Hello all, venturing over from my normal habitat as a Mod over at the RX-7 club. This appears to be the only CX-9 forum that I've found.
I had always been a member of the no car payment club. I vowed never to have a car payment, ever.
Looks like I failed at that one.
Without further ado, here is my new family hauler, a 2018 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD, purchased with 2 miles on the clock.
Every bum that has sat in the driver's seat other than mine has been an official Mazda employee. I was there for its unloading off the truck from Baltimore Harbor. I was there when the plastic wrap was pulled. Nobody test drove this car on the dealer's lot. The battery never ran down while being stored on the dealer's lot.
I am really loving the Soul Red Crystal - Paint Code 46V. More pics of it here. https://imgur.com/a/7T5OPND
Look at the room in the engine bay! You can drop tools and s**t and have them hit the ground. Alternator and starter are easy to get at. Turbo should wiggle out between the firewall and engine block. Water pump might be a little tight, but still manageable. It's a 2.5L I4, so all four spark plugs and coils are up top and easy to get at. That's one of my MAIN requirements in a vehicle, easy repair. (So hopefully this one makes it to 15+ years and 200+ K miles)
Test drove several others including the Toyota Highlander and Sienna, the Hyundai SantaFe, and the Honda Pilot and Odyssey.The Hyundai was okay except for the cramped 3rd row. As a 6 footer, I can sit comfortably in the CX-9's 3rd row. Other than that, the others were complete automotive boredom.
Purchased the new car after some non-insurance having jackwagon totalled out my previous family hauler, a 2003 Mazda MPV that just celebrated 200K miles on the clock. The ONLY times I had the MPV on a tow truck were after it got hit and after insurance cut me the total loss check. https://imgur.com/a/WFDJyBG
But to tell ya the truth, it shoulda been totalled after the first wreck almost a year ago to the day: https://imgur.com/a/M3ZIF
So to recap:
It's practical... A 6 foot tall adult can fit in the 3rd row and the 3rd row can be folded for cargo hauling. It'll also tow 3500 lbs.
Mazda builds safe vehicles. Sideswiped by a Chevy 3500 dually and rear ended by a Ford Windstar at 58 MPH and no deformation of the passenger compartment.
It's fun and engaging to drive.
Driving it gently during the break-in period is killing me though. I can't wait to see how 17.4 psi of boost into a 10.5:1 compression ratio engine, and then pumped to four 255/50R20 tires feels.
I had always been a member of the no car payment club. I vowed never to have a car payment, ever.
Looks like I failed at that one.
Without further ado, here is my new family hauler, a 2018 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD, purchased with 2 miles on the clock.
Every bum that has sat in the driver's seat other than mine has been an official Mazda employee. I was there for its unloading off the truck from Baltimore Harbor. I was there when the plastic wrap was pulled. Nobody test drove this car on the dealer's lot. The battery never ran down while being stored on the dealer's lot.
I am really loving the Soul Red Crystal - Paint Code 46V. More pics of it here. https://imgur.com/a/7T5OPND
Look at the room in the engine bay! You can drop tools and s**t and have them hit the ground. Alternator and starter are easy to get at. Turbo should wiggle out between the firewall and engine block. Water pump might be a little tight, but still manageable. It's a 2.5L I4, so all four spark plugs and coils are up top and easy to get at. That's one of my MAIN requirements in a vehicle, easy repair. (So hopefully this one makes it to 15+ years and 200+ K miles)
Test drove several others including the Toyota Highlander and Sienna, the Hyundai SantaFe, and the Honda Pilot and Odyssey.The Hyundai was okay except for the cramped 3rd row. As a 6 footer, I can sit comfortably in the CX-9's 3rd row. Other than that, the others were complete automotive boredom.
Purchased the new car after some non-insurance having jackwagon totalled out my previous family hauler, a 2003 Mazda MPV that just celebrated 200K miles on the clock. The ONLY times I had the MPV on a tow truck were after it got hit and after insurance cut me the total loss check. https://imgur.com/a/WFDJyBG
But to tell ya the truth, it shoulda been totalled after the first wreck almost a year ago to the day: https://imgur.com/a/M3ZIF
So to recap:
It's practical... A 6 foot tall adult can fit in the 3rd row and the 3rd row can be folded for cargo hauling. It'll also tow 3500 lbs.
Mazda builds safe vehicles. Sideswiped by a Chevy 3500 dually and rear ended by a Ford Windstar at 58 MPH and no deformation of the passenger compartment.
It's fun and engaging to drive.
Driving it gently during the break-in period is killing me though. I can't wait to see how 17.4 psi of boost into a 10.5:1 compression ratio engine, and then pumped to four 255/50R20 tires feels.
