Hello! We are new to Mazdas and new to having a budget and paying cash for a car (thank you Dave Ramsey). I have my eye on two Cx-9s. One is a 2011 from a private seller with 116K miles on it. The price of $8400 seems too good to be true but we're going to drive an hour and 45 minutes to check it out. The other is an hour and a half away and is a dealer selling a 2008 with 135k miles for the same price. The answer as to which we should pursue seems obvious (newer car, less miles) but is there a difference in the engines or something that would make us want to buy the 2008 instead? Please advise. We've had so many lemons that have set us back financially and we want to spend our money wisely here. The Toyota Highlander is also on the list but with our budget we wouldn't get the leather trim we want (because of pets dirty feet and kids) and the miles would have to be higher. Thanks!!

 

I was hoping that someone with knowledge of the difference between the 2008 and 2011 CX-9 models would discuss the differences and the recommendations between the two.

Without the specifics, as you imply, newer vehicles and those with lower miles should sell for more. The difference I see is the types of sellers involved. Dealers have to sell at a premium to cover their costs. It is somewhat justified since they typically offer some warranty and often do some work to refurbish it before the sale. Buying from private sellers have a huge advantages as well. They don't have the extra cost and can compare the price they offer to you to the trade-in price and can sell to you for a great price for both the seller and buyer.

A private seller can give you the history of the vehicle which typically cannot be matched by a dealer. You can get a feel for how it was maintained by looking at their other vehicles, where it was stored, what type of driver drove it and so on.