2012 GT or keep a 2008 CX-9 sport

[GaMazda]

We currently only have one child and still plan on having another in the next 2 years. A dealer near us has two 2012 grand touring 5s on the lot new. One has the black interior and other has the sand. I really am not a fan of the light blue from Mazda (or any manufacturer) but light interior with a 1 yr old might not be a good idea. I have three questions.

1. How do I sell the idea of getting rid of my CX-9 with only 38k miles on it for one of the 2012 GTs when my wife is sure that we will never fit everything in the 5 vs the 9. All we have again is one child and a 20lb dog when we travel to take currently with another hopefully in the next 2 years.

2. What would be a good price to start with since the 2012s are new and we have got to be getting close to a 2014 model year. I figure the 12s should go for crazy cheap but I have no clue.

3. Would the sand leather interior keep up to child well? I really do not like the blue to get the black but would the sand stay looking nice well if cleaned regularly?

Thanks for any advice you experts might have.

 

[Indelibility]

Is there a reason for wanting to get rid of the CX-9? Going to the 5 seems like a downgrade in my opinion.

 

[MarkVII88]

We had two kids and a Toyota Corolla as our only car for 2 years before we even got our first Mazda5 in 2008. I'm not seeing what the CX-9 is lacking with only one kid right now. That car should do you just fine once you have both kids. I'd suggest you wait at least until the 2015 Mazda5 comes out because it'll likely have a much slicker Skyactiv drivetrain than the 2012 Mazda GT's.

 

[aha]

I'd keep the CX-9 if I were in your situation. Mazda 5 is very nice, I love mine dearly and I'm jealous that my wife gets to drive it more than me. But, CX-9 is safer vehicle, ok...we can argue about it to death because MZ5 has agility and it's highly rated per Japan crash test. However, CX-9 is still taller (crossover), heavier, bigger compared to MZ5, think about if a normal car hits your CX-9 Vs. MZ5, the CX-9 can sustain better.

We bought our MZ5 knowing exactly we won't use it for long distance (we use MPV instead), and our garage is stinky narrow.

Now, sand leather can keep up with kids esp. if you don't mind buy a cover just below the child car seat. I think sunshine kids or britax makes them.

Just my $.02.

 

[GaMazda]

Is there a reason for wanting to get rid of the CX-9? Going to the 5 seems like a downgrade in my opinion.

My wife hates the big rear doors on the 9. I love the car but the gas mileage and doors are an issue with all the small parking spaces around us. She also is not a big fan of driving it since she said it is too big. Of course that does not really make sense because her daily driver is a 2013 Mazda 6 and that is a big car. After reading the replies so far I am guessing that most feel we are better off in the 9. I might need to get over the big rear doors and gas mileage. The 13 MPG city is rough though. I have yet to the 16mpg I should be in a city.

 

[Silentnoise713]

I prefer the tan leather interior (not the tan cloth tho) to break the monotonous black oven -it builds a lot of heat in the summer. Tan will “age” with use and you don’t really notice it getting dirty but obviously dirt/stains will be more apparent but is that really bad b/c it will promote you to clean it up whereas you may not see it on the black.


How many miles do you put on a year and is MPG a concern?
Do you care to be cover under factory warranty or DIYer?
Is vehicle size (parallel parking) a concern?
Do you really need AWD in GA, does it rain a lot?

If yes to all three, then it is only a point to start considering the Mazda5. The right car for you depends on your needs. Based on your limited description, I would keep the CX9.

 

[cburrell]

I would say to go with the 5 if you want the gas mileage, 28-30 highway, and mid 20's in town is way better than 13 to 16 mpg's in town and low 20's on the highway. The gas money adds up fast. Got to say that the MZR is a pretty stout motor, I rev the crap out of mine just because it is fun to do, and run 80 mph on the freeway and always see between 27-30 mpg's. Actually I've never got below 25 mpg's in any type of driving that I've done, but of course, where you live and the type of driving conditions do play a factor. Also, IMHO the 5 is much funner to sling around corners than the CX-9. All around you will save money with the 5, from the actual car payment to the gas. I had big vans with one kid for years, until I got the 5. One day my wife looked at me and said, " why are we spending more money on a car payment, spending more money for gas, and yet we rarely use all this space that this big van offers with just one kid." She saw the 5 and want it, and the rest is history, and she was right, we have saved a lot of money with the 5.

 

[thaxman]

1. How do I sell the idea of getting rid of my CX-9 with only 38k miles on it for one of the 2012 GTs when my wife is sure that we will never fit everything in the 5 vs the 9. All we have again is one child and a 20lb dog when we travel to take currently with another hopefully in the next 2 years.

3. Would the sand leather interior keep up to child well? I really do not like the blue to get the black but would the sand stay looking nice well if cleaned regularly?

Can't help you with question #2 (Maybe you might not like my help on the other 2 either. Take it for what its worth.

#1. Ever seen a 1994 Subaru Legacy wagon? As a midsize car from 20 years ago, it was exactly big enough to carry a 1/2 sheet of plywood (4'X4') in the back over the shock towers and partially over the back seat. I doubt you would find the CX-9 to be such a tight fit. Now consider a 1997 Accord wagon. It was about 3" wider but the trunk area was shallower. Now the Legacy was used to make 250 mi trips 1-way with 3 kids in the back seat - 1 booster, 1 forward facing car seat and a rear-facing car seat + 2 dogs (a 40 lb and a 60 lb athlete) in the back with a weekend's worth of overnight bags and baby & toddler toiletries. Everyone was plenty comfortable.
On to the Accord. By now, the kids were a bit older, so the youngest was in a forward facing seat, the others were in boosters and no dogs. The 5 of us took this on a 5-day camping outing that had us pitch tents in 2 campgrounds - 1 near Sedona one outside the Grand Canyon. We needed food, sleeping gear, clothing, cooking gear, lighting, and the requisite toddler gear for this 1200 mile trip. This was a packing event no one should have to go through...but we accomplished it without any use of the roof racks - it all went inside.
My point is that no one who actually has a real bed to return to at night really needs a CX-9 for 3 people. We currently take up every seat in the Mazda5 when we make trips. We have made the 500 mi roundtrips in it, but with 6, it really makes it tight, so I expect few to brave that kind of adventure. (plus my kids REALLY get along together and can actually make 3 hour trips without electronic distractions. I surmise not everyone is this lucky.) But a family of 4 could downsize easily without any real sense of claustrophobia.

#3. The Volvo we took this summer's 3-night Sedona/Flagstaff camping trip in has "Oak" interior meaning tan leather seats and carpeting. I prefer to minimize the amount of food the children consume in the cars in general, but the color has held up just fine over 3 1/2 years. I DO recommend good floor mats, since Hawaiian Punch leaked out of a closed cup and several ounces stained the passenger floor mat, but I mopped it up with wipes and later hosed it down really well, and its only about 5% visible.

In the end, it will be your decision, but my family is proof that families can use smaller vehicles without any great handicaps. We could take the truck on these trips, but when the best mpgs I can get are 16 highway (if we go slow, but can't exceed 11 city) I find the results unacceptable, especially since its really no more spacious inside when filled up with passengers.

Good luck with whatever decision you end up making.

 

[cburrell]

Nicely said thaxman, I downsized with a family of 3, and personally can't imagine going back to a bigger vehicle and trading the versatility, handling, and mpg's that the 5 offers. Just the other day, I was marveling at how much lumber and fencing material that I could fit in the 5 with the seats folded down. Yet, it drives and handles better than must compact cars like the corolla, elantra, or cruze. So, for me it would be hard for me to trade 28-30 mpg's on the highway, the versatility of a mid-size CUV, and the handling and agility that is almost as good as the 3.

 

[thaxman]

Nicely said thaxman, I downsized with a family of 3, and personally can't imagine going back to a bigger vehicle and trading the versatility, handling, and mpg's that the 5 offers. Just the other day, I was marveling at how much lumber and fencing material that I could fit in the 5 with the seats folded down. Yet, it drives and handles better than must compact cars like the corolla, elantra, or cruze. So, for me it would be hard for me to trade 28-30 mpg's on the highway, the versatility of a mid-size CUV, and the handling and agility that is almost as good as the 3.

Thing is, I've been thinking about it a bit. Sure the CX-9 has got to have a more upscale feeling interior. It wouldn't make sense not to. But I drive my Volvo every day, and when I get in the Mazda5 to do runabout errands, I don't feel like I'm slumming at all. I most certainly hate the all-black interior though. 95% of Americans have dark brown dirt. Our dirt is sun-bleached to a nice "corn-flakes" tan. Shows all over a black interior as if someone brought handfuls of sand from the beach and dumped them on the floorboards and rubbed them into the seatbacks. Oh, and on the subject of sun-bleached. Every time we get into the all-black interior here it feels like sitting down inside an oven on the self-cleaning setting. I recommend the tan interior...at least from a survivalist POV.

 

[MrPerception]

I drove a CX-9 (2012 model year) when we were looking to trade in our 3. Friends of ours were getting one at a really good deal. We ended up getting a 2013 CX-5 instead a couple months later. After taking some time to think things through and ignore the "great deal" being offered, I realized I loved how our 5 drives, especially compared to the 9. I have 4 kids ages 12 to 15. When we bought the 5 new, we worked out a deal to get the roof rack and short cargo box as part of the package. We've taken numerous 3 and 4 hour trips without the cargo box being needed and also took a trip last spring to Florida with the box being used (24 hours of driving one way). We were able to pack everything we needed and then some with room to spare. Even with the cargo box on top and the vehicle fully loaded with 6 people and their stuff, we managed just under 29mpg for the entire trip. I debated over a year between getting the 5 or going with a larger vehicle and haven't regretted my decision to go with the 5. I tinted my windows so the black leather interior isn't as bad in the heat. My friends that bought the CX-9 love it, but I enjoy being able to choose any parking spot I want knowing I can fit. Oh and they've been too scared to figure out the mileage they are getting doing most of their driving around town.