Questions from a prospective CX-9 owner

[Osiris1975]

Hello,

I have been car shopping for about a month now and have narrowed down my interests to the CX-9, and in particular a 2008 GT AWD model. I am comparing it to the toyota highlander as well. Having test drove both cars I can say that I loved the CX9 and was underwhelmed by the Highlander, but have a few concerns about the CX9 I'd love to get peoples opinions about:

-I have seen mixed comments regarding the reliability of this vehicle. Truedelta.com results seem to indicate it has average reliability. What was odd to me is truedelta recorded fewer complaints on the 2007 model than the 2008. I find this surprising since I thought they supposedly replaced the ford edge engine that was in the 2007. I figured reliability would be better. What are folks opinion on the reliability of this car?

-my second concern is mpg. I know the highlander gets better gas mileage, but do people feel the cars other qualities make up for the not fantastic mileage?

Lastly, I was wondering what people felt was a fair price for a red 2008 Grand Touring with about 20,000 miles on it. It has the nav and sunroof and all the GT standard options. The one I am looking at is listed at $30,500. Would $25,000 be an unreasonable first offer (obviously there will be back and forth negotiation).

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[jediwebdude]

I just posted a 40,000 mile status report on our 2008 CX-9 (Grand Touring model). Only issue we've had is with the key fobs not communicating with the memory seating, but the memory seating still works by pushing the position button on the side of the seat, so not a biggie.

The Highlander is a nice vehicle and drives more truck-like. I really like my 2007 4Runner and found the Highlander to be similar in handling. The CX-9 GT has more features than the Highlander and seemed to be a better deal for the money.

From a long-term perspective, I don't expect our CX-9 to have the same level of quality as our 4Runner, which is why I purchased an extended warranty for the CX-9. I'm not worried about the Mazda engine...I think it will last a long time. I'm more worried about electronics going bad (primarily the navigation system and the DVD player). I think interior integrity will be fine. Since we garage our CX-9, I think our exterior integrity will also hold up. If we can get 120K miles out of it with few issues, I'll be very happy.

 

[Osiris1975]

Thanks for the response jedi. Are you concerns about the electronics (nav and dvd) due to known issues with the CX-9? I am wondering if that is the case if I might be better off going with a Touring model, saving a few thousand dollars, and using aftermarket nav/dvd components. I was also thinking about telling the dealer that I'm concerned about reliability and so he should give me a deal on an extended warranty.

 

[Davicho]

1) I have a 2007 Touring CX-9 2WD with 57K miles no major problems at all (knock on wood) and still runs smooth and strong even with Ford's Duratec 35. (I hear the 2008 and newer 3.7L is still a Duratec engine that was just bored out to a bigger displacement, correct me if I am wrong anyone).

2) Do not tell ANY dealer your concerns about reliability because contrary to your belief they will absolutely not discount the extended warranty because they know you are very interested in it and sooner or later they will win the price haggling battle because you really want the warranty.

 

[jcpharm]

you probably can't make a conclusion on more complaints on 2008 models vs. 2007. there may be a lot more 2008 models out there to have something to complain about as the vehicle gained popularity. there are online reviews on the long-term road tests of the 07 CX-9 (40k? 50k miles?) that seem to indicate there were no extra costs outside of regular maintenance (oil changes, tire rotation, etc.). there have been no major recalls.

 

[Osiris1975]

Good point Davicho. Instead I'll tell him I've found about 5 or 6 CX-9s in a 100 mile radius that I would have no problem checking out. It would be the truth!

 

[gpalm44]

I would check out if there are any new '09 CX-9's in your area (mazdausa.com). You can probably get a much better deal there with about 7-8k under msrp easy (depending on trim and options). I bought my 09 Touring serveral weeks ago and paid 26,775 (~34.5msrp).

300 miles in and absolutely love everything about it!

 

[logicalfaith]

22k miles in 2 years. No major problem whatsoever that would require a visit to the dealership. Very minor quirks like the lock button at the rear gate won't respond from time to time. I averaged about 18-19 mpg with average driving style. Granny style will yield 20-21 mpg.

You should ask yourself this question... would better MPG offset the lousy driving experience? Plus I don't like the fact that the Highlander doesn't have split third row seat. Hope that helps.

 

[ceric]

If you read the latest ConsumersReport's reliability history, you would see that CX9's reliability is top-notch, comparable to Highlanders or any Toyotas. Not to mention that the latest gas pedal recall (to correct unattended acceleration issue of Toyota vehicles) may also impact the Highlander as well. My wife has a Prius, and it is under the recall...

The fact is that CX9 does not have major issues that get one stranded on the roads.
TrueData has very few sample points. It is statistically inaccurate.
ConsumersReport's problem is that it does not classify major issues from minor ones. It just asks you how many times you visited dealers for repair..... That does not tell you the whole story.

Anyway, I would bet that 2009/2010 would be very very reliable compared to 2007/8, which are not bad either. I only had 1 small issue (assembly defect) so far for 23K miles after two years.

CX9 has the same transmission you find on Lexus (same supplier, Aisin, which is partly owned by Toyota).
The MZI 3.7L was modified from Ford Duratec 3.5L with larger bore and revised intake manifolds (apparently Mazda engineers did not like it).

 

[Osiris1975]

I would check out if there are any new '09 CX-9's in your area (mazdausa.com). You can probably get a much better deal there with about 7-8k under msrp easy (depending on trim and options). I bought my 09 Touring serveral weeks ago and paid 26,775 (~34.5msrp).

300 miles in and absolutely love everything about it!

Wow gpalm that sounds like a great deal. I will look into that. I am starting to think I should look at 2009 instead as well. I understand the 2009 has the addition of a fuel computer which I think is useful to have. As others have mentioned it stands to be more reliable as well.

 

[dbal72]

I purchased my 2008 GT with 9,000 miles back in August for $26,800 and it has every option including mud guards, roof rack and 3M Clear Bra. I am suer you can negotiate a good price.

 

[Osiris1975]

Nice, I think I'm going to write down what people paid for their cars for when I negotiate with the dealer. My brother got me an auction report as well that shows what some CX9s sold for at auction.

 

[gpalm44]

I would check out the forums at Edmunds

The forum linked is dedicated to Prices Paid and Buying Experiences and should have much more information for you on that thread.

 

[sjg]

Only about 4K miles but absolutely no problems with my 2009 Touring AWD.
I'm coming out of a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT which was absolutely bulletproof. I don't expect the Mazda to be as reliable but it's all relative. Even a poorly built car today is probably more reliable than the best cars from 10 years ago. The differences between makes and models when comparing reliability may be real but it's not necessarily huge. Of course, it sucks if you have the car with the major problem but your chances of having that major problem with either the CX-9 or the Highlander are pretty small.

 

[Mx5+Cx9]

over 8000 km of city driving on a 10 month old car with no major issues. But, I think you need to think about what you would define as major and minor issues. Issues that some may consider minor may be considered major by others. The minor issue that I have with the car is the quality of paint job on the interior silver trim pieces, but there is a tsb for that, and Mazda will replace them, I just can't be bothered. What could potentially be major, but has not been a problem yet for me, is presence of coolant odour after a longish trip and engine knocking (pinging) when accelerating hard while it's still cold. Both these problems have been discussed in this forum at length. And there may not be an easy fix to both. I am ok with the odour problem as it doesn't seem to affect coolant level. I also do not accelerate hard before the engine warms up to normal operating temp to avoid the knocking issue and I'm fine with that.

 

[ceric]

Good point. My definition is very simple actually.
Any problem that gets me stranded (needing a tow truck, etc.) is a major problem.
Things like coolant system, transmission, engine, etc., to me, are major issues.
What you named, to me, are not since you could continue to drive it w/o worry.
Not only that those major problems usually cost more to fix, they also cost you
precious time to deal with it interrupting your daily schedule.

Under that definition, my old '98 BMW 540iA had the following MAJOR issues
- ONCE: thermo sensor failure - coolant temp went up and down - did not dare to drive it
- ONCE: radiator hose neck snapped - coolant all over the engine - stranded on highway
- ONCE: coolant hose broke - stranded on expressway
- TWICE: cam position sensors failed (same bank!) - needed tow truck

If you read the edmunds.com for '01-'05 Acura MDX problems, you would see many owners who had the
infamous Honda transmission issue with their 5-speed auto tranny. That is a major problem, by my definition.

Minor issues are the kind of problems you could have them take a look at oil changes or recalls.
They usually can wait until you have time to deal with them.