VW Vortex - Volkswagen Forum banner

My 2 year report with a cheap Acura SUV

5K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  ZoomBoy 
#1 ·
I see threads here with topics like "What can I buy for $10k or less" and "I need a cheap SUV" so here is my report of my '05 MDX.

I'm not really an SUV guy and this was the first thing I've purchased that did not have a clutch pedal. But 2 years ago I needed a new daily beater. I'm not gonna go all TFL and lecture people on spending money, but I'm 42 and until '09 I had spent every month of my adult life mailing off a car payment and I just got sick of it. So I picked this up. I got it at the end of the year so the dealer was willing to let it go cheap, I have clients that are car dealers so I was able to look at all the Manheim auction reports so I knew exactly where I needed to be in it.





It had 109k on it. I'm up to 136k now.

Mechanical malfunctions: 0

I put this in the dash to bring it up to modern standards - bluetooth, ipod, sat radio, backup camera, etc.


A couple of the dash lights were out so I replaced them, the bulbs are cheap. It needed the full 105k service and I got it all done for $390 - fluids, timing belt, etc.

It's a great car. Acuras are built like tanks. Buying a black car in this part of the country is stupid, but both A/C units are great. We don't have spawn but I've used the 3rd row seat several times transporting family and tailgating with folks at FSU games.

The J35 has plenty of power, I haven't tried to tow anything but it came with the factory towing package. Trans oil cooler. I've been suspicious of Honda slush boxes for as long as I can remember, but so far so good.

It's a comfortable, quiet car. We did a couple of 13 hour days last spring on a road trip to D.C. and you can drive all day in that thing.

One of the things that has really impressed me is the VTM-4 and the stability control. We have torrential downpours here from time to time, and that thing just powers through adverse conditions. I've driven through some hellacious crap where standing water was sheeting over the roof and the VSA light activates and the AWD and the minions in the ECU correct everything and pull you through.

Gas mileage could better. Fuelly says 18.1 mpgs over the time I've had it. With the A/C on full blast in the summer it dips down in the 14s around town, I've seen 22-23 on the interstate if I keep it around 72-73.

The worst thing I can say about it is that it doesn't have any power outlets in the back row seats. When you're stuck in post-game traffic with 7 people that have low batteries on their phones, it's annoying. Also it doesn't have enough cup holders, but if that's all I can find to complain about, well, ****.

Anyway, if you need a cheap people hauler or something that could work like a pickup in a pinch, you could do a lot worse. My plan is to drive it another year and put another 15k on it and dump it for a newer model. Probably.
 
See less See more
4
#2 ·
Nice, love the MDX! My wife wants one in a few years so your report is encouraging.

It will be our first automatic too, but remote start (esp during this part of the year!) makes that feature alone worth the trade off.
 
#3 ·
Nice to hear. In hindsight I regret not buying something like this instead of the Camry for my wife. Mostly because the cargo flexibility of an SUV is hard to beat if you're not going to buy a truck.

The next vehicle will probably be something along these lines. I hope you'll continue to update this thread as you put miles on it.
 
#5 ·
If you can live with the cruddy gas mileage, it's nice to have a utility vehicle.

All of the Acura SUVs have great safety ratings, my wife doesn't want to pay for the gas but I'd feel better if she drove around in something that big.

If you want a car there a few TSX wagons coming off lease....
 
#4 ·
Couldn't agree with you more!
I had the same car, 2004 with the tech package and 3rd row + tubular running boards and rear spoiler (pretty much a $52k car new).
2nd owner, eventually traded it in at 114k - purchased with 78k - endured 3 years of NYC borough driving/parking abuse.
Did the 105k service + preventive maintenance on transmission - although towards the end I noticed it started hunting for gears on light throttle/slight inclines.
In 2004, I missed the boat by 1 model year for factory integrated bluetooth. The Alpine based navigation system was easy to learn and use but I longed for a ipod/Bluetooth solution that the factory navigation prompts would interrupt audio - when I went the route you did with aftermarket d-din radio, I lost my navigation audio and steering wheel controls.

Traded in on my current 2008 X3 3.0Si
 
#6 ·
I see threads here with topics like "What can I buy for $10k or less" and "I need a cheap SUV" so here is my report of my '05 MDX.

So I picked this up. I got it at the end of the year so the dealer was willing to let it go cheap, I have clients that are car dealers so I was able to look at all the Manheim auction reports so I knew exactly where I needed to be in it.

It had 109k on it. I'm up to 136k now.

.
Care to let us know what you paid for the truck and when? I'm looking to replace an aging 528i with something similar. :beer::beer::beer:
 
#8 ·
I was out the door about $10k, then I put $400 in the service and about another $900 in the stereo. It's a lot of nice car for that money.

Valets will not park your old ass MDX in front of the restaurant or hotel but still, you're not dicking around in a strippo Versa or HyunKia.
 
#9 ·
My Aunt has a 2005 with 195,000 miles. She literally cried when she traded it in on a new MDX. They wrote all the paperwork out with the 05' in on trade but just sliced off that amount on the new MDX and handed her the keys to the new MDX and keys to the 05'. Told her to atleast hit 200,000. Cool dealer and great car.:thumbup:
 
#13 ·
They fixed the transmissions by '05. The earlier models did have some problems, but my Honda guy says that you're pretty safe with an AWD Honda transmission. I wouldn't try to tow anything heavy with it, and it's a little rough here and there on downshifts I think. But again, I've never bought anything with a slushbox before so maybe that's how they all are.

The transmission service is a fluid change for the transmission and the rear diff. There is no filter for either, they're just supposed to work. Everything else is just regular old Honda parts. My Honda guy did the whole 105k service in 90 minutes, including the timing belt. The people that engineered that car made it really easy to work on.

One thing I haven't pointed out is that at really low speeds, the AWD shifts all the power to the rear diff so when you hammer it from a stop, it launches like a RWD vehicle. It's still not fast but it doesn't feel like a FWD powertrain scrabbling for traction.

If you're looking at these, I would say look at the 2nd gen if it doesn't put a whammy on your wallet. The AWD system is better and they're just better cars.

But if you want a useful beater, it's a good one. It was a pretty expensive car when it was new, and whatever innate qualities that made it a winner a long time ago are still there. It's well made and well finished and takes abuse just fine.
 
#14 ·
Rice, your thread has me thinking. But I have some questions:

- Does the J35 require premium fuel?
- How is the ride and handling trade-off?
- Are you satisfied with the leather quality? Sometimes Honda/Acura leather leaves alot to be desired.
- What size tires are you running and have you changed them out yet?
- How are the headlights?

I have to say that I think Honda really put some serious thought into the MDX and I've always viewed them as a good buy - even if they are expensive to own. Also, have you tried out a Mangafine filter on the transmission line? May help you out a bit.
 
#15 ·
I run 93 octane.

It's the first thing I've owned that didn't have a clutch pedal and didn't scrape curbs so it seems good to me.

The leather seems fine. I got it when it was already old. It's cracking in places but it's old.

Stock tire size.

I did the TCL sin and installed an HID kit. The headlights suck compared to my old TSX and certainly compared to the S2000 they're not good.
 
#16 ·
So I had my first real malfunction. At speeds above 35 mph I started getting some serious front end vibration.

I just haven't had time to deal with it. I dropped $100 at a tire store to have the wheels balanced, that did not solve it.

Finally today I took it back to the Honda dealer. The front left tie rod was completely seized and the toe was waaaaay out, so basically the front end was trying to drive in 2 directions at once. That worked for a while until there was enough tire wear to make it a problem.

My Honda guy put a torch on the tie rod and loosened it up and put it back in spec. So I was out $129.99 for an alignment, oil change and a rotate and balance. Some genius had managed to align the thing and make it track straight even with the toe problem. It's been that way since I bought it.

2 of the tires will probably need replacing in the next 5k miles. I went through the car when I got it but I never thought to have the alignment checked. Used cars. Also, I got screwed by the tire store, the wheels were all off by at least 2 oz so that $100 was just money flushed down the toilet.

It now rides more smoothly than it has since I got it. So we'll call it $30 for the oil change and chalk up $100 as owner negligence for driving around with a ****ty alignment. I'll probably get better gas mileage now that all 4 tires are pointing in the same direction.

Also, the passenger side rear view mirror is supposed to tilt down when you put it in reverse. Sometimes it only tilts halfway. I may see if I can take it apart and try to lube it up.

This is really funny when you think about what it would it cost to fix a German SUV with 136k on the clock.
 
#17 ·
I guess mine was an anomoly. I had an 04 and it was rattly and loud on the road. I think they're pretty, but with the wind noise, road noise and interior rattles, I just wouldn't do another one.

Chris
 
#20 ·
Oh it gets worse man. I also go to Tide games. :p

In December I got a call from a government lawyer in Ohio for some help in clearing up some title work for a GA resident that owned some seized property up there. I made the mistake of talking trash about the Ohio State/Tide game. She is wearing my ass out in trash talk now. :laugh:
 
#24 ·
More serious mechanical and electrical failures to report, now just slightly over 141k.

I tried to update the software in my Pioneer AVH-5500 to work with my iphone 6 and somehow bricked the radio. So I had to lay out $540 for a new Pioneer NEX-4100 with Car Play. I would consider that a major electrical failure. But, it does read my texts and e-mails to me so that's something. Luckily my buddy owns a couple of stereo shops so I was able to parse down that expense.

And, I ran it through the not-touchless (touchful?) car wash the other day and shortly afterwards one of the side body moldings started to peel away. That cost me $45 at the body shop to set right this morning, for an hour of labor and some double-sided tape. I would call that a serious body integrity issue.

It's also due for another oil change and tire rotation in about 800 miles and that will just add another $60 to my running costs. So, the expenses of running this maintenance-hungry beast continue to mount.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top