One less guy in line...

2263 Views 9 Replies 8 Participants Last post by GatorGreg, Jan 7, 2002

jeff968

Discussion Starter · Jan 4, 2002

I was never an Acura fan and after the SLX debacle, I never thought I would consider an Acura SUV but in November of 2000 a friend showed me his new MDX and boy was I impressed. With the arrival of my third child a year earlier I knew this was the vehicle that I wanted in my future. I went shopping in June of 2001 and found it to be a very humbling experience. No MDXs and dealers firmly entrenched in the $4K over invoice MSRP. Well, I figured I could wait awhile. I went shopping again last month and to my surprise, things haven’t changed much at the Acura dealer MDX wise. My need for a third row SUV was growing so I decided to recheck the competition and there things had changed, 3rd row seating could be had on 0% financing Explorers and I even checked out the Buick Rendezvous (yeah, I know, an Aztek in disguise). The biggest surprise was the 2002 MB ML320. Now in its fifth year, the ML320 had a number of changes and improvements which resulted in a really nice vehicle. On top of that was a dealer willing to aggressively negotiate and the ability to order a car tailored to my needs. Last night I placed an order for the ML320. I got almost $3K off of the $39K MSRP so the ML320 was only $1500 more then the MDX at MSRP. I thought it was a much better value and I like the ML even better then the MDX, to me, it has a “sports car” feel to it. So, if there are Acura executives perusing this site keep in mind that the low volume production approach is costing you sales. The competition continues to introduce new and improved vehicles. I could have been one of your customers. For you current MDX owners, I wish you the best of luck with your SUVs and for those of you still waiting I have good news, there’s one less guy in line. Thanks for the use of the board.

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TheWorm

· #2 · Jan 4, 2002

I think a lot of people thought/hoped that increased production (which hasn't happened...or if it has is marginal) and the state of the economy would reduce demand for the MDX (also hasn't been the case).

Agreed Acura's losing sales as a result. Certainly some of those lost sales might have been saved with improved experiences at the dealerships, too.

FYI, www.mbnz.org is (I think) the most popular hangout for ML owners...Enjoy your new wheels!

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charlieinnj

· #3 · Jan 4, 2002

I sincerely wish you all the best with the Benz! The whole process of obtaining an MDX sure can be frustrating!

It was between the Benz, the MDX and the Toyota Sequoia when I was looking. I also looked at the X5 but wouldn't allow myself to spend so much money for a vehicle with manual transmission and "leatherette".

Being the current owner of an Expedition, I was looking for something that I didn't feel like I had to climb up into, any longer.

Sadly, what kept me from seriously considering the Benz was all the negative publicity on the web from actual owners regarding it's build-quality and reliability. Despite the fact, I even stopped by my local Benz dealer to drive one and, while on my way in, noticed a woman parking her ML320. I approached her and asked what she thought of the vehicle? She shook her head and replied, "I really like driving it, but, it's been here WAY too many times for service. This is my fourth time in a month." Even if all the service were covered under warranty, I still don't have the time to spend visiting my Benz dealer.

I thanked her for her honesty and got back in my Expedition and drove off.

If for some reason that my deal on the MDX doesn't come through this month, I'll be at my Toyota dealer the very next day, buying that Sequoia.

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GCK

· #4 · Jan 4, 2002

Jeff:

Enjoy your MB. I do realize the frustration of waiting and dealing with Acura dealers. I do not believe that Acura is slowing down the production intentionally. It's the maximum they could output from their factory. Some part of the production of the Odysseys has moved to Alabama, and the wait times are better now.

In my case, I had put a deposit down and 7 different places and pursued the dealers very vigorously, and to my surprise, I found that I could get the car at MSRP in a relatively short period of time.

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GatorGreg

· #5 · Jan 4, 2002

Good luck Jeff and I hope you enjoy your new ride. Thanks for having enough class to not feel the need to bash the MDX on your way out the door. We all have our own priorities in life with our own likes and dislikes, so obviously the MDX isn't for everyone. While I may be one of the more prolific MClass bashers, remember that my remarks are always made (and only on this site I might add) in the context of defending the MDX from unsolicited attacks by a few low-class trolls. I recognize that without the MClass, the MDX would not be the great vehicle that it is. From what I've read of the development that went into the MDX, the engineers at Hondacura were specifically aiming at three vehicles as benchmarks: the RX300, X5 3.0, and ML 320. IMO, the MDX can trace some of its reliability and creature comforts to the RX300, its speed and sportiness to the X5, and its off-roading ability and ruggedness to the MClass. Combiined with their experience in building the ultra versatile CR-V, I think it all mixed together to form the MDX. So in a sense, I feel I owe MB a debt of gratitude. See, I can actually be nice

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ghost

· #6 · Jan 4, 2002

Hey Gator, you feelin' alright?

Jeff - congratulations - I hope you enjoy the new ride!

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GatorGreg

· #7 · Jan 4, 2002

ghost said:
Hey Gator, you feelin' alright?

Maybe I was still a little looopy from the freeze last night

Much better now though

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wmquan

· #8 · Jan 4, 2002

GatorGreg said:
Maybe I was still a little looopy from the freeze last night Much better now though

I thought it was the beers you had to down to get over Miami winning ...

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MDXLuvr

· #9 · Jan 7, 2002

GatorGreg said:
While I may be one of the more prolific MClass bashers,

nah, not you

Gator, Congrats on the bowl win. btw, what's up with Spurrier retiring, and who are u guys gonna get?

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GatorGreg

· #10 · Jan 7, 2002

Everything I've seen says it's gonna be Stoops from OU, who used to be the Gator's defensive coordinator. Supposedly he's got an out written into his contract for the Gator job and today the UF AD is gonna offer him $3M/yr to take the job. Heck, I'd do it for just $1M/yr but so far no one has contacted me

As for Spurrier, not sure what's up. However, his mouth was starting to become an embarrassment to the Univ., he's been whining about the FSU game non stop and supposedly got a cool reception at a Fla high school football coaches meeting when he brought it up AGAIN and played a video. This was a meeting where Bowden was to speak later in the same day so it was pretty poor judgment on his part. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe someone at UF told him to pipe down. This would probably have ticked him off, possibly leading to his resignation. Just a theory

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