[uneedkhoality]

Hello everyone, hopefully to become a MDX owner soon. I found a black base model with 176000 miles on it. He's the second owner. I checked it out the other day and noticed these issues. Right tail light cracked. CD player stuck with a CD. Small oil leak coming from around the oil filter area. Carfax says it was in an accident which the seller said the back window was busted when a salesman was backing the vehicle. Timing belt, water pump, tensioners and all pulleys changed at 92K. I plan on having it inspected at a Sears Auto. The seller's bottom line price on it is $6750. Is the price worth the issues it has? Thanks!

 

[skirmich]

Short Answer: No.

Long Answer: Timing Belt is due again, That "Small Oil Leak" in the Oil Filter area can mean Oil Pump = $$$$, All in you are probably seeing more money than getting a Working Order MDX... Also for a Base Model is not cheap at all with that many problems. Sears Auto??? Please NO... Go to a reputable Car Shop or better yet an Acura Dealership.

 

[dvrice]

I agree with the recommendation to find a better mechanic you can trust to inspect rather than Sears auto. The oil leak is the one concern I would check out to make sure it is not a major issue. I would not worry about timing belt. My 2007 is on 226,000 miles and has never had timing belt replaced.

Hard to comment on price because the quality/condition of the interior and exterior would be important to me.

 

[EngMDX]

I agree with the recommendation to find a better mechanic you can trust to inspect rather than Sears auto. The oil leak is the one concern I would check out to make sure it is not a major issue. I would not worry about timing belt. My 2007 is on 226,000 miles and has never had timing belt replaced.

Hard to comment on price because the quality/condition of the interior and exterior would be important to me.

You are rolling the dice and pretty hard . When it gives, it will cost you an engine.

To the original poster, don't take the car to Acura dealer. The worst most awful thing about Acura is the dealerships. Most likely they will talk u out of this one and try hard to get you to buy one from them with (multi point inspection and bumper to bumper warranty and, ......)

The oil around the oil filter could be as simple as someone did not tighten the filter well enough or did not lubricate the rubber gasket or both. I am not sure how an oil pump failure will manifest itself in the form of leaking oil around the oil filter!

If you like the car, have it inspect it by a reputable mechanic - most mechanics inside the service departments are not even close to be good mechanics, they just follow instructions from the company and most of their recommendations are flat put wrong or the most expensive ones or both. Your next timing belt job is about 2 years away (assuming you drive about 15K miles per year)


Assuming the car checks out, and being a basic car, you might want to negotiate the price a little down depends on what you find and what needs to be taken care off. For example, if you need a brand new set of tires and other expensive items, I would pass.

 

[skirmich]

You are rolling the dice and pretty hard . When it gives, it will cost you an engine.

TRUE

To the original poster, don't take the car to Acura dealer. The worst most awful thing about Acura is the dealerships. Most likely they will talk u out of this one and try hard to get you to buy one from them with (multi point inspection and bumper to bumper warranty and, ......)

Not really, Acura do have technicians that can address and pinpoint easily anything wrong the the MDX better than any Random joe at Sears. He only needs to pay for the Multi Point Inspection and that is it.


The oil around the oil filter could be as simple as someone did not tighten the filter well enough or did not lubricate the rubber gasket or both. I am not sure how an oil pump failure will manifest itself in the form of leaking oil around the oil filter!

Many cases of Oil Pump seals making it leak, Its been addressed many times on many forums with J Series Engines

If you like the car, have it inspect it by a reputable mechanic - most mechanics inside the service departments are not even close to be good mechanics, they just follow instructions from the company and most of their recommendations are flat put wrong or the most expensive ones or both. Your next timing belt job is about 2 years away (assuming you drive about 15K miles per year)

Let alone Sears Mechanics, And no his Timing Belt is due again because of Age, Mileage in this case has very little to do with Belt and Tensioner wear.

Assuming the car checks out, and being a basic car, you might want to negotiate the price a little down depends on what you find and what needs to be taken care off. For example, if you need a brand new set of tires and other expensive items, I would pass.

Notes in Bold.

 

[EngMDX]

Did not say anything about Sears or Joe. I said reputable mechanic. Whether Acura mechanics are competent or not is irrelevant. They receive their instructions from the service department which in turn receive their instructions from the management which has one most important and high priority goal to achieve which increase new sales. It is how they make their money. Simple.

Failed oil pump will not manifest itself in the form of an oil leak around the filter no matter what if the filter is installed right. He is at 176K right now so another 30K is pretty safe value if original parts were used.


What is diminishing the value of millage in this specific case and what makes this “case” specific to begin with? Moreover, If mileage is not the determining factor, what is?

In any case, I do disagree with your assessment, I hope this is OK with you.

 

[Illustro]

I was at the Acura dealer here and had a look at the lifts and most were cars from the 90s and 2k.

I also ran in to a strange issue with an rdx in the family and they diagnosed the issue in 15-20 minutes while I was waiting there wile a reputable Japanese shop had it for 3 days and came back with a totally whacked diagnosis claiming bad transmission, that said, I'm sure some dealers are better than others.

 

[carpayment4life]

I say pass it up and look for a one owner clean title mdx.

The average (because you've got some issues) Blackbook price, for a 2008 base mdx with 176,000 miles is $6,265

How long has the 2nd owner had it?

The timing belt is a must, in about 30,000 miles and a dealer will want to change a bunch of seals also, because it is the 2nd TB job. Price could be $1,400 to 1,800.

 

[Alpine003]

Beside the engine related items that several had mentioned, everything is going to be tired on that car. You might have to deal with suspension related components, brakes, wheel bearings, rubber trim, HVAC issues, interior wear items, peeling clear coat on wheels, HID issues, possible road rash on headlight lenses/windshield, etc.

All those could add up quite easily and is something you should weigh in. Always separate out the "cost of entry" to the "cost of ownership". This is where a lot of people make mistakes.