Questions on buying a 2008 CX-9 Grand Touring

[Rosewood]

Thanks to a lady running a red light and totaling our previous vehicle I am suddenly in search of a new one. Before I could start really looking a friend of ours told us they were looking to sell their 2008 CX-9 Grand Touring with 75k miles on it. It has a clean carfax and a good (Ford Dealer) service history and the price is more than fair. (She is going back to school and their family is scaling back to 1 vehicle for the next 2 years). With all of the little side things look good and now I'm just trying to find out more about this vehicle and Mazdas in general. (Growing up I drove whatever was given to me and the last two vehicles I purchased new were Hondas).

So I have some random questions I was hoping a few people could help me out with.

* The owners manual says use 91 octane gas. They say they used 87 and they have the receipts to prove it. I test drove it ~ 20 miles both highway and city with 87 octane gas in it and it did fine. I see many people saying 87 is fine. The mechanic told them 87 was fine. I guess I just really want to confirm this. Is there a situation where I would specifically want to use 91 octane gas? I have no clue because everything I've ever owned was 87.

* I'm not scared of the miles on the odometer. My sister has a Mazda w/ 115k and my Honda has 150k. But I don't know what to expect over the next 75k. I have a nice little chart for my Honda that says "At X miles do Y and Z". I also had a list of things to expect problems with after so many miles. Like I know how many miles I can expect out of the Honda transmission, etc. Are there good resources for this information?

* Another thing I loved about my Honda is I never had to worry about watching mileage for changing the oil. It has a sensor and it gives me a running indicator that isn't just mileage based. Once it got down to 15% life I had service code so I knew exactly what needed to be done and I had a good idea of how long I had until it was due. What is the best way to handle regular maintenance on this vehicle?

* Any tips on finding a good mechanic / regular service shop? Again, growing up we had whatever and they always broke down and my uncles always fixed it. When I was old enough to buy my first car I bought new and I never looked back! I just took it to the dealer, paid the premium, and never had to worry. But since I'm buying used and from out of town and a vehicle that hasn't had regular Mazda dealership service I'm feeling like I should shop around.

* Is there a better place to get updated Nav info than mazdanavigation.com? The newest they have for an 08 CX-9 is 2010 map data. That is horribly out of date just for Wichita KS yet alone everywhere else I drive (which is everywhere).

And finally, I'll gladly take any tips on buying used Mazdas that you have.

Thanks in advance for reading this big wall of text and I appreciate any help I can get.

 

[SBAnt13]

I can't speak to any of the points except the fuel to use. Unless there's a notation for the earlier models, the CS-9 should use 87 fuel, and not Premium.

 

[Rosewood]

Thanks SBAnt13 - but the manual specifically says use 91. It then goes on to say using anything less than 87 could be problematic. To me that says that 87 is ok but for CYA purposes we will tell you to use 91.

 

[the1obster]

My 2008 gt says use 87 octane.

 

[Rosewood]

My 2008 gt says use 87 octane.

Weird. I just had them double check the manual and it does say 91 in the book and then goes on to say don't use less than 87.

 

[RoadKing01]

I have had my 08 GT for the last three years and it has not given me any problems. Brakes wore out after about 20k miles, but I do not think that is too bad for a 4500 lbs vehicle.

I have only run 87 octane in mine from day one and never had any issues. I bought mine used with 11k miles on it and now have 33k.
I have attained almost 22mpg highway with AWD on a 6 hour trip to Va, but that was only once. 15 Mpg is much more realistic expectation. Even that my be generous.
The 08s do not have any reminders to perform fluid changes. You have to track that the old fashioned way. I believe they have corrected this with newer models. The DIC has virtually no information besides the odometer.
Nav system updates are really not worth the money. I use a Garmin or my iphone and almost never use the in-dash Nav. It is very limited and quite outdated. Even with the updated DVD.
My personal opinion is that Honda's are mostly bulletproof. I know very few people that have complained about a Honda other than they can be bland \ boring but always reliable.
The Mazda has given me a much more rewarding driving experience. I enjoy tossing mine around corners and accelerating out of turns. It is a lot of fun to drive.
I believe the tranny is the same model used by Lexus in some of their vehicles. It has given me no issues at all.
The engine has a timing chain rather than a belt, so that minimzes the need to replace it very often (if at all)

I cannot vouch for any other resources, but this message board is excellent for getting info on the CX9. The owners manual will give you your service intervals, if you cannot find it in there, I know it is posted on this site somewhere.

The Mazda is a good buy, I have been very happy with mine so far, but we do not put many miles on it so I cannot speak to the high mileage questions.

Hope this helps a bit, and if you have any other questions, I would be glad to help if I can.

Oh yeah, wlecome to the board.

 

[Rosewood]

Thanks RoadKing!

 

[tex2670]

* I'm not scared of the miles on the odometer. My sister has a Mazda w/ 115k and my Honda has 150k. But I don't know what to expect over the next 75k. I have a nice little chart for my Honda that says "At X miles do Y and Z". I also had a list of things to expect problems with after so many miles. Like I know how many miles I can expect out of the Honda transmission, etc. Are there good resources for this information?

You can find a service schedule on line. I have attached the '12 service schedule that I have.

* Another thing I loved about my Honda is I never had to worry about watching mileage for changing the oil. It has a sensor and it gives me a running indicator that isn't just mileage based. Once it got down to 15% life I had service code so I knew exactly what needed to be done and I had a good idea of how long I had until it was due. What is the best way to handle regular maintenance on this vehicle?

Personally, I'd be hesitant to just go by the car's reminders. Use the recommended maintenance schedule, and set reminders for yourself in your calendar or on you phone.

* Is there a better place to get updated Nav info than mazdanavigation.com? The newest they have for an 08 CX-9 is 2010 map data. That is horribly out of date just for Wichita KS yet alone everywhere else I drive (which is everywhere).

You might find a good deal on eBay.

 

[Rosewood]

Thank you tex!

 

[table5511]

* The owners manual says use 91 octane gas. - is the one you're looking at from Canada? Truth of the matter is its an 87 octane motor, but it does have a little bit of a sweet tooth and really likes 89. It works on 87, but you will get mild cold pinging before the engine warms up. And along those lines, oil says 5w20 in the book and mazda did that to market the fuel economy, which is bad enough to begin with. Although the fuel economy is already poor, you gotta treat your engine well, and, since your powertrain is out of warranty, start using 5w30 to lubricate the motor a little better and get longer engine longevity. reference - http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2011-mustang-talk/379969-5w20-vs-5w30-debate-rages.html

* I'm not scared of the miles on the odometer. My sister has a Mazda w/ 115k and my Honda has 150k. But I don't know what to expect over the next 75k. I have a nice little chart for my Honda that says "At X miles do Y and Z". I also had a list of things to expect problems with after so many miles. Like I know how many miles I can expect out of the Honda transmission, etc. Are there good resources for this information? - I have an 08' GT with just shy of 65k. No problems (Front Wheel Drive), no leaks or anything. 08 was a pretty good year for reliability. 100k is when you should change the plugs & coolant, at a minimum. But go ahead and drain & refill the trans fluid a couple times. Buy the T-IV fluid at a Toyota dealer (cheapest), buy more than you need and return what you don't use. But drain & refill at least twice.

* Another thing I loved about my Honda is I never had to worry about watching mileage for changing the oil. It has a sensor and it gives me a running indicator that isn't just mileage based. Once it got down to 15% life I had service code so I knew exactly what needed to be done and I had a good idea of how long I had until it was due. What is the best way to handle regular maintenance on this vehicle? - I change my oil every 5k with Mobil 1 full synthetic, and the Mobil 1 extended performance oil filter. Overkill, but I'm ocd.

* Any tips on finding a good mechanic / regular service shop? If you see a bunch of E36 BMW's, a bunch of older Audi's, anything that looks performance oriented without the rice-boy effect, perhaps a porsche or 2, you know they probly know what they're doing. But if you see a bunch of honda civic's and ford pickups, perhaps steer clear.

* Is there a better place to get updated Nav info than mazdanavigation.com? mazda speed forums (all one word) vip section - which right now i dont think they are accepting any new contributions, but I could be wrong. eBay has the latest DVD from time to time. Even the newest dvd is outdated and a waste of money. At the end of the day, you just gotta deal with it.

And finally, I'll gladly take any tips on buying used Mazdas that you have. - YES!! keep me in the loop. I love helping people out. If you have a perspective vin# and you are pretty sure you're gonna buy it, I have extensive resources for investigating a vehicle's history due to my line of work. You want to crawl under the front and rear bumper to rule out any prior work to the frame rails.

My best advice is to get a FWD CX-9. From 2007 - 2013 they have been plagued with transfer case and rear differential problems. But this is more or less a problem that faces every AWD vehicle in my opinion. I just inspected a 2011 Chevy Equinox with AWD and the transfer case was covered in aged buildup and new oil as well all over the bottom of it, and was in no way part of the accident. This is the main reason my search for my CX9 was front wheel drive specific.

The transfer case on the CX-9 is a borrowed Ford Edge bolt-on, such a bad idea on Mazda's part.

 

[Rosewood]

helbigtw - thank you (and everyone else) for taking the time to reply.

The one we are looking at is a US CX-9 AWD so I really appreciate the tips on maintenance.

We are still waiting on insurance to come back with a total of how much we are going to get for our late CRV so no decision yet.

 

[table5511]

If you are lowballed, let me know.

 

[the1obster]

reread my manual about the fuel requirement and it says NOTHING about having to HAVE to us 91 octane. It just says not to use less then 87 octane.

 

[nacra55uni]

I had a 2007 GT AWD which I drove for 95K miles without any issues. Then sold it to my mother who now has 125K miles on it. Other than normal wear & tear, nothing has gone wrong on this car. Front brakes lasted 75K miles and rears 100K. Overall best car I had in the last 6 years. After the CX-9 I got a Ford Edge and had to live through the MyFordTouch disaster + various trans issues, now just got a 2014 Jeep GC and already the heated steering wheel won't work (2K on odo).
So, two thumbs up for CX-9.