Newbie here thinking about getting a 2015 CX-9 Touring

Greetings, I love the CX-9. My girlfriend is interested in buying a 2015 CX-9 Grand touring. It has 129,000 on it. I believe they want $10, 800 but, I don't know if we are going to meet that price.

What can you all tell me about these particular automobiles? I had a 626 back in the day with my first wife that was brand new. Love that car. Ever since then I've been a Mopar man could be eights only. So I lost track of Mazda. But I got to tell you when we test drove this one today it was smooth. I hit the gas pedal as if I was in my Dodge Charger and it didn't seem to like that but that could be the all-wheel drive. Any information you could offer would be great. Here's a link to the car we looking at
Thank you in advance!

Dana

 
At that mileage and price I'd skip the Mazda. Basically it has a Ford engine with a water pump design that will take out the engine if the water pump leaks. It's inside the engine and the leaks go directly into the sump. Coolant mixes with the oil and that's the end of the engine.

Also, the if the PTU for the AWD has not been maintained properly they can grenade and create a whole other set of problems. At 129K miles that's another potential time bomb on these cars. The genius' at Ford decided to put about 1/2 quart of lubricant in there and make it a 'sealed for life' component. Don't even mention the fact that it's mounted next to the hottest part of the exhaust.

I know all vehicles have their Achilles heel but this one has two major ones that would be enough to make me move on to something else. Good luck with your search.
 
At that mileage and price I'd skip the Mazda.
Agreed
Basically it has a Ford engine
Mazda designed this engine. Ford produced it.
with a water pump design that will take out the engine if the water pump leaks. It's inside the engine and the leaks go directly into the sump. Coolant mixes with the oil and that's the end of the engine.
Yep
Also, the if the PTU for the AWD has not been maintained properly they can grenade and create a whole other set of problems. At 129K miles that's another potential time bomb on these cars. The genius' at Ford decided to put about 1/2 quart of lubricant in there and make it a 'sealed for life' component. Don't even mention the fact that it's mounted next to the hottest part of the exhaust.
Yep
I know all vehicles have their Achilles heel but this one has two major ones that would be enough to make me move on to something else. Good luck with your search.
For sure.
 
Does your girlfriend need a dependable daily driver or is this a second vehicle to drive as needed. If the former, buying a car with 130k on it is asking for trouble. Unless you have a budget to set aside in an account to use for potential expensive repairs. The CX9 is a nice vehicle but if your budget is around $10k, I'd look at Honda and Toyota sedans with less mileage to use as a daily.
 
Does your girlfriend need a dependable daily driver or is this a second vehicle to drive as needed. If the former, buying a car with 130k on it is asking for trouble. Unless you have a budget to set aside in an account to use for potential expensive repairs. The CX9 is a nice vehicle but if your budget is around $10k, I'd look at Honda and Toyota sedans with less mileage to use as a daily.
Great advice, thank you
 
At that mileage and price I'd skip the Mazda. Basically it has a Ford engine with a water pump design that will take out the engine if the water pump leaks. It's inside the engine and the leaks go directly into the sump. Coolant mixes with the oil and that's the end of the engine.

Also, the if the PTU for the AWD has not been maintained properly they can grenade and create a whole other set of problems. At 129K miles that's another potential time bomb on these cars. The genius' at Ford decided to put about 1/2 quart of lubricant in there and make it a 'sealed for life' component. Don't even mention the fact that it's mounted next to the hottest part of the exhaust.

I know all vehicles have their Achilles heel but this one has two major ones that would be enough to make me move on to something else. Good luck with your search.
Thank you, I appreciate the insight.
 
Well as beautiful as the automobile is, she needs this for a daily, I'm going to pass. Did some research found out it had some mechanical issues. Call the dealership and told them I knew about the mechanical issues so what are the mechanical issues, that's when they let me know that they replace the engine after they got it from auction. There's another one coming up, 2015, CX-9 GT with about 33,000 mi. I'm not sure what they're going to charge but I got my eye on that. I also got my when an Acura, a Honda, and a pathfinder. Less miles and no shady business about replacing the engine. The guys could have told me that yesterday when we were test driving it. It would have made a world of difference as opposed to me finding out on my own and having to ask them about it.

Thanks for everyone's input. Good information. I'll take all this into account If I look into the one with $33,000 mi on it
 
Does your girlfriend need a dependable daily driver or is this a second vehicle to drive as needed. If the former, buying a car with 130k on it is asking for trouble.

This is simply not true at all. My 190,000 mile Mazda 6 has been so easy on maintenance. Never failed me once.

For the case of the cx9, yes.
Unless you have a budget to set aside in an account to use for potential expensive repairs.
Potential, yes.
The CX9 is a nice vehicle but if your budget is around $10k, I'd look at Honda and Toyota sedans with less mileage to use as a daily.
This is solid advice. If your GF wants a crossovers, I'd get the CX5 an honest look. The 2.5L and 6AT in these cars will go 350,000miles.
 
Well as beautiful as the automobile is, she needs this for a daily, I'm going to pass. Did some research found out it had some mechanical issues. Call the dealership and told them I knew about the mechanical issues so what are the mechanical issues, that's when they let me know that they replace the engine after they got it from auction. There's another one coming up, 2015, CX-9 GT with about 33,000 mi. I'm not sure what they're going to charge but I got my eye on that. I also got my when an Acura, a Honda, and a pathfinder. Less miles and no shady business about replacing the engine. The guys could have told me that yesterday when we were test driving it. It would have made a world of difference as opposed to me finding out on my own and having to ask them about it.

Thanks for everyone's input. Good information. I'll take all this into account If I look into the one with $33,000 mi on it
Whatever you decide on, make sure you verify previous maintenance history. A well maintained vehicle with 100k can be more reliable than one with 50k and not taken care of. If it's a dealer, they should provide you with a Carfax which should confirm its history. Take it to a trusted mechanic to look at prior to purchase. Stay away from auction cars. Make sure all tires match. Use a good flashlight to check engine bay, interior and exterior paintwork. Anything repainted, stay away. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a original owner for sale by private party on websites like cars.com and autotrader. Google the vehicle, i.e. "2015 Mazda CX9 reliability" to find info on recalls and repair issues. Let us know how you make out.
 
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