And so it ends

dougal, sorry about your accident, what a shame, it is a beautiful CX9. Glad nobody was hurt. Just to pile on to what others have said, while the tow truck dudes see plenty of wrecks, they aren't the ones that repair them. I'm no body repair guy, but my younger brother is. Generally, the sheet metal, plastics and finishing (paint) is pretty straight forward and it amazing what is he able to do ... his wrecks look like brand new. He said its the things you can't see is where you can run into trouble, like the radar, cameras, sensors, fiber optics, cracks in the engine block, or transmission case etc. You get the idea. My suggestion is find a repair shop that you trust and ask them to check all of the unseen stuff, then give you an estimate. That should give you some better leverage with the insurance company. Best of luck. Let us know how you make out.
Poppy D
 
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dougal, how did you make out? Poppy D

I am still waiting for the insurance company to make a decision. There initial estimate was ~14K but they said that does not include things the can not access, like engine and electronics. So, they will wait until the body shop starts taking things apart and will get a revised estimate to make their decision. The agent still thinks it will be considered a loss. I am personally really, really annoyed that it has taken this long.
 
I am still waiting for the insurance company to make a decision. There initial estimate was ~14K but they said that does not include things the can not access, like engine and electronics. So, they will wait until the body shop starts taking things apart and will get a revised estimate to make their decision. The agent still thinks it will be considered a loss. I am personally really, really annoyed that it has taken this long.
Sorry it is taking so long. It is such an inconvenience expecting you to "birddog" the body shop and insurance company. However, it is a good idea to get that revised estimate. After they take the car apart in order to inspect the things we generally don't think of.

Just a short story, I bought a 1 year old Ford Explorer from brother's shop after he brought it as a "total loss" by the insurance company. It was in a roll over accident and there wasn't any sheet metal that wasn't damaged or any glass that wasn't broken. Even the roof was caved in. When my brother got done with it, it looked and ran like a brand new car. I drove it for years and eventually sold it where the next owner continued to have good luck with it. I guess what I'm trying to say is a good repair shop can make your car new again and that you could have years of good service. Having said this, if you are uncomfortable with the repairs and have no confidence driving the repaired car .... well, then it has to go.
Poppy D
 
About buying and repairing a total loss--it will have a branded title. It will be labeled with a salvage title...or flood, or whatever the cause was. That will lower the future resale value. In some states the vehicle with the branded title can be inspected after the repair and the title cleared. In other states the branded title cannot be cleared.
 
Sorry it is taking so long. It is such an inconvenience expecting you to "birddog" the body shop and insurance company. However, it is a good idea to get that revised estimate. After they take the car apart in order to inspect the things we generally don't think of.

Just a short story, I bought a 1 year old Ford Explorer from brother's shop after he brought it as a "total loss" by the insurance company. It was in a roll over accident and there wasn't any sheet metal that wasn't damaged or any glass that wasn't broken. Even the roof was caved in. When my brother got done with it, it looked and ran like a brand new car. I drove it for years and eventually sold it where the next owner continued to have good luck with it. I guess what I'm trying to say is a good repair shop can make your car new again and that you could have years of good service. Having said this, if you are uncomfortable with the repairs and have no confidence driving the repaired car .... well, then it has to go.
Poppy D

If they fix it, will drive it and eventually trade it in for a new CX-9 somewhere down the line - hopefully with the new inline 6 large architecture!

If it is totaled, I am looking at a Q7, MDX, XC90 or another CX-9.
 
If they fix it, will drive it and eventually trade it in for a new CX-9 somewhere down the line - hopefully with the new inline 6 large architecture!

If it is totaled, I am looking at a Q7, MDX, XC90 or another CX-9.
All good choices, I have thought a lot about my replacement and I keep going back to CX-9s

Lots of good comments on here about asking for diminished loss and what not. With today's unibody vehicles, the whole vehicle structure plays a role in abating the energy in a crash, so it's not even just a frame issue. If you repair it, make sure they cover any hidden damage that gets uncovered. I also noticed you were at 57k. I have successfully negotiated an extra couple $$ because I had just replaced my tires. I am that petty 😏
 
All good choices, I have thought a lot about my replacement and I keep going back to CX-9s

Lots of good comments on here about asking for diminished loss and what not. With today's unibody vehicles, the whole vehicle structure plays a role in abating the energy in a crash, so it's not even just a frame issue. If you repair it, make sure they cover any hidden damage that gets uncovered. I also noticed you were at 57k. I have successfully negotiated an extra couple $$ because I had just replaced my tires. I am that petty 😏

I may end up back in a CX-9. I really do enjoy it. The other reason is insurance cost, it is a little more than $1K per year more in something like a Q7. I was thinking it would be more like $200-300 more at most.
 
I may end up back in a CX-9. I really do enjoy it. The other reason is insurance cost, it is a little more than $1K per year more in something like a Q7. I was thinking it would be more like $200-300 more at most.

Agree with you. In terms of AWD 3-rows for ~40K, it's hard to beat.

Car and Driver pushed the CX9 from 1st place to 3rd place after the Koreans upped their game.


Not sure if I'm ready to own a Kia though...

The upcoming 2022 Acura MDX certainly looks interesting but it's going to to start closer to $47K.
 
So it looks like I will end up getting another CX-9 Signature. Looked at some Tellurides - nice but the price premium for AWD and similar tech to the CX-9 was crazy - local dealers asking 55-58K and long wait. The lower versions just looked cheap to me. I personally thought the Palisade version looks UGLY and again, they are really hard to find.

I again looked at the MDX and while it drives nice, I hate the look and feel of the interior. Looked at the XC90 and it is stunning inside and out, has a great certified warranty - but when I was at the dealer - people waiting said to expect to be there a lot. Scared the crap out of me. The touch screen also was a lot slower and laggy than I expected. But drove like butter and felt much more powerful than the CX-9.

The Q7 is by far the best car I have every sat in or driven. All were 2018 with either the 2.0T or the 3.0T. Both premium plus models. Both are faster, more comfortable, more luxurious, better handling and more fun to drive than the CX-9. The 2.0T surprisingly works just fine in the Q7. The 3.0T is just ridiculous. A 2018 certified Audi Q7 with ~30K miles can be had for around 40K. The 3.0T was closer to 47K. The only negative was the Audi leather seemed much more worn at 30-40K miles than my old CX-9 and the tire noise was greater in both cars.

So why no Audi? I am a chicken. The CX-9 to me is the devil I know. I know the dealer. I know the car and overall know what to expect. My CX-9 average 24.4 MPG. I liked that. Once I replaced the tires at 50K with Pirellis, the torque steer and front wheel spin issues disappeared. The car became even quieter. The Audi only comes with a 1 yr unlimited mileage warranty. The dealer did not offer an extended warranty but a pre-paid service plan that was ~$1500 for the next two service points. He also said it was a good deal and that it would really be the only service for the next 20K miles. For my CX-9, I put 57K miles on it in ~2 years. The only "big" expense was the tires - $1000 installed. Otherwise, just oil changes. The thought that $1500 was a good deal for 20K miles of driving scared me.

Add that to the increased insurance cost, and I got scared. The Q7 is a stunning car and honestly, if I had a good mechanic I might have done it. But right now, my dealer is working with me and got me a white CX-9 with the brown interior. Not the exact thing I wanted - but a machine grey in parchment is hard to get.

So back to Mazda. The CX-9 is a strange car in many ways but it fits our needs.
 
Lots of good feedback. Happy to hear you'll be back in a CX-9 (y)

MGM with parchment would be my first choice if I were to buy again and had the option. It just seems like it would be such a clean combination.

That's interesting about the comments you got at the Volvo dealership. The few times I've been to Mazda dealerships, and I see people checking out the cars, I always want to talk to them about how great my ownership has been (I never do though, because I'm a chicken lol). For someone to go out of their way to mention something negative like that.. yeah that would scare me away too.
 
Lots of good feedback. Happy to hear you'll be back in a CX-9 (y)

MGM with parchment would be my first choice if I were to buy again and had the option. It just seems like it would be such a clean combination.

That's interesting about the comments you got at the Volvo dealership. The few times I've been to Mazda dealerships, and I see people checking out the cars, I always want to talk to them about how great my ownership has been (I never do though, because I'm a chicken lol). For someone to go out of their way to mention something negative like that.. yeah that would scare me away too.
Also have to factor in the cost of maintenance on Mazda vs the Audi and Volvo which will be way more on those 2 luxury brands. I had a Volvo for 7 years prior to Mazda and while the car/brand was nice, paying for the expensive parts and labour beyond the normal wear & tear and issues outside of warranty deterred me from staying within the brand. Not to say Volvo is bad and unreliable but be prepared to deal with the higher costs and headaches should issues arise.

Said it right: better the devil you know than the one you don’t...glad to hear you came back to Mazda!
 
My good friends have a Volvo XC90 and they rave about it. It is a nice car. However, they are open about the myriad of problems the car has, including the electrical gremlins and other weird issues it constantly has.
 
My good friends have a Volvo XC90 and they rave about it. It is a nice car. However, they are open about the myriad of problems the car has, including the electrical gremlins and other weird issues it constantly has.

It was really nice and the certified warranty is fantastic. From a pure luxury standpoint, Mazda is not there yet. Audi and Volvo just have a feel, touch and ride that is a step up. I would also say that from a test drive point of view, panoramic moon roofs are really nice!

What is crazy is that you can get a 2 year old Volvo XC90 Inscription with ~20k miles that new was close to $75K for $45K with basically and additional 5 year unlimited mileage warranty.
 
Audi and all VW brands are endless money pits that you don't own after the factory warranty expires. Volvo is now Chinese and while good looking, way overly complex like all the German brands and also endless money pits as they age. See beneath the good looks because that's all it is in the beginning, then you'll wake up and realize you made a huge mistake. Why do you think the resale values of those vehicles tank after only a few years? It's because people know they are garbage money pits and want to get rid of them and buyers know it.
 
Just picked up a White 2021 CX-9 Signature with Brown leather.
IMG_8672.JPG
 
Just picked up a White 2021 CX-9 Signature with Brown leather. View attachment 294703
Sweet! Congrats on the new ride! Just curious, did you get a good/fair value from the insurance payment from the accident? Was it also a good deal from your dealer on the 2021 CX9? The Signature in white looks great for sure with that new brown Napa leather!!!
 
Wow, awesome. I love white... the Signature is one sweet ride. Post some photos when you get a chance. Also, see if the safety and service options in the infortainment are grayed out. For some reason I can't select them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
 
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