There are many used 2015 AWD RDXs on the cargurus.com site in the Chicago area. Most have well under 10,000 miles. Wondering why so many buyers changed their minds after only a few months? Any thoughts? As a potential buyer, this bothers me a little.

 

Because sugar coating manure doesn't make it a jelly doughnut. Acura makes their cars look nice, but underneath they're crap.

 

It's too bad you had such a bad experience with yours.

 

but it's well said.

 

Wow, so specific!

 

I will have to agree with you, Sir

 

They are probably all loaners, Acura (at least all of the dealers in my area) get rid of cars at under 10k miles, and again, in my area, there are a million RDX loaners. If you think about it, no matter how allegedly "crap" a car was shortly after purchase, how would all of these same model year cars end up at the same place? Even if they did all break, which they don't, not everyone would return them within a month of each other.

 

...while I am not totally agreeing with your statement, your part of the jelly donut made me laugh! And you get a "Thanks" for having a good sense of humor

 

I would suggest you are in the minority at least on this site. The RDX is an excellent vehicle. As far as I am concerned Honda generally makes great cars at a reasonable price. I would also suggest they don't always make nice looking vehicles, such as the previous gen TL (I still bought one though because I loved the interior and the way it drove), the Element etc.

 

That had not occurred to me and is a much better explanation than others have offered.

 

When I was shopping for a used 2013-15, I saw many such vehicles were labeled as "dealer loaners" here in the Bay Area.

 

There's a lot here in the NE/NH area and most are dealer loaners. Given the weather around here, the RDX is probably the best Acura vehicle to designate as a loaner - right size, AWD, decent gas mileage. And once the get about 8k miles they go into a CPO state. I've not seen any 2015's in this mileage range that aren't previous dealer loaners....

andy

 

As mentioned... Dealers are dumping their 2015 RDX loaner fleet. The updated 2016 RDX is scheduled to be on sale April 16th.

 

That was an awesome comment. ROLF
But my experience is the opposite. I find it very comfortable and reliable but lacking in visual flair both interior and exterior, and I'm okay with it.
Dude, you have a serious sense of humor.

 

You had some serious snow this year, didn't you (my mother lives in Nashua.) I assume your RDX handled it fine.

 

Serious snow is an understatement. I've lived around here since the late 60's when I moved here as a kid, and this is the worst 6-week stretch I can remember - as well as the snow still on the ground and cold weather still entrenched - was down to 8F this morning. Nashua is the next town over - we're just north of that.

But I honestly don't know how the RDX does in real winter since I just picked it up a couple of weeks ago. But having owned a couple of Pilots many years ago with a not-too-different AWD system I'm figuring the RDX will do fine. My wife's TL and the MDX I traded both had SH-AWD - which was outstanding in the snow. IN a perfect world I'd have loved the RDX w/SH-AWD (like the first gen ) but will take the AWD that they substituted and be happy with that. The improved MPG's of this system is already paying dividends to me in only the first 400 miles.

andy

 

Loaner fleet, the 15's have been out for a while. I got one fresh off the truck and that was in May of 2014. I would be hesitant in purchasing an ex-serivce loaner because of the simple way they're treated. I have done some "spirited" driving in a few Acura loaner cars because they're fun to drive and it's something different to drive, especially since I was used to getting base model Corollas as loaners in the past. Also, I "neglected" to use premium fuel to fill up before returning the vehicle to the dealership and I'm sure I'm not alone in that one.

 

I've also observed that what the dealers are asking for a CPO '15 RDX AWD Tech loaner is really, really close to what you could buy a brand new '15 at given the current discounts. So for me, if I were buying, I'd buy new vs used even if it only had 5-6k miles on it. Guess that's the downside for having a good resale value. I"m guessing that once the new '15's are lower in inventory then the CPO '15's will start to sell....

andy

 

Totally agree. Most potential buyers see 5-6k miles on a used 2015 as nothing. But when those 5-6k miles were put on by multiple drivers..that can lead to potential problems down the line. Also people should keep in mind that not everyone takes prestine care of their interiors. I've seen some used luxury cars with 5-6k miles and run down interiors while there are some used cars that are up there in miles with spotless interiors. Buying used can be such a headache.

 

Clearly most wouldn't buy a used vehicle with a "run down interior" to save a couple $000. I also wouldn't buy used unless it was CPO. My wife is not even convinced she needs or wants a new vehicle yet. She loves her 2004 Highlander.

 

The dealer explained to me that once the loaners get past 4500 miles they can take the tax writeoff and get something new. They like to keep their service customers in the latest and greatest, with maybe the thought of impressing someone who was driving an older model. Kinda a test drive on your terms, with good selling potential.

My 2010 TSX had 4700 miles when I got it, a CPO but detailed just as nicely as brand new.

 

Something else. I had a "plain jane" 6-cyl.TLX as a loaner car yesterday, and there was no nav system or other Tech features. Just like my '10 TSX. For me, that would be a deal-killer on a CPO since I'm spoiled by having nav and XM on both our cars.

 

how does an acura owner say such a think? lol

 

You'd be surprised how many would. Especially if that vehicle is mainly being used as a beater.

 

I can speak to this pretty well, if you follow the ILX forum side of acurazine you'd see that my dad purchased a 2014 ILX CPO as a loaner, for the exact purpose of a high-mpg runabout. Not exactly a beater, but more or less the same idea.

My dad paid some $10,000 less than a brand new ILX Premium 2.0 MSRP, and our car had 8700 miles on it at the time, fresh out of a loaner fleet. As for a beat-up interior? Now that we have had the car for a few months, I have noticed just about every imperfection. I would definitely not call the interior beat-up. There are some minor shoe scuffs on the lower front door panel, there is a small, maybe .25 inch stain on the headliner above the right rear seat, and... that's all I've discovered in almost 3 months. Outside, the lower front "lip" has scuffs on it (as if someone went up a too-steep driveway and scraped the front/bottom of the plastic- you cannot see it unless you physically put your face under the front bumper), and there are a few scratches here or there, no dings at all and no paint imperfections. I did a good detail of the interior and exterior, and the car looks and feels so new that buying new would simply not make sense.

Unless you are looking for a car with NO imperfections, buying off of a loaner fleet is just fine. Modern cars are built mechanically tough, and as 95% of buyers drive normally whether in a loaner or not, I feel as though the car suffered little during its time as a loaner. Sure, the car probably wasn't run on premium half the time (we put plus in it anyway)- and the 2.0 engine in the ILX is just a larger version of the 1.8 in the Honda Civic with the same compression, and that car runs on regular. Maybe the car went through a total of 5 or 10 rough drivers, but what true harm could they do to a brand new car? Revving the engine won't hurt it, the tires are in good condition, hard cornering won't do much unless it is done for the whole life of the car... What more is there? Interior is great, exterior is great with minor exceptions, and $10k off. Did I mention that we ended up with a 5 year 3 month/53,000 mile warranty? That is slightly better than a new car. Where's the downside here?

 

^^Agree. I'm willing to bet that dealer ex-loaner vehicles being persistently abused is mostly urban myth. So of course everyone swears to avoid them like the plague. Is there any real data showing they are prone to more problems than any other used car in the long run? I seriously doubt it.

I got my 2008 RDX a few months ago as an ex-fleet vehicle. It only had 45k miles, and was on the Acura extended 7 year warranty. I bet it is one of the cleanest 1st Gens out there right now.

 

There are some good ex-fleet vehicles on the market. And I'm sure most people would be happy with an ex-fleet vehicle. But there is that small percentage (like myself), if buying used would rather get a one owner, well taken car of vehicle. I personally would not buy a car that has been in the possession of multiple drivers.

The OCD in me worries about little things like...
was the car garage kept?
has it ever been smoked in?
was it left parked for hours in above 90 degree temperature without
a windshield visor being used?
did someone drunk throw up in it?
kids or pets?
prior paint/bodywork that the dealer fixed in house that was never
reported?
curb rash?
was Premium gas used each time?

Dealers do an amazing job at detailing these cars to cover up certain things. I guess that is why I don't mind paying a higher premium and buying new. Only exception would be for a beater car.

 

We have a different definition of "beater" I guess. To me, a beater is not a 1 or 2 year old car with less than 10,000 miles on it and a CPO warranty.

 

You're right.

 

LOLs

 

d^I totally get the OCD thing, and that stain above the right rear seat drives me mad. I'll have to attack it with some interior cleaner. But that's sort of the fun of it, I've enjoyed restoring a almost-new car back to a brand-new car.

 

I mentioned this because I had this happen to me a few years ago. I had just purchased a brand new 2012 Cadillac CTS Premium Coupe. I went to a birthday party with 2 of my friends (me being the designated driver) and on the way home one of them threw up all over the passenger side. Vomit went all over the dash, in the cracks between the seats, and all over the seatbelts.

I had it detailed real good. But when I decided to trade it in for my ZDX, the interior was in prestine condition. The new owner has no idea some drunk person once threw up all over the Cadillac he or she just purchased.

 

^^ hah we all have one or two of those stories growing up!

I'll remember to look carefully into the vents with a flashlight next time I buy a used car.

 

You're missing the other side of your argument here- do you really think new cars never have issues? You'd be surprised how many brand new cars get damaged during transportation from the assembly plant, whether it be on trucks or trains. It happens a lot. Then the dealer gets it and repairs or replaces whatever got messed up. So in a sense, even your brand new vehicle has a chance of being a dirty girl as well.

Also, most dealers do terrible detailing work on cars. They pay their detailers next to nothing and a lot of times it's young guys who just love cars who end up in the detail bay. A lot of times they have very little experience. A close friend of mine started out that way at 16 working as a detailer for a Honda dealership- that dealership was lucky though- he had a genuine interest in detailing and wanted to learn as much about it as possible. the work he does these days is second to none, however, he'll be the first to admit he made mistakes on brand new cars back in the day.

Then there's also the stories of retailers taking naps in trunks or backs of SUVs and putting their feet up on whatever. They didn't care. Some scuff on a panel? They'll just clean it up with some harsh chemical. He told me a story where he fell asleep in the back of a Honda pilot.... Well he ended up going for a test drive while in the trunk

So while no one may have barfed all over the interior (lol), that doesn't mean a new car doesn't have hidden blemishes either...

 

To each his own. I still prefer new. However, I do think I am done with paying a higher premium for a new luxury car. My next vehicle will be a base model Accord, Camry, Altima, or Mazda6.

As much as I love my ZDX, it makes me sick to my stomach sometimes when I think about how much I am paying on a depreciating object with poor gas mileage, outdated tech, and an almost useless backseat.

I guess this also defeats the purpose of my earlier post, but now I just want something small, fast, cheaper, that takes regular unleaded and gets much better mileage.

Afterall, no matter how much we pay for a car, they still all get rock chips, door dings, curb rash, scratches, etc.
I don't think my OCD would be as bad if I drove a cheaper car. But with a 50k ZDX (that I purchased new), every little thing that happens to it bothers me.

 

Many years back I purchased a beautiful black Accord. The dealer sent it to be detailed before we drove off the lot. Came back with swirl marks all over. Didn't take delivery, picked a different color too.