The ST I bought last Friday was a special order by a 75+ year old gentleman last August and was the first 2025 to arrive on the lot of my dealership. He returned it the next day as he found it too complicated for him to operate. The SUV sat on the lot until I drove it in December '24; I was looking for a Platinum with the turbo V-6 and the one they had on the lot was sold the day before I came in.. I drove this ST and like it and came back in January after considering a Honda Pilot and thinking about a Grand Highlander (but due to Toyota's issues with this vehicle I couldn't find one in my immediate area to even sit in). This ST had everything including the Sun & Sound package and was MSRP stickered at $61,790.
Because it has been on the lot for over 145 days the dealer was motivated to sell it and I got an additional $4495 off. With the trade in of my low mileage (30,750) 2019 Mazda CX-9 GT, I wrote them a check for $41,735.39 which I think is fair for this current market but crazy overall. In the 6 years since I bought the Mazda, SUV's in this segment have gone up $20 in price for the same auto. I had people tell me to get a Lincoln Aviator because it's basically the same car but a bit nicer; that's true but for what they're asking and considering my rural lifestyle it's not worth it to me.