Phil,
Great choice of color and package. I know you will enjoy your car like I do mine. My gear shifter also sticks. Sometimes it goes smoothly, sometimes not. I keep telling myself that eventually I will figure just how to move it to shift smoothly.
Dale,
If I was in your position, the choice between getting a 2002 or 2003 would depend on if they made a change on the 2003 (color or feature) that I really thought was worth the wait, rather than it just being one year newer.
Before I even knew what an MDX looked like, I was considering the Lexus RX300. In that case, I heard that the 2003 was going to add a third row, plus it was going to be a big change, so the 2002 would have been the end of the line for that look. I would not want to buy the last year before they made a major model change, nor the first year of a new model change. I ended up dismissing the Lexus anyway.
If the MDX does not get a new engine (not that it needs more power), and onl minor fixes, and you can get one in a couple of months just the way you want, it would be worth getting it now and enjoying it now. If you decide to wait for the 2003, you should make sure the dealer will indeed hold your place for a 2003 so you can get it when it comes out, not several months after.
With the number of posts you have made in the short time you have been on this wonderful MDX forum, I would be surprised you can hold out for the 2003. The enthusiam on this board is enough to get anyone to run out and get an MDX as soon as they can.