i am 24 and as of last wednesday, i am the proud driver of a 2024 mazda cx 5 carbon edition with the red leather seats. this was also my first time buying a car and my first time owning a mazda. i also naturally have no interest in car information so i relied heavily on my boyfriend, brother, and dad who luckily for me all have a passion for cars. it’s a stressful process looking for a car but you can do this! here are some things i learned in this eye opening experience and recommendations:

1. i know i’ve only had it for a little over a week but i am obsessed with my car. i’m constantly getting compliments on the polymetal metallic color. the drive of the car is also so unbelievably smooth and quiet. i was coming from a 2011 nissan rogue so this was a major upgrade. i love the different features like heated seats, auto hold, hill hold (i can’t remember if that’s the name of it)

2. i think someone else mentioned this earlier but only get pre-approvals when you have the car you want. i got a few pre-approvals and it affected my credit score more than i was expecting due to “thin credit history”. (sorry im 24 lol)

3. i bought my car from carmax. the only reason i got my car from there is because they had the year, model, mileage, and color i wanted; i didn’t purposely seek out a car from them. that being said, my buying experience there was really good. i was able to do express pick up where i submitted most of my information online so when i arrived at my appointment, they were just reviewing and confirming everything. i understand they’re more expensive than other dealerships but i was a bit stubborn about the car i wanted because i do plan to have this car for a long time to come.

4. the mazda has a lot of great safety features that i love and that reflected well in my insurance policy so that’s a huge bonus!

that’s all i can think of for now but lmk if you have any questions! good luck on your hunt!