Boss77

I am looking at buying a Dealer loaner MDX Advance package that has <20,000 miles and seems to be a good price. However, I don't live in the area where it is located, so have only seen pictures online. Does anyone have any experience in purchasing Dealer loaners? Do they wear more than a private party used vehicle?

Thanks!

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

dealer loaners tend to be abused a little more. think rental car. its up to you whether you want to take the risk. i know i'm a little harder on the loaners, but i don't necessarily go looking to run over potholes and parking in random places where i wouldn't necessarily treat the car as my own or drive it as my own.

also keep in mind that these same people that drive the loaners probably fall into the 95% of people who treat their car like an appliance to get them from point A to B.

Boss77

Thanks, the question is whether a $10,000 discount over a similar new vehicle is worth it. To me, that's a lot of cash!

EL_PIC

In short yes.
All depends on how much cash you got to spend.
See Edmunds True Cost of Ownership - http://www.edmunds.com/acura/mdx/201...tyle=101355913

If it checks out visually and no mech defects w good warranty - it being a loaner is non issue.

wilsel

I would imagine it would have a lot more wear, especially the seats. Having hundreds of people of various shapes, and sizes would cause the seats to be adjusted constantly. I can't imagine the leather would hold up as good either compared to a car driven by the same person. As long as the paint is still in great shape, and the price is right it could still be worth it.

DoctorTuna

Its my opinion only but I would think long and hard about buying the loaner, I guess it will be your individual comfort level, the available warranty, mileage and the amount of money you will save. Believe me, you are buying a rental.
I recently had a 2011 MDX loaner while my 2010 (13500 miles) had a cable reel in the steering wheel replaced and I had to look at the key tags twice to check if it was really a 2011!! The steering wheel was off center, the leather looked like it was 60K miles old, there were multiple scratches on many plastic interior parts, exterior door dings, scratches and buffs were plentiful, the suspension felt like a 60K mile vehicle, the transmission wasn't nearly as smooth and the brake pedal felt spongy, all this from a vehicle with almost identical mileage!! Now, I know a lot of cosmetics can be corrected and all to make it nice and shiny for a prospective buyer, but this particular MDX has been through the ringer. Oh, and the leather shift boot was hanging from the gear selector....it was a mess of a vehicle, hard, hard miles in my opinion. I wouldn't buy a rental, and I probably wouldn't buy a loaner, my opinion, but you asked!!

Derk's K24

Like somebody else said if it looks good visually inside and out it should be fine. People will dog them though because people with Tsx's or Rdx's try to drive them like their cars or tend to drive them hard just for the fun of it because it's not their car. Especially if they're bitter about what their car is in service for. However due to the $10K savings if it looks good and feels good then go for it.

E92Vancouver

I run the hell out of loaner cars. I would rather go new.

eg-r

i would

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Honestly, I wudnt....I have seen/done some abuse to them....

I would rather get a CPO which will be cheaper considering the fact it is a year/2 old and has some miles on her....

NBP04TL4ME

Agree with swoosh. While $10K is a big savings and theoretically can excuse a lot of wear and tear, why leave it up to chance? Why not try and find a single owner CPO or private sale?

jsilas

I would NEVER buy a loaner or rental car. I just wouldn't. The car might be totally fine, but it has almost certainly been abused and I wouldn't want the questions tumbling around in my mind.

Is the savings nice? Sure. But I'd rather pay a little more and have the peace of mind that comes from knowing precisely how the car has been cared for.

Just my $.02

jbawden

I think cars are more durable than people give them credit for. I used to be a "new car only" guy, but I've purchased a few cars at auction recently and have had great experiences. You have to use your judgement, cars that have been abused will give away clues if you look close enough (and vice-versa). I wouldn't think twice about a dealer loaner, especially an Acura. Look at the demo of people that drive them; older and more affluent and likely to respect the benefit of a free loaner. The next Acura I get will be a dealer loaner, no way I'm taking the depreciation hit on a new car just because I'm afraid a few drivers participated in a stop light grand prix.

NBP04TL4ME

Good points.

Vagabond Jack

I think rentals tend to be abused more than loaners. I think most of the people (at least in my area) that are driving these loaner vehicles tend to drive the exact (or similar) model anyway. Acura drivers, upscale, more sophisticated clientele, etc. so they don't really abuse them.

That being said, every "used car" tends to be a little different. It should be an Acura Certified vehicle (in this case). I'd ask to see a copy of the certification check list, the service report of work done to make the vehicle eligible for sale, the Car-fax, etc.

$10,000 difference is a LOT of money to save on a car with only 20K miles on it. Typically the margin for an Acura (at least in California) is not that substantial. The deal almost seems too good to be true.

Old Skule

I have purchased a loaner car before and have not had any problems. I agree with vagabond, the car should be certified by the dealer and have the necessary paperwork to prove it was inspected. If it is a CPO, it will carry an additional year warranty giving you a full 5 year warranty. For $10000 and a 5 year warranty, I would buy it.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ its not about inspection bro....

imagine these 2 scenarios:

a> you buy a brand new car and dealer says dont rev past 4K rpm for the first 1000 miles....you sell the car at 5K miles for whatever reason....
b> you are test driving a dealer car and rev past 4K rpm and the car has only 200 miles then the dealer makes the car their loaner car and have 500 people "loan" it and the car has now 5K miles on it....

both the cars will be CERTIFIED...both the car will carry FACTORY WARRANTY....both the cars will have all the PAPERWORK....

knowing the information i have posted, which car will you buy ? A or B ?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I wouldn't.

Old Skule

It is very much about the warranty.

If the car was owned by a private party and was sold for the same discount, same miles would you buy it? If so why?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ because when you buy a car you tend to take care of it....so that your car is not in the shop getting something fixed....if you sell it, i would rather buy that than a dealer loaner....

the dealer car is like a prostitute and the preowned car is like a divorcee....which one will you spend the rest of your life with ?