| pelucidor |
Just picked up my MDX Touring two days ago and thought I would join a forum to go with it. The vehicle is wonderful (only 100 miles so far) - here is my story of why I choose it:
Tomorrow is my birthday. Last week I got the best present I could imagine - my wife and I are expecting our first baby. Immediately thoughts of my dream car (Honda S2000) or my wife's dream car (Infiniti G35), one of which we intended to buy in a few months, went out the window. Now our medium-term needs dictate a vehicle that can handle two adults, a child seat and two 90lb dogs (Golden Retrievers).
On Thursday I started the research - our current vehicles are an 2001 Lexus IS300 and a 1992 Toyota 4Runner with 170k miles on it (the dogs don't mind it's old). Prior to the 4Runner we put 52k miles on a Lexus RX300 during a 3 year lease (naturally had absolutely no problems whatsoever in that time). The 4Runner is fine for hauling dogs and stuff but not really safe or reliable enough for the mother-to-be (no air-bags, no ABS, occasional engine problems etc).
My initial thoughts went to Honda Odyssey or Mazda MPV but my wife soon set me straight on the desirability of a minivan. I then considered various SUVs that could handle 5 people and two large dogs - the Lexus GX470 would be ideal but way too pricey under our current circumstances (budget is set to mid-$30k range). Also we like the idea of a fold-flat third row of seats for when relatives and their kids are visiting. This narrowed it down quickly to the Explorer, the Lincoln Aviator (due out next month), the Honda Pilot and the Acura MDX. Anything over this size (Expedition, Navigator, Suburban etc) I consider a behemoth and unfit for public roads.
I am not a fan of domestic vehicles having had a Jeep Grand Cherokee prior to our RX300, but the Explorer has had good reviews. However a loaded Explorer Limited is around $39k and the price-to-quality ratio is noticeably absent. The Lincoln Aviator is over $45k for the features I want (Premium 4wd). This leaves the Honda Pilot EX-Leather at $32k and the Acura MDX at $35k.
I really wanted to like the Pilot – but the sales-guy had a really bad attitude and was unhelpful – they are all selling at sticker so he doesn’t have to be nice to me (at least in the short-term…). Moreover the steering-column mounted gearshift was a huge negative for me – why pay over $30k for a truck-like transmission lever (this was an issue for the Explorer as well). Also the warranty runs out at 36k miles and I intended to lease to around 50k miles – a definite no-no. Finally the lack of memory seats (even as an option) killed the Pilot for me as my wife and I are 9 inches apart in height and it takes minutes to re-adjust seats/mirrors every time we switch seats in our IS300.
I considered the MDX last. I subscribe to most of the car magazines so know how highly the MDX is rated by them. In fact over a year ago I looked into getting one to eventually replace the RX300 but was told there was a 7 month waiting list and I couldn’t even get a test drive. After a little research I soon realized that the Touring package would give me all the features I would ever want from a luxury SUV. Add a wooden steering wheel/shift-knob and the cargo liner/separation net and the wife and dogs would be happy too, but the price is up to $39k – perhaps I could get a deal on the outgoing 2002 model.
On Friday morning I phoned a few dealerships to get lease pricing – initially I was given $750pm for 15k/39month with $2k down which was crazy. This soon dropped to $575 with some haggling over the phone – all the salespeople were pleasant and professional (like at Lexus and Infiniti and unlike at Honda/Ford/BMW). I visited a dealership at lunchtime for a test-drive, and was very impressed with the vehicle as well as the dealer’s staff and environment. I noticed the dealer had over a dozen vehicles in stock and had a waiting list for the 2003 model (due mid-October) – more bargaining potential. I didn’t need the main change for the 2003 model (an extra 20hp) but of course I didn’t tell the sales-guy that – he had to ‘persuade’ me to take a 2002 model and threw in the wooden wheel/shift-knob and other accessories. That evening my wife test-drove the MDX and was very happy – we both ended up liking the Redrock Pearl more than the Silver or Black that were our initial preferences.
In the end we picked up a Redrock Pearl Touring with only 9 miles on the clock on Saturday morning. We traded in our old 4Runner and eventually got a pretty good deal (under $540pm) on the MDX and all the options and accessories we wanted. So from initially thinking about getting the MDX to driving home in one took less than 24 hours. I just hope the MDX will prove to be as much fun and as reliable as our RX300 was. I am amazed at how much space Acura crammed into a 'normal-sized' vehicle compared to the RX.
Sorry for the long post, I am just very happy with our new arrival(s). Trying to break in the car gently for the first 600 miles is proving difficult.
:2: |
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| msu79gt82 |
... on the car and the expectant arrival:D
As far as breakin goes follow the manual; there are only a few reasonable cautions. |
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| donsev |
Hey pelucidor, welcome to the forum.
I had to chuckle at the familiarity of your post. We too had an older Jeep (Cherokee - still have it), and replaced the RX300 with the MDX. We also have an IS300 and can really relate to: "Finally the lack of memory seats (even as an option) killed the Pilot for me as my wife and I are 9 inches apart in height and it takes minutes to re-adjust seats/mirrors every time we switch seats in our IS300."
Good luck and enjoy your ride. |
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| pthai |
| ... and welcome. We have had ours since the end of July and love to drive it. We also still have our '99 RX-300; love to drive it also. |
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| SonShine |
Congrats & Welcome pelucidor!
Funny that you should mention the S2000 and G35. When we 1st were looking for a car to replace our Jeep Grand Cherokee, my wife thought she wanted a sports sedan. After looking around for awhile, she really liked the G35 but due to several dealers' ineptitude, we soured on it and also realized that if we are planning on a family in the near future, another larger (i.e. SUV) vehicle would work better and we ended up getting our X.
As for the S2000, I have one and it's a great car - since I don't have any kids yet, I guess I can get away with it ;)
It's interesting that used S2000 prices are starting to drop a little so in a few years, you never know what you may be able to find. |
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| BaldEagle |
Welcome to the board and thanks for sharing your buying experience. You are going to love the MDX!
How did you find this site? |
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| case1906 |
quote:
Originally posted by pelucidor
I noticed the dealer had over a dozen vehicles in stock and had a waiting list for the 2003 model (due mid-October) – more bargaining potential. I didn’t need the main change for the 2003 model (an extra 20hp) but of course I didn’t tell the sales-guy that – he had to ‘persuade’ me to take a 2002 model and threw in the wooden wheel/shift-knob and other accessories. That evening my wife test-drove the MDX and was very happy – we both ended up liking the Redrock Pearl more than the Silver or Black that were our initial preferences.
:2:
Wow, you had choices-- it is a free country. Congrats and welcome.:7: |
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| pelucidor |
Thanks for the warm welcome and the congrats. I found this site via Google (the first hit for "Acura mdx forum").
My wife and I are loving the MDX so far - only niggles are the zig-zag shift-gate (almost as bad as the Jaguar J-gate) and the fact that when I popped the hood there was a little green frog sitting on the engine-cover :confused:. Is Kermit standard or an option I didn't pay for? He jumped off but I am sure he will be back...
I actually am surprised at how many of you have (or had) an RX300. I think the MDX is a nice alternative to that with a lot more space and more agressive looks. The fact that I like gadgets and almost everything is standard on the Touring model is a nice plus.
Sonshine - I don't have any kids yet either (due April/May) - any tips on how I can persuade my wife to get an S as well? I am desparate to get a convertible one-day as we have recently moved to hot and sunny Houston from NJ. I was very partial to Imola Orange (as per NSX) but that is only available in Japan - I eventually settled for Spa Yellow. What colour is your S2000? Do you visit ever www.s2ki.com?
Are there any issues with the MDX I should watch out for? I noticed a few comments about the transmission - does that effect current builds?
Thanks again. |
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| mdxxxx |
quote:
Originally posted by pelucidor
Thanks for the warm welcome and the congrats.... Are there any issues with the MDX I should watch out for? I noticed a few comments about the transmission - does that effect current builds?
Hello pelucidor,
The search facility is very good. Try different keyword combinations and browse.
Have fun! :D |
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| texrb |
pelucidor....welcome to the forum :) I am one of those that has an RX 300 & MDX - we love them both. The RX is for the wife - I drive the MDX.
No real issues - the tranny thing was overblown...not gonna go there today :2: :4: There was a recall on water pumps for some '02 MDXes - go to this link to see if your VIN is included.
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...ter+pump+recall
Overall - this is a great forum with a lot of very good info. If you find some extra $$ to add more accessories you can get them from www.hondacuraworld.com at a great price. Most members have used Tim to buy parts & he is very good! :D :D
We are all here to help one another - and admire the cars too. Post some pics =when you can in the gallery section. We're a nosy bunch & love to see what others MDX's look like.
You can also add a signature with your options listed if you like.
:21: |
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| rishan |
Isn't it amazing what the presence of a little yolk sack (a baby for you neophytes out there:) ) will do to your driving future? Fortunately the MDX is there to ease the pain of having to nix the 2 doors or 2 seaters.
Wife is expecting in less than 2 weeks. Picked up our "02 White MDX / Touring last friday and absolutely love it. |
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