Besides the roof crack, both doors on the driver side were damaged somewhat. I am trying to get an estimate on the cost of fix both doors. Hoping someone with recent experience can share.

 

I have a '16 and I'm fairly certain that is not a plastic roof. Looking at your photos, my guess is someone didn't the best job repairing a dent in the roof. The body filler has since cracked allowing moisture to penetrate and the metal underneath is now rusting.
Best of luck with your MDX search.

 

I haven't seen any posts here about a weird crack on the roof like that. I wonder what happened to it. The doors look like perhaps they were over-extended on opening causing the dents.

I'd just avoid buying this MDX unless it's really a super good deal and even then I'd have it checked out by a good body shop 'before' buying it to get an idea of what might've happened and how much it'd cost to fix. Remember than whatever cost you have in your head for the fix is likely not nearly high enough - body shop work is expensive.

Since this MDX has been around the block and hasn't received the best care, I'd also take it to a decent mechanic for an inspection 'before' buying it to see if there are any red flags including possible body/component damage underneath.

Notice the emphasis on 'before' buying it (tons of people make the mistake of having it inspected 'after' they buy it - or never have it inspected at all until something breaks.).

 

Thanks guys …. I have decided to pass on this. The seller is a private individual. Amazing carfax says this vehicle has not been in an accident when it clearly has. The entire driver side has been scrapped and the roof severely damaged.

 

Carfax is hit or miss on showing vehicle damage. If I wreck my car, I can take it to "my local repair guy," pay with cash, and it'll never show on a Carfax report. What Carfax is good at is title issues, such as a totaled vehicle, that could try to be covered up. Carfax offers a guarantee on title branded instances, but do not offer any kind of protection on "wrecked" vehicles.

 

I think it’s finally time for a Tesla. I want another MDX but insane dealer pricing and online scammers are making it tough.

 

Hope you don't live where it gets really cold if you go with a Tesla. Time and a place for EV's but for normal, everyday suburban life, that's isn't one of them, yet. Definitely not if you do any kind of serious outdoor work or activities and need to tow/haul items.
We did "dip" our toes and went with a 2020 Highlander hybrid. The '14 MDX is our second vehicle.

 

If you aren't sure whether something is plastic, test it with a magnet. A magnet won't stick to aluminum either though.

I'd pass on this one. No reason a Tesla won't get the job done if you can easily charge at home. Any EV will have a full battery every morning if you have a proper 220V charge outlet available. Then you have ~250 miles to use every day away from the house without a recharge. Still see what your needs are vs what an EV can do. Towing anything of size cuts the range by half. The cold will take a toll on the range until the batteries warm UNLESS it was on charge overnight. Plus, you can set a timer to have the interior of the car warmed up while it is still plugged in so it is warm when you leave each day. Batteries last north of 150K miles (warrantied that long) and some owners are reporting batteries lasting beyond 250K miles. And the battery can be repaired so you don't need to replace the whole battery. And all this is true of any EV on the market.

We'll stick with our MDX (travel vehicle) for the next decade at least. Our local vehicle - a 20+ year old CRV will eventually be replaced with an EV. Any EV exceeds our needs for that vehicle.

 

Good move to pass on it. My guess is that corrosion started under the windshield trim, where it can't be seen, and corroded through. On modern cars the windshield and top are structural components so there would be stresses, and the corroded steel failed and tore. I had something similar happen on a car that I owned a long time ago, which was in cold climates with salt on the road. It is next to impossible to fix properly because the steel is too thin to weld (not to mention the problem of the lights, etc, on the inside).