Confused by test drives...

[jtcarter14]

Hi,

As you will be able to tell, I'm no expert on cars. I want to buy a cx-9, and I've test driven 4 of them, 3 of which were 2008's.

I currently drive a Hyundai Veracruz, but it does not have good acceleration or driving in general. I have chronic pain in my right leg, which makes driving painful from using the gas pedal and brake. I found that when I drive my husband's Acura TL, it's much easier to drive and therefore, less pain. So I have been on a search for the 7+ seater with the most pep.

CX-9 has been the winner for sure, but I've been a little confused by the variations in what I've driven. I drove 2 fwd's that drove great. I was already impressed. Then I drove an '08 AWD, and I was completely amazed. I loved it!! But I was 3.5 hours from home and didn't have my trade with me.
So today, I went and drove an '08 AWD with even less miles on it, and it was so bad that it was no better than my Veracruz.

Does that just happen sometimes depending on how the car was driven or how well it was taken care of?

Also, can you please tell me if AWD ought to be helpful for easier acceleration and driving? It seemed like it in that 1st AWD I drove, but like I said, I'm no expert.

Is a good used one hard to find? That one I loved is about $1k overpriced, but maybe I need to drive the 3.5 hours (twice again) and try to negotiate...

Thank you.

 

[ceric]

My guess is that the 2nd AWD has bad transfercase....
AWD helps to get you going on slipper surface and turn with traction.
But, it does not help you stop.

 

[tex2670]

Not sure what you mean by "variations". At first, I was thinking that maybe you were comparing Grand Touring vs Sport models; different size tires may make your test drive feel different.

AWD will not really help with acceleration, and in GA, I can't imagine that you will need it for winter weather driving all that much.

Lastly, if the car you really want is 3.5 hours away, do all the negotiation over the phone or by email; you certainly do not need to be face to face to do that. And you can tell the seller that you won't come that far just to negotiate--it's not worth your while. If they want to sell, they will play ball. If it's a dealer, you can get them to give you a price for your trade over the phone--they don't like to do it, but I've done it multiple times. You just need to be totally honest about the condition of your trade.

 

[10Molavi]

I am not sure what was wrong with the one you didn't like. Is the gas pedal harder to operate?

Sometimes when the throttle body gets dirty, this does happen. Have you checked your Hyundai to see with a bit of TLC they can make the gas and brake pedals work for you?

 

[jtcarter14]

I am not sure what was wrong with the one you didn't like. Is the gas pedal harder to operate?

Sometimes when the throttle body gets dirty, this does happen. Have you checked your Hyundai to see with a bit of TLC they can make the gas and brake pedals work for you?

By variations, I meant that they drove differently. The two fwd's I drove were peppy. The next one I drove, the awd that I liked, drove amazingly peppy. And by peppy I mean great acceleration and easy to drive without much pressure on the gas pedal. The second awd I drove that I didn't like was sluggish compared to the others.


"with a bit of TLC they can make the gas and brake pedals work for you?" I would love to do that. (But haven't b/c I didn't know it was possible.) Any suggestions on where to start, what to ask, who to ask, etc?

Thanks!

 

[table5511]

If you have pinched nerves in your legs, I would suggest a BMW with a fully supported lower seat cushion that supports your legs all the way to your knees. But that's just me. and BTW AWD CX-9 acceleration will be a little less than a front wheel drive. Try driving one in manual mode and pay attention to acceleration in higher rpm's especially above 4,000rpm. Mazda has it geared pretty low for fuel economy purposes.

Good Luck!

 

[jtcarter14]

Thanks!

I did end up buying an AWD 2011 CX-9. I'm very happy with it. The seat does happen to come all the way out to my knees, which is really nice.

 

[table5511]

Congrats!