Si_jeff

Hi guys.. been a long time member here , my 06 tsx have treated me and my family very well. Love this car. Still keeping it as my daily. Always been a honda guy, from rsx-s to civic si, accord, tsx. Our 2000 accord is showing it's age and it is time to have a bigger car. So went to the dealer yesterday and saw about 4-5 2012-2013 MDX's.. Only want Tech or Advance package. Couple of questions for you MDX guys here.. I'm considering,

1. 2012, 48k miles, tech, $28,000 CPO
2. 2013, 37k miles, advance $32,300 CPO
3. 2013, 29k miles, tech, $32,000 CPO

Been reading a lot for the past 5 days. What do you guys think of the advance package? Is it worth the $4,000 price increase in this case? Is the 2012 the best value out of the 3? all 3 cars look flawless inside, they are all off leases.. There's also the 3rd gen 2014 on their lot as well going for around $38k.

I've read about problems of the 2nd gen MDX.

1. oil consumption
2. steering wheel vibration at 70-80mph speeds. ( there is a big thread on another forum with this problem and I did not find the solution for this problem, either road force balance all 4 wheels. also read more common with base and tech than the advance with the bigger wheels)
3. for the advance package, shocks/struts need to be replaced and can fail at any time.

Was considering the JX/QX60 but no cvt for me, and Lexus RX does not have a 3rd row. We need the 3rd row. What are your thoughts guys? Just need input and your experience. Thanks for your input!

mrgold35

I'm a little bit of tech head and I was leaning towards the Adv model when I was looking back in 2014. It was between a brand new 14 MDX tech fwd or a used +10 MDX Adv (similar in price, not in features). The extra Adv tech (ACC, BSI, CMBS, Auto level HID, cooled seats, etc...), sh-awd, ready for 5,000lbs of towing, and almost $8,000-$12,000 savings depending on 2nd gen year was too good to pass up. Since I wanted an Adv version, I made sure I was still under the 4/50,000 basic factory warranty and had the option to purchase Acura Care.

Being under the basic warranty really paid off because I had:
- torn front endlink boot
- front magnetic strut go out
- 2nd row armrest cup holder replaced
- reflash to fix check charging system warning
- 6AT reflash
- replaced passenger seat heater
- replaced driver 1 key fob that failed

I paid $0 out of pocket for the above issues; but, it might have been $3000-$4000 if my MDX had 50,001 miles on her. Ended up getting the Acura Care Extended warranty for an extra $2400 until 5yr/120k because of the magnetic shocks/struts. I wouldn't needed Acura Care with just a tech version.

The MDX was to replace the RDX as our main traveling vehicle (+20K per year). I find I use every bit of the Adv tech pretty consistently once I hit the road when I leave city limits of my home town. Since the MDX also sees a lot of commuter/errand duties around town. I get very little use of the Adv tech other than BSI (360 degree visibility not the best with the huge 2nd row headrests) and the cooled seats (cooled seats are hit/miss depending on how breathable your clothing are).

For me; if the 2nd Gen MDX was mostly a commuter/errand car, the tech version would be the 99% solution. I would go for the Adv model if:
- travel a lot,
- daily driving conditions are such the adv safety tech would come in handy,
- you also have the option for Acura Care ($1200-$2400 depending on length of coverage),
- or willing to pay out of pocket for shock/strut replacement ($700-$1100 per corner),
- or convert all 4 corners to conventional suspension when magnetic strut/shock fail ($500-$750 total).

The issues of Oil consumption (I use 3/4 quart every 7500 miles on syn oil), no vibration issues at any speed (also have 20" aftermarket rims, road force, alignments, rotations/cross rotations), and had the magnetic struts fail at 35K.

Si_jeff

Thank you so much for your input! Appreciate it.

Now it got me thinking because I live close to NYC and will use this car around NYC and also the occasional travel with the family on long trips. I will not be putting 20k miles per year like you did on your X. Got me thinking the tech will be sufficient enough for us.

Any advice on how to negotiate with dealer on a CPO? When I bought my TSX CPO , I negotiated on my trade but they did not budge on the list price, and since then I've been reading that no one pays dealer list price if they know the ins and outs. Any advice you guys can can share to let them go down on their list pricing on CPO?

mrgold35

When I purchased my RDX and MDX used, I used the internet sales manager to negotiate the final price. I was also negotiating with several other dealerships for a similar models as backup if the deal fell apart. I shared the prices with each dealership to see if they would match the lowest price. The lowest price for any particular model was flexible per year/model/features. I had the financing, down payment, willing to travel 4-8 hrs, had time, and willing to walk away.

I purchased my RDX from an Acura dealership and they didn't flex as much on the price (current RDX was my 1st choice with color combo, mileage, tech level, 20 mins from house). My 1st choice MDX was 5 hrs away in CO and the non-CPO MDX at the Honda dealership ended up dropped the price almost $2700 after going back/forth for almost 3 weeks (dealership owner was using it as his daily driver). The final price at Honda dealership for the MDX Adv+Ent was almost the same as a CPO MDX tech model at my local Acura dealership (same year and mileage).

WNY PAT

I bought my 2013 TL AWD as a CPO awhile ago. It had 14,000 miles on it or so. The dealer negotiated and we agreed on what I thought was a very fair price. It has 34,000 miles on it now and it's been great. That said, I would go for the 2013 CPO tech with lower miles. I think the 2013 MDX had some reinforcements so it performed better in certain crash tests than the 2012 and older. Either way, I love our TL and MDX. O regrets about either one, both have been perfect.

nats007

2011 tech here. We avg 22-24k per year with occasional 6+ hour road trips. Only additional feature we added was DVD entertainment for the kids!

I can also say the tech is easy to work on if you plan on DIYs. I'm out of CPO status, so oil change for under $40 and took 30 minutes on my own. Also recently installed new rotors and brake pads without any issues (other than needing proper tools)!

Si_jeff

I will be going back to the dealer tomorrow to test drive the car and also to another dealer to test drive the car also. Hopefully they will come down on the price and it will just be a matter of which dealer I am more comfortable with and has better pricing in the end.

When you say the tech is easier to work on, I would think when doing simple maintenance like brake pads, rotors, oil changes and tranny fluid change, is the same on all 3 models of the mdx?

nats007

Yes basic maintenance is the same. What I meant was based on my research, tech was the sweet spot in cost of maintenance. The adv shocks is an example where you can save $$$ by owning a tech. Also, im a believer in Keep it Simple, so the extra electronics is more stuff that can be problematic to deal with.

My friend has a 2014 RLX and he called me last week saying he's locked out of his car... bought it 3 months ago after I convinced him to try Honda/Acura coming from a Camry. I couldn't figure it out over the phone and he had to call Acura. Basically it was a loose battery connection even though the battery tested fine.

That worries me that these newer cars can lock you out and it seems he did not have a mechanical way to get in it he basically said if this happens again, he might let it go cause he cant afford being stranded like that. This now makes me reconsider cars that dont have physical keys lol

Si_jeff

That is definitely a legitimate concern with all these high tech cars now coming out. So I found a Silver '13 MDX tech with 35k miles on it, at a dealer near me, was able to get the price down to $29k. I think this is the car I am getting. Thanks everyone for the input. Greatly Appreciated.

csmeance

the shock replacement on the advance model has been fixed! You can use regular OEM MDX tech or aftermarket shocks/struts and wire in $10 worth of resistors to keep the light off.

Plus advance package gets larger sway bars, beefier suspension connections (rear bushings for example) and you get the perforated leather with cooled seats! Plus insurance will be cheaper thanks to the Active Cruise and Collision warning system!

If you want pricing info, post the details about the car and i'll post back the values

Si_jeff

The advance I was looking at last week had been sold, so far I have not seen even one advance model around 250 miles my area. They are hard to come by. I am about to take delivery a '13 Tech Palladium with Graystone interior tomorrow AM. If everything goes well and smooth. I was able to negotiate $29k out the door. Car has 33k miles and in tip top shape. After seeing about 12-14 CPO in a span of 2-3 weeks and test drove 6. It is amazing to see the different condition of all the similar cars. Some was just bad or behind on service, some just beat up and there are a handful of the ones where it came off personal leases and were religiously serviced through the dealer. Carfax confirms this BTW. Your thoughts on the $29k price for this vehicle I mentioned above?

mrgold35

My MDX was a lease return and I was able to track all maint with carfax. The only thing I needed to do out of pocket was an alignment and tires that wasn't covered by the basic warranty. Having the maint history isn't a guarantee; but, it made me feel better about spending a little more to save a little later.

csmeance

Great job on the negotiations!!! Average dealer retail is about 31.5K so you are 2.5K under that!