YACT: Acura MDX

[Doggiedog]

I've got 2 kids, 2 YO and 6MO. I need something bigger than the Lexus GS300 or BMW 325i I've got now. Wanted to get a Honda Odyssey but the wife absolutely does not want to drive a minivan. I'd like to get a station wagon like the A6 but station wagons are really no bigger than my sedan. What I need is something with 3 rows of seats so I can put 2 child seats in the car and have room for 3 adults.

I see the invoice price of an MDX is around $31K, MSRP is $35K but I hear dealers are charging thousands more because of limited availability.

Anyone have an MDX or know someone who bought one? I'm wondering how little I can get one for.

And before anyone mentions it, NO, I'm not going to get an Altima or Maxima. And yes, I hate SUVs too but station wagons don't cut it and wife is adamant about not getting a minivan.

Thanks.

 

[RossMAN]

How about a Toyota Highlander, larger than the Lexus RX300 but cheaper?

Or the upcoming Honda Pilot?

 

[Doggiedog]

Thx for the suggestions Rossman. I just looked at the Highlander but it only has 2 rows of seats and that Pilot is hideous!

 

[RossMAN]

Then I would get the Acura MDX it's received rave reviews and is quite the people hauler.

 

[NFS4]

<< Thx for the suggestions Rossman. I just looked at the Highlander but it only has 2 rows of seats and that Pilot is hideous! >>


You mean THIS is hideous??? The Pilot looks rather conservative to me:Q

Besides, the Pilot will be thousands cheaper than the MDX, it uses the same platform, same engine, and will have probably 90% of the features.

 

[Doggiedog]

That is what I am leaning towards but the fact that dealers want $2k more than MSRP really gets me. I'm wondering if anyone has one or knows someone with one and how much they paid for their car.

 

[RossMAN]

Unless there are some *shudder someone shoot me* domestic SUVs you can think of?

How about a Subaru Forrester? I'm not sure how many people that seats though.

 

[Doggiedog]

No, I meant this was hideous.

I guess I mixed up the cars. The Pilot looks like an overgrown CRV.

 

[IceBlue]

Isn't the Lexus RX300 very similar to the MDX? I have no idea on the price they want for it though.

My wife rode in her friend's MDX and fell in love, until we figured out the dealer's ADP line on the sticker meant "Additional Dealer Profit". Supply and demand sucks, but car dealers suck worse. Also, if you ever need to tow anything the MDX's towing capacity is rather limited.

We ended up buying a new GMC Envoy. But it sounds like you will want to look into the Envoy XL which is just hitting the dealer's lots over the past 2 weeks. The XL has the 3rd row seat. Also, look into the DVD player option to entertain the kids on road trips. Huge cool factor. I think you should be able to get the XL for somewhere around the 33,500 mark after incentives. Check out Edmunds.com's townhall forum for great info on these SUV's. Don't be put off by the negative comments, since most people only post when they have a problem. My Envoy has 3000 miles and not a single problem, not even a squeak or rattle. Also, the 270HP inline-6 is soo sweet!

-Ice

 

[Doggiedog]

Thx IceBlue, though I am wary about getting a GM car, I've heard a lot of good things about the Envoy. Even the interior isn't your typical GM. I'll definitely take a look.

 

[NFS4]

<< Isn't the Lexus RX300 very similar to the MDX? I have no idea on the price they want for it though.

My wife rode in her friend's MDX and fell in love, until we figured out the dealer's ADP line on the sticker meant "Additional Dealer Profit". Supply and demand sucks, but car dealers suck worse. Also, if you ever need to tow anything the MDX's towing capacity is rather limited.

We ended up buying a new GMC Envoy. But it sounds like you will want to look into the Envoy XL which is just hitting the dealer's lots over the past 2 weeks. The XL has the 3rd row seat. Also, look into the DVD player option to entertain the kids on road trips. Huge cool factor. I think you should be able to get the XL for somewhere around the 33,500 mark after incentives. Check out Edmunds.com's townhall forum for great info on these SUV's. Don't be put off by the negative comments, since most people only post when they have a problem. My Envoy has 3000 miles and not a single problem, not even a squeak or rattle. Also, the 270HP inline-6 is soo sweet!

-Ice >>


Highlander is to RX300
Pilot is to MDX

As for the Envoy, I don't trust the new platform...at least with it's Chevy stablemate the Trailblazer. We test drove the Chevy Blazer and the interior was so f*&king cheesy and plasticy that it was ridiculous. It felt so cheap. The Envoy wasn't any better. The engine is sweet, but their are more things to a $30,000+ investment than a sweet engine. My dad ended up getting a '02 Highlander Limited V6.

http://autoweek.com/search/search_display.mv?port_code=&cat_code=longtermtests&content_code=09596907&Search_Type=STD&Search_ID=275345&record=5


<<
?What?s wrong with the TrailBlazer, now??

With that all-too-familiar refrain emanating from the cube farm at One AutoWeek Tower, you can probably guess all is not rosy with our long-term Chevrolet TrailBlazer LTZ. The silvery sport/ute?s first quarter of duty was fraught with everything from niggling little complaints to the apparent complete failure of the awd/4wd system. More on that later...

Early complaints centered on a wiggly driver-side rearview mirror and unexplained loss of air conditioning on hot summer days at speeds below 40 mph. Our dealer ordered a mirror and replaced it at no cost, but ?was unable to find problem? with the air conditioner...

A bigger concern centered on the awd/4wd system, which seemed to work just fine?for the first few weeks. Then, without warning and at about 75 mph on a freeway downgrade, the indicator light on the transfer case selector switch jumped from 2wd high into 4wd high, with a corresponding ?clunk? from somewhere in the drivetrain innards. The indicator flicked back to 2wd high without incident. It wasn?t until a month later, when a staffer noted the transfer case indicator lights weren?t functioning, that we began to suspect the awd/4wd system was also out of service. >>



My dad doesn't have time to deal with that sh!t

If you're looking to keep this thing for a while, look at the Highlander, MDX, or Pilot. They may have a higher initial cost than the domestics, but quality wise you can't get much better than those. And resale value will stomp anything from GM or Chevy.

 

[IceBlue]

It's hard to take ONE car and make broad generalizations for the thousands that are on the road everyday.
Appearence is personal judgement. I've had 10 or more people not only like the interior of my Envoy, but go back to the office and rave about it to other people. My opion is that the Highlander is very sterile with no options. To each his own.

BTW, I've given my coworker 4 rides to the dealership to pick up his 6 month old Highlander from the shop for different problems. I don't think the whole line of them are tainted, but his experience hasn't been so good.

At the end of 6 months, I'll be able to compare his experience to mine and see who came out better initially.

I don't care about autoweek's demo Trailblazer, I only care about the Envoy parked in my garage.

I do feel that GM needs to work harder on timely fixes to complaints though. I just haven't experienced any of them yet.

Peace,
-Ice

 

[NFS4]

<< It's hard to take ONE car and make broad generalizations for the thousands that are on the road everyday.
Appearence is personal judgement. I've had 10 or more people not only like the interior of my Envoy, but go back to the office and rave about it to other people. My opion is that the Highlander is very sterile with no options. To each his own.

BTW, I've given my coworker 4 rides to the dealership to pick up his 6 month old Highlander from the shop for different problems. I don't think the whole line of them are tainted, but his experience hasn't been so good.

At the end of 6 months, I'll be able to compare his experience to mine and see who came out better initially.

I don't care about autoweek's demo Trailblazer, I only care about the Envoy parked in my garage.

I do feel that GM needs to work harder on timely fixes to complaints though. I just haven't experienced any of them yet.

Peace,
-Ice >>


Point taken about "singling" out a particular car, but when it comes to reliability, quality, resale, refinement, you'd be hard pressed to beat Honda and Toyota. The Highlander has 3,300 miles on it and just went in for its oil change. No problems whatsoever and it's tomb quiet even at around 80 MPH. Puts my '95 Camry to shame in power, performance, handling, and braking. Not to mention that the Highlander has average 22-23 MPG combined highway/city since we got it.

As for a "lack of options" on the Highlander?? Whatever Our Highlander Limited came loaded with every option except heated seats for $32,500:

220HP V6
AWD
Full leather seating and wheel
Dual front, side, and driver/passenger head airbags
Cargo Cover
Rubberized cargo mat for the rear cargo area
Poor one-touch moonroof/flip-up sunroof
Automatic climate control
Digital trip/MPG/temp/readout
Keyless
6-disc in-dash CD player
Fog lamps
4-wheel disc brakes w/Anti-lock
Vehicle Anti-Skid (Stability Program) with Traction control
Towing prep package
Splash guards
Roof rack

Yeah, no options...suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure Of course, that's on top of the crap you already get with the regular Highlander.

 

[vi edit]

Ok...don't hurt me...but I'll make a suggestion - Buick Rendezvous

I looked at them for a bit because they had EXCELLENT hauling capacity, and were very comfortable, and very functional. *At least* give them a look.

 

[GMachine]

Check out some of the GMC SUVs, they look real nice inside and out. I'm not a fan of imports like most on here but try as many as you can.

 

[NFS4]

<< Ok...don't hurt me...but I'll make a suggestion - Buick Rendezvous

I looked at them for a bit because they had EXCELLENT hauling capacity, and were very comfortable, and very functional. *At least* give them a look. >>


It's HIDEOUS!!!!

 

[vi edit]

<< It's HIDEOUS!!!! >>



I'll admit, I initially thought that it was rather fugly when I first saw it. But the first one I saw was in a nasty beige color. When I saw one in black, and another in a dark blue they looked MUCH MUCH better. They also grew on me quite a bit. I'm also more function over form as well, so I'll look past the sheetmetal if the car does what I need it to do.

In pictures the RDV looks bad. In person, with the right colors, it looks decent. Once you climb in it though, you'll appreciate the people hauling and cargo hauling abilities.

 

[Doggiedog]

You couldn't get me to buy a Rendezvous even if you threw in a round with Tiger.

That car is just a second attempt by GM to make back their money on that hideous Asstek.

 

[NFS4]

<< You couldn't get me to buy a Rendezvous even if you threw in a round with Tiger.

That car is just a second attempt by GM to make back their money on that hideous Asstek. >>


I agree 100%

 

[Ameesh]

I got a new 2k2 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4x4 V8 for ~$35K I like it i didnt choose to get the third row bench but thats definely an option you can, the ride is really smooth especialy for a v8 and it has a very comfortable interior, I would highly reccomend it.

 

[Ameesh]

The MDX is also pretty sharp looking, i like the outside a lot but i havent seen the inside, when i was looking no acura dealerships had any in stock so i just skipped them as a option.

 

[NFS4]

<< The MDX is also pretty sharp looking, i like the outside a lot but i havent seen the inside, when i was looking no acura dealerships had any in stock so i just skipped them as a option. >>


Inside:
http://carpoint.msn.com/Vip/Gallery/Acura/MDX/1.asp

BTW, the Envoy XL/Trailblazer XL (or whatever the hell it is called) look GROSSLY/ODDLY out of proportion in extended form. In fact, the long wheelbase versions are longer and have more room than the Tahoe/Yukon. Kinda defeats the purpose of those two (Tahoe/Yukon) IMHO. GM is just plain messed up sometimes

 

[Doggiedog]

Yeah. I just looked at the Envoy XL and it looks really bad. I like the regular Envoy but the XL looks like a distorted mirror image or something. I checked Carsdirect on it too and it says the model is no longer available either.

Also, if I'm going to spend $35K on an Ford Exploder, I'd rather have a more luxurious MDX instead for a little more.

 

[Ameesh]

<< Yeah. I just looked at the Envoy XL and it looks really bad. I like the regular Envoy but the XL looks like a distorted mirror image or something. I checked Carsdirect on it too and it says the model is no longer available either.

Also, if I'm going to spend $35K on an Ford Exploder, I'd rather have a more luxurious MDX instead for a little more. >>



I like the interior of the MDX! its really nice looking, i think id have to sit in one to give you the final thought, also my explorer has about every amenity i can think of and much more power then most other SUVs, i like it but my next one will probably be a navigator or an escalade.

 

[NFS4]

<<

<< Yeah. I just looked at the Envoy XL and it looks really bad. I like the regular Envoy but the XL looks like a distorted mirror image or something. I checked Carsdirect on it too and it says the model is no longer available either.

Also, if I'm going to spend $35K on an Ford Exploder, I'd rather have a more luxurious MDX instead for a little more. >>



I like the interior of the MDX! its really nice looking, i think id have to sit in one to give you the final thought, also my explorer has about every amenity i can think of and much more power then most other SUVs, i like it but my next one will probably be a navigator or an escalade. >>


We looked at the V8 Explorer too. We just couldn't justify the price and fuel mileage penalty though. I was suprised at how expensive the new '02 Explorer is compared to the other offerings considering my dad got an essentially loaded Highlander Limited (minus one option) for $32,500. And he even ordered that one b/c they didn't have any on the lot.