Avoid a previous rental CX-9?

[Petehammer]

Hello all, looking at three used 2021 Mazda CX-9s. Hoping people have insights about mileage and prior rentals. First up is a 2021 GT, prior rental, 65k miles, $25k. It seems to drive fine, no issue with buttons, squeaks, etc. New tires. Minor scrapes on the body and inside but nothing terrible. However, at over 60k miles would now be out of all warranties. Second is a 2021 Carbon, single owner, 20k miles, $34k. Finally, 2021 Signature, 25k miles, $34k.

We are leaning toward the Grand touring for $25k but worried about the mileage and the prior rental status. We drive about 8k a year so I view the 2021 GT as having approximately 5 years less life than the other options. Is that worth $9,000?

 

[Snorting2.5]

I would be looking out for signs of unnecessary hard use/abuse with any pre owned car, not just rentals.

the exhaust tips on these Mazda's are designed to catch excess run off past the exhaust piping sitting inside the tips. if there is excessive run off, that could be mean two things:

1. car was driven hard when new
2. car is driven hard (typically mid to high RPM) regularly

you can check for obvious smells of burning oil from behind the car if someone accelerates past you or gives it a rev. you want to make sure that the transmission shifts smooth. checking while the drivetrain is still cold (first 20 min of driving) is a sure sign of worn trans (not necessarily from hard driving, but at the mileage you mentioned with the cx-9, a lack of filter and fluid change)

next would be things like:

1. brakes. should be smooth, with only light scoring on the rotors. deep scoring is not a good sign.
2. pay attention to the tread, particularly on the outside parts of the tire coming into contact with the road during cornering, for signs of hard cornering.

the steering wheel is a good sign of how much the vehicle has been used in general. look for signs of wear at common touchpoints to get an idea.

obvious clunking over bumps or rough roads at this mileage is also something to look out for.

a vehicle driven normally will not have very much soot/black spill off past the exhaust piping, onto the chrome tips at all. thats the biggest think i would suggest to look for.

 

[gphin]

I'd suggest when you make these posts asking for advice about potential purchase options you provide additional important information, i.e., 1) who is selling the car.....private party, independent dealer, or Mazda dealer. 2) if Mazda dealer are you getting the CPO 7 yr/ 100k warranty, 3) if not, what kind of warranty if any are you getting, 4) what is your budget since you apparently are not considering new? Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Personally, I would not consider a high mileage rental, especially with body imperfections, and if you plan on keeping the car for a while and putting normal miles on it.

 

[youri]

It looks like you are comparing apple and oranges. A 60k vehicle with potentially no warranty left vs 25k vehicle with what i assume is some powertrain warranty left on them.

The fact that the 60k vehicle is a previous rental is an additional risk element to the higher mileage. How much of a discount are you getting from the fact that it was a rental ? How much cheaper is it than other 60k 2021 model in your expanded area ? Rentals are not always a bad deal, but typically have more wear and tear than one owner vehicles, and they typically get driven harder.

Also, the 2021 model year CX-9 are subject to burning oil. I recommend you check if the vehicle VIN is within the range of this TSB and see if it is if they have been burning oil and if the repair identified in the TSB was done. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10225771-0001.pdf

 

[Fruitwolf]

You could have an independent mechanic check it over.

 

[MGMCx9]

The 2021 Sig would be my choice.

 

[Maxmodem]

Something I've recently learned that has changed the way I car shop is that higher trim levels are not always necessarily better.

Higher trim levels come with larger wheels, which means a harder ride. But they look good and improve handling, so thats more based on what you prefer and taking into consideration the ride characteristics for that particular model already.

Additional equipment and features mean more things that can break and more expensive repairs if they do. I just went through this with my trunk latch breaking... $700 because it has the autolatch, instead of $50 if it were just regular like on the lower trims. My blind spot also broke and my fancy gps/dvd player... basically all the upgraded features. It just comes down to if those features are worth it to you. I like having the blindspot monitoring, so I always look for that now but in the lowest trim level I can find.

Of cours the last benefit is that it makes car shopping cheaper staying at the base model, if it makes sense to you and your needs.

I also will add that I think most people don't take care of their cars, so that is one benefit of a rental. They stay on top of maintenance. I like a car with 30k miles or so with some of the original warranty still left so you can get any repair done that you or your mechanic missed on inspection and at 30k miles the previous owner hopefully hasn't screw the car up too much. Still want to see service history always though.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

CE is 4 Captain chairs vs Sig is second bench. Does the seating capacity affect your choice?

 

[gphin]

CE is 4 Captain chairs vs Sig is second bench. Does the seating capacity affect your choice?

Actually the SIG starting in 2020 has rear buckets with a separating console/armrest that are identical to the fronts. Same seating capacity as the CE.

 

[gphin]

Something I've recently learned that has changed the way I car shop is that higher trim levels are not always necessarily better.

Higher trim levels come with larger wheels, which means a harder ride. But they look good and improve handling, so thats more based on what you prefer and taking into consideration the ride characteristics for that particular model already.

Additional equipment and features mean more things that can break and more expensive repairs if they do. I just went through this with my trunk latch breaking... $700 because it has the autolatch, instead of $50 if it were just regular like on the lower trims. My blind spot also broke and my fancy gps/dvd player... basically all the upgraded features. It just comes down to if those features are worth it to you. I like having the blindspot monitoring, so I always look for that now but in the lowest trim level I can find.

Of cours the last benefit is that it makes car shopping cheaper staying at the base model, if it makes sense to you and your needs.

I also will add that I think most people don't take care of their cars, so that is one benefit of a rental. They stay on top of maintenance. I like a car with 30k miles or so with some of the original warranty still left so you can get any repair done that you or your mechanic missed on inspection and at 30k miles the previous owner hopefully hasn't screw the car up too much. Still want to see service history always though.

I used to think that as well, about rental cars. But I've rented many times over the past two years or so from major rental companies and found this may not be the case now. I think these companies are doing everything possible to save money and reduce costs and seem to be skimping on routine maintenance costs. Too many instances of warning lights coming on saying maintenance is overdue, dents and dings not fixed, possible wheel alignment issues, etc. Just my recent experience with rental cars.

 

[Buzzman12]

Ya, just going by what I've rented over the years, and the condition these vehicles were in, and the lack of maintenance on them by the rental Companies, I'd probably stay away from a rental, especially a higher mileage, out of warranty unit.

 

[Fruitwolf]

I used to think that as well, about rental cars. But I've rented many times over the past two years or so from major rental companies and found this may not be the case now. I think these companies are doing everything possible to save money and reduce costs and seem to be skimping on routine maintenance costs. Too many instances of warning lights coming on saying maintenance is overdue, dents and dings not fixed, possible wheel alignment issues, etc. Just my recent experience with rental cars.

Exactly. I remember when rentals used to be in decent shape. Rental car companies took pride in their vehicles. The last 10 years or so, nope. Not long ago, I exchanged a car because it steered and braked so poorly I lost confidence in it.

 

[Petehammer]

I would be looking out for signs of unnecessary hard use/abuse with any pre owned car, not just rentals.

the exhaust tips on these Mazda's are designed to catch excess run off past the exhaust piping sitting inside the tips. if there is excessive run off, that could be mean two things:

1. car was driven hard when new
2. car is driven hard (typically mid to high RPM) regularly

you can check for obvious smells of burning oil from behind the car if someone accelerates past you or gives it a rev. you want to make sure that the transmission shifts smooth. checking while the drivetrain is still cold (first 20 min of driving) is a sure sign of worn trans (not necessarily from hard driving, but at the mileage you mentioned with the cx-9, a lack of filter and fluid change)

next would be things like:

1. brakes. should be smooth, with only light scoring on the rotors. deep scoring is not a good sign.
2. pay attention to the tread, particularly on the outside parts of the tire coming into contact with the road during cornering, for signs of hard cornering.

the steering wheel is a good sign of how much the vehicle has been used in general. look for signs of wear at common touchpoints to get an idea.

obvious clunking over bumps or rough roads at this mileage is also something to look out for.

a vehicle driven normally will not have very much soot/black spill off past the exhaust piping, onto the chrome tips at all. thats the biggest think i would suggest to look for.

Thanks for all the tips on what to look for, especially the exhaust tip piece, this will come in handy as we shop!

 

[gphin]

Thanks for all the tips on what to look for, especially the exhaust tip piece, this will come in handy as we shop!

Just remember, it's very easy to take a little Simple Green type product to clean the exhaust tips and hide any potential issues. Good luck with your search and keep us posted. Personally, I might pay a little extra and purchase from a Mazda dealer who has a CPO 7 yr/ 100k warranty used vehicle. Will provide some extra piece of mind and save you some money with any potential repair issues.