Used Car Shopping

[rjundi]

I have been car shopping for a 5 passenger SUV with ability to seat extra kids in a pinch and it has 2 tiny seats in rear.

I really like the 2007+ Acura MDX for an SUV does not feel like such a let down compared to my previous Subaru WRX.

Looked at two(different places):

1)
So I looked at one had exceptional service history by owner at dealership and oddly the dealer waits till delivery and plans on replacing all four brakes and cleaning up rotors, serpentine belt, and do an alignment rotate/balance.

It drove great,solid and comfortably, the downside was it was grimy and poorly detailed. I was actually replused by the grime on the 50 or so buttons on dash(nuts!). The seats at least were clean but not polished.

MDX 2) Loved the color, its a rare almost military green. The interior was immaculate the exterior had only two dings barely any scratches. The interior was well taken care of, however beyond that drove well.

The negative half worn tires and no service history.....

I learn toward the vehicle with service history but repulsed. Both are priced similar and can be had for similar money. I may see if the dealer will get the vehicle interior detailed.

Not sure which way to steer.

 

[The Critic]

You can always get a car detailed. I'd much rather have a dirty car with a complete service history than one without.

Are these vehicles at Acura dealers? I am not familiar with Acura's system, but some high line makes such as Lexus will have a national database for service history, even if it was regular maintenance.

 

[crazyoildude]

who was it serviced by? Dealer?

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
You can always get a car detailed. I'd much rather have a dirty car with a complete service history than one without.

Are these vehicles at Acura dealers? I am not familiar with Acura's system, but some high line makes such as Lexus will have a national database for service history, even if it was regular maintenance.


The dirty car was at an Acura dealer believe or not. They state they keep them for 41 days and then send to auction hence not doing servicing yet.

Car fax and their dealer records had the person taking it in every 6k-8k for oil changes, had diff oil changed and some other items like alignment.

The other Acura the beyond clean was at a Ford dealer and no service history.

I am amazed that after 4 years these vehicles depreciate 50%+ but maybe standard for luxury models. I sold my Subaru WRX 7 years old for 43% of original price paid new.

 

[The Critic]

That makes perfect sense. If the dealer took in the vehicle for a bit more than they had hoped to, it makes no sense for them to recondition the vehicle if they end up having to wholesale it anyway. Any money they put into the car is not likely to be returned to them.

You can always take the second Acura to a dealer for a pre-purchase inspection and call them to see if Acura maintains any nationwide service history database. A PPI will probably cost you $150-$200 but can be worth it. How many miles do these cars have? I think on the MDX transmission fluid changes every 30-45k can be critical. I would also check on the mdx forums for common issues, especially since the 2007 is a first-year build.

 

[rjundi]

The transmission fluid was changed around 70k miles. I believe the proper interval was 50k miles.

The vehicle has close to 80k miles. I am surprised how well Acura's hold together with not a single rattle, creak etc. But maybe they are built well to start.

The 2nd Acura was no where near an Acura dealer where it was registered/inspected yearly. Acura is not a common dealership in NH/ME/VT. There are only two in my state (one near me) and another near MA border. ME has no Acura dealers. VT has one. MA has quite a few around Boston.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
The transmission fluid was changed around 70k miles. I believe the proper interval was 50k miles.

The vehicle has close to 80k miles. I am surprised how well Acura's hold together with not a single rattle, creak etc. But maybe they are built well to start.

The 2nd Acura was no where near an Acura dealer where it was registered/inspected yearly. Acura is not a common dealership in NH/ME/VT. There are only two in my state (one near me) and another near MA border. ME has no Acura dealers. VT has one. MA has quite a few around Boston.


That's a long time, if the only trans service was done at 70k. I'm pretty sure that most of the larger Hondas require a trans service no later than 45k. Though, I'm sure it'll be fine...but I personally wouldn't buy it.

Also, timing belt, plugs and valve adjustment are required at around 105k. That's about $1k, so I would budget that in.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Our Acura MDX (2005, previous generation) is very well-built. I'd recommend one based on my experience with ours in a heart beat.

All MDXes beginning with and including 2004 have the new 4-shaft automatic transmission. Problems with these transmissions are very rare. I just did the first fluid change on ours; funny, it has 70k miles also. The fluid came out dark red, but still red and without any flakes in it. With three new quarts of DW-1, the transmission shifts very smooth. I plan to do another three quart drain/fill in another week or so. With the service record of the 4-shaft transmissions, I wouldn't be concerned about the "late" fluid change. At least it's been done.

Whenever you buy one, I'd recommend an ATF change, transfer case fluid change, and a rear end fluid change (as I would with any AWD/4WD vehicle purchase). None of these procedures are difficult (in fact, pretty dadgum easy). The transfer case and rear end case will require a small hand-pump for the fluid fill. I'm not sure what the rear end fluid on the 2007+ models with the SH-AWD system is. On ours, it's VTM-4 fluid...not sure on the '07+.

I know two people with 2007+ MDXes and both love them. We love ours, and would buy another in a minute.

 

[cadfaeltex]

My wife has a 2007 MDX that we bought new and it has been trouble free. MDXers is a pretty good forum on them. I don't think either would be a bad bet.