but the DIY place I used closed down, so last year I had to go to a local dealer. It wasn’t bad, but they suggested some maintenance for later that, upon further research, was not really necessary. Kind of reminded me how much I don’t like the dealership service center experience.

I’m also glad your Kizashi is sticking around, sort of. I hate the feeling of growing attached to something like a car and then seeing it off for the last time, not knowing who will get it and how it will be treated.
I’d love to know your takes on your Mazda far, good and bad. And it looks like yours is in blue? Or is it the dark grey? Part of me wished Mazda kept the Deep Crystal Blue Mica they’ve had for years, but the CX-50’s blue is a nice balance between DCBM and the lighter Eternal Blue my brother’s CX-5 has. I’m not too familiar with the CX-50 trims but I’m guessing you got the cloth seats you wanted? How are those compared to the Kizashi’s?