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Mazda CX-7 Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

624 messages,  Last post on Nov 21, 2008 at 8:45 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda CX-7, SUV


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#55 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [mldj98] by honaker
Jun 12, 2006 (6:26 am)
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Replying to: mldj98 (Jun 12, 2006 5:49 am)

the A/C is just unacceptable, period
 
I live in the DC area and just bought an AWD GT last week. It's not Florida, but the summers have many days where the temp is in the 90s and muggy (DC is essentially a filled in swamp, after all). With some of the worst rush hour traffic in the country, AC is going to be important for me.
 
On the way home, I'll try to remember to see how cold the air blowing out is, and set the AC to manual with a low temp, and see if that changes it.
 
BTW, Deanie, I've enjoyed reading your posts, not because you're the biggest CX-7 fan out there, but because you're honest and open minded.
 
Anyway, for those that are in the DC area, it looks like most of our dealerships got about 3 CX-7s in 2 weeks ago, with additional vehicles trickling in since then.
 
I purchased at Whitten Brothers in Richmond VA, and when I picked mine up, I was surpised to learn they had around 10 when my area dealers only had 3. I think they must have a history of higher volume to have such a better selection.
#56 of 624
Re: Thinking CX-7, READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY SAVE $$$$ [jbuswell] by aviboy97
Jun 12, 2006 (8:27 am)
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Replying to: jbuswell (Jun 09, 2006 11:27 pm)

Compared to the SUV I have now, its pretty much double the gas costs.
 
Double the gas cost??? What do you drive now? I highly doubt you get over 20mpg in an SUV unless you have a dinky old RAV4 or a CR-V. Also, are you paying a $1.50 for gas???
 
- Con: Rear bumper isn't very strong
 
It is plastic! So is most of very car made!. Also, there are NO crash test ratings out on it yet. I would think your assumption is a bit premature, don't you think?
 
But in a realistic drive around town, the CX-7 AWD got about 10 - 12 MPG.
 
If you do not own one, how did you come to this? 10-12 mpg is way off all other reports I have heard.
#57 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [mldj98] by kaalima
Jun 12, 2006 (12:11 pm)
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Replying to: mldj98 (Jun 12, 2006 5:49 am)

I got my cx-7 t. a week ago and I live south Florida, so about the AC issue I have to say that the ac of my Mazda is working without any problems, so I don't know what kind of testing you did but this is not a issue for me ! Or maybe you didn’t have the money for a cx7 so didn’t like it! Anyway cx7 is very good product zoom-zoom guys
#58 of 624
Re: Thinking CX-7, READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY SAVE $$$$ [deanie] by jbuswell
Jun 12, 2006 (10:57 pm)
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Replying to: deanie (Jun 11, 2006 7:44 pm)

Deanie,
 
Current tank of gas (18.4 gallons) lasted 290 miles, the bulk was a trip from Cincinnati to Athens, Ohio, mostly highway some 55 mph winding roads down route 50. Thats about 16 mpg on average. I'm going to fill it up with premium 91 octane BP tomorrow, and I'll let you know how that tank goes. Its very easy to depress the accelerator on the CX-7 and end up at 60 mph in a few seconds (eg. not flooring it), I'll try to drive it a little more conservatively and see how that helps the mpg.
 
In terms of safety the thing is awesome, I took it for a short run down State Route 550 and 690 here in Athens, road veers back and forth, and plenty of hills that change direction just after the peak. I was able to take the turns on that road at 60 mph without any problems, one I probably shouldn't have but the Dynamic Stability Control kicked in and kept me on the road
 
The CX-7 is definately more spacious and cooler than the Mazda 6s. However, there is absolutely no room in the back seats with one infant and one toddler car seat back there. I don't know how petite your wife is, but our 11 year old nephew is about the only one who can sit back there comfortably between the two car seats.
 
Having said that, our daughter's toddler car seat fits much better in those rear seats than it ever did in the 6s. She looks far more comfortable in terms of the angle the seats at than she ever did in the 6s. One other thing, I'm glad the front head rests pop out, my daughter likes to be able to see out the windshield when nobody is in the front passenger seat, which she can't do with the head rests in place.
 
I only paid around $23,200 for the FWD Sport, to be honest with you, having driven both the FWD Sport and the AWD Grand Touring, I just don't see the justification in the price difference unless you've got money to waste. I thought I'd miss the fancy climate controls that are in the 6s, and the Grand Touring but not in the Sport. The front windshield defroster was always a PITA on the 6s anyway, and it never worked right on a cold foggy morning. I was happy to see that the manual climate controls work very very very well. The only downside to the FWD Sport is that I didn't get the Cargo Tray, which I've now got on order. After three shopping trips around town with it, the groceries just go everywhere regardless of how careful you take the turns.
 
One thing to keep in mind with the rear view camera, its part of the GPS package right? Check with your insurance company, make sure they don't charge or plan to charge higher premiums for cars with navigation systems. I was talking to my insurance agent, and she told me that something like 8 out of 10 owners of GPS enabled cars don't set the trip BEFORE they leave, and end up getting into the habit of trying to set the trip while driving, which sooner or later results in some kind of accident as a result. So they are looking to charge a premium for cars with GPS enabled features, and since most cars they are in the $30k or higher range, people will pay it.
 
Hope that helps.
 
btw. one real issue with the car is the speedometer. After driving it for a few days, didn't really notice in while test driving, its difficult to hit 5 mph increments and know that you're not doing 58 or 59 instead of 55. I guess its partly due to the fact you barely have to touch the accelerator and you go faster
#59 of 624
Re: Thinking CX-7, READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY SAVE $$$$ [aviboy97] by jbuswell
Jun 12, 2006 (11:22 pm)
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Replying to: aviboy97 (Jun 12, 2006 8:27 am)

aviboy97,
 
Yes pretty much double the gas costs. My other SUV is a 2001 Pontiac Aztek GT, people poke fun at the exterior from time to time but I think it looks way better than your generic RAV4 or CRV. The interior on it is awesome, its a very useful vehicle, and gets awesome gas mileage. It averages about 26 mpg, considering its a 3.4l V6, and about the same size as the CX-7. It can also seat an adult between the two car seats in the back.
 
The only downside to the Aztek, is that GM didn't do a great job with the powertrain. I've gone through three GM transmissions at this point, after the last one broke just outside their warranty, I had it completely rebuilt from high-performance after market parts. That not only improved the performance and power, but I seem to be getting on average about 28 mpg out of the thing. I know this because both the in-dash computer and the old fashion way come out with the same numbers. I've got almost 80,000 miles on the Aztek, and its always given between 24 and 28 mpg since the first day I bought it.
 
I also stopped taking it to the GM dealer, and since then, no mechanical problems at all. Strange ?
 
In terms of the bumper. My wife backed the Aztek into the garage wall at our old house, big hole in the wall, but I just had to dust off the Aztek's rear bumper. She also backed it into a concrete wall at the same house, and it just had a minor scratch on the plastic bumper. My guess, the CX-7 would probably need a repair in the same situation.
 
I actually DO own one now, the FWD version, last tank got 15 mpg. I got the 10-12 mpg figure from the Grand Touring Model I test drove. The dealer said they filled the tank with 5 miles on the odometer, and it had been test driven close to 120 miles. I test drove it for about an hour with the sales guy. Which added about 30 miles to it, and the tank was below 1/2. To be fair to the dealer, they went out and tested the car pretty heavily after I pointed out the gas mileage issues. They got back to me the other day and said they weren't sure if they put 91 octane in it or not, and that might be part of the problem.
 
They're not the first dealer to say that either. There is no indication on the car, gas tank etc, that you should use premium fuel. The only two mentions are in the "getting started" booklet attached to the ignition, and the owners manual. With the high gas prices, I'd imagine most dealers would probably just dump 87 octane into them if they are unaware of the 91 octane requirement.
 
One thing I noticed that was interesting, I've gone to 4 dealers here in Ohio looking at these before I bought one down in Cincinnati. The first two dealers I went to had the AWD model window sticker showing 19 / 23 as the gas mileage. However, the last two dealers I went two, the exact same model vehicles with the same options had 18 / 21 as the gas mileage on the window sticker. My FWD Sport has 19 / 24 on it, the same as the 6s.
 
I'll keep you posted on how the mpg works out over time. Probably not too fair to judge it within the first 600 miles anyway as the engine is being broken in.
#60 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [mldj98] by jbuswell
Jun 12, 2006 (11:34 pm)
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Replying to: mldj98 (Jun 12, 2006 5:49 am)

Underpowered off the line? Must have been something wrong with it. My CX-7 is doing 60 mph within a couple of seconds once I get out my driveway, I'd go as far as saying after driving it for a few days, from a stop, the thing accelerates better than the 6s. Good chance the dealer stuffed sub-91 octane fuel in it.
 
While the weather here in Ohio isn't quite Florida, it was 90 here the other day and fairly humid. The car was cold with the a/c on, and the fan set on 4 within a minute or two. The air was definately blowing freezing cold off the bat.
 
It sounds like you test drove the Grand Touring with the fancy climate control. I had the same fancy climate control in my 6s, and the a/c works fine in it. However, your complaint caught my attention because my mother in law complained about the a/c not working right in my 6s when she borrowed it, and my wife's aunt who borrowed it for a week complained of the same thing. They set the temp to 60, but never turned on the a/c, or in my wife's aunts case, she turned on the a/c but had the blower on low, so it took forever to cool the car down.
 
You probably should have mentioned it to the sales rep, they would have shown you how to set it correctly. Having driven the Grand Touring, I know the a/c works very very well. So I'd chalk it up to either user error or a faulty vehicle.
#61 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [kaalima] by mldj98
Jun 13, 2006 (4:28 am)
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Replying to: kaalima (Jun 12, 2006 12:11 pm)

didn't have the money? Are you kidding? What does that have to do with it? I currently drive a Lexus ES350 and am looking for an SUV for my wife and kids.....and by the way....does buying a CX-7 make you a rich person?
I don't know about you, but shelling out $30K on a vehicle is somewhat of a big issue with me.....when I want to buy....I compare.....it has nothing to do with cost! If you read some of the other posts it seems I am not the only one that has issues with it. My co-worker drives a mazda3 5 door and he loves it, but, he says his A/C stinks!
I have been in his car allot, great car, lousy A/C.
So think what you will.....that's your right.....and I was just throwing my .02 anyway.....by the way, do you wonder why Mazda has lowered it's warranty period? Hmmmmmmm....
#62 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [mldj98] by zoom49
Jun 13, 2006 (4:52 am)
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Replying to: mldj98 (Jun 13, 2006 4:28 am)

why Mazda has lowered it's warranty period?
Basic warranty was shortened but powertrain (turbo engine)
was greatly increased.
#63 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [jbuswell] by mldj98
Jun 13, 2006 (9:00 am)
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Replying to: jbuswell (Jun 12, 2006 11:34 pm)

I have used dual climate control for years in different types of vehicles....the setting were correct. The salesman even told me he was not impressed with the A/C. But I didn't expect him to go any further, I mean he is trying to sell cars...when the new car manager asked him about the A/C he told him he was not impressed with the A/C. But that's all he said, he was in a tough position, again they are trying to sell cars, I understand. The reason we tried 2 types of CX-7 was to make sure it was an isolated incident with the grand touring model. The second model we test drove was the sport model, no climate control, just the old fasion knobs and buttons. The results we the same. Me and the salesman did the same type of test in the car I drove up in, turned on the car, set the A/C, waited 2-3 minutes and boom, ice cold air coming out of the vents, he admitted the same. If you also read in the other Mazda forums for the other models some of them have this same issue. So unless I drove 2 CX-7 that had some sort of malfunction going on with the A/C then it might just be the model itself. What I am going to do just to test it again, I will go to a different Mazda dealership and try the same thing and see what happens, who knows.....but I can say one thing for sure, it is not user error, especially since I have owned numerous vehicles with climate control as well as the saleman and the new car manager checking the settings on the vehicle as well....and as far as being underpowered, what I meant was when we on the freeway to merge there was some hestitation when the press firm on the gas.....but by no means would that be a deal breaker for me.....
#64 of 624
Re: My Thoughts [zoom49] by mldj98
Jun 13, 2006 (9:09 am)
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Replying to: zoom49 (Jun 13, 2006 4:52 am)

What the salesman told me was starting with all 07 models the warranty will go to 3/36....power train an additional 12K....roadside assistance will only be 3/36 as well.
From a consumer's point of view....does that make sense?
Ask a sales rep why Mazda is doing this.....the answer they gave me made no sense.

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