Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Acura MDX (pre-2007)
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
While I never put a deposit down, I was waiting for a particular model to come available. In the last three weeks, I've been offered 4-5 different vehicles. Most of these have been loaded with accessories and were not specifically what I wanted. If you are flexible, they seem to get new loaded ones every week that others seem to no longer want. I have my doubts, but nonetheless cars are becoming more available.
If you want to get an MDX and are willing to pay the price, I would give them a shot.
RX300's and 2001 ML320's, which have went through the cycle of demand/supply, can be had up from invoice.
2003 Honda MAV: Honda gets its own version of the Acura MDX and the Isuzu-produced Passport is history.
The is a very simple reason why you occasionally see MDX's listed in your dealer's online inventory that aren't actually available. The dealer simply hasn't coded their auto-inventory uploads properly. The way most dealers get their inventory involves uploading their vehicles onto their online database. This may occur weekly, or better yet, daily. The problems arise when MDX's that have been ordered for some time arrive and are waiting to be picked up by their owners. Until the vehicles are paid for, they are not out of the dealer's inventory. Dealers that are on the ball will actually et the inventory uploads so that MDX's never appear. That way people looking for MDX's available immediately won't be given false hope.
Hope enveryone enjoys the weekend...
Jamie S.
"Being freshly minted, the MDX should see no major change until
model-year 2003, when Acura will reportedly install a larger 3.8-liter
V6 with perhaps 280-290 hp. The upsized engine is intended to
distance MDX from a new derivative Honda-brand SUV that arrives
that season with the Acura's current 3.5 engine."
http://www.vtec.net/news/modelmatrix.html
1. What do you do about your trade-in. In a normal situation, I would negotiate the trade in price at the same time I am negotiating the price of the car I am buying. Obviously the price the dealer pays for the trade-in is as important as the price of the car I am buying. The dealer I am ordering from said that he can't tell me what they would pay for my trade-in until the MDX I am ordering is close to coming in (he said the appraisal of my trade-in is only good for 30 days). This process would take any away any negotiation strength that I have. With the MDX in such high demand and many buyers willing to step into my shoes and buy the car I ordered, the dealership could totally underprice my trade-in and I'd have no recourse other than to try to sell it myself, which I really don't want to do. Any suggestions?
2. Have dealers been willing to put in writing exactly what you are buying, for exactly how much (including any incidental fees, advertising fees, TT&L, etc.), including the anticipated delivery date?
3. Anyone know what, if anything, will be changed in the 2002's compared to the 2001's?
Thanks.
I am trying to decide whether to buy an Acura MDX or Toyota Highlander. Besides the seating for 7 issue are there other reasons why I should consider the MDX rather then the Highlander? For comparisn purposes use the v6 4x4 highlander.
thanks in advance
* Superior cargo capacity (with last row down)
* Spacious feeling interior (thanks to width)
* Better tires available in my opinion (cross terrains)
* I gave the MDX a slight edge in handling/braking, although this is debatable
* I think the MDX interior is much nicer (compare center consoles)
* I'd rather go to an Acura dealership than a Toyota dealership any day
* Neither have safety data, so this is shear speculation, but given how aggressively Acura is positioning safety I gave the MDX an edge on likely safety performance... I expect they'll both be good.
And I bought a Highlander because:
* Price, both absolute and relative to invoice amount (HL is $750-$2000 over invoice)
* Reliability - More speculation since we don't have data on the models, but I gave the HL the likely edge here
* I like the VSC (skid control) option on the HL
I think I have more to gain by waiting to purchase an MDX (as my next car) than a HL.
Wish I could afford one of each right now.
Anybody else get a little bribe like this?
1. Can the cargo net be used at the same time with either of cargo liner or tray.
2. Assuming I can have only one, is liner more flexible in use and good looking than tray. Admitting that I do go ski, but I use to clean the boots/shoes and put them in tight plastic bags and line the floor with old bedspread. same for camping.
3. Is there any 3rd party or after market similar product? If so, where can I get them?
Thanks in advance.
My impressions were:
1. Fits 7 people relatively well. I had my eldest son with me (9 years old) and he liked the third row seats. I figure I have a few years until he outgrows the third row, and longer for my younger kids (age 7, 6 and 4).
2. The acceleration was disappointing. The Sequoia feels much more powerful and even quicker. I thought the opposite would be the case. I guess the 8 cylinder engine is the difference. I found the MDX to be sluggish.
3. The mirrors are too small on the MDX. It will be more difficult to get a good view of traffic on the 4 or 6 lane highways that surround Boston.
4. Love the NAV system.
5. Acura charges extra for certain things that I think should be standard in a $40k luxury SUV. For instance running boards, the wood around the dash, trailer hitch (the running boards and trailer hitch are standard for even the lowest priced Sequoia).
6. The accessories in general are very overpriced (I'm not telling you something you all don't know here).
7. Loved the way the third row completely disapears when not in use. I coach a youth hockey team and often drive to games with several players and gear. It looks like there is enough room to do this with the third seats folded down.
8. Hate the process of either overpaying or waiting for many months.
9. Thought the overall comfort level was acceptable.
Overall, while not perfect, it appears to be the SUV that best meets my current needs.
Unless I decide in the next day or two to buy another Sequoia, I will be putting in an order for an MDX. While it will be very painful to give the keys to my wife, I plan to retain weekend visitation rights. 8-)
One point of interest though, C.R. rated it only fair for emergency handling (in their emergency double lane change maneuver). Apparently the MDX oversteered fairly early on/easily compared to others; oversteer (where the tail slides out) is a condition that most drivers are not trained enough to control. It requires a lot of practice and lightning fast reaction for counter-steer followed by an immediate correction(s). Stability control would no doubt help, especially since oversteer is much easier to provoke (and can be a lot more severe) on slippery surfaces. C.R's emergency lane change test is conducted on a dry track.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
The "fair" score in the emergency handling test is but one aspect of its overall assessment. Please note that despite the previous message's focus on this area and its interpretation, SUV's that did better usually earned only one notch higher in this score, not two or three as one might alarmingly interpret. While the score isn't as good as one would like, if CR didn't feel that the MDX was safe, they would not recommend it. E.g. the Toyota Land Cruiser had not been recommended because it had a "poor" score in the emergency handling test, and the addition of stability control helped it earn a "fair" score, and CR now recommends it.
There's been some discussion on this at:
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1912
I'm trying to decide between the MDX and the Honda Odyssey. I know they are different vehicles, but their size, style, history fit our interests. I was going to wait for the Honda version of the MDX but some said in the Odyssey forum that the size wasn't going to be more than 5 passenger seating...
"Honda Odyssey" Jun 5, 2001 8:54am
Leather is not a necessity, but I like the nav systems on both. AWD on the MDX is also a plus for winter and driving out on the beach. Any input on what we should do?
Thanks.
You'll have more room in the Odyssey for passengers and cargo, though if you need to seat five people, you almost have to deploy the third row seat which is not 50/50, thus losing a lot of cargo space. With the MDX, you can fit three people in the second row and still get the cargo volume around it. On the other hand, the sliding doors of a typical minivan, especially power ones, make access and loading tremendously easy.
Unfortunately, demand currently exceeds supply for the MDX, and, not unlike the Odyssey, the vehicle still commands MSRP nationally, along with long waiting lists that only now seem to be getting a bit better. That enough may sway your decision. The best I've heard in recent deals are some accessories thrown in, and maybe a couple of hundred dollars off of MSRP.
Most impressions seem to have the cargo tray as being better than the line for most uses. However, if you use the third row seat a lot, the liner is obviously more flexible.
There are third-party cargo trays but most seem happy with the Acura tray. It has the proper cut-outs so that you can hook the cargo net.
The net is a bit funny in that you can hook it up in a variety of ways, horizontally across the cargo floor, or vertically to sort of push everything toward the rear. It's not immediately obvious but it's quite useful.
If you choose to buy accessories in the future, many MDX owners here HIGHLY recommend hondacuraworld.com, for both great prices (which include shipping in most cases, so they're even better when you compare them) and great service from an authorized Honda/Acura dealer.
Congratulations on your new MDX!
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Your points are well taken, however, they are the exact thing that is making our decision so hard.
My twist on it: if you find yourself ranking one vehicle higher but trying to skew your score so the other one fits, then it's clear what your heart wants!
But, if we could have only one -- we would have an Odyssey with the NAV. I am all about sensible utility, and the Odyssey better fits that need. More space, you don't mind loading it up with buiding supplies, great cruiser, etc.
For normal snow and general weather conditions, the front drive Odyssey performs well. I doubt you would miss AWD much - less than a few days a year. What I would miss with the MDX is the sporty feel for a vehicle this size and the umph.
Good luck.
The only problem about going with the Odyssey is that we would be unable to drive out on the beach (Nags Head) during the summer months. I understand that the Odyssey is adequate for wintery conditions, but 4WD is needed for the beach thing.
I also agree that the Odyssey has more overall room. Even with the 3rd seat up, it has a ton of space for storage behind it since its so low to the ground.
I also like the sportiness of the MDX, just like you mentioned. However the Odyssey isn't bad itself (especially for a minivan).
Plus, the Odyssey is much much cheaper.
Any other comparison analysis to help me out is appreciated.
Thanks all.
INKY
I need some inside information or first-hand
experience on ordering Acura MDX. What really
happen after I place the order? Would I get
my car eventually?
My dealer told me I would get my truck in Sep/01.
Anybody would like to share his/her experience?
Thanks
I put an order for my MDX and was told it will take 4-6 months. Since my current minivan is falling apart at 225K miles, I called about 18 Axura dealers in California. All but 1 sell MDX via the order method. There is one which sells MDX based on first come first serve, no taking of order. The car may be more loaded than you want but still selling at MSRP + dealer installed options at MSRP. They will call you when the inventory arrives and sell the car based on first come first serve. So I bought my MDX that way after three weeks of wait.
The next day I called to cancel my order. One hour after I cancel the order, I was emailed to inform that there is a base MDX of different color and I can get it based on first come first serve. I do not what happened? I have more than 200 people waiting in front of me on the list.
So call around to see who is selling based on first come first serve. The price I got quoted from every where is the same: MSRP + dealer installed options at MSRP or slightly above. The supply is too short so some greedy dealer still want markup above MSRP, but still put you on backlog.
Good lucks.
As discussed here previously, the major negative was the MDX's emergency handling, where it scored "below average," most likely because of the lack of a stability control system. By comparison, CR scored the RX300 as "average" (the previous, non-stability variant had "below average" as well), the X5 4.4i as "above average", and the MB ML430 as "average."
Nevertheless, the MDX "essentially tied" the RX300 as the highest-scoring, and recommended luxury SUV by Consumer Reports. The only SUV they've tested that has scored higher is the BMW X5 4.4i (which is a much different price range), and they haven't recommended it yet because they want reliability history first. Both the MDX and RX300 scored ahead of the Land Cruiser (recommended) and the ML320 and ML430 (both not recommended).
MDX highlights included accleration, seating, and interior flexibility. Despite some comments here and on www.acuramdx.org about difficulty fitting into the MDX's front seats, CR rated front-seat comfort well above average. They felt ride comfort was above average, as was the noise level, but they noted it wasn't as "hushed" as the RX300 (no surprise here).
I am considering cargo tray and cargo net, instead of cargo liner. Can the cargo tray be rolled up and stored in the back of the third row seat? If so for how long (hours, days, weeks) without long term deformity?
Thanks.
I am located in Lexington, Ky.
I am really devasted that I have to sell this car, but I have no choice. If someone is interested in the car, I will be glad to tell you why I had to sell it.
Thanks for any input.