A bit of this intro in italics is repeated from my Tesla and Stinger threads so bear with me if you chimed in there.
My wife and I are both turning 47 this month. She's been driving various kid haulers (we have 4 kids) for most of our 23 years of marriage, but now with 2 kids gone and a third leaving soon the time has come to dump the minivan. We've had a Honda minivan since 2003, that's 16 years. My thing has always been when the time comes she picks whatever she wants up to the price of $50k. So we've been casually looking at a few vehicles over the last year or so with plans to buy soon. We kinda figured we'd get an SUV or sedan...Mazda CX-9 or CX-5 were high on the list, Accord sport 2.0 or Acura RDX were all possibilities. Maybe even a Ford Explorer. Any of those fully loaded gets up around $40-45k.
We test drove a Stinger a few days ago. The car was amazing, I could have gotten it for $43k out the door ($52k MSRP), but we decided that we just needed more room. We still have 2 kids in tow, both are not small any more, and the trunk of the Stinger while huge just can't carry all the stuff we'd want to for trips. When you're used to the space of a minivan it's hard to go back. Yes, I suck...I am officially contributing to the whole "Americans must drive SUVs" thing.
So with sights set on an SUV we went and drove a CX-9 today. I considered an Acura RDX, but they're just too techy and too floaty for me. We looked at the Edge ST which can be had for super cheap (hundreds available brand new...they are as low as $36k [$52k MSRP]) but there's a reason for that and after reading reviews the transmission and interior/tech faults are a deal breaker. We looked at a Telluride and Explorer and a few others but we're ready for something that's not a boat on wheels. The CX-9 has been in my sights for a few years; I test drove one years back for fun and it really is everything they say it is. Not as big as the Telluride or others but we don't need that anymore; still, has a 3rd row if needed and decent enough cargo space for a family of 4. Has a punchy 310tq motor with good MPG and AWD too. Best thing is interior is absolutely gorgeous and the driving dynamics are insanely good - it's not a Fiesta ST but it's the best driving SUV available at a decent price, pretty much every review I've read agrees on this. Just a very pleasant car, a has a bit of fun factor too I must say.
So...did the test drive. Wife is ready. Called about 10 dealerships within driving range and found the best deal about an hour away...the color we want, well-optioned, has 20 miles on it. 2019 model, since it's the end of the year there are deals to be had...$47k MSRP and they're dropping it to $40.5k after much (much, much) haggling on my part. Thinking about going to get it tomorrow...
https://www.midlandsmazda.com/inventory/new-2019-mazda-cx-9-signature-4wd-awd-jm3tcbey3k0329252
Anyhow I'd love opinions if you've been researching the same or have experienced or owned a Mazda CX-9.
My wife and I are both turning 47 this month. She's been driving various kid haulers (we have 4 kids) for most of our 23 years of marriage, but now with 2 kids gone and a third leaving soon the time has come to dump the minivan. We've had a Honda minivan since 2003, that's 16 years. My thing has always been when the time comes she picks whatever she wants up to the price of $50k. So we've been casually looking at a few vehicles over the last year or so with plans to buy soon. We kinda figured we'd get an SUV or sedan...Mazda CX-9 or CX-5 were high on the list, Accord sport 2.0 or Acura RDX were all possibilities. Maybe even a Ford Explorer. Any of those fully loaded gets up around $40-45k.
We test drove a Stinger a few days ago. The car was amazing, I could have gotten it for $43k out the door ($52k MSRP), but we decided that we just needed more room. We still have 2 kids in tow, both are not small any more, and the trunk of the Stinger while huge just can't carry all the stuff we'd want to for trips. When you're used to the space of a minivan it's hard to go back. Yes, I suck...I am officially contributing to the whole "Americans must drive SUVs" thing.
So with sights set on an SUV we went and drove a CX-9 today. I considered an Acura RDX, but they're just too techy and too floaty for me. We looked at the Edge ST which can be had for super cheap (hundreds available brand new...they are as low as $36k [$52k MSRP]) but there's a reason for that and after reading reviews the transmission and interior/tech faults are a deal breaker. We looked at a Telluride and Explorer and a few others but we're ready for something that's not a boat on wheels. The CX-9 has been in my sights for a few years; I test drove one years back for fun and it really is everything they say it is. Not as big as the Telluride or others but we don't need that anymore; still, has a 3rd row if needed and decent enough cargo space for a family of 4. Has a punchy 310tq motor with good MPG and AWD too. Best thing is interior is absolutely gorgeous and the driving dynamics are insanely good - it's not a Fiesta ST but it's the best driving SUV available at a decent price, pretty much every review I've read agrees on this. Just a very pleasant car, a has a bit of fun factor too I must say.
So...did the test drive. Wife is ready. Called about 10 dealerships within driving range and found the best deal about an hour away...the color we want, well-optioned, has 20 miles on it. 2019 model, since it's the end of the year there are deals to be had...$47k MSRP and they're dropping it to $40.5k after much (much, much) haggling on my part. Thinking about going to get it tomorrow...
https://www.midlandsmazda.com/inventory/new-2019-mazda-cx-9-signature-4wd-awd-jm3tcbey3k0329252
Anyhow I'd love opinions if you've been researching the same or have experienced or owned a Mazda CX-9.
