1st time posting...Considering a CX-9

[pdxa4]

I've a long ownership background in the VW and Audi world, as well as an active Miata owner.

We currently have two interesting commuter cars, my wife drives a mkV 4-door GTi and I drive a D2 S8 (the Ronin variety). We have one daughter right now, and we both work and commute to daycare...

Currently for longer roadtrips we use my Audi, which is a nice vehicle on the freeway. However I'd like to limit the miles I put on this car.

We want to give ourselves more interior room, have room for expansion and be able to carry other family members when they visit us.

I've a very positive ownership record with Mazda from my Miata experience, we came very close to buying a cx-7 previously but that was before our baby came along and it was then that my wife preferred to drive the GTi due to it's smaller size.
Post baby we now see the need for a larger vehicle, and the CX-9 is top of our list. I like how it drives and the interior size.

I generally avoid going to dealers for basic maintenance, so I'm eager to ask how accessible is an oil/filter change on these cars and how do you find generally reliability ?

Hope to see more of the forum...tks...

 

[table5511]

I am an ex-vw addict. I had a 90 Jetta GLi, a 97 Passat GLX, my sister had a 96 GTi, a 03' Wolfsburg Jetta 1.8t modded ecu to 200+hp, brother-in-law had a 98ish? GTI, my best friend had a plethera of VW's (Corrado's mainly).

Old habits die hard. I grew up and realized that there are other brands out there that are almost as fun, for a fraction of the maintenance cost.

I have only had my CX-9 for a couple months now, and have not performed an oil change yet. (Looking forward to putting some yummy Mobile 1 synthetic in there) When I researched 3 row crossovers, not only was this the best option for me, but from what I could determine, the CX-9 also has the least amount of problems and maintenance.
If you look on this forum, the only complaints or problems posted for the most part are little things, tire pressure issues or center armrest padding issue, small annoyances, none of which I have experienced with my CX-9.

The 3 row Audi will suck the life out of your check book, according to consumer reviews and maintenance reviews, along with gas guzzler, premium octane, and rapid depreciation in value. The GM Lambda platform (Acadia, Outlook, Traverse) is poor quality and has a not-so good maintenance track record (trans issues, etc), Ford Flex seats are a joke (Flat, with zero bolster), then there are minivans, which are for select soccer moms and dads, then there are full frame suv's, which if you don't off road or have rugged terrain to traverse, what is the point?

The CX-9 is just perfect, in my humble opinion.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

I've owned 6 Mazdas over the last 20 years and they have all been bullet-proof. We just picked up a CX-9 in December and it's a great car. Solid, fun and practical. My wife who could care less about cars loves driving it as well. FWIW I had to have the brake control unit replaced (TSB) and the center console padding replaced. But those were handled by Mazda without question. It also helps to have a top notch dealer/servicer. I think that the majority of complaints and poor experiences stem from bad dealers not following through or not being on top of things. My dealer is the best and although I could do the minor servicing myself I find that it's both more convenient to have the dealer do it for me. Of course my dealer also doesn't gouge me like others. But that also maybe because I've been loyal to them for everything from tires to inspection stickers.

FWIW I've also lusted after German products for many years but everytime it comes time to trade I always go back to Mazda because they offer about 80-90% of the german drive and feel while being a ton more affordable to maintain. As long as Mazda keeps building cars like the new 6 and CX-9 I really can't rationalize spending more on a car.

 

[ceric]

I owned BMW 540iA for 10 years.
Man, I'd tell you that it was fun and nightmare-ish.
20 major issues I counted. Total repair cost was about $4000.
Of course, most of the repairs showed after 4yr/50K OE warranty.
Main issue was the entire cooling system was eventually renewed one piece at a time.
I got stranded THREE times on roadside.
I would be stupid (in the sense of not learning from lessons well) to own another BMW again.

I always suggest to my friends that owning a German luxury vehicle is like an outside-marriage love affair.
It will prove costly eventually, but it will be fun while it lasts.
Lease one, don't own one, if you must.

 

[peavey]

I always suggest to my friends that owning a German luxury vehicle is like an outside-marriage love affair.
It will prove costly eventually, but it will be fun while it lasts.
Lease one, don't own one, if you must.

(rofl)

 

[IslandTractor]

I am also a convert from German to Mazda. I've owned VW, BMW and most recently Mercedes ML before jumping on the CX9 bandwagon. Last straw for me was an estimate of nearly $12,000 to repair the transfer case and the A/C as well as a few other items on the ML. Blue Book value on the ML was about $7000 at the time. No brainer. I laughed at the MB dealer when he asked if I was considering another MB. He asked me to drive the new diesel ML which I did and it was very nice. I then asked what an extended warranty would cost up to 7yr/100,000 and it was more than double what the extended warranty costs on Japanese cars. Even MB knows how expensive it is to own those things.

12,000 miles on the CX9. One oil/filter change with dino and most recently one to Mobil 1. No squeaks, no rattles, no problems. My ML had been in the shop four or five times by this point.

 

[Boscoe]

I enjoy driving European sports sedans (Mercedes E) but I will agree the cost to maintain offsets the driving experience. I have had my CX-9 GT AWD since July and 9,000 miles now. I've added an aftermarket trailer hitch (easy job) and Weather Tech front floor mats and cargo mat. The thing drives like a sports car and the interior is cavernous and flexible. I bought the extended warranty from Mazda but have not had a single problem to date. This is the only vehicle I have ever bought with zero defects. I took it to the dealer for the first oil change (free coupon from Mazda) and provided my own oil - Mobile 1 Synthetic.

I was concerned with the poor mileage during the first few tanks but as I added more miles it improved quickly. After 2,000 miles I reset the average mpg and from then until 6500 miles I averaged 19.1. I reset again after the oil change and am now averaging 21.4. I think that's good for the weight of the vehicle and AWD.

I drove a Lexus for many years and the reliability was excellent. Even though the Lexus was expensive to maintain I first considered the Lexus RX. For many reasons I moved on to look at other vehicles. The Highlander and Pilot made my short list. They both had good features but both lacked the combination of features I wanted. By change I decided to consider the CX-9. After a quick test drive and a comparison to the Highlander and Pilot I was sold. After 9 months, the love affair continues. The CX-9 has a comfortable and solid ride with no squeaks or rattles. The 6 spd transmission is smooth and the engine is very responsive with good power.

 

[ceric]

Boscoe,
+1 for your comments above.
One does not appreciate the merits of CX9 until you go back or have a chance to try out Pilot or Highlander again.
Lots of people who own Pilots or Highlanders did not even test-drive CX9s.
It is their loss, really.
Mazda should have confidence about their CX9s by inviting potential owners to test-drive with free cash/gifts.
Mazda would have sold a lot more CX9s.

 

[memasterac]

I was concerned with the poor mileage during the first few tanks but as I added more miles it improved quickly. After 2,000 miles I reset the average mpg and from then until 6500 miles I averaged 19.1. I reset again after the oil change and am now averaging 21.4. I think that's good for the weight of the vehicle and AWD.

That is impressive. I can only image that kind of mpg number you got! Our best average is about 17~19mpg Hwy and 13~14mpg around town.