My First MDX (almost). Need advice before buying: 2009 MDX Tech/Ent 60kM @ $23.5K

[HomerRulez]

The Acura MDX is an 09 with 60K miles on it and has Tech and Ent pkg factory installed. Have not inspected the car as its 600 miles away at a dealership but would this be a good price if the car is in excellent condition?

Tax would be another 6% and fees are $398 Doc Fee, another $95 Fee I forgot what it is, plus $400 for the registration (not sure why thats the case when ml350 msrp was 50K and 1 year registration here in MI was $155).

Now the care isnt certified and even though the dealership also has an acura dealership they franchise with a few miles away, they wouldnt offer me acura care. They said I would have to purchase it myself here in MI and that the cost would be $1800 for 2 years of acura care bumper to bumper warranty (same warranty you get when buying acura mdx new). plus $100 deduct.


Any of that true? and Also, the warranty seems high for just 2 years. Ive seen 5 year warranties in the 3k range with other companies.

Thanks again for all your help in my earlier thread. Hopefully this Vehicle will be my last purchase for a couple more years.

[HomerRulez]

Oh, and I forgot my buddy

(my personal chauffeur)

Hands down best emoticon on the planet

[HomerRulez]

The Acura MDX is an 09 with 60K miles on it and has Tech and Ent pkg factory installed. Have not inspected the car as its 600 miles away at a dealership but would this be a good price if the car is in excellent condition?

Tax would be another 6% and fees are $398 Doc Fee, another $95 Fee I forgot what it is, plus $400 for the registration (not sure why thats the case when ml350 msrp was 50K and 1 year registration here in MI was $155).

Now the care isnt certified and even though the dealership also has an acura dealership they franchise with a few miles away, they wouldnt offer me acura care. They said I would have to purchase it myself here in MI and that the cost would be $1800 for 2 years of acura care bumper to bumper warranty (same warranty you get when buying acura mdx new) plus $100 deduct.

Any of that true? and Also, the warranty seems high for just 2 years. Ive seen 5 year warranties in the 3k range with other companies.

Thanks again for all your help in my earlier thread. Hopefully this Vehicle will be my last purchase for a couple more years.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by HomerRulez

The Acura MDX is an 09 with 60K miles on it and has Tech and Ent pkg factory installed. Have not inspected the car as its 600 miles away at a dealership but would this be a good price if the car is in excellent condition?

Yes, it is. If you go into Autotrader, there are 100 listings of 2009 MDX's with the Tech and Ent packages. Average price (asking prices) is $28,595. Almost all of the cars listed for under $25K have mileage well above the 60K you mention.

Originally Posted by HomerRulez

Now the care isnt certified and even though the dealership also has an acura dealership they franchise with a few miles away, they wouldnt offer me acura care. They said I would have to purchase it myself here in MI and that the cost would be $1800 for 2 years of acura care bumper to bumper warranty (same warranty you get when buying acura mdx new). plus $100 deduct.

I wouldn't pay $2-3K for a warranty. Even if things go wrong and you have to pay for the repairs, they probably won't add up to that much. That's why there are big profits in selling warranties.

You can read what Consumer Reports says based on their survey of 8000 readers with extended warranties, in this article:

Extended warranties: A high-priced gamble
Our survey of 8,000 new-car buyers shows they are usually a poor deal

I've bought used cars and new cars. I've never bought an extended warranty. And I've never regreted that decision.

[HomerRulez]

I just found out the following

Unfortunately your MDX is not eligible for any Acura Care because of its age and/or mileage. To be eligible for Acura Care your Acura must meet the following criteria:
Mileage: Less than 50,000 miles.
Age: 2009 or newer

Now I know why this dealer (acura dealership) wont sell me the acura care warranty (his reason was I am out of state) but then mentioned I could buy it else where for around $1800.

Basically, he lied to me. So there is no way for me to buy acura care extended warranty?

If so, that sucks. What are my options now? Im actually contemplating NOT buying the vehicle if I cant add warranty from acura. Unless someone knows a REALLY REALLY GOOD 3rd party warranty that will basically be bumper to bumper (minus obvious wear and tear items)?

[nsxtasy]

Maybe you would be better off buying a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) MDX instead. They certify used cars up to 6 years old with up to 80K miles. The CPO warranty is 12 months 12K miles and you can extend it as described here. Of course, you'll pay somewhat more for a CPO car than for a similar non-CPO car, so don't expect to find great deals. Remember, getting a great deal on a car means you're saving thousands of dollars, so if it turns out you have to deal with a few repairs, you're still way ahead of the game.

Again, though, IMHO (and that of Consumer Reports - did you read the link?), extended warranties are NOT worth buying.

[HomerRulez]

I tend to have bad experiences with cars and am always getting them repaired

2010 Routan is in for warranty repairs every month it seems

2006 ML350 was in every couple months

2010 Honda Accord was in every few months

2008 Caravan was in almost as much as the routan

Had I not had warranty (granted they were factory warranties), I would have gone bankrupted a long time ago.

Its a used car with thousands of dollars in audio/video equipment alone. Id rather have piece of mind, not to mention loaners are free as well (if needed, which isnt often). I get buying an extended on a new vehicle can be quite dumb but this is a used car and even though it had only had 1 owner, I cant take the chance of a head gasket issue, or torque converter issue or fuel pump and transmission issues down the road. This will be a car I own for a few years (financing the remaining 7K for 5 years; although will pay it off in a year easily if I like the vehicle).

Also, my sisters 2009 Honda accord has been in for repairs 5 times since she bought it cash (less than 2 years ownership). Granted shes a little dum when it comes to maintaining a car and its driven in NYC; where even a tank would be ruined driving in that city).

Basically, warranty is more important to me than the cosmetic condition of the vehicle. Even if it was treated poorly by previous owner, I know a factory warranty would have my back, based on my experiences.

As for CPO vehicles, them suckers would run me 28K plus and thats for a simple tech pkg with 70k miles on it.

[nsxtasy]

Originally Posted by HomerRulez

As for CPO vehicles, them suckers would run me 28K plus and thats for a simple tech pkg with 70k miles on it.

Okay, so what you're saying is, you want to buy a used car that comes with (or for which you can get) a warranty, but you're only willing to pay the price for a used car with no warranty. Got it!

[harry1]

Homer, where's home? Feels like there should be more options closer to you even if this particular vehicle is the one.

[HomerRulez]

Originally Posted by harry1

Homer, where's home? Feels like there should be more options closer to you even if this particular vehicle is the one.

Home is where the heart is, for me, thats NY

Although I reside in crappy MI...no offense to those who actually like Michigan lol

anyways, I found a few tech/ent 09 with 70K+ miles on the car for roughly 30K and up (CPO). Seeing how thats roughly 7K in difference, I might as well just get the 60K one for $23.5k and have the difference on the side for emergency repairs. That and I will be looking for someone to heavily inspect the vehicle before I buy it.

Know any service that will inspect the car (and not just cosmetic condition). Im talking axle, suspension, engine, tranny etc...?

Thanks again everyone. Will be posting images as soon as I get this bad boy. Ive got a clean driving record as well, that will change once I drive the MDX (A Guys got to test out his new toy, ya know )

[harry1]

Per Cars.com, there are a bunch of lower mileage MDX's with varied configurations within 250 miles of Detroit. Looks like you could possibly score a nicely appointed 2010/2011 with say 30k miles for circa $32k. Alternatively you may find a mid $20's ask closer to you with perhaps 50k miles.

Used Acura MDX - in 48205 - on Cars.com

[HomerRulez]

Criteria when looking for the MDX is:

$27K Max
Under 50K or a certified Pre-Owned Vehicle (miles dont matter too much if CPO) with 12 month/12k miles bumper to bumper warranty (I believe if its CPO, I am eligible for Acura Care, is that correct?)
Min. of Tech Pkg + Ent

Based on that info, using autotrader, cars.com, cargurus, craigslist and ebay, I have yet to find a vehicle within 100 miles of where I live.

When searching, I found one in CA (sold), IL (waiting to see if in stock, will know today) and some other in NY, GA etc...Basically, all over 500 miles away at least (well except for the one in IL which is 300 or so miles away)

I was really hoping not to owe more than 10K after 15K down but that went out the window after finding out the vehicle must still be under warranty to be eligible for Acura Care (which is bumper to bumper warranty, sans wear and tear stuff?). Because of this, I bumped my search up to $27K and still found no vehicles within 500 miles, except for 1 in IL, which isnt confirmed available yet.

Ive already been approved with PenFed @ 1.49% for 60 months and just waiting to find the right car. They will also be willing to blank check me for a private party purchase (have yet to find anyone willing to sell me their MDX)

I did find a salvage MDX 2008 sport/ent pkg for $19K @ 46k miles and a salvage R350 also loaded with 45k miles but I dont think that will be eligible for any warranties plus salvage makes it harder to insure.

for my search. When I wasnt ready, the car was available. Now that I am ready, the car isnt available. Life has a tricky was of playing games with you

In the meantime, the misses is getting frustrated and she wants a GL or R series Mercedes; even though I would be driving it the most.