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23109VC · 11-25-2009, 08:46 AM

If you want to stick with a german car like Porsche/Audi have you considered the X5? A friend has one of the older ones and he loves it. He has the 3.0, so while it's not super fast, it gets reasonable mileage for an SUV.

If you do get an SUV, you might want to consider the Acura MDX. I have one and REALLY like it. Before getting it, we cross shopped quite a few different SUVs/Vans, and we felt the MDX was the best bang for the buck. Not long after I bought ours, ,C&D did a shootout among the V6 powere SUVs and the MDX came out on top.

The MDX has 300hp, plenty of power, and a great AWD system. when you take a turn and give it gas, ,it applies power to the outside wheels and actually assists you through the turn. It's not a gimmick, it really works. Our SUV handles better than some sedans I've driven.

3rd row seating is standard..so if you do need to occasionally have that feature it's there. the third row is not as accessible as it woudl be in a van...so if you use it ALL the time, a van would be better.

We were so happy with our MDX, that when we recently replaced my DD, we picked up a CPO Acura RL. THAT is a sweet ride. talk about an underappreciated car...the styling is somewhat bland..which did it no favors in the car market...but given the depreciation that car suffers..you get SO much for your money.

on a related note, the Acura CPO program is pretty good. You get the factory warranty extended to 6 years / 100k for all powertrain items. The bumper to bumper warranty which is normally 4yr 50k is extended to 5 yr 60k. but, if you pay an extra $1000 when you buy the car, they will extend teh bumper to bumper to 100k just like the powertrain warranty. We have been very pleased with the Acura service in our area. every time we've dropped off for serfice, we've received a new Acura vehicle as a loaner..

I don't know exactly what CPO MDXs are going for, but I would suspect you would find a nciely equipped low mileage MDX in the 35k range.

as to pricing - it's weird...I think used car prices have slightly gone up in the past year. IIRC, CPO MDXs were more like in the 30k range 6-12 months ago..now I"m seeing them in the 35-40k range... I have seen this same trend among other cars too. perhaps as the economy has tanked and new car sales have dropped off the face of the earth, and more people are looking to CPO cars as an alternative to buying new, if the dealers are hiking prices on the CPO cars? supply and demand in action....

11-25-2009, 08:46 AM	#6
23109VC Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: CA Posts: 726	If you want to stick with a german car like Porsche/Audi have you considered the X5? A friend has one of the older ones and he loves it. He has the 3.0, so while it's not super fast, it gets reasonable mileage for an SUV. If you do get an SUV, you might want to consider the Acura MDX. I have one and REALLY like it. Before getting it, we cross shopped quite a few different SUVs/Vans, and we felt the MDX was the best bang for the buck. Not long after I bought ours, ,C&D did a shootout among the V6 powere SUVs and the MDX came out on top. The MDX has 300hp, plenty of power, and a great AWD system. when you take a turn and give it gas, ,it applies power to the outside wheels and actually assists you through the turn. It's not a gimmick, it really works. Our SUV handles better than some sedans I've driven. 3rd row seating is standard..so if you do need to occasionally have that feature it's there. the third row is not as accessible as it woudl be in a van...so if you use it ALL the time, a van would be better. We were so happy with our MDX, that when we recently replaced my DD, we picked up a CPO Acura RL. THAT is a sweet ride. talk about an underappreciated car...the styling is somewhat bland..which did it no favors in the car market...but given the depreciation that car suffers..you get SO much for your money. on a related note, the Acura CPO program is pretty good. You get the factory warranty extended to 6 years / 100k for all powertrain items. The bumper to bumper warranty which is normally 4yr 50k is extended to 5 yr 60k. but, if you pay an extra $1000 when you buy the car, they will extend teh bumper to bumper to 100k just like the powertrain warranty. We have been very pleased with the Acura service in our area. every time we've dropped off for serfice, we've received a new Acura vehicle as a loaner.. I don't know exactly what CPO MDXs are going for, but I would suspect you would find a nciely equipped low mileage MDX in the 35k range. as to pricing - it's weird...I think used car prices have slightly gone up in the past year. IIRC, CPO MDXs were more like in the 30k range 6-12 months ago..now I"m seeing them in the 35-40k range... I have seen this same trend among other cars too. perhaps as the economy has tanked and new car sales have dropped off the face of the earth, and more people are looking to CPO cars as an alternative to buying new, if the dealers are hiking prices on the CPO cars? supply and demand in action.... __________________ _____________________________ Cars: 2007 MDX - Wife's mommy mobile 2006 RL - My daily driver 2000 Boxster - Ocean Blue Base 5spd on Black Full leather. 18" wheels and M030. Boxster mods I've added: Rear speaker kit, Painted Calipers, Painted Bumperettes, Painted Center Console, 987 Shifter Assembly, 3 Spoke Steering Wheel, Clear side markers, 03+ rear lights, de-snorkeled.