Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

sda · September 2016

Has anyone driven the new Mazda CX 9? It really looks sharp and has received good reviews including CR. It may replace our Pilot in the next year or so.

Michaell · September 2016

sda said:
Has anyone driven the new Mazda CX 9? It really looks sharp and has received good reviews including CR. It may replace our Pilot in the next year or so.

I know @breld was very interested in them, but not sure he's had the chance to drive one yet.

ab348 · September 2016

sda said:
Has anyone driven the new Mazda CX 9? It really looks sharp and has received good reviews including CR. It may replace our Pilot in the next year or so.

It's a Mazda, so all the "auto journalists" will love it. Mazda is currently their favorite, the way Toyota and Honda used to be. I have a friend that had the previous-gen model and he could not wait to get rid of it. After about 2 years everything started going wrong. He now drives an Edge.

stickguy · September 2016

Funny, because the prior 9 was basically a ford!

Mazdas don't tend to be for people interested in the driving experience, which certainly isn't everyone

ab348 · September 2016

stickguy said:
Funny, because the prior 9 was basically a ford!

Yes, I figure he must like less-than-robust vehicles!

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

Oh what about the Mazda 3? It's handling has been often praised vis a vis most competitors.

Sandman6472 · September 2016

Our Mazda3s was a pretty decent vehicle and though it had some issues after we hit 140K, wife seriously considered another one before she settled on her A3. She liked the way it drove but didn't like the huge hood on it plus the "S" model had a small digital speedometer on the lower right of the tach, something she absolutely hated. Tried to get me to get a hatch but thought the proportions were off. And after driving her A3, no way was I going into a Mazda. And the rest is history.
The VW indie got my wipers in but VW sent the wrong size. Guy got smart, went outside and took a copy of my vin number so he can make sure they send the correct size. He also looked at my brake pads up front and said I've got plenty of meat left on them as I had asked him about putting on better pads than the oem kind when I need brakes. They also sell Interstate batteries and plan to swap mine out at the two year mark as down south here, oem ones usually last about that long. Not willing to have what happened to the wife's A3 happen to mine...one of her cells went bad forcing her to call roadside and get a jump. Luckily they replaced it with a new one under warranty but she was late for work and I had to go down to Ft. Lauderdale to meet her and drive her to her office. Luckily I was home that day.

The Sandman

Sandman6472 · September 2016

Was a passenger in a new Mazda3 yesterday, think it was a base unit. Nice red color over black interior with decent seating material but the radio controls were a bit wonkey. Nice car though. Prefer an easy infotainment system like the one in my Golf with simple to use knobs. Hate the knobless kind in the new HR-V that one must use their fingers to operate, totally annoying. They use the same thing on the HVAC system which is plain dumb! But without haven't even driven one yet, I like it and plan to take a test drive soon.

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

ab348 said:

sda said:
Has anyone driven the new Mazda CX 9? It really looks sharp and has received good reviews including CR. It may replace our Pilot in the next year or so.
It's a Mazda, so all the "auto journalists" will love it. Mazda is currently their favorite, the way Toyota and Honda used to be. I have a friend that had the previous-gen model and he could not wait to get rid of it. After about 2 years everything started going wrong. He now drives an Edge.

The CX-9 "Signature Edition" is supposed to have a very tasty interior.

sda · September 2016

I've had 4 Mazdas in the past: '80 626 coupe, '92 Miata, '96 Millenia, '98 Millenia L. They were all good cars and drove well. Nothing recently. With Ford out of Mazda's hair, hopefully they will be better for it.

stickguy · September 2016

I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.

Michaell · September 2016

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.

I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.

nyccarguy · September 2016

28firefighter said:

nyccarguy said:

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:
Boarding a plane to ATL for a couple days. Left my Legacy at work and took uber to the airport.
Getting a rental?
No rental. Hopped on the MARTA train at the airport. It dropped me off 1/2 block away from my hotel.

How long are you in ATL for?

I will be downtown later this week for a conference.

My flight leaves at 1:45 pm tomorrow. I'm staying at the Westin Peachtree Plaza on the 63rd Floor.

kyfdx · September 2016

'88 323 GTX Loved it.

roadburner · September 2016

I loved my 2007 MS3; I had it for nearly eight years and 159,000 miles. I held off buying a replacement in hopes Mazda would build the rumored 300 hp AWD third generation MS3. They didn't and so I returned to Munich for my DD.

sda · September 2016

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.
I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.

Though sold as Mercury, it was essentially a reskinned Mazda..'93 Tracer LTS. It had the Mazda DOHC engine, the same engine that was in the Protégé ES. It was a fun car and quite quick. I had that car for about 18 months only to trade it on a black

'95 VW Jetta GLX VR6.

28firefighter · September 2016

nyccarguy said:

nyccarguy said:

Boarding a plane to ATL for a couple days. Left my Legacy at work and took uber to the airport.
Getting a rental?
No rental. Hopped on the MARTA train at the airport. It dropped me off 1/2 block away from my hotel.

How long are you in ATL for?

I will be downtown later this week for a conference.
My flight leaves at 1:45 pm tomorrow. I'm staying at the Westin Peachtree Plaza on the 63rd Floor.

Ah okay. I'm going to miss you. I took a late flight yesterday and then had to go over to the conference first thing this morning. Safe travels!

breld · September 2016

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

qbrozen said:
I am waiting in the airport now to head to Toronto for 2 days for business. i believe I am walking everywhere.

on the way here, I saw a gorgeous blue Q3 and fell in love. I then fell out of love when I looked up the specs. 0-60 in 7.8? No thanks.
Hmmm... test drive the Q3 before you give up on it. I bet real world it beats the 7.8 easily as Audi is known to under-rate/over-time the cars in their stable.

That 7.8 is from a car mag

Yeah - Q3 left my wife very underwhelmed when she tested it out, thinking it could be a nice replacement for her GTI. That's the day she ended up buying the S3.

breld · September 2016

Michaell said:

sda said:
Has anyone driven the new Mazda CX 9? It really looks sharp and has received good reviews including CR. It may replace our Pilot in the next year or so.
I know @breld was very interested in them, but not sure he's had the chance to drive one yet.

I did indeed get a chance to drive the new CX-9 and really enjoyed it. If I were to go with a 3-row SUV, I'm thinking Q7 or XC90, but I would also consider the Mazda, even in that company. The 4 cylinder turbo had a nice feel to it and was very responsive - much like the other turbos many of us are driving from VW, Audi and BMW.

The interior is very sharp, particularly in the Signature trim, but the Grand Touring was nice as well. The cockpit feel reminded me of our previous CX-9, which was a big draw for me then as well. If anything, the center console was a bit high to me, possibly rubbing against my right knee (would need extended driving time to determine that for sure).

For around $40k loaded, it's a nice offering - I may choose a CPO Q7 over it, but I'd pick the Mazda over the Pilot and Highlander for sure.

andres3 · September 2016

stickguy said:
for 2017, looks like they ditched the 1.8t. All cars get the 2.0t now.

Seems like Audi is headed in the right direction, ditching the 1.8, and ditching slush-box automatics in favor of dual-clutch automatic transmissions for all.

CR just did a review on the '17 A4 which gets a dual clutch auto and commented that it was so smooth and fantastic that no one would notice it wasn't a conventional automatic. Written in that typical CR way.

They really liked the new A4, and I can't blame them.

stickguy · September 2016

I can't tell, if they moved to DSG on the 2017 A3. Thought the current one was a normal AT.

Ok, looked it up. Current model does move to DSG. Probably explains the highway MPG rating dropping from 33 to 31.

andres3 · September 2016

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.
I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.

The Protege 5? hatchback would have been a superior choice to the '95 Neon in 1994. The Honda Civic would have also probably made my current net worth about $10K higher by now. When I see those rare Protege hatches they always still look good on the road.

andres3 · September 2016

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.
I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.

What is your review of the current Outback? I might have my wife pivoting from the turd of a Cross-tek to the Outback. Is the 3.6 a must in that car?

Michaell · September 2016

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.
I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.
The Protege 5? hatchback would have been a superior choice to the '95 Neon in 1994. The Honda Civic would have also probably made my current net worth about $10K higher by now. When I see those rare Protege hatches they always still look good on the road.

No, just the sedan that looked like a 7/8 scale E-class. Fun car, though. I had a chance to buy one a year after the (first) wife did. Hers was an auto and dark blue - the one I had my eye on was a stick and light blue.

Silly me, I didn't want two of the same car in the garage. Ended up buying a '91 Sentra SE.

ab348 · September 2016

Up here in the salt belt most Mazdas from 2006 or earlier were just ferocious rusters and the company developed a bad reputation even when they took responsibility (and they did not always do that). Also had a bad rep for many "chassis electrical" problems after about 3 years, shabby-looking interiors that did not hold up, plus the ongoing problem of NVH and a harsh ride which some owners grew tired of after some period of time. The overall problem seems that some buyers looking for a good daily driver that they could live with long-term did not value the fun-to-drive quotient quite as much as the Mazda fans did, and were disappointed in the experience.

andres3 · September 2016

stickguy said:
I can't tell, if they moved to DSG on the 2017 A3. Thought the current one was a normal AT.

Ok, looked it up. Current model does move to DSG. Probably explains the highway MPG rating dropping from 33 to 31.

Hmmm, DSG shouldn't lower the highway MPG, at least not more than 1 MPG at most, unless the old auto had the advantage of more than 6 gears? Maybe they are dialing back some over optimism on the EPA figures. They have a tendency to make the gearing short; great for mountain roads.

The 7-speed DSG in the new TTRS is the one they should use across the board, but I think they want A-model prices to be much lower than S or RS model prices.

Michaell · September 2016

andres3 said:

Michaell said:

stickguy said:
I had 3. Loved them all. 1986 323, 1991 626, and 2001 Miata.
I've had 2 - a '91 Protégé and a 2010 CX-7. The Protégé got totaled after just a couple of years, but it was a fun car. The CX-7 got traded in just 18 months ago for the current Outback that's in the garage.
What is your review of the current Outback? I might have my wife pivoting from the turd of a Cross-tek to the Outback. Is the 3.6 a must in that car?

If you ask my wife, it is. The 2.5 is gutless with that much weight. But, we're at almost 6000', so you lose a certain amount of HP at altitude.

(which is why both my daughter and I drive cars with turbo 4's - her MINI Countryman S ALL4 and my Jetta 1.4T SE)

Otherwise, it's been a great car. Luxurious, quick, roomy, versatile. The only black mark has been a couple of small recalls that I've had to take to the dealer. We've loaded it to the gills with stuff - furniture, garden supplies, etc. - and it's handled it all. Get the package that includes the rubber mats on the back of the rear seats.

Wife was specific about her color choices - Wilderness Green with the Beige leather interior. She loves it. Not quite 16,000 miles in 19 months. It's a keeper.

andres3 · September 2016

roadburner said:
I loved my 2007 MS3; I had it for nearly eight years and 159,000 miles. I held off buying a replacement in hopes Mazda would build the rumored 300 hp AWD third generation MS3. They didn't and so I returned to Munich for my DD.

That's a lot of miles in a short amount of time! How was the gas mileage on that thing?

stickguy · September 2016

The a3 was a 6 speed last year, and new ones too. Could be tuning differences? Quite likely, will beat the EPA number easily on highway. I hope.

I tried to get my wife into an outback but she fell in love with the RDX. But would have been the 4. Might have been a mistake! A new 6 could be interesting.

Michaell · September 2016

stickguy said:
The a3 was a 6 speed last year, and new ones too. Could be tuning differences? Quite likely, will beat the EPA number easily on highway. I hope.

I tried to get my wife into an outback but she fell in love with the RDX. But would have been the 4. Might have been a mistake! A new 6 could be interesting.

There is a new 3.6 Touring trim level for the Outback, this year. Custom interior and exterior paint colors and a couple other small additions, I'm told.

tifighter · September 2016

I had a Protege 5, 03 in red with the 5 speed. That was a really fun car that felt light on its feet. Other Mazda was a 06 Miata PRHT. Dark metallic blue over that caramel leather they did for a few years. Never had any issues with either.

sda · September 2016

I posted some pictures of my '93 Trace LTS (Mercury clone of the Protégé) here: http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/3090/general/x/i-spotted-an-insert-obscure-car-name-here-classic-car-today#latest

It was a really good engine/transmission combination. It was a really decent car which I enjoyed thoroughly.

andres3 · September 2016

sda said:
I posted some pictures of my '93 Trace LTS (Mercury clone of the Protégé) here: http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/3090/general/x/i-spotted-an-insert-obscure-car-name-here-classic-car-today#latest

It was a really good engine/transmission combination. It was a really decent car which I enjoyed thoroughly.

Mercury; isn't that one of the planets in our solar system, or is it a heavy metal element?

suydam · September 2016

We had Mazdas in the snow areas and they were great! No rust problems. I had an '88 323, a '90 626 hatch, and an '04 6 wagon. All great cars. If I stay with a gas engine I'm getting a Mazda again soon.

stickguy · September 2016

looks like my BIL might have made a move to new wheels. Need to confirm details, but I think he swapped his BMW 550 for a new Jag XF-S AWD (top of the line). Will report info when I get it.

nyccarguy · September 2016

@andres3

"Is the 3.6 a must in that car?"

Yes.

roadburner · September 2016

andres3 said:

roadburner said:
I loved my 2007 MS3; I had it for nearly eight years and 159,000 miles. I held off buying a replacement in hopes Mazda would build the rumored 300 hp AWD third generation MS3. They didn't and so I returned to Munich for my DD.
That's a lot of miles in a short amount of time! How was the gas mileage on that thing?

The fuel economy consistently averaged over 26 mpg. Not bad for a 2.3 liter turbo making over 287 hp at the crank.

stickguy · September 2016

Holy heck. This is like the exact car I came so close to buying 16 years ago, until I cheaped out. Gorgeous.m and the stick! Darn, wished I actually needed a car now. Price seems fair if it is clean and runs strong. Not like there are many out there!

http://www.royaleasing.com/detail-2001-bmw-5_series-525i-used-15514762.html

qbrozen · September 2016

Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance

kyfdx · September 2016

It's nice.. but, you really want the 530i

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

qbrozen said:
Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance

Gold star for that comment. 80K is just about when an old BMW opens its mouth and wants to be fed IMO. It's when I tell people without resources, DIY experience or friends in the biz to bail out of a German car--or at least before 99,999.

In any event, a complete PPI would be a great idea. Some known weaknesses might include control arm bushings, cooling system problems and electronic glitches.

stickguy · September 2016

Well, no clue what it already had done. There is a really good Indy specialist close to me that would have to look at it first. And some amount of money allocated for preemptive work.

I drove the 525 with the stick, and it was plenty quick for me. No real need here for a 530.

roadburner · September 2016

qbrozen said:
Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance

I'd agree if it was a 540i, but the I6 E39s don't have all that may issues. When we sold my wife's 1997 528i at 130,000 miles it had not required all that much in the way of repairs. Before 100k all it required was a couple of tie rod ends and a trunk lock actuator(a whole $60!!!). At 111k it received new front struts and at 120k I replaced the water pump and radiator as a precaution. AFAIK the lady we sold it to in 2005 still has it and loves it- her prior car was an E34 5er that she drove past 300k...

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

I can see where results might vary. IMO the E39 is one of the worst cars BMW ever made., possibly only topped by the E38s. However, if you can fix all the nagging defects and keep it well maintained, I guess you could have a happy ending there.

I think you'd have better luck with an E34, but of course they're getting kind of old now.

qbrozen · September 2016

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:
Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance
I'd agree if it was a 540i, but the I6 E39s don't have all that may issues. When we sold my wife's 1997 528i at 130,000 miles it had not required all that much in the way of repairs. Before 100k all it required was a couple of tie rod ends and a trunk lock actuator(a whole $60!!!). At 111k it received new front struts and at 120k I replaced the water pump and radiator as a precaution. AFAIK the lady we sold it to in 2005 still has it and loves it- her prior car was an E34 5er that she drove past 300k...

540 has more issues, yes, but the I6 is not without its share. You're still looking at a hefty bill for the whole cooling system. I also would be worried about the VANOS seals.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2016

and window regulators and suspension bushings and power steering hoses and valve cover gaskets and LCD displays. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here---there are some aspects of the E39s I also like very much. It's just that it's the kind of car you want to be very pro-active about.

28firefighter · September 2016

qbrozen said:

roadburner said:

qbrozen said:
Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance
I'd agree if it was a 540i, but the I6 E39s don't have all that may issues. When we sold my wife's 1997 528i at 130,000 miles it had not required all that much in the way of repairs. Before 100k all it required was a couple of tie rod ends and a trunk lock actuator(a whole $60!!!). At 111k it received new front struts and at 120k I replaced the water pump and radiator as a precaution. AFAIK the lady we sold it to in 2005 still has it and loves it- her prior car was an E34 5er that she drove past 300k...
540 has more issues, yes, but the I6 is not without its share. You're still looking at a hefty bill for the whole cooling system. I also would be worried about the VANOS seals.

For the short period I had my E46 330i, I took it to a mechanic that only repaired BMWs. He swore the VANOS seals were a nonsensical repair dreamt up by the online forum community and that even if you did the repair on them, it ultimately accomplished nothing.

In the 11 months I owned the car, it needed the entire cooling system replaced, the intake runner manifold went bad and had to be replaced, and it had a slow oil leak that we never figured out. The car stranded me 3 times, After leaving me on the side of the PA turnpike between Philly and Pittsburgh, I'd had enough and traded it.

When it worked it was a blast to drive, but I think the key to successful ownership of cars with those BMW engines is preventative maintenance over the life of the car...

qbrozen · September 2016

28firefighter said:

Miles are right there where it needs thousands in preventative maintenance
I'd agree if it was a 540i, but the I6 E39s don't have all that may issues. When we sold my wife's 1997 528i at 130,000 miles it had not required all that much in the way of repairs. Before 100k all it required was a couple of tie rod ends and a trunk lock actuator(a whole $60!!!). At 111k it received new front struts and at 120k I replaced the water pump and radiator as a precaution. AFAIK the lady we sold it to in 2005 still has it and loves it- her prior car was an E34 5er that she drove past 300k...
540 has more issues, yes, but the I6 is not without its share. You're still looking at a hefty bill for the whole cooling system. I also would be worried about the VANOS seals.
For the short period I had my E46 330i, I took it to a mechanic that only repaired BMWs. He swore the VANOS seals were a nonsensical repair dreamt up by the online forum community and that even if you did the repair on them, it ultimately accomplished nothing. In the 11 months I owned the car, it needed the entire cooling system replaced, the intake runner manifold went bad and had to be replaced, and it had a slow oil leak that we never figured out. The car stranded me 3 times, After leaving me on the side of the PA turnpike between Philly and Pittsburgh, I'd had enough and traded it. When it worked it was a blast to drive, but I think the key to successful ownership of cars with those BMW engines is preventative maintenance over the life of the car...

Odd that he thought repairing an oil leak is nonsensical. Perhaps that is the leak he could never fix since he refused to believe it could be the vanos seals.

henryn · September 2016

Ya'll just keep on talking. The more I hear, the more convinced I am that I will never own a BMW.

And my bank account thanks you for that!

stickguy · September 2016

Shotgun approach here for the hosts (well, maybe the opposite, but save me a lot of time!)

since you deal with lease questions all the time, out of these options, are you seeing any particularly strong lease deals on any? 2016s fine of course.

Mazda CX5
Acura RDX
Hyundai Santa Fe sport 2.0t
Volvo XC60

Don't need numbers, just direction at this point.

My SIL is shopping to replace her MDX, and that is what I came up with as a short list for a compact/smaller CUV that fit her criteria (and what I know of her taste).

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

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