So, the transmission on our 2009 CX-9 blew up a couple of weeks ago, and we get to spend about $8k to replace the tranny and a bunch of other stuff. This precludes any kind of a new car anytime soon, with that kind of an investment, we are planning to keep the car for another 10 years, if possible. The dealer gave us a 2019 Mazda3 as a loaner while our CX-9 was in the shop, and I have been very impressed with the capabilities of the CarPlay system on the thing.

With a view to making life in the CX-9 more appealing, I would like to be able to upgrade the audio to have the same capabilities. I realize that there are no factory options available that will work with anything as old as a 2009, but there seem to be a number of 3d-party providers who claim to support CarPlay. Does anyone have any recommendations for replacement audio with CarPlay that works particularly well with an older CX-9? While I won't say that money is no object, after dropping $8000 on the transmission, I probably won't balk at up to about $1000 to get a really good system in the car.

Thanks for all your help.

David