Mazda #4 - getting a bigger car

A couple of weeks ago we (okay, I) decided we REALLY needed a bigger car. Much as we loved our Mazda 5, it was bought with a family of four in mind. Now that we've been blessed with the addition of Jaden, one of the kids had to sit in the back seat, and the other was folded down to accommodate a stroller - leaving little room for grocery trips and making things like road trips almost unthinkable.

So, we said goodbye to the old car . . .

and got a black 2010 Mazda CX-9.

It initially looks a lot like our Mazda 5, but it's much bigger - a bit more like a minivan as far as height and space. All three boys (including the carseat) fit on the middle bench (which folds down 60/40), and there are two adult-sized back seats and LOTS more cargo space (the stroller can fit behind the back bench - yay!). After we bought it, we found out that it had fun things like seat warmers and Bluetooth - nice, but not the reason we got it. We just needed SPACE! (:

So, here's a recap of our previous Mazdas:

My 1986 Mazda 323 that I bought in 1995 for $1700. It was a good little car - took me from Texas to Utah without a hiccup - but it couldn't withstand the two cars that smashed into it the month before our wedding (that's another story).

The 1995 Mazda 626 that we bought in April 1998, soon after getting married. This has been a great car, and we still use it for when we need to go two different directions.

And finally, the Mazda 5 that we only had for two years but traded in for the CX-9. We loved this car - it just didn't cut it for our family anymore.

Not surprisingly, we got a Mazda Loyalty discount. Hee hee. The main "problem" now is that I can't say to Greg, "Are you taking the black Mazda?" (;