BrianNY

First time poster, but soon to be RDX owner. I'd really appreciate some opinions from the forum.

A private seller about two hours from me has been trying to sell a 2007 RDX No-Tech for the last two months. In the past I've had a mechanic look over any car that I'd buy, but I don't think it would be possible for this one because of distance. The price has come down and the seller is asking just a few hundred dollars over the Kelly Blue Book trade-in value. The bumper to bumper has expired, but the powertrain warranty remains in place. Here's my question for the forum. Given that all oil changes have been completed as recommended and the Carfax is clean, how much of a risk am I taking if I buy the vehicle based only on a problem-free test drive?

I'm just looking for an opinion from RDX owners. The last inspection was over a year and 18000 miles ago. Considering Honda reliability, I lean towards taking the risk, but the RDX has a lot more technology than the Hondas I'm used to (e.g. SH-AWD, Turbo). Also, it is the first model year for the vehicle, making me wonder if waiting and paying a little more for a 2008 is the way to go.

All opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Carbon2008RDX

My says skip this offer and buy a CPO from a dealer. Also, go for a 2008 or later if you want base as the 2007 lacks in many ways vs. 2008 base or higher.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

and that is sound advice

so just to ask one question what happens if it has hidden frame/body damage, which a mechanic would have been able to pick up on
or a knocking motor even


ALOT is possible in 18,000 miles, let alone the inspection i am thinking of you are talking about is just a safety inspection, making sure there are brakes and such left, along with all the exterior lights working etc. etc.;
nothing inspected such as every thing is working on the inside and such


so i would still get it inspected , but yes the distance may be a hassle though, but if you are set on it, you should be able to work around it

Mr Marco

Sounds like you are hesitant. Either you are usually a wise cautious person, or this is not the right RDX. Nothing wrong with driving a couple hours for the right car. Buying a CPO car is no guarantee of a problem free vehicle (I hear gripes all the time here on AZ), however if you can spend spend a little more money ($250 a month) and buy a 2009 with half the miles and a factory warranty you wont have a reason to post this kind of question.

BrianNY

I appreciate the responses.

I thought the differences between 2007 and 2008 were very minor (e.g. seat memory), as well as an adjustment to the suspension that some seem to like and others prefer the 07.

I'll save 3 to 4K over a CPO. If it was an Accord, and I had a mechanic's positive review, it would be a no-brainer. The RDX is a new league for me.

Would it change anyone's mind if I had a mechanic hook it up to a computer, do a check out, and drive it?

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

alot more technology, that when it breaks it gets $$$

and hooking up a scan tool is not a end all to every code possible, but a good thing to still do though, to make sure there is no codes pending
and as far as "my mind" being set, i never did set it, and rule that vehicle out, just that it still needed to be checked out in person, cause paper trails do not always show the condition a vehicle is in, so YES the vehicle would still be an option in my mind, depending on the condition when checked out

but i will say one thing, that does show up as a yellow flag for me , is why is it so close to the "trade-in" value (is there something wrong with it?), but then again that might just be as simple as not having the "right" buyer in the area though, and the seller becoming more desperate








and maybe for the distance, see if they are willing to meet you half way, or even drive all the way (so that "your" mechanic can check it out that you trust), and like offer to buy them lunch or something, along with gas maybe; just so they be more willing to work with you and such

BrianNY

Thanks. That's exactly what I'm doing.

I have the same yellow flag you mention. However, I'm in New York and premium is pushing $4.00/gallon. Dealers are generally advertising the RDX for around or lower than the Kelly retail value and I assume settling for less. I think the MPG of the vehicle is a turnoff for many. I also think it is rare for a dealer to pay trade-in value if you aren't upgrading to something else. Still you raise excellent points. Thanks.

wrestrepo

He said what I was thinking....
however, if the money is right, there has not been any big issues with any RDX in this forum. Except for a couple of people with blown turbos or engines of really high mileage used purchases or no-maintenance records, no issues!
I have an 07 tech myself and couldn't be happier.

friesm2000

iTrader: (4)

$3.60 here for shell, and one of the geneally more expensive stations too

only 91 octane here , but at the end of the month going on a road trip to new york, so will see the prices then, but also how much the car will actually move with some higher octane fuel in it (and alot closer to sea level too)

R*D*X*

If it's me, i'll make a deal to the owner to drive the car to Carmax and let them appraise the car. Just pretend you're going to sell it, they will give you the KBB and the value of the car, plus other info..

Then just pay the owner 1K plus or 500 more than carmax offer (Trade in Value)... :p

Slinks

I dont think selling near trade-in is a yellow flag. KBB overstates used car prices.
OP: Why can't you find a honda/acura dealer near him, call the dealer, tell them you want them to do a PPI, pay over the phone, and tell him to drop it off, and if it comes up clean you'll buy for the agreed price. Or if you tell us the area of purchase, maybe someone on here has a private mechanic recomendation for the PPI.

BrianNY

That is great advice. Thanks! I will check it out tomorrow. The seller's asking price is in the range of the Kelly trade-in price, but is actually higher than the Edmund's dealer retail rate. If the Edmund's dealer retail is a reasonable estimate, the seller's price is high. Given that KBB overstates used prices, do you have an opinion about Edmunds?

Thanks

black label

KBB is of absolutely no value right now when evaluating a car that gets less than 30mpg. SUV's are lead weights at the auctions due to the rising fuel prices. We were running 7 V6 and V8 SUVs at auction last week and not one person bid on any of them.

I know the RDX is a 4 cylinder, however, like all SUV's it's fuel economy is relatively poor due to their lack of aerodynamics and AWD drivetrains. People are not getting KBB trade value right now for SUV's when they trade them in so it doesn't surprise me that he would be willing to take a short sale over KBB trade. He probably was 1000-1500 below KBB trade at the dealership because of market conditions that KBB hasn't caught up with.

Mr Marco

Spoken like a true car salesman^ They will use KBB when it is to their advantage (when they feel like they can make an extra buck), and then slam it as useless when you want to trade in your car (and the value of the car is high).

KBB PRICE IS AN AVERAGE. KBB obtains retail pricing by collecting information about actual retail sales. It is always going to be behind by a little due to the time lag in collecting and processing the data. In the last 3 months the KBB value of my rig has come up $2-3k for winter(AWD), and started to come back down by another $1k. This summer (with higher gas) I'm sure the price will plummet.

You can give advice until you are blue in the face, the rig is worth what you pay for it. Sure you could pay too much, and we all loose money on cars. Our RDX is payed off and we owe less on the TL then it's worth, but that doesn't mean that we could for sure sell it get out for under the loan.

It is your life, buy whatever car you want. I think that if this was the right car, you would have bought it 3 days ago.