Hey Scotty, Im looking at a 2009 Acura MDX to buy for my daughter's first car. It is from a private seller, 6 cylinder, automatic transmission, 4wd, clean title, and has 196,610 miles on it. The seller says that the timing belt was replaced at 144,000 miles and that he has the carfax. He is asking $6,000 for it. Are there any known problem with this car and do you think it's a good buy? Thanks a lot.
Buying a Luxury Honda with that mileage is a risk. The automatic transmission is not the greatest.
I would consider a Toyota instead, RAV4 or Highlander. If you want a Luxury SUV, get a Lexus RX.
The Acura MDX, especially older ones, and unfortunately for you more significantly with AWD/4wd, have very weak automatic transmissions. To give context, Acura is the luxury brand of Honda. As these vehicles age, they tend to be more expensive to fix. I would look at the Used Car Buying Guide linked below for more information on buying cars. But here are some tips
- If you don't need All Wheel Drive or 4 Wheel Drive systems, don't get them
They tend to cost more over time in maintenance, repairs, and fuel economy. Additionally, keeping 4WD on while on regular roads could cause both mechanical issues and safety hazards.
- For first cars, consider reliable non-premium car brands
It would be cheaper in maintenance costs and repairs to get a non-premium brand. I would consider the Toyota Highlander as my top choice for a first SUV.
- Have a mechanic check out any used car
Have a trusted mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection to make sure of the mechanical shape of the vehicle.
Also, 196k miles is ridiculously too much for a 13 year old 4wd Acura, and $6000 is equally too much.
