I'm thinking of getting an MDX instead of a Pilot. Are there any good deals in Eastern MA.(IE:Below MSRP or free options) The dealers I've spoken with have waiting lists at MSRP or have Canadian vehicles sold as used.
Used MDX's sell too close to list to even consider. This should change after leases start to expire and Pilots become more available.
Between my wife and I, we haven't held onto a single vehicle for more than two years since the early 90's. In fact, the average time that we have held onto a vehicle since 1994 has been less than 1.5 years per vehicle! Hence, I have been given the name "Car of the Month Club" by a couple of co-workers.
With our MDX, we are in an excellent situation to keep that streak alive and move onto another vehicle. It's over 1.5 years old, and we have over 37K miles on it. Looks like resale values are still very good. Unlike some of the other vehicles I traded in the past, I should get a good value for our MDX.
As fitting as this sounds for me, that scenario will not be played out anytime soon. Going against all that I had previously held dear and true to my heart, I decided to keep the MDX for the long haul. I recently purchased a 100K-mile extended warranty and a new set of tires. Yep, this vehicle has changed my ways. It isn't perfect, but it's a keeper!
If the price of the MDX VS PILOT is less than a couple of thousand dollars. I'll take the MDX. Does anyone know of a dealer in NYC or surronding area selling at MSRP or less. Thanks in advance -Tom
Mine squeak too.. And I am not too happy about it. Has anyone got it looked at to determine the problem? I think it's the seat belt holder... Plus the wind noise is a bit more than you would expect on a $37K (got the touring) vehicle. Overall we love it though.
PS...Saw a Pilot up close yesterday, can you say plastic? The exterior styling is not even close to the MDX. Looks like a huge 98 CRV. The MDX's will not lose any market share to the Pilot. If you can afford $32K for a nice Pilot you can afford $35K for an MDX.
Finally got my MDX after three month wait but it was worth it. I have read the post and has been following the room forever and was wondering how can they love a vehicle so much but now that i ahve mine i would say you will fall in love with this one. Got 400km in three days and everything so far is flawless but noticed that squeak in the 2nd row. Will take it to the dealership tomorrow. But looks like the sound is from the point where the 60 part meets the 40 part.
Try some good leather preservative where seating surfaces meet, e.g., seat and seat-back, and the 60/40 split. This lubricates a little and, for me, totally stopped the squeek (My MDX has 28k miles). Good luck.
Finally got my MDX after three month wait but it was worth it. I have read the post and has been following the room forever and was wondering how can they love a vehicle so much but now that I have mine I would say you will fall in love with this one. Got 400km in three days and everything so far is flawless but noticed that squeak in the 2nd row. Will take it to the dealership tomorrow. But looks like the sound is from the point where the 60 part meets the 40 part. What is a good product to lubricate the leather(merdian1).
Lexol makes a good line of products for leather and vinyl. I think the portion of the seat where the 60/40 portion meets (the sides) are vinyl, while the seating surface is leather.
Usually there's some rub between the two side vinyl panels or at the edges, and that might produce some squeakiness.
Make sure that the third-row seatbelts, if not in use, are clipped together. Sometimes they can jangle around.
1. I too thought the wind noise in the '01 MDX was unacceptable. Was pleasantly surprised when I tried the '02 and found that the Honda engineers had found a way to deaden it significantly. Have had my '02 for several months now, and road noise is not a problem.
2. The second row rattling is, though. It's really bugging me. I don't think it's the 60 part rubbing against the 40, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. Any other ideas?
I am thinking of getting a Honda Pilot EX-L with Navigation system. The MSRP is $32,520. The MDX with Nav is $36,700. I just need to know are the followings standard in MDX:
I drive a silver touring '01 and havent had the 2nd row rattle problem as yet (knocking on fake interior wood panel), though i do get A LOT of rattling from the rear "acura" license plate frame. Another quibble is a slight ticking from the Bose subwoofer at low volumes while it vibrates-small but annoying.Another problem, more major in my eyes, is the deterioration of the plastic panel, directly aft the front doors, right under the seatbelt pulley. The plastic seems to have chipped considerably from contact with the metal buckle. One thing i Do like are the auto-off headlamps, they shut off about 30 seconds after locking, and turn on as soon as you unlock the car, it's useful and doesnt hurt the brag value of the thing.
Yes, the "nickable door pillars" are annoying as heck. Folks who have seen them have learned an equally annoying workaround -- when you unbuckle yourself, don't let the buckle just snap back and whack against the pillar. Problem is that the metal and relatively sharp plastic on the buckle edge can do a little nick on the plastic.
Most dealers will replace the pillar material under warranty. After that, the only way to keep them well is to take care as specified above.
A relative of mine has a 2001 MDX that I helped her buy and, overall, she loves it. Except for that seatbelt buckle "nick" problem.
True, it's a design defect and if you don't mind dealer visits to replace the plastic pillar cover, that's a good solution but it's temporary because it doesn't address the cause. And the Acura service departments probably won't be as accomodating once your vehicle is out of warranty.
Alternative remedy: Place some heavy 3M or comparable 100% clear polyvinyl material, the same used for "invisible" auto bras or headlight protection, over the affected areas.
"... just need to know are the followings standard in MDX: heated seats, full size spare tire."
The MDX has front heated seats standard. The driver's seat has a heated seat cushion and seat back. The passenger's seat has a heated seat cushion only (allegedly so Honda/Acura could put the passenger occupancy sensors to control deployment of the side airbag if someone small is sitting there, or no one at all). The heated seats have three settings -- off, low, and high. They work quite well, my wife loves them.
Bad move by Honda to not include them standard on the Pilot. Especially when it's not an uncommon feature on cheaper vehicles.
The MDX does not have a true full-sized spare tire. It has a full-diameter spare, but is not the full-width. Some folks have added a full-sized spare (it will fit, just hang a couple of inches lower which shouldn't be a problem), but they had to buy the wheel and tire.
Thanks for responding to my inquiry regarding the problem with the noise. My MDX was built and purchased in January 2002. I am wondering if this is a problem with the 2002 models only. The leather seats are very stiff and not as comfortable as previous cars I have owned. The dealer did apply a lubricant to alleviate the squeak but it worked only for a day. I am waiting for the dealer to find a solution to this problem.
I installed a cargo liner which comes up and over the top of the second row seats. There's about 3" of material that goes between the 60/40 split, enough to keep the leather from rubbing.
Took delivery just last week, 23+ mpg mostly highway. Just had a chance to go over the MDX very closely. Thought it came with factory undercoating?? I'll need to contact dealer. Has anyone had theirs undercoated after delivery? Thoughts on undercoating: neccessary? aftermarket? Thanks!
I have a feeling the 03 MDX model will come with a rearview camera like the 2002 Q45. The Honda Pilot already has this feature available as an accessory.
I wouldn't pay for it at the dealership. I just take what the factory puts on the vehicle. I think the dealer undercoating is a scam.
My Isuzu has a 10 year rust through warranty, and that is with nothing added at the dealership. If you live in an extremely wintery place, with a lot of sand/salt, then it might be worth considering an aftermarket service.
Has anyone gotten pricing lower than MSRP??? as 2003 models near, the price of 2002 should drop abit. Help....I wanted a base model with navigation + roofrack (dealer threw in mud guard + tray liner? + wheel lock) which the dealer is quoting $37,500. Is this a decent price?
is the touring package worth the extra $2,500? HONESTLY?
The memory seats and mirrors were enough for me. The upgraded stereo w/cd changer is very nice; Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires are an excellent upgrade over the integrity's that are on the base; the different alloy wheels look better in my opinion; I am not sure if I will ever use the roof rack, but it is nice to have in case I ever want to through a box carrier or something.
So I think yes, and actually not a bad value considering the amount they charge for DIO accessories.
I got $500 off MSRP 3 weeks ago. But I did not get the wheel lock, tray, or mud flaps. But I did get the sunroof cover, leather & paint seals, for free...
I bought the touring. I figure what's $2500 when you are already spending over $35K? I like the Michelins, alloy wheels, roof racket, Bose stereo, and the dual power heated seats (I think that may be standard). I did not get the NAV. I like maps.
I my opinion they will not get much cheaper. The 03's will be more expensive and probably sell for over sticker anyway as they will be on back order from day 1. So the 02's will probably retain their current pricing. I would not be suprised to see a $1000 off MSRP to get rid of the old stock 02's after the 03's hit the market.
I didn't realize the wheels are different. I think all MDX are 17 inch wheels though. Anyone know where is a site that has a good photo of the wheels on the base model and ones on the touring model?
hey aggiebart, where about are you? which dealer gave you $500 off MSRP?
I can get you a deal in Houston, Tx. Not sure of the website to look at. Maybe acura.com Or look on ebay and see if there are any base models for sale and compare to touring models, if there are one of each on there.. If you are in Texas give me your email addy.
Thanks Aggiebart! I use to live in Houston back in 1992-96. Now moving to Portland. One good thing is that there's no sales tax in Portland! but i am still trying to see if one of the dealers is willing to come down on the price. I want MDX + nav + roofrack (just cool looking). Personal opinion that touring is not really worth $2500. So far, all at about MSRP except three dealers quoted different roofrack : $388. $333 $305. Haha....any good tactics left?
Both are 17". The base model rims aren't bad, I think the Touring look better. The Michelin tires are definitely better, in my opinion.
I didn't get the NAV either. A little buyers remorse, but I didn't want to spend the 2K more, and just bring a map along. I am not 100% sure, but if you have any plans to add an aftermarket DVD ever, I don't think you can have both?
"... is the touring package worth the extra $2,500? HONESTLY?"
From a pure accounting perspective, no.
But I wouldn't have bought an MDX without one. Personal preference, your mileage may vary. I love the in-dash, magazineless CD changer (which you can get on the Pilot EX so long as you don't get the navi or DVD). I feel the Cross Terrain tires are superior to the Goodyear Integrity's. The tilt-down reverse mirror makes parallel parking a breeze for such a large vehicle. Roof rack means nothing to me except for cosmetics (loading stuff on the roof only makes the vehicle more top heavy and slightly more prone to rollver, and we don't carry THAT much stuff). Memory seats are useful for when the wife and I switch. And the power passenger's seat makes it easy for the other to get comfortable. Alloy wheels look better than the base.
Check out the pilot topic a young lady got $800 off msrp on a MDX and 3k more for her trade in than the honda dealer was willing to give. It made the Pilot 1k less than an MDX. Guess which one she is driving She is in Jacksonville. Her "handle" is woodard1. Just thought you ladies and gents might be interested.
Have 600 miles on 02. Noticed a pronounce Rattle/Clang when stopped and shifting from D5 to reverse. The noise is a lot louder than normal shifting noise. Does not happen when shifting from reverse to D5. Will talk to dealer service. In the meantime, anyone notice similar noise? Thanks!
I take that as a welcome to the MDX owners board.LOL I'm sooooo very happy with my ride. I can't wait to drive the wheels off of it. I can drive it with no pain in price too! Actually, I'm in southeast GA I drove to Jacksonville FL to pick up the car last night actually! It's like a second home to us and when I found Duval Acura well I just can't be happier.
Congratulations on your new MDX! I was amazed you got your MDX for a net-effective price of just several hundred dollars more than a Pilot.
To be fair to Honda in general, had your Honda dealership been a bit fairer about the trade-in value of your vehicle, it would have been bigger. But since the Pilot is "hot" at its initial introduction, a lot of dealers are going to find some way to make a killing on it (above MSRP, forced accessories, and/or bad trade-in allowances).
For other folks here, Florida and Texas seem to be good places to find discounts on hotter-selling SUV's. Buyers there may tend to get the 2WD versions of SUV's, and Honda/Acura doesn't make one. So there's more pressure there to knock dollars off the MDX, and, eventually, the Pilot. One could argue the same warm climate for California, but the high-demand, partly-Silicon-valley-driven market does otherwise.
Orlando? Wow, that'd be awesome, picking up an MDX on the way in, using it instead of a rental (protecting it from dings, of course!), and then driving it back.
Does the carsdirect dealer actually have inventory? If not, that might make it more complicated to schedule a vacation, depending on your circumstances.
I just came back from an acura dealership. They wanted $695 and $800+ for the roof rack and side steps, respectively. I am wondering if that's a decent deal. They ask for MSRP for the car.
Comments
Are there any good deals in Eastern MA.(IE:Below MSRP or free options)
The dealers I've spoken with have waiting lists at MSRP or have Canadian vehicles sold as used.
Used MDX's sell too close to list to even consider. This should change after leases start to expire and Pilots become more available.
Any info any dealers selling below MSRP?
With our MDX, we are in an excellent situation to keep that streak alive and move onto another vehicle. It's over 1.5 years old, and we have over 37K miles on it. Looks like resale values are still very good. Unlike some of the other vehicles I traded in the past, I should get a good value for our MDX.
As fitting as this sounds for me, that scenario will not be played out anytime soon. Going against all that I had previously held dear and true to my heart, I decided to keep the MDX for the long haul. I recently purchased a 100K-mile extended warranty and a new set of tires. Yep, this vehicle has changed my ways. It isn't perfect, but it's a keeper!
Does anyone know of a dealer in NYC or surronding area selling at MSRP or less. Thanks in advance
-Tom
Has anyone got it looked at to determine the problem? I think it's the seat belt holder...
Plus the wind noise is a bit more than you would expect on a $37K (got the touring) vehicle. Overall we love it though.
PS...Saw a Pilot up close yesterday, can you say plastic? The exterior styling is not even close to the MDX. Looks like a huge 98 CRV. The MDX's will not lose any market share to the Pilot. If you can afford $32K for a nice Pilot you can afford $35K for an MDX.
Usually there's some rub between the two side vinyl panels or at the edges, and that might produce some squeakiness.
Make sure that the third-row seatbelts, if not in use, are clipped together. Sometimes they can jangle around.
2. The second row rattling is, though. It's really bugging me. I don't think it's the 60 part rubbing against the 40, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. Any other ideas?
heated seats
full size spare tire
?
KC
Most dealers will replace the pillar material under warranty. After that, the only way to keep them well is to take care as specified above.
True, it's a design defect and if you don't mind dealer visits to replace the plastic pillar cover, that's a good solution but it's temporary because it doesn't address the cause. And the Acura service departments probably won't be as accomodating once your vehicle is out of warranty.
Alternative remedy: Place some heavy 3M or comparable 100% clear polyvinyl material, the same used for "invisible" auto bras or headlight protection, over the affected areas.
I even heard of someone trying to file down the edges of the plastic part of the buckle!
The MDX has front heated seats standard. The driver's seat has a heated seat cushion and seat back. The passenger's seat has a heated seat cushion only (allegedly so Honda/Acura could put the passenger occupancy sensors to control deployment of the side airbag if someone small is sitting there, or no one at all). The heated seats have three settings -- off, low, and high. They work quite well, my wife loves them.
Bad move by Honda to not include them standard on the Pilot. Especially when it's not an uncommon feature on cheaper vehicles.
The MDX does not have a true full-sized spare tire. It has a full-diameter spare, but is not the full-width. Some folks have added a full-sized spare (it will fit, just hang a couple of inches lower which shouldn't be a problem), but they had to buy the wheel and tire.
KC
Ask for Arlene or Ray.
They still are selling MSRP.
My Isuzu has a 10 year rust through warranty, and that is with nothing added at the dealership. If you live in an extremely wintery place, with a lot of sand/salt, then it might be worth considering an aftermarket service.
So far none of Honda/Acura line have head airbags. The BMW and Volvos and some others have it. The Toyota Sequoia has it.
is the touring package worth the extra $2,500? HONESTLY?
So I think yes, and actually not a bad value considering the amount they charge for DIO accessories.
I bought the touring. I figure what's $2500 when you are already spending over $35K? I like the Michelins, alloy wheels, roof racket, Bose stereo, and the dual power heated seats (I think that may be standard). I did not get the NAV. I like maps.
I my opinion they will not get much cheaper. The 03's will be more expensive and probably sell for over sticker anyway as they will be on back order from day 1. So the 02's will probably retain their current pricing. I would not be suprised to see a $1000 off MSRP to get rid of the old stock 02's after the 03's hit the market.
hey aggiebart, where about are you? which dealer gave you $500 off MSRP?
Or look on ebay and see if there are any base models for sale and compare to touring models, if there are one of each on there.. If you are in Texas give me your email addy.
thanks
I didn't get the NAV either. A little buyers remorse, but I didn't want to spend the 2K more, and just bring a map along. I am not 100% sure, but if you have any plans to add an aftermarket DVD ever, I don't think you can have both?
From a pure accounting perspective, no.
But I wouldn't have bought an MDX without one. Personal preference, your mileage may vary. I love the in-dash, magazineless CD changer (which you can get on the Pilot EX so long as you don't get the navi or DVD). I feel the Cross Terrain tires are superior to the Goodyear Integrity's. The tilt-down reverse mirror makes parallel parking a breeze for such a large vehicle. Roof rack means nothing to me except for cosmetics (loading stuff on the roof only makes the vehicle more top heavy and slightly more prone to rollver, and we don't carry THAT much stuff). Memory seats are useful for when the wife and I switch. And the power passenger's seat makes it easy for the other to get comfortable. Alloy wheels look better than the base.
Again, that's just my personal preference. YMMV.
To be fair to Honda in general, had your Honda dealership been a bit fairer about the trade-in value of your vehicle, it would have been bigger. But since the Pilot is "hot" at its initial introduction, a lot of dealers are going to find some way to make a killing on it (above MSRP, forced accessories, and/or bad trade-in allowances).
For other folks here, Florida and Texas seem to be good places to find discounts on hotter-selling SUV's. Buyers there may tend to get the 2WD versions of SUV's, and Honda/Acura doesn't make one. So there's more pressure there to knock dollars off the MDX, and, eventually, the Pilot. One could argue the same warm climate for California, but the high-demand, partly-Silicon-valley-driven market does otherwise.
Does the carsdirect dealer actually have inventory? If not, that might make it more complicated to schedule a vacation, depending on your circumstances.