Well, folks, I gave my ZDX one last detail this morning before I'll be trading her in this weekend for a new MDX Type S. I'm sure the MDX will be wonderful, but damn I'm going to miss the ZDX. Here are a few pictures of the car, still looking like new, after 13+ years and nearly 95,000 miles:

 

Any thoughts to keeping the car? I couldn't stomach trading in my 02 RSX as the car meant so much to me. All these years later I'm so happy I added a second car rather than traded it in.

At 13 years the ZDX will only appreciate in value.

 

I thought I was going to keep it forever! But three things have happened:

- The car got hit in a hit-and-run accident in the spring that damaged the passenger side running board. Those parts aren't available, anywhere, so the car has a big (to me) aesthetic flaw that can never be fixed.
- I love the 20" accessory wheels but they've got a decent amount of curb rash but I can't find anyone willing to refinish them.
- And the straw that broke the camel's back was when I noticed a drip of oil on my garage floor. I took it into the dealership and they let me look underneath with it up on a lift; there are starting to be leaks from several items. Replacing them all would cost $10k; I can of course wait but I hate feeling like I'm driving a ticking time bomb, especially with how parts are becoming harder and harder to find.

 

Oil leaks cost that much ? I get second opinion
Acura last long time and I had a Legend Coupe til 188,000 miles no leaks no issues and a 2004 TL to 83,000 but anything can go wrong but overall they are pretty solid. If I has to replace mind I was thinking Model X but I still love mine

 

I put 250K on a ‘94 Integra (hit a pole, and had to send brand new water pump & 4 new tires to the junkyard). Dealer mechanic persuaded me (at around 100-150K) to fix leaking cam plug. A couple extra quarts & a small sheet of plastic on the garage floor would have been MUCH cheaper. Only true mechanical trouble in all those years was the common Honda fuel pump relay gremlin (wouldn’t start if left out in the summer sun all day). I worry though that the ZDX’s myriad electrical connections/components will eventually prove problematic.

 

They gave me $8k for the trade and have listed it for $19k (https://www.acuraoffremont.com/viewd...-pkg?type=cash). I know car dealers are rip-off artists, but that seems excessive even to me.

Also, given that it's listed for sale just three days after they got it, that tells me they didn't fix any of the leaks or do anything about the damaged running board. They haven't posted pics yet, but I'll be interested to see how they handle that.

 

Wow, just wow! We know dealerships are in it to make money, as all businesses are, but... it seems they are living up to their name, STEALERship.

As far as the running board, they'll most likely just take them off and sell them on eBay or Marketplace if they feel that the damaged one takes away from the pristine look of the ZDX. Regardless, congrats and good luck on your new ride.

 

So have you had any regrets with parting with your ZDX? I had considered doing something of the same. However, I also own a 2019 MDX Sport Hybrid and actually love it. So instead of going with a MDX Type S I was hoping that a RDX Type S would be coming out soon. Only $8,000 but sold it for $19K. Damn. I have less than 67K on the odometer. I guess we will see.

 

Some regrets, yes, but overall I still think I made the right decision. The new MDX is quite an impressive machine. It's nice to have all the new bells and whistles, to have a stereo that sounds as good as the ZDX's, to have a big SUV that accelerates as well as the ZDX did, etc. And I've honestly been shocked at the number of compliments I've gotten on the color; I thought the dark cherry pearl of my ZDX was perfection and the apex blue pearl of the new MDX a decent choice, but people really seem to like it.

As for the sale of the ZDX, the dealership I traded it into dropped the price to $14k and then, as of yesterday, their website says it was sold. I'm guessing they came down further, but even if they sold it for $12k they made a tidy profit.

Enjoy that Sport Hybrid MDX--that powertrain was a real winner and I don't know why Acura went away from it. If they come out with an RDX Type S that might be a worthy successor, but for now I can see why you'd stick with what you've got.

 

Well enjoy. Yeah, I really like that color too. My daughter had a Artic Blue 2004 TSX. Loved the color. So, I'm hoping to hold out for a Apex Blue Pearl Type S RDX or perhaps a Grand Blue 2022 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport coupe. I love my wife's Infinity.

 

And apparently the sale of "my" ZDX fell through. It's back listed on the dealership website for just under $14k.

 

Wow, she is a beauty. She shines with that color, rims and wax job. They should take care of the cloudy passenger side headlight.

 

Thank you. And I agree. What's frustrating is that the driver's side headlight is the original one from the factory and it's still clear as day; the passenger side one got replaced a few years ago and was supposedly OEM, but based on how it keeps clouding up I'm not so sure. I regularly got it polished, but it's definitely due.

I guess this is why I could never be a used car manager at a dealership. I would take the time (and expense) to take care of all these little things, making the cars on my lot as pristine as possible. Their attitude seems to be to just flip as cheaply as possible, not thinking they'd get a return on investment from doing anything but the barest minimum prep.