Long time owners--would you buy again?

[zoommx5]

Hello All, I'm considering a 2012 CX-9 to replace a 2005 4runner. Sounds like the 2013 will be redesigned, but I'm not a big fan of buying first year redesigns. Don't want to be the test pig to work out bugs.

I typically hang onto cars at least 5 years, sometimes much longer. I would buy not lease. For all you long term-owners, would you buy another CX-9??? Why or why not?
I'm mostly interested in hearing about big stuff-mechanical reliability and the like, not little things like rattles or lack of features.

I also drive a 2010 MX-5 for a "3 season" car. CX-9 would be used for winter, trips, towing a boat, hauling around stuff from the big box stores and for camping excursions.

Feedback on towing 3K lbs and the ability to climb mountains on dirt roads packed with gear would also be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your wisdom!

 

[table5511]

The 4Runner is much more suited for amount of ground clearance. The CX-9 does not have a whole lot of clearance i.e. engine oil pan is pretty low, exhaust pipes hang down really low, when you are following a cx-9, you can see the exhaust pipes below the line of the bumper, that is how low they sit. So in respect to that, 4Runner is a clear winner.

I think 2014 is more likely over 2013 for a re-design. Not only will it be a new body/chassis, but a new direct injection powerplant as well, and I don't think they are anywhere close to that yet, as the new 4 cylinder "sky activ" engine is not even in showrooms yet, so a V6 direct injection is likely still in the drawing board phase.

I deffinately would buy another CX-9. If you look at the number of technical service bulletins and compare 2007 to 2012, the number has been drastically reduced mainly due to re-design of a few parts which were susceptible to problems. As you are not interested in the little things, I won't comment on that other than to say I believe they have gone a bit cheaper on the aesthetics between 2007 and 2012 both in body and interior with the exception of the leather material.

I have 42,000 miles on my 08' and have only had to replace the front brakes and the interior blower motor 13 dollar relays (which are no longer an issue on the 12' model)

The 3.7 is a solid engine, and with the towing package and AWD, is pretty capable for moderate towing, but if you are going up and down challenging terrain, I would stay away from the 20" wheels with low profile (50) tires which are standard on the Grand Touring.

I agree with you about 1st year models.

 

[zoommx5]

Thanks, Helbigtw. I did see your post showing the brake deterioration. WOW!!! While that's a mark of bad quality parts, nothing $200 and a few hours in the garage wrenching can't fix. I don't mind wrenching on cars but know I won't be able to tear apart transmissions, engines, and complex assemblies. Not to mention hassle. Something to keep an eye on for sure. My old pathfinder ate brakes regularly. 3 sets of rotors in 56k miles. Finally the radiator clogged, overheated and warped the head gasket. It was sold instantly for the 4runner before it blew the head gasket. It has A LOT of other issues constantly as well, mostly electrical, and the suspension was terrible for towing.

My 4runner has been perfect up until recently (78K) miles. Transmission problems and leaking manifold. I am hopeful the tranny shop can get me going long enough to trade in the runner. Suffice to say I'm soured on the Toyota brand big time-the transmission should not fail with that many miles, considering it's the same tranny as the Land Cruiser and GX470 pulling MUCh less weight. My old 20 year old MR2 Turbo was more reliable, and it was pushing 300hp modified and beaten on regularly (drinks).

My camping excursions are normally twice a year in WV. After a 220 mile ride, about 10 miles of the trip is fairly steep up and down, perhaps 20% grades in several places for roughly a mile, but nothing extreme ground clearance wise on the main road. I used to just gear down and take it slowly, letting the engine braking work and to keep the transmission from excess strain up hills. Ground clearance is a concern however-not on the county roads as much as the entrance to the campsite. I suspect going very slow and paying attention to where the tires contact will minimize bottoming. In other words staying out of the ruts, which the 4runner laughed at.

With that said, some friends vehicles (older ranger, older Jeep Grand Cherokee) struggled and over heated brakes on these roads. I don't think they geared down though.

Is there a means to increase clearance without affecting normal use (i.e. air suspension assist)? Not that I want to modify the CX-9 struts or suspension and ruin any "zoom-zoom" nature of the car.

I do see what you mean about the exhaust and engine pan. Considering 95%+ of the time I just need to commute and run around town on flat paved roads, I'm inclined to go with a crossover rather than a box frame. I may even rent an F150 or similar if I take the boat longer distances, to keep wear off the CX-9. Considering HD SUV frames are limited to Jeeps and 4runners, not much choice. I will not buy an American car until quality changes drastically (would love to drive an american car but been there done that, learned lessons). And the 4runners while nice, just aren't what they used to be. Complaints abound and Toyota is just not backing up their products anymore. Shame.

I'm also looking at the Tribeca's but they seem a little small and the transmission hunts for gears way too much, not to mention rougher and noisy. My wife has a newer Legacy with the 3.6 (same drivetrain as the Tribeca) and while it's a great car the transmission hunting and roughness turns me off.

I will probably get the GT with 20's but am already considering acquiring another of rims (17 or 18) with all terrain tires, for winter and camping only. Nothing like AWD and good tires in bad weather!!

Sorry for the long winded post!

 

[drchuck]

Mine is two years old and I like the vehicle, and I would purchase it again - but not if I needed a 4 Runner.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

We've had ours for over a year now and only had the Hydralic control unit replaced via TSB. It fell into the category of bad part tolerances and shouldn't be a problem anymore. Other than that the center console padding tends to compress. I love driving our CX-9. Between that and my 2010 Mazda 6 sGT (V6) I'm a happy camper. There was a time where Honda and Toyota could claim better quality and reliability but many manufacturers including Mazda have caught up. In fact they all use the same parts suppliers. So any issues beyond parts is in the design and manufacture. Manufacturing and product development are pretty consistent across brands. Take a look at some of the NatGeo Ultimate factory tours and you'll find that the manufacturing across manufacturers is pretty consistent with a few minor differences. Remember one of the reasons Ford originally staked a claim in Mazda was for studying their quality control proces- which was one of the best at the time. Toyota's Lean development practices are also pretty standard across the industry.

 

[sjg]

I've been happy with mine and would definitely buy it again. Even 3-4 model years later with plenty of newer cars from other manufacturers I'd still choose the CX-9...although I'd also think long and hard about the new Durango.
Ground clearance isn't great but if you're committed to a crossover I think it's pretty much in line with the competition.
I drive dirt roads in VT with steep hills, snow and mud and have had no difficulties. No problems with full loads inside plus a roof box on top. I haven't towed anything so I can't comment.
Only necessary repair so far was a front wheel bearing which was a little disappointing because its not the kind of thing I expect in a modern car around 30K miles. They replaced both front wheel bearings under warranty though so no hard feelings.
I too considered the Tribeca and liked it because it drove pretty similarly to the Legacy GT Wagon I was replacing (the Tribeca shares a platform with the last generation Legacy). But it's smaller than the CX-9 (really can't fit people in both the 2nd and 3rd rows at the same time) and it gets worse mileage.

 

[chiurw]

We bought our GT brand new in April of 2008. 38k miles later, there have been no issues with it. Great car and very reliable (just as reliable as a Toyota, IMO). The only maintenance I performed to date other than regular oil changes have been the brakes, wipers and AC relays. The next items on my list are to replace the battery and tires. Would I purchase another GT or Mazda product, heck yeah!

 

[Thompsoncd]

Yes!

Yes! I'd buy again without a second thought. I have a 2011 and it's been the best car I've ever owned. Very few and minor things I'd like different, but those are very subjective items.

LOVE the power and room.

NO mechanical issues.

I live on a ranch with miles of dirt roads and unplowed in the CO winters, i'm never stuck and the dust seals are very good.

Cole

 

[cvandenhaute]

I had mine since December 2010 and after 12,000 miles did not experience any issues at all. I only have one concern for the quality of the paint (Brilliant Black) that I find extremely thin and fragile but other than that it has been a very reliable car. I am much more happy than with my former '08 CX-7 GT that had quite a few issues.

 

[ceric]

I have owned 8 vehicles so far, 4 of which are Honda/Acura.
The only two among them that I enjoyed driving are BMW 540iA and Mazda CX9.
The BMW had so many issues that it was a love-hate relationship with me.
CX9 strikes the best balance among all important objectives to me.
(safety, driving fun, and reliability)

 

[jk240sx]

I haven't been a long time owner, only 2 weeks. But to the OP, I wouldn't exceed the 3,000 towing limit at all. My buddy in NY works in the service dept of a major multi-brand dealership. In fact, he was the one that suggested the CX-9 to me. He doesn't work in the Mazda Dept but he has seen quite a few with towing related tranny problems, most due to folks trying to tow big boats with them. If you need to tow more than 3000 lbs, look at something else.

 

[ryanCX-9]

A little late with my post but, yes!, I would buy my 2009 GT all over again. Never been so happy with a car.

 

[fxpthl]

I too echo ryanCX-9 about our 2009 CX-9 GT. It replaced a BMW X5 and has been an absolute joy to own. We purchased ours in late 2009 and now have almost 70K on the clock. We are on our second set of tires, the OEM lasting about 30K and our Yokohama Specs for almost 40K miles. Believe it or not, we are also on our original brakes! Yes, we do alot of long distance vacation trips seeing small town America, but nothing has broken on this great vehicle.
As a PS, I just replaced the front brake pads and turned the rotors with just over 70500 miles on the clock. Also serviced the tranny for the first time only because the dealorship recommended it over flushing the cooling system in order of importance.

 

[giswong]

I have a 09 GT, too. Only a bit more than 20K miles. So far so good. A quite balanced car with 3rd row. only hope the mpg be better, but for the size it's not too bad. The new sky activ might help, and the mpg on cx-5 is amazing.

I too echo ryanCX-9 about our 2009 CX-9 GT. It replaced a BMW X5 and has been an absolute joy to own. We purchased ours in late 2009 and now have almost 70K on the clock. We are on our second set of tires, the OEM lasting about 30K and our Yokohama Specs for almost 40K miles. Believe it or not, we are also on our original brakes! Yes, we do alot of long distance vacation trips seeing small town America, but nothing has broken on this great vehicle.

 

[Force-1]

My 2008 CX-9 GT was leased, so I returned it after 3 years. Replaced it with a 2011 Audi Q7 S-Line Prestige.

I really liked the CX-9. I didn't get another because I get bored with vehicles and never get the same one again. Wife and I have had about 25 new vehicles in the past 25 years.

 

[table5511]

Holy 25 cars batman.