abhisheks77

Hi,
I have Acura RDX 2015 mode, bought in December 2015. It is in very good condition, ran 56000 miles so far. Till date, there was not expense on this, except regular and standard servicing requirement and tire change, etc.
I don't have requirement to sell this and buy new one yet, but thinking that when car grow old, it keeps on asking for some money, be it piston, timing belt or breaks or some other bigger expenses.

If I want to sell it, it may go for $20000 and if I buy new Acura RDX, I would be adding $30000 from my pocket or via loan. Will it be wise to keep it longer or I should start thinking in sooner future to replace it ?

What would you suggest and your opinions?

Thanks.

Alex Medeiros

Is the car paid off? If it is, why start owing money again and get negative equity? I would run it until it dies. You can easily get another 100k+ miles trouble free with regular maintenance considering it still has the V6. Just do the timing belt at 7 years/105k miles to be safe.

abhisheks77

Ys, it was paid off long back.
Just few days back I did B123 service. Currently at 56000 miles, and 8 years, but mechanic didn't mention about timing belt. Should I wait more till 105k or ask mechanic to do it anyway as it is 8 years already ?

Acure4RDX

JUst think - With a possible $20,000 trrade-in or personal sell-off, you get a brand new RDX for somewhat more than than one-half the sell price. Keep in mind total costs such as taxes, dealer add-ons, insurance , finance interest weighted against the gains of a new car warranty, new technology, piece-of-mind.. Just do the math. I may have missed some items.

abhisheks77

That's where I am confused :-)
Half of mind says that I can keep it for next one or two more years. It may ask for couple thousand dollars for normal maintenance. Or maybe I can keep for some more years. But on other side, its resale value will be reduced for further trade-in.
On side-note, are we seeing any major upgrade on Acura RDX in coming year or it is already done ? That also can be one of factor.

mvl

Look at websites that show depreciation per year, repair costs per year, and look more locally for differences in cartax and insurance per year.

In pretty much every case these days, it is always cheaper to drive an older car than newer. Then it is a personal decision on whether the newer features or reduced risk of breakdown on a newer car are worth the added annual costs for newer vs older car.

Whether a car is paid off or not should have no bearing on your decision. Since a car is a depreciating asset, good financial life advice is to only take a loan for the cheapest/oldest car that meets your minimum basic needs. Anything above that should only be purchased if you have saved enough to pay cash in full for the upgraded car.

Alex Medeiros

Registration on top of all that as well. I always loved the saying that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Alex Medeiros

Yah I don't know about that. You're telling me that there is no difference between an essentially mint car with nothing owed on it and easily over 100k miles of life left, and a car that costs over $50k with mid-tier trim options??? And don't forget the J series motor is also near bulletproof and doesn't have a turbo which eases any worries in the future. It definitely plays a huge role in commiting to that much debt for most people who can hardly survive already during this presidency lmao.

AcuraBLEXV6

I have a 2014 RDX with 120,000 miles on it and it has been virtually problem free. It is our 2nd vehicle and will drive it until it drops.

abhisheks77

From here (my mileage is 56,000 miles) to over 100,000 miles, what major expense I am looking at in general ?
I had Camry earlier for brief time and mechanic told me that every 30k miles will be major service and major expense. Should it be same case with RDX too ? Last week I did B123 service, breaks one year back and tire change 3 years back.

mrgold35

So far Acura has done 6 model years:
1st Gen: 07-12
2nd Gen: 13-18
3rd Gen: 19-24?

There might be an all new RDX for 2025 close to coming out in the next 8-10 months if Acura sticks with the 6 models per Gen Doesn't seem like you are not in a big rush. You would have the options to pick between new/used/CPO 3rd Gen RDX and the brand new 4th Gen +2025 RDX.

I've had 3 previous Acura and driven them between 155,000-200,000 miles (06 TSX, 08 RDX, & 11 MDX). Probably the most trouble-free time was between 50,000-100,000 miles. It was only schedule M.I.D. service, battery, wipers, maybe brakes by 100k, and tires. I called it my "Goldie lock" zone for Acura ownership being paid off, almost trouble free, and mostly schedule maintenance. You just have to decide if you want to do the timing belt only or the entire timing belt service since it is based on what metric is hit first of 7 years or 105,000 miles. I would skip the timing belt service if you are planning to trade/sell the 15 RDX before 2025 (I would do the timing belt if I was going to sell to a friend or family).

samiam_68

I'm kind of in the same boat. I have a 2015 AWD Tech with only 79K miles on it. Mint condition. The only problem this car ever had was a failed right front wheel bearing. I know more things are going to start breaking in the next couple of years. It also will need rear brakes and timing belt in that time frame as well.

Even though the car is perfect and I enjoy it very much, I'm kind of casually looking around to replace it before investing big money for major maintenance and unforeseen repairs. I will NOT be getting a new 3G RDX as I am disappointed with what Acura did to it. I test drove several new ones, and was not impressed at all. A big step down from the 2G in my opinion.

I've looked at a number of other compact/midsize SUVs and have so far narrowed my pick down to the Toyota Rav-4 Prime XSE with Premium Package. Dealers still think they can charge over sticker for those, so I'm waiting for them to wake up and smell the coffee - without the $7500 tax credit, that vehicle is no longer a great value at MSRP or above. I will wait until a GREAT deal comes along. No rush. Until then, I will keep enjoying my 2015.

mrgold35

I've always had mixed feelings about the federal tax credit for BEVs & PHEVs. Seems like I would raise the qualified vehicles MSRP up to $7500 to get that $$$ up front at purchase time as a manufacturer. Might be a factor why EVs cost more than they should and overall BEVs depreciations rate can be higher compared to gas version I.C.E. vehicles over 5 years.

I'm (hoping) Acura will bring back a version of the Sport Hybrid powertrain for the 4th Gen RDX (in either non-plug and plug-in models like Lexus RX). I would be willing to upgrade my 18 RLX Sport Hybrid to a 4th Gen RDX 2025-2028 if it had a hybrid powertrain option.

abhisheks77

Are dealers asking above MSRP for RAV4 ? That is interesting, I was not aware :-)
Regarding rebate, I am reading on one forum - "The RAV4 Prime is not eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit because it is assembled in Japan. However, the RAV4 Hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, is eligible for the tax credit when leased"

Alex Medeiros

My Mazda CX-5 Turbo has been a great car to drive, and they're priced better than everyone else for the class yet still retaining the made in Japan qualities. It is a little bit smaller than the RDX, but it literally fit an entire bedroom worth of stuff minus the furniture for my girlfriend when she finished college. It was literally crammed to the point where we had to push the door in so that it would closed but it worked lmao. Her NA motor is not too shabby, but I like my Turbo better. I've also used mine to hall 10 bags of soil and a few bags of sand for my mother's garden multiple times throughout the summer. I know it may not be what you are looking for but I would definitely look at it, and if you don't like it then pass on it.

joog

Visited my mechanic recently who specializes with Toyota/Honda vehicles to service my 07 RDX with 100k. He said the gen 2 RDX rarely has problems, and the v6 is bulletproof.

The gen 1 RDX turbo has needed expensive repairs at the 150-200k mark in his experience. A majority of his RDX customers are older folks, who don’t go on the freeway at all, causing carbon to build up. He believes Acura moved away from the gen 1 RDX turbo engine with the gen 2 RDX due to reliability, or they would’ve stayed with it.

In short, the gen 2 RDX is a great car. Maintain it and it will serve you well! 56k is a low amount of miles for an Acura. I’m not a mechanic, so more knowledgeable folks are welcome to fact check me.

samiam_68

I looked at both CX-5 Turbo and non-turbo and CX-50 Turbo. CX-5 is nice. CX-50 has seats that are extremely uncomfortable. The non-turbo doesn't have enough power for my taste, and the turbo feels more truck-like - a lot of low-end torque, but you can't really wind it out. Handling is very good though. In the end, I liked the Rav-4 Prime better because it had much stronger/smoother power delivery, not to mention significantly better MPG, and a more comfortable interior overall for my taste. Handling is not as crisp as the CX-5, but I'm OK with it.

I'm glad you're enjoying your CX-5 - best of luck with it!

Alex Medeiros

I appreciate it. It's good to see you looked at all of those Mazdas lol.

Willowbeast

I say keep it and invest the money you were going to spend on the difference then when the 2015 dies you'll be that much more ahead financially. Or toss your money to the dealership just so you can get something newer with all the latest bells and whistles. Then a couple years later you'll be wanting the next newest and greatest. My 2c.

altair47

wallmike

It is a personal decision. My 2014 RDX is at 382K miles.
I just got laid off. I will have to stick with this one for a while longer.
I am going to replace catalytic converters, rear wheel bearing and get timing belt service.
A lot of money but I am not inclined to have monthly payments for years.
Hopefully this car will keep me company till 500K miles.

Alex Medeiros

Did your catalytic converters crap out on you?

wallmike

yes. I got the dreaded P0430 and P0420 codes months ago.

Alex Medeiros

That's a bummer, but at least you got that many miles out of them.