2008 GT possible purchase, have questions.

[N0RCAL]

hello all,

I am new as you can see from my post count, and I would like to pick your brains. I am considering a purchase on a 2008 GT fully loaded, the vehicle is is GREAT shape a clean carfax 1 owner with service records for every oil change and the 15 30 45 60 75 90 all at Mazda dealerships. The vehicle never left the state of California and who ever owned it did take care, the interior is out of control good and the exterior really has no ding's or scratches to mention.

I am super picky about my vehicles and go over them with a fine tooth comb.

My concern is that the vehicle now has 123K and is sitting at a "used car dealer" there are records of routine maintenance from 90k-120k but all at independent shops and nothing mentioned other than "check up" and "Oil Change"

I called the mazda dealership and inquired if there are records of the PTO (TC) ever being services or replaced and they said they have no record, so I am assuming that it is the original. I asked them if they have many that come in and he was very honest and said yea he does have them come in for TC replacements, there is no time table it could be 15K it could be 200K, he said they did one last week that was original at 178K.

My next concern was the water pump and timing chain issues and he said he RARELY see's them in the cx-9 and that the cx-7 and 5 are MUCH more prone to the water pump issue.

I have read the entire 22 page thread about service of the TC and can easily do the work, My question is....

Would you stay away from a 2008 GT with 123K and the original TC?

I read where people with higher mileage vehicles did the oil change only to have the TC leak weeks later. Something regarding the vent tube being blocked from the bad oil and not having anywhere to vent etc etc etc. Is there a way to unblock this vent while the TC is attached.

Thanks in advanced

N0RCAL

 

[Thaumaturge]

hello all,

My next concern was the water pump and timing chain issues and he said he RARELY see's them in the cx-9 and that the cx-7 and 5 are MUCH more prone to the water pump issue.

I have read the entire 22 page thread about service of the TC and can easily do the work, My question is....

Would you stay away from a 2008 GT with 123K and the original TC?

I read where people with higher mileage vehicles did the oil change only to have the TC leak weeks later. Something regarding the vent tube being blocked from the bad oil and not having anywhere to vent etc etc etc. Is there a way to unblock this vent while the TC is attached.

Thanks in advanced

N0RCAL

Here are some thoughts from a current owner of a 2008 CX-9 Touring FWD:

1. AWD
Even while the dealers here seem to get nothing else delivered, I specifically avoided buying the AWD versions of both my CX-9 and CX-5 even while living in the snow belt (snow tires will beat AWD any day). I have owned AWD vehicles before that could actually go where AWD is required and never had issues because that was a design requirement. AWD in these vehicles (and most other SUVs) is light-duty at best and designed from a feature standpoint not a durability in use standpoint. I'd venture to guess 99% of Mazda AWD owners actually need AWD maybe once a year if lucky and never go off-road. All the rest of the time you are dragging along hundreds of pounds of dead weight and hoping the damned thing isn't frying itself. In short, I would find a FWD CX-9.

2. Water pump and dealers
I am biased having already placed the parts order in preparation for replacing my water pump and other goodies even with no sign of trouble. My dealer also said much the same thing about only having seen a couple CX-9 water pump failures. Gee, only a few catastrophic failures, I feel so much better. The 3.7 engine water pump and design is EXACTLY the same as in the 3.5 that's used in the 2007 CX-9, Ford Edge, Explorer, Flex, Lincoln MKS, etc. Hit a few Ford forums or talk to a Ford dealer and find out how many people are seeing this - lots.

Both issues known and are gambles on a vehicle with 123k miles. Honestly I would place money that at least one of these problems will hit that vehicle in the next 30k miles. While I am putting money into my 2008 as I plan to keep it a good while longer, I would not be buying the one you've mentioned as the risk of being stranded with a big money repair is just too great. Were the known problems you could face more minor I would say go for it.

As always, there are people who will drive their cars 200k miles with no problems and tell me I'm nuts. YMMV


FYI, I love my 2 Mazdas and will likely be buying a third this summer, so I am far from a hater. I just wish they'd used another V6 in the CX-9.

 

[Horton]

I respectfully disagree on the AWD - of course, snow tires make the biggest difference - grip always trumps in snow, except when the drive wheels are stuck. That's great if you are in snow several months of the year, and in relatively flat, non-mountainous areas) But then you have two sets of wheels and tires, which is more expensive over the life of the vehicle than AWD. As someone who spent a lot of time in the snowy midwest, I was shocked more people did not use snow tires, as they made a huge difference).

If you are an occasionally in snow and are okay with M+S, AWD helps, and _really_ helps in the wet conditions (as opposed to ice).

I'm in snow 3-4 times a year, and off-road about the same number of times, and AWD is a must-have for me...the wet driving conditions (which are more often) is where is shines.

Everyone I know in my area (Calif) who bought a FWD SUV regretted it the first time they went to the snow.

As for miles, 200K is the new 100K; car are built much, much better these days and getting tons of miles out of them is easy if you do the maintenance (many people don't), and you don't buy a European brand (which tend to fail more).
Sure, there are still exception (Honda reliability has taken a dive over the past decade, in my experience)

I used to think V6 was the only way to go, but after driving the turbo 4, I am a believer. It's not the amount of power, it's how it's delivered. The CX-9 feels more sprite than a v6 and even some v8s, when the power comes on much later. In days to day driving, it's much zippier. I think going with 6 speed transmission over a 8 or 9 speed makes a big difference.

As the push to meet CAFE standard increase, a turbo diesel and/or i-eloop may show up down the road. Who knows.

 

[Thaumaturge]

I respectfully disagree on the AWD - of course, snow tires make the biggest difference - grip always trumps in snow, except when the drive wheels are stuck.

Lest you think I have spent my hundreds of thousands of driving miles solely on the streets of Chicago, I have not. I learned my lesson about AWD decades ago following a FWD minivan in the snowy Rocky Mountains while struggling to keep up in my AWD vehicle. I couldn't believe it, but now understand why the locals weren't all driving AWD - it's not necessary. That was the last AWD I bought.

More importantly, AWD does NOTHING to help you stop in wet or snow and gives people a very false sense of security. Every year I see the fools in their AWD's stuck in ditches during the winter because they took a turn too fast.

Notwithstanding AUDI, Subaru, and Jeep's efforts to convince people otherwise, AWD is ONLY truly necessary if you anticipate drive wheels losing traction (or total contact) such as when travelling unpaved, poorly maintained, or no roads at all. I once took a rented Grand Marquis up a forest service road in the Rockies during summer marked 4WD only because I wanted to show folks some great views I knew. If you know how to drive well enough, just about anything is possible.

Driving is driving and if you plan on actually needing AWD, you would be well advised to chose a vehicle where AWD is the starting point of the design. Todays jacked up car-based SUVs (I own 2) are not all terrain vehicles no matter how many wheels get some form of power from a fragile TC.

I tell friends to take the money they save by not buying AWD (in both vehicle and fuel costs) and put it toward snow tires and decent 3-season radials for the rain.

And why would the OP care about a new $40k CX-9 while shopping for a used 2008?(uhm)

 

[N0RCAL]

Lest you think I have spent my hundreds of thousands of driving miles solely on the streets of Chicago, I have not. I learned my lesson about AWD decades ago following a FWD minivan in the snowy Rocky Mountains while struggling to keep up in my AWD vehicle. I couldn't believe it, but now understand why the locals weren't all driving AWD - it's not necessary. That was the last AWD I bought.

More importantly, AWD does NOTHING to help you stop in wet or snow and gives people a very false sense of security. Every year I see the fools in their AWD's stuck in ditches during the winter because they took a turn too fast.

Notwithstanding AUDI, Subaru, and Jeep's efforts to convince people otherwise, AWD is ONLY truly necessary if you anticipate drive wheels losing traction (or total contact) such as when travelling unpaved, poorly maintained, or no roads at all. I once took a rented Grand Marquis up a forest service road in the Rockies during summer marked 4WD only because I wanted to show folks some great views I knew. If you know how to drive well enough, just about anything is possible.

Driving is driving and if you plan on actually needing AWD, you would be well advised to chose a vehicle where AWD is the starting point of the design. Todays jacked up car-based SUVs (I own 2) are not all terrain vehicles no matter how many wheels get some form of power from a fragile TC.

I tell friends to take the money they save by not buying AWD (in both vehicle and fuel costs) and put it toward snow tires and decent 3-season radials for the rain.

And why would the OP care about a new $40k CX-9 while shopping for a used 2008?(uhm)

I agree whole heatedly with you regarding AWD, problem is here in the Bay Area, "AWD" is a status not a feature. What I mean by that is people "think" they need AWD because they have the money and their neighbor has it. I could do without easy but most if not all cx's on the market are AWD and my choices are thus limited.

I went again and looked at the cx and well the "used car guy" came out in the salesman and he was not willing to give in on the price and so we never came to an understanding. I am not gonna overpay for a used vehicle and the car in "excellent" condition should fetch a 7800-8500 price tag and he would not meet me at what a fair price would be. It will need it's 120K service and that is 600 and I didn't want to go to 10K tax, reg, dealer fee's included.

The door is still open but it's hard to find something.

Thanks for the opinions all.

N0RCAL

 

[Horton]

You might have better luck finding a private party car from someone with all maintenance records, rather than a used car dealer.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Sounds like you made the right call walking away. I agree with Horton that a private party may be the way to go. Once you hit those high mileage numbers, dealers don't offer much value anyway as their limited warranty programs don't apply.

Trying to buy even a new FWD Mazda in Chi-town is a genuine pain so people just cave and buy what's on the lot. My dealer has around 55 CX-5's in inventory and every single one is AWD! If you check sunbelt dealers, they get all FWDs. I made the dealer drive 120 miles roundtrip on my last buy to get me what I wanted. Just dumb.

Good luck on your search.