lserlohn

Buy Acura MDX or Lexus RX300?

My friend asked me this question, because he is currently looking to buy a pre-owned car. I believe both cars are good, but I want to know which one is better, especially after so many years of testing.
The reliability is a big concern. Old RX300 may have a bad transmission, but I believe old MDX may also has this problem. Other than that, RX300 is a really reliable car, I am not sure how well MDX is.

From other points of view, according the comparison, MDX looks better :

http://www.epinions.com/review/auto_...3A45D3E0-prod3

So, again, someone would give us more help on the decision, after so many years of testing, which car is worth to buy?

hypervish

RX, it run's much smoother, and has a softer suspension. Plus, by now the bad transmissions have likely already been replaced in the RX. I as you may know, or may not know, don't think the transmission issue is really that bad. Especially when compared to the failure rate of the MDX transmission.

lserlohn

Yes, Honda also has poor transmission design, and it's engine is much noisy.

salimshah

When you are buying new, comparing brand x vs y based on user data can indicates trends, but when you are dealing with used vehicles (specially with lots of years), maintenance and care trumps everything.

Salim

carguy07

x2, "maintenance and care trumps everything"

I have an 01 RX and 06 MDX. Both have good and bad. RX has a nicer interior and more standard features. My MDX with 100k miles rides better than the RX with 75k miles (could be the struts and mounts are due on the RX). MDX is super easy to maintain, but it's not like the RX is super challenging. Probably the biggest difference is in physical size. MDX seems like a much bigger car over all. Drive both and pick the one that you like the best. I think it is a wash when comparing reliability.

01rxwhite

I'll give an opinion since I also own an 01 RX and an 04 MDX. I'm very familiar with the RX since I've owned it longer. I bought the MDX almost 2 years ago at 78k. It has 113k on it now and I've had NO issues. My MDX is the Tech package with DVD & Navigation. Being kind of **** about maintaining my vehicles I checked over the MDX thoroughly and did alot of the maintenance items as a precaution more than anything. All MDX's are 4-wheel drive, but my RX is FWD. In my opinion, I like the RX handling & cornering. The RX is lighter and gets better gas mileage. The MDX is a comfortable ride on the interstate, but take note of the braking. Being a heavier vehicle, the MDX is slower to stop. The braking is one of my negatives on the MDX. The earlier MDX's did have much more problems with the tranny than the RX's. They also have motor mount issues and one aggrevation is the little air vent tabs seem to all break off. The cost for replacing the timing belt is much lower on the MDX and the spark plugs are much easier to change. However, it's a major deal to change the cabin air filter. I got the MDX for the 7-seat capacity for my wife and kids. It has much more room and storage capacity. In a comparison of MPG, I get 20-23mpg (3.0 4-speed trans) in my RX and 17.5-21mpg (3.5 5-speed trans) in my MDX. As said earlier, "maintance and care trumps everything". My vote is with the RX, but that's my personal preference. It really all depends on what you're looking for and your personal preferences. If you want check out the MDX forum, go to MDXers.org forums. They're both good vehicles.