Much to the chagrin of many of us, a lot of modern cars aren’t “cars” at all, but rather SUVs. Many of them are car-based, rather than truck-based, and are therefore called “crossovers,” a term that used to mean a country song that made it on to the pop charts. Whatever you want to call them, they’ve become the default vehicle for many Americans. Today, continuing with our exploration of cars under fifteen years old, we’re going to check out two largish crossovers with three rows of seats.
Yesterday’s small car battle wasn’t much of a battle at all. The little pink Chevy Spark absolutely got its clock cleaned by the tobacco-brown Fiat. Many of you thought that if you were going to drive a small car for economic reasons, it should have a little panache and be a little bit fun to drive, and the Spark just couldn’t hang with the Fiat in that regard.
I have admired the Fiat 500 since it first came out, and it’s one of few modern small cars I think I’d really enjoy. But I feel like if I settled for an automatic one, I’d always regret not getting a manual. The Spark seems like it would be a dull appliance either way, so it may as well be an automatic for convenience. But between these two, I think I’d still take the Fiat, and do the same thing I did with my automatic Neon: look up how to do a manual swap, think about it, price out parts, but never get around to it.
A lot of car enthusiasts look down on SUVs and crossovers, but I completely understand the appeal of a big box on wheels. It makes particular sense if you want just one car that can do everything, which, I’m told, is how some people do it. There’s no shortage of choices if this is what you’re looking for, but these two jumped out at me as being fairly evenly matched. They’re both front-wheel-drive, they’re about the same size, and they both are north of 200,000 miles and still going strong. Let’s check them out.
2015 Buick Enclave Premium – $4,250
Engine/drivetrain: 3.6-liter DOHC V6, six-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Dallas, TX
Odometer reading: 205,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Considering all the GM brands we’ve lost over the past couple of decades, I can’t believe Buick is still around. Pontiac is a memory, Oldsmobile ended not with a bang but a whimper, and yet Buick is still peddling the same chrome-laden dinosaurs it has for decades. Well, not the exact same, but the same idea. This Enclave is essentially just a Roadmaster Estate for the twenty-first century, minus the fake woodgrain sides. And if the nostalgia train keeps rolling long enough, that may make a return as well.
The Enclave shares a platform with the Chevy Traverse. It’s front-wheel-drive, with a transversely mounted V6. All-wheel drive is available, but it isn’t necessary down in Texas, so why deal with the extra fuel and complexity? The V6 is GM’s 3.6-liter “High Feature” unit, which replaced the bulletproof (and decidedly low-feature) 3800. The 3.6 has some issues with the timing chain and oil consumption, but this one has made it to 205,000 miles, so either it has been well cared for or it has had some repairs. It’s a one-owner car, so maybe you can get your hands on some service records.
It’s in good condition inside, and it does look comfy in there. The seller also says it “smells good” inside, which could mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but hopefully it means it doesn’t smell like cigarettes or feet or something. The air conditioner works fine, too.
The outside looks good, but the seller does disclose that it has had a minor accident in the past. It’s all fixed up now, and I don’t see any problems besides a couple of missing wheel center caps.
2016 Mazda CX-9 – $5,200
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4, six-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Dallas, TX
Odometer reading: 248,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s hard to believe that this car is made by the same company that makes the Miata. Mazda’s claim to fame has been small, light, zippy cars for many decades, and a three-row SUV is sort of the antithesis of that. But I guess if you want a big SUV that doesn’t handle like a big SUV, you get one from the company known for sports cars.
Besides sports cars, Mazda is known for its unusual engines. The rotary is the most famous example of this, but Mazda’s piston engines are often pretty cool, too. In recent years, Mazda engines have been marketed under the Skyactiv name, which isn’t a specific design or technology, but rather a combination of attributes like high compression ratios and direct fuel injection designed to improve efficiency and lower emissions. The engine in the CX-9 is a turbocharged 2.5-liter four that makes 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, which is plenty for a vehicle like this. It has nearly a quarter million miles on it, but it runs and drives just fine.
We don’t get very good interior photos of this one; I think they took this one from across the street. All the ad says is that everything works fine, including the air conditioning. I guess you’d have to go look at it in person to assess its condition accurately.
I have to give Mazda credit for the styling of this car, too. It’s a lot better looking than most crossovers. It looks like it’s in good shape, too. I don’t even see any door dings, which is amazing for a car with this mileage.
These aren’t what you’d call exciting cars, but they are practical. If you have a big family or need to travel with your own pit crew, they make a lot of sense. These two have a lot of miles, but that doesn’t seem to affect modern cars as much. And looking at higher mileage cars is a great way to save some money. If you were in the market for a big do-it-all family hauler, which one would you go for?
I was ready to go Mazda, but it’s an extra high-mileage example of an early version of a turbo motor that likely has seen harder driving overall. Look at the driver’s seat wear. The Buick’s seat has some squish to it but the leather is in good shape and it just gives off simpler highway miles.
I never found the GM Lambdas comfortable for what they are, and they have their known issues, but they are at least well-known problems across other models that share the powertrains so it’s a more known quantity to repair and/or find someone willing to fix it up. I see early Lambdas (like, Saturn Outlook early) around looking rough but still kicking, so people still find them worth fixing.
If I’m going high mileage, I’d rather do that in a Mazda. I’m also a current Mazda owner (2021 Mazda6), so it tracks.
Same, albeit with a 2022 Mazda3.
Please kill me if I ever think about buying either of these things.
Same…
*opens door* “Uhhhh, can I help you?”
“Hi Christopher, my name is Taargus, and I have evidence here that you’ve been searching for Buick Enclaves on Marketplace?”
“Oh no, I was just looking… for a friend! Yes, for a friend.”
“Christopher, I have transcripts from Google Chat here where you state that you’re not sure why, but 3-row crossovers have become more appealing to you, and a cushy Buick would be a far more relaxing way to go about.”
“That wasn’t me I swear!”
“Christopher, it’s time.”
“You have the wrong guy! I’m a member of The Autopian for Christ-sakes!”
“I’m sorry Christopher”
*pan to dead oak tree – rifle blast – crows caw and scatter – fade to black*
I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. K-Cars on fire on the shoulder. I watched C-pillars glitter in the dark near Jasonia. All those moments will be lost in time, like wiper fluid in the rain. I picked a mid-size crossover. Time to die.
If I’m driving a Mazda, I don’t want it to be this boring blob. If I have to drive a boring blob, I might as well pick the Buick, which is a synonym according to this thesaurus I found in a Jiffy Lube waiting room.
BTW – I’m liking the theme this week. We have practical cars at reasonable prices that I might actually think about purchasing.
A refreshing change from the typical choice between two very overpriced beaters that are decades old that weren’t appealing when new.
Maybe I’m getting old but I couldn’t tell which was which from the top photo. Dark grey crossovers, the only way to tell them apart is by the grille and tail lights.
I’m old enough that Buick immediately reminds me of senior citizens going 10 under the speed limit with frightening lane awareness, so I guess I’ll take the Mazda dark grey crossover.
In reality I’d spend 4-5 grand on a Saab. Or in real-reality spend the money fixing my Saab.
Wouldn’t have either of them, but since I have to choose, I’ll go with the Mazda. Mostly because I just couldn’t face going out to the driveway every day and seeing something with a Buick nameplate sitting there.
My sister in law had a high-mileage Enclave like this and it was a money-pit pain in the ass. Always something.
I’d rather walk.
Buick today. The Mazda has an extra 3 years worth of driving on the ODO and has a turbo which is something to think about when a vehicle is reaching end of life.
I’ve seen enough of the repair issues on those Buicks that I’d rather roll the dice on the Mazda’s relatively new turbo four.
GM’s poor design and manufacturing
Or
Mazda’s supplier’s corruption?
I’ll risk supply corruption every time.
Neither of these look like much fun to me, so might as well be bored for less and go with the lower mileage and cheaper Buick Orifice.
Neither
I hate working on transverse mounted V6s so I’ll take the turbocharged 4. I was happy with the one Mazda we owned (a 5) except for the rust. Shouldn’t be a problem on this one
Might as well take the one that “smells good”. Buick it is. While I tend to prefer Mazdas in general, this one has 43K more miles and an extra $950 on the price tag.
Both are high mileage and could quit on you at any moment. Yeah, maybe the Buick will be a cheaper repair when it does since there’s no turbo, but it’s still going to be more hassle than it’s worth.
So yeah, I think the smart move is spend less money on the Buick and keep saving up for that newer minivan.
The Mazda is way more trustworthy, so it gets my vote even if the Buick is likely a nicer place to sit.
Both seats’ outside bolsters are crushed from former drivers crushing it by scooting in/out. You might need to check how your own rearend fits to see which one’s a nicer place to sit.
This is from Mazda’s “bulletproof engine” era, so I’d trust the CX9 to get me the distance more than the Buick.
I’m not convinced of the “bulletproof engine” designation here…cursory internet check says “2.5L Turbo vehicles suffer from a known design flaw where the cylinder head cracks, allowing coolant to leak into the engine. This results in overheating, loss of power, and complete engine failure. Mazda issued Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) for this, and repairs were often covered under goodwill up to 120,000 miles, though owners beyond this mileage face significant out-of-pocket costs.
Yes, but the coolant acts as an energy absorber, thereby reducing the impact energy of bullets, ergo, “bulletproof”.
Time to invent the coolant/bulletproof vest. Patent pending!
I am old enough to just not think of these as large or big. I had a rental cx-9 last year and it was fine. It is around 4in LxW of a 4d wrangler. I liked it but for the lack of touch screen for google maps.
You could get both for the price of a rust-free Jeep J10
Here we have two people movers selling for, what appears to be, a reasonable price.
Which is a sign of the times and that used car prices are almost back to normal.
I can’t say anything nice, so I won’t say anything at all. Other than I voted today.
Mazda skyactiv engines (the N/A ones at least, don’t know the turbos quite as well) are regularly reaching moon mileage plus. GM high feature V6…does not enjoy a similar reputation. Easy win for the Mazda.
I’ll go with the Buick, since I’ve spent enough time fixing friend’s and family’s Traverses, Enclaves, and Acadias. The battery is in a goofy spot in the floor behind the front seats, the 3.6L has issues, and then it has the general GM build quality of those years going for it as well. But, it is a nicely equipped one, unlike the base model Mazda, and the Mazda is likely pushing the boundaries of used up on that turbocharged engine. Neither is great, but the Buick will do.
The Buick’s asking price is the equivalent of 5 payments on a new Enclave. That puts the price in perspective a bit.
These are both so boring. Gray, high mileage crossovers.
I just blindly stabbed at the screen. I think I picked the Mazda.
I’ll set aside my affinity for Mazdas and go with the plusher and cheaper Buick.
The correct answer though if you are in a situation where a big family and a tight budget means you need a big cheap SUV is to change your name and use that money to get yourself established in a new city.
The Buick is probably about the same year as our previous company car. Everyone HATED driving that thing, it wallowed in any corner like a pig, no acceleration, uncomfortable. I was very glad to see them sell that thing off cheap.
I know nothing else about SUVs (I do have a Crosstrek for utility purposes) but the Mazda has to be better.
I’ve put plenty of miles on both, and the Mazda handles slightly better but is also a bit slower. Neither is fun to drive in the least.