Buying my first Mazda (2023 CX-9). Looking for the Forum's collective wisdom!

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Ontario, Canada
Hey,
So new to the forum, may be new to the Mazda family. I'm from Ontario, Canada.

I'm looking at buying a new 2023 Mazda CX 9 GS. I've read through various posts but looking for input from the peanut gallery.
I'm looking at buying new from a Mazda dealership. It is a "demo" vehicle that was parked at the front of the dealership with 5km on it (Not a typo). It's a Silver 2023 CX-9 GS and I've narrowed my search down to that model based on features, price, safety ratings and reviews I've been looking at for about a month now.
Any advice for a new purchaser/owner, things to look for on my test drive upcoming next week, experiences with Mazda dealerships, etc?

Thank you.
 
Not from Canada so not familiar with any potential nuances with Canadian dealers, but since it's a new vehicle just a few basics. Do your own research....sounds like you have done some. Know the vehicle you are shopping. Negotiate your best price first. Then follow up to see if dealer ok to throw in some extras like a couple free oil changes. floor mats. trunk mat? Check out the vehicle for any dings, nicks, scratches. Here's a good article about the process. Good luck and enjoy your new ride!
 
If it was used as a demo, then you shouldn't have to pay the shipping and prep fees (PDI) normally associated with a new car.
I'd also be very wary of extra fees like admin fees (anywhere from $200-$700), or extended warranty, and other crap. Don't get sucked in to any of those extras. They might try to tell you that the stuff is already on the car, so they will try and charge you for it.
 
Make sure they sell it to you as a new vehicle and not a used demo. Meaning that the warranty starts the day tou buy it. I own a 2018 that was the demo on the shop floor inside for a year. Bought it in 2019 and my warranty started in 2019 on the day i purchased it.

Like other said, be wary of dealers forcing you to pay extra for pre-installed accessories, there lot of stories of dealer advertising a car for a lower price, but then saying that it has anti-rust items, plastic film already installed, etc and then bumps up the price.

I am in Ontario as well, If they offer a low interest or a cash rebate, run the numbers with both options. I bought two mazdas (although that was before Covid) and both time it was cheaper overall to get cash rebate with a bank loan offered by the dealer than the 0% interest offer.
 
Also there are no glaring issues with the 2023 CX-9. The only major problem was the engine cylinder head cracking, but Mazda says that they redesigned the head after 2020 to prevent the problem. Other than that the CX-9 have proven very reliable.

On your test drive pay special attention to vibrations at highway speed. Some members on the forum have reported complaints that they feel a vibration, but that does not seem to be every vehicle so better to check for it in your test drive.

Also the Cx-9 has a pretty big blind spot in the front right corner from the A pillar between the windshield and the right window. Just make sure it doesn’t bother you personally before you buy. I have gotten used to it but had not noticed it on my test drive.
 
both time it was cheaper overall to get cash rebate with a bank loan offered by the dealer than the 0% interest offer.

0% interest hasnt been a thing in Ontario for a while. Deaperships is offering 5.5%ish on new and 7.9 -8.9% for used. I checked with my bank, and even with an excellent credit score (800+) I couldnt get less than 12%
 
What I mean is that if there is a cash purchase incentive available, then it may be cheaper to get the cash purchase incentive and finance at the « used rate » of 8% through the dealer instead of buying at 5.5%.

I don’t see a cash incentive online for ontario at the moment, but i recommend you ask the dealer and run the maths for both.
 
Also there are no glaring issues with the 2023 CX-9. The only major problem was the engine cylinder head cracking, but Mazda says that they redesigned the head after 2020 to prevent the problem. Other than that the CX-9 have proven very reliable.

On your test drive pay special attention to vibrations at highway speed. Some members on the forum have reported complaints that they feel a vibration, but that does not seem to be every vehicle so better to check for it in your test drive.

Also the Cx-9 has a pretty big blind spot in the front right corner from the A pillar between the windshield and the right window. Just make sure it doesn’t bother you personally before you buy. I have gotten used to it but had not noticed it on my test drive.
There also seems to be reports of a parasitic power drain on the 2023. I believe there is a TSB for it (some owners even received recall notices with the description: Remote Tuner Module), but I can't find it at the moment.
 
So after doing the test drive of the 2023, Ive realized buying new is not in the cards. Im now looking at used and did drive a 2018 cx-9 sport that seemed pretty good and the price was ok. What should I be looking at on a 2018?
 
If you will buy a used 2018, I recommend spending the extra money to get a mazda certified vehicle CPO for the CX-9. The 2018 are at risk of developing a crack on the engine head which leads to coolant leak. No one knows yet how often this happens and if the probabilities are high or not, but it does happens sometimes. A certified mazda should have a 7 year powertrain warranty, which would provide you peace of mind for many more years. (Confirm with the dealer)

The infotainment screen can develop cracks as well in the corner of the screen. Take a good look to make sure the one you buy does not have cracks and have that replaced before you buy if it does.

The bumper can also develop cracks near the headlight in some vehicles apparently, although i have not seen a lot of reports about that here on the forum.

The rest is pretty bulletproof if the car was well taken care off and as long as you get it inspected before purchase then it shouldn’t be an issue.

Mazda has made a lot of incremental changes year after year, so a 2018 has tweaks and accessories that a 2017 does not have and a 2019 has accessories that the 2018 does not have. Apple carplay and android auto were not available from factory on the 2018, but mazda developed a retrofit kit so it can be added on. Check if the previous owner had it done already, if not it is about 200-300$. I don’t recommend a 2017 or older, because on the 2018 mazda made improvements to the seats sliding mechanism to access the third row and also added heated steering wheel and tweaks to make the automatic safety braking systems less prone to false alerts.

Also check when the warranty started, you can find a 2018 purchased in 2017 or a 2018 purchased in 2019 like mine, that will make a big difference on how much warranty is left on it.
 
For peace of mind I would consider a cx9 that doesn’t fall in the vin range of the defective cylinder head. (Built after 6/20) If you do decide on a cx9 built within the vin range of the defective cylinder head I would not only get the 7yr/100k Mazda cpo (dealer should throw that in with preowned purchase if it’s a certified vehicle since it’s a $6-700 warranty. I would also add a Mazda total confidence extended 9yr/120k.
 
For peace of mind I would consider a cx9 that doesn’t fall in the vin range of the defective cylinder head. (Built after 6/20) If you do decide on a cx9 built within the vin range of the defective cylinder head I would not only get the 7yr/100k Mazda cpo (dealer should throw that in with preowned purchase if it’s a certified vehicle since it’s a $6-700 warranty. I would also add a Mazda total confidence extended 9yr/120k.

I think I would do the same, if I were buying a preowned 2016-2020 CX-9. Just for the peace of mind.
 
This says anything after 422801 is good: file:///C:/Users/sajones/Downloads/TSB-01-013-21.pdf
the one I was looking at ended in 234302; I'll have to double check that.
 
Ok, I have tried to look up specifically to the VIN, though according to Mazda and the government of Canada recall-safety site...there are no open recall(s) on this VIN. Also according to the Carfax report there is nothing spectacular or telling there, I suppose that is a good sign. Just trying to go through anything and everything to do my due diligence. Ive seen others get some real lemons over the years.
 
There was only 2 recalls for the 2018 models, one for a bad wire harness switch and one for a bad fuel pump. But not all 2018 were affected, for example my 2018 was not part of either recall.


You can also call your local dealer and ask them to look up the VIN # for a maintenance history. A lot of Mazda dealer use a centralized maintenance system allowing them to see the history (or at least they used to when i was shopping for mine in 2019). I had my Ottawa dealer look up the maintenance history’s of CX-9 being sold all the way in Montreal.
 
So after doing the test drive of the 2023, Ive realized buying new is not in the cards. Im now looking at used and did drive a 2018 cx-9 sport that seemed pretty good and the price was ok. What should I be looking at on a 2018?
You definitely need to verify ownership history (one owner or three owners?) and maintenance history. Stay away if either one can't be verified. Preferably buy a used CPO with the extended warranty. You'll pay a little more but the 7 year/100k powertrain warranty peace of mind will be worth it.
 
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