Buying CX - 9. Could use some help on couple questions.

[Drogos]

hi there,

I am eyeing 2010 - 2011 GT models. Don't really mind high mileage vehicles.
Trying to figure out couple things:

1. 2010 vs. older models. Other than exterior facelift and some minimal changes to the interior...is there any other noticeable difference?
2. tranny and transfer case. AWD models are know to have issues. Is there a way to verify on the test drive if any of those components is on the way out?
3. I have test drove one GT with 110k miles on the clock. Everything was ok other than very noticeable lag going from 1st to 2nd gear. I think it was only when car was still rather cold. Is that normal and expected for higher mileage car?
4. Still on the fence between T and GT trim. My understanding is that GT gets bigger wheels, turn signal heated(?) mirrors, memory seats and HIDs? Is there anything else? Are HIDs a worthy option or can I upgrade to 3rd party HID for cheap?
5. Roof rack. I understand that naked roof trims have mounting points for 3rd party racks ? Was that an option or is it standard? For those cars with factory side rails....can these be removed easily to I could use fixed mounting points on the roof?

thanks for any hints!

 

[Drogos]

oh yeh.....one more question. Another one I am looking at has check engine light with O2 sensor error code. Failing O2 sensor might mean just that ....sensor itself or might point to bigger underlying issues....perhaps even with Catalytic converter. Any known issues in that department ?
thanks

 

[tex2670]

My '12 GT has BSM, keyless ignition, blue highlighted instruments, exterior chrome accent trim (like the door handles), fog lights, auto dimming rear view mirror with HomeLink, optional power lift gate, rain sensing wipers, and leather with heated front seats. I can't say for sure that all those features are GT exclusive, though. I think the GT radio system is different too.

 

[Scott91370]

1. Minimal changes from what I read and seen since e first model year. Even the new one, which is a redesign, still looks similar but will be lighter and have a different engine.
2. Can't help.
3. Ours shifts from 1-2 at such a low speed I've never even seen it happen. Could just be a cold lubricant thing.
4. When we bought, the price difference between the two were so small it only made sense to get the GT. I'm not sure on the 2010 if those were the only differences.
5. The rails, if I remember correctly, have one bolt in each corner. You can install and remove in a matter of minutes and finding the mounting points is very easy once you start looking.

As far as the CEL. It will depend on which sensor it is. These should have at least 3 but I've never been under it to check.

 

[kornholio]

If this is a dealer or used car lot vehicle let them fix the check engine light issue. If not then go to repair pal.com to get an estimate as to how much for this repair.

 

[Drogos]

thanks everyone for your replies. I am really puzzled when trying to decide between T and GT trim. I would definitely prefer 18" wheels. 20" is just crazy, cost of tires, ride quality etc. Wheels can be easily changed though. I am wondering on how useful, reliable do you find all the additional electronic gizmos on GT trim? Especially interested in keyless start operation. Other features not exclusive to GT that I am wondering about is rear auto gate which I heard is PITA since there is no manual override (?) and NAVI. I doubt it will actually be used rather than cell phone GPS....any thoughts highly appreciated.....oh and HIDs .....my understanding is that regular bulbs can be switched to HID no problem without additional mods?

 

[furballs]

In case its useful, here's the 2011 brochure that lists the soecs of the different trim levels.

http://cdn.dealereprocess.com/cdn/brochures/mazda/2011-cx9.pdf

 

[Scott91370]

The rear gate can be opened or closed by hand, not sure if that's what you mean by manual override.
We have the GT with the seat/mirror memory and I love it. The seat is where I want it every time!
Keyless start is not a factory installed item. You will have to do it or pay.

 

[Drogos]

hhhmmm. keyless start IS a factory installed feature. I have seen one yesterday on the test drive

 

[furballs]

I'm going to guess that scott means remote start, not keyless.

 

[Scott91370]

Yes furballs, I was thinking of remote start. Ours even has the keyless start. (braindead

 

[tex2670]

thanks everyone for your replies. I am really puzzled when trying to decide between T and GT trim. I would definitely prefer 18" wheels. 20" is just crazy, cost of tires, ride quality etc. Wheels can be easily changed though. I am wondering on how useful, reliable do you find all the additional electronic gizmos on GT trim? Especially interested in keyless start operation. Other features not exclusive to GT that I am wondering about is rear auto gate which I heard is PITA since there is no manual override (?) and NAVI. I doubt it will actually be used rather than cell phone GPS....any thoughts highly appreciated.....oh and HIDs .....my understanding is that regular bulbs can be switched to HID no problem without additional mods?

Keyless--an awesome feature. I'm on my 3rd car with this technology, and I love it. You never need to take the key out of your pocket, unless you want to.

20" Wheels--I never drove a Touring version, but my GT with 20" wheels rides 1000x better than my prior Honda Pilot with 16" wheels.

Power Lift Gate--PITA? How so? You don't *have to* use the power function. It can still be operated manually; you can open or close it manually, or stop it in mid-stream manually. In fact, the only complaints I see are that you have to open it manually while standing behind the car to open the hatch, unless you use the fob. And the other complaint is that opening the power hatch with the fob requires pressing unlock 2x on the fob (or 1x on the hatch), then the hatch button on the fob. It is definitely not a PITA.

Navi--the Denso navi is decent. I used to have a Lexus with essentially the same system. What sucks is the bluetooth functionality, especially the phone book programing and upload. You can either import your entire phone book, up to 100 contacts, or manually enter each person by voice entry. And then you can never edit any of the entries. It's moronic--my '07 Lexus had better BT functionality than my '12 CX-9.

HIDs--the lights are good, and height adjustable. But they don't project out as far as they should. To my eye, aftermarket HIDs and HID-like headlights always look horrible.

 

[tex2670]

We have the GT with the seat/mirror memory and I love it. The seat is where I want it every time!

This is a great feature. The best part about it is syncing each key fob to a memory position, so the seat will automatically move to your preferred position when you unlock the car. My wife sits 2" off the steering wheel, and I can't even get into the seat when it's in her position.

 

[Scott91370]

Yeah, I found the video to get the 'My Key' to work. Unlock it and seat/mirror go to the right spot. Love it!

 

[Drogos]

I was wondering about the memory seat function. So you can program seat position and mirrors position per each key? That's awesome ...while it's such a nonissue ....or it shouldn't be ...getting into my sub. outback after my wife drove it and adjusting everything again and again is killing me.

 

[furballs]

On my 2011 GT, it's seat position only that is memorized by button on the seat, and also for each advanced key. I understand that mirror memory didn't come in until a later year.

 

[Scott91370]

2013 has it.

 

[tex2670]

I was wondering about the memory seat function. So you can program seat position and mirrors position per each key? That's awesome ...while it's such a nonissue ....or it shouldn't be ...getting into my sub. outback after my wife drove it and adjusting everything again and again is killing me.

My '12 doesn't tie the mirrors to the memory position, I think mirrors were added in '13.

You program the memory positions on buttons on the side of the seat, and you can pair each key fob to one of the 3 memory positions.

 

[sjg]

I bought a Touring specifically to avoid the 20" wheels even though it meant losing out on some features that I would have liked (specifically, fog lights). Many people seem fine with the ride on the 20" wheels but I drove both versions back-to-back and preferred the smaller wheels from the Touring. Not to mention lower cost initially, less likely curb rash and lower cost for tires in the future.

Everyone's taste in tech and gizmos varies. I would say this is a car that very much deserves a backup camera. You have absolutely no idea where the rear bumper is or what's going on within 10 feet of the back of the car unless you have the camera.

 

[furballs]

I've got to say, tire price differential over the ownership period of the vehicle can't really factor in, can it? On a yacht that is 50-60 bucks per fillup, the difference in tire cost just isn't much of a factor......