2004 Acura MDX Review - A FANTASTIC Used Car!

My thoughts on the 2004 Acura MDX with the 3.5L V6 and 5 speed automatic transmission!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________
LOOKING TO SELL YOUR CAR? Get Your Free Quote Here:

DON’T WANT TO MOUNT AN UGLY FRONT LICENSE PLATE? Get A Con Plate Holder!

FIXD BLUTOOTH OBD2 SENSOR!

BIG FRIGGIN BOTTLE Sticker:

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact me!
Phone: [phone]
Instagram: @Shooting_Cars

_________________________________________________________________________________________

#Acura #MDX

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
0:58 - Engine / Transmission
3:05 - Interior
6:47 - BFB Test
7:07 - Interior
7:33 - Back Seat
8:21 - Tailgate / Cargo Space
9:09 - Exterior
9:27 - Final Thoughts
11:40 - Outro

[clarencecorke]

Great car so far. Just bought an 05 Touring/AWD with 175000 miles for $3k, plus $500 for back registration. Bought from an auction flipper who had it for only a week and hadn't gotten it cleaned up yet. Looked to be all original, but had some body damage on passenger side doors, front and back. Not too bad, and both doors worked fine, including the windows. Now for the weak link. So many components are mfg with plastic and of course it drys out, cracks, breaks, and fails as it ages. So the door locks, and handles, they work but two of them don't unlock electronically, so need replacing. Black leather interior, the perforated seat and back part are mostly toast, plus a small piece of that is on the door panels, right above the arm rest, which is also cracked in places. Interesting is that the leather cracking in the front is on the seat backs, none on the seat bottom. In the back seat, all the cracking is on the seat bottom. Nice set of seat covers and I'm good to go. Mechanically, have replaced alternator and battery, and next is suspension. The front struts are shot along with the rear shocks. At 175000, they are past their prime for sure. Will replace the tires, inspect brakes, which do work good, and inspect / replace any other suspension components that look suspect... axle boots, rubber bushings, hoses.
One issue is HFL, which is the very outdated Bluetooth link for your phone. Just take that module out, it's up by the rearview mirror, easy to do. It was causing a parasitic drain on the battery, and don't know what caused the alternator to have a hard short to ground which took out a brand new battery in one shot. But since removing that module, and replacing with another battery and new alternator, no problems with that. Now the radio/ CD has no sound, it all turns on, plays, etc, but no sound. Fuses all good. I don't have the Nav system, just the stock Bose. Still troubleshooting, am going to replace/ update stereo and audio components .
It's 17 yrs old, that's a given that some things will have to be replaced.
Mfg plan and design cars to have a lifespan of only 150000 miles. So anytime you go above and beyond that number, call it a winn.
I apologize for the long post, but do hope it might help someone make a more informed decision.
Have no idea of the history of the car, other than it's been in Cali all of its life. And when cleaning it out, under the driver's seat found a large box of unopened Trojans! Bonus! Lol.

[colechapman]

My family had purchased a 2004 Acura MDX and we drove it thousands and thousands of miles until 2017 when we sold it and bought a 2016 Lexus. So many fond memories of this thing. Really comfortable and the AWD was great since were from the northeast and would go upstate quite often to snow board. The only drawback is the mpg in my book. In 04 gas was a lot less expensive but now I feel like it’s not practical to own this Acura that gets that bad of fuel economy.

[steveschmidt]

A trip down memory lane! My parents had a 2001 when I was younger and I drove the family around in it a lot. I remember it was nice and was great in the snow!

[jessiejane]

My 2003 MDX has cassette player! I'm keeping it.

[c_t_]

Fun fact: the Honda J-series engine was also used in the GM Saturn Vue from 2004-2007.

[sigma]

I have 06 150k miles, never had any transmission issues. I've recently done new alternator, new radiator and power stearing line. Biggest complaint is premium fuel and gas mileage

[dave]

I’ve heard nothing but good things about these. If I needed an SUV to haul things this would be the top of my list

[rantgant]

If it still looks good and performs well, then who cares if it's dated?

Is the Eiffel Tower "dated?" Is the Palace of Versailles "dated?" Is the Milan Cathedral "dated?"

What about vintage wine? Pablo Picasso's paintings? They're just so old and dated, right?

The above examples are a bit of a stretch, but you get the analogy. Just because something is dated does not necessarily mean that it is obsolete, shabby, or useless. The point is if something of integral quality has proven to stand the test of time, and it offers both artistic appeal, reliability AND functionality in that respect, then who cares if it is dated? Some things just hold up very well as they age anyways!

And then there are other vehicles that can make it up to 400K or even more, such as older models of the Honda CR-V, the Acura RD-X, the Crown Victoria, the Lexus GX-470, the Honda Accord etc...to demonstrate the quality, durability and longevity of these "outdated" machines.

And yes, in case you are wondering...I AM aware of the fact that most automobiles depreciate in value over time, with the exception of certain classic cars and hot rods. The latter are yet further examples of man's ingenuity of the automobile from a bygone era, and such examples have developed a cult following. Hell even more modern vehicles such as the Ford Escape from the early to late 2010's, while not the newest vehicles out there, nor the oldest, they still incorporate analog instruments and controls, and they STILL look great, are reliable, fuel efficient (for an SUV), and are highly sought after and were one of the most popular and best-selling SUV's on the road. Even today many people especially in my area are on the lookout for one of these SUV's, and I would actually prefer such systems over the modern computerized crap where if one thing goes wrong, then just about everything else goes awry.

Newer does not necessarily mean better.

[brendabrunner]

My 2004 MDX has 323, 000 with no major repairs, can't do better!

[damilolaakanni]

Honda debuted their SUV platform with the MDX in 2001, then the pilot came in 2003 and the Ridgeline in 2006. I'm not counting the CR-V here because both the first and second generation were based on the 6th and 7th gen civic. For the touchscreens, they started to become popular in the 2000's. Lexus had touchscreens in the LX, GX and LS around 2003 (don't know about their other models at the time), but on the GX it was optional. Backup camera was not offered until about 2007.

[joshbrailsford]

Forgot all about the MDX until I saw this, but I'm from the UK where these were never sold. Strange thing was, as a kid, I could walk into a toy store here and buy a model of this car. Which I did, probably because I'd never heard of Acura before.

[TERRIFIER-dj]

My 03 mdx has 340k miles and runs like brand new

[LaytonKnightt]

I remember riding around in one of these in the early 00s. My friend’s mom had a white over beige. For some reason, I recall the leather seats feeling really premium at the time.

[SB-LifeOTR]

This car feels just as comfortable and feature packed as a newer suv. All you need is a pioneer touchscreen and a 30 dollar backup camera from Amazon

[salvationanthem]

I’ve got one with 271, 000 miles and its pretty good. The transmission is a little finicky and the rear main seals tend to leak but overall, pretty good

[nycblacknova]

Fun fact if you hold down on one of the radio nobs it will let you control the radio from the touchscreen so it is kinda an infotainment screen just hard to find

[gtdodgeviper]

1:06 more like 9 mpg city, 16 highway 12 combined. At least thats what I get on mine.
4:20 It actually make a lot of since that they put the cruise control button down there because that works more as a disable/enable button. As long as you leave it on all you have to do at the steering wheel is to push the set button and you are all set. No need to be turning on the cruise control every time you need to use it.
4:52 I love my ac control. Its super easy to use. Just set the desired temperature and make sure its on auto and you don’t have to worry about anything.
5:22 I upgraded my camera and now I do get the lines and higher resolution. The lines just don’t turn with the steering wheel like it does on newer cars but they still help.

[Umadataninternetstranger]

I have one. She has 226k miles on her. She still handles her own 😂

[chickenknucklez]

This is like getting a review from a kid that's been living behind the furnace his entire life 🥸

[jeremypleso]

Thanks for the review. I'm looking to get one for my 17 year old.