What to do with a 2003 MDX that needs a new engine?
 

My wife finally killed the SUV. It was just a matter of time. I bought it new in 2003 and the current engine has a little over 250,000 miles on it. About a month ago the wife tells me that the oil light indicator is on. I check it out and find that there is no oil. Hmm. I don't notice any leaks so where did the oil go? I fill it with oil and the light goes off and everything seems fine. About a week after that the wife tells me that the VTM light is on and it's running rough. She takes it to our local shop and they tell her she needs a new engine. We tow it to the dealer for a second opinion and Acura agrees that we need a new long block. So, we're talking a couple of thousand dollars to repair a 10 year old car. Probably not worth it. The wife moves on to a new CRV so she's happy. In the mean time I have a car parked outside my house that needs a new engine. What are my options?
Sell the car as is (mechanics special).
Repair the car then sell it (financially doesn't make senses).
Donate the car (take a tax write off).
Part it out (more work than I want).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

If the MDX needs a new longblock, that's certainly more than a "couple thousand dollar repair"....even sticking a good used motor in there would be all of that.

I'd vote to sell it as-is. Pop it on Craigslist for KBB Private Party "Good", less $2500-3000 for a used motor, and you'll sell it within a couple days.

Donating it will net you (and your "charitable" organization) much, much less

If you have no need for it, there's no sense in fixing it

I just checked KBB and this what they suggest for price:
Excellent: $7,740
Very good: $7,365
Good: $7,065
Fair: $5,990

Subtracting $3,000 for an engine, the range is $2,990 - $4,740. The body and paint are in excellent condition so I'm thinking that it's probably at the top of that range.

I think if you could get $4000 out of it as-is, you should be a ecstatic. More like $3K.

Miles are not well-accounted for in KBB's algorythm. Plug in 95,000 miles, 150,000 miles, 180,000 miles, and your 250,000 miles and you'll see what I mean. Based on KBB's numbers, there's simply not enough incentive for how much high miles actually effect selling prices.

I forgot about the 250K miles part when I made my KBB Good less $3K recommendation

The numbers I posted above are for 250,000 miles. Of course that doesn't matter much because you need a new engine. I agree, if I could get $3000 I would be very happy.

Good luck with your sale. Make sure the title and registration transfers legally as many people who will be interested will want to flip it and not pay tax or get the title in their name. You just want to make sure and CYA so it's not your legal liability.

Again, good luck!

You can't swap the engine yourself? That's the only practical solution.

I do not see anyone paying $3,000 for it 'as is'. Too risky. Tranny could be gone, might drive like crap, etc etc. I look for cars like this fairly regularly. But I would only pay about $1,500 for it.

So, I bought a Mazda P/U in this condition 10 or 12 years ago for $350.........Dropped the pan, put in rod bearings. New front seal fixed the oil leak.....Quick respray and sold for $2,500......

I think those KBB numbers are optimistic, and usually are for super high mileage cars. Do a search on craigslist for MDXs between $2-8K and you'll see what you're up against. My guess is you're looking at around $2K, but I don't know what a used engine costs or how much trouble it is to install it.

I wouldn't worry about confirming transfer of title. That's not your legal responsibility. Make sure you know who bought your car and submit a Notice of Release of Liability with the DMV. Don't get caught up in under-reporting the sale price. If the car will pass smog now, do it and fulfill your responsibility that it passes smog. I think you'll be okay if you have the buyer sign paperwork that it has a bad engine, won't pass smog, and is sold as-is as a second choice.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1354461907.jpg

Send it to the UK and let Edd China have a go at it!

I'd donate it and take the deduction. No hassle what-so-ever. You've clearly gotten your money's worth out of the car. A nice "blue-book" tax deduction (retail, of course) will feel good come April 15th.

What kind of people will you have to your home to show your broken SUV that must be towed away? No brainer for me....donate. Your call, of course.

Used Engines look cheap, FYI.

2002 Acura MDX Engine Sales > Buy High Quality Used Engines/Motors at Great Discount (Huge Selection)!

There's probably 1,000,000 of those "Japanese exchange engine" places in town. Do a whole engine / transaxle swap.

Japan has that 30K mandatory engine swap deal- engines everywhere. Frankly you should fix it and keep it for a few more years.

If it's otherwise clean and nice, why not? ALways good to have a spare vehicle.

If I remember corectly, the deduction is only 500 bucks.

Didn't those things have lots of tranny issues same as their vans? I remember reading something about them when looking for our van. Because of that, a Toyota was purchased.

This. Absolutely.

This is outdated information. You now generally can only deduct what the charity sells the car for at auction. So, that's a tax deduction on the "as is" value, which can easily be received by selling it privately.

That said, a charity still has the "no hassle" advantage.

I would definitely not fix it - the rest of the driveline has 250k miles as well and you will have to continue to fix it.

G

It's CA guys... so the seller is responsible for smog If you sell it the title will not be able to get transferred until the car is smogged. Lot's of potential legal land mines there. Be careful

(heck, I was almost interested until I saw the 250k part)

That's favorite show at the moment. That and Chasing Classic Cars.

I'm sure Ed could sway the engine in a day or so.

Had the tranny replaced under warranty at about 150,000,

it must be out of warranty by now? How many tranny was this last one? I heard average life on those is about 75000 miles. 250k is a lot of miles. Tell you the truth, I am actually looking for a replacement SUV or daily beater where I can carry a few things and not worry about door dings and such. I kept going back and forth about buying new vs high mileage one. A few weeks ago. a young women was on her phone and nailed me head on at about 45mph destroying my old Land Cruiser in her BMW. Most of her front end went under my truck. Because of that, I was not hurt. That thing was build like a tank with horrible MPG but I loved it.

That was the second and last tranny. About 100,000 miles on it. I am curious to find what kind of hits I get on Craigslist. If that doesn't pan out donating is the easiest thing.

Not true. A private party can sell a car with an agreement in writing that the car won't pass smog because it has a bad engine. As long as both parties agree to that, there is no liability for the seller.

Thanks. Good to know. I doubt if it will pass smog though it still runs. I'll make sure to add that statement to the bill of sale.

Is it running but knocking? What are the symptoms of damage? Did they perform a compression or leakdown test?

I can't imagine any engine surviving running out of oil. Everything should be toast.

drop in a SBC. isn't that the answer to everything?

I've seen motors run out of oil and SEIZE....then be freed up and run just fine (although with a shorter lifespan).

Those V6 Honda/Acura motors pressurize their heads first, then the crank from the front first, rear last. So the middle of the crank (#3/4) starves oil at the rod bearings. Usually the mains will rattle/hammer but not spin or sustain real damage. The rod bearings usually take the brunt, often spinning or melting/seizing.

If it is running now, it's either knocking (damaged/spun rod bearing, overheated/warped rod end) or rattling (bearing clearances).

I seriously doubt anything in the heads got damaged at all, and the cylinder walls and pistons are probably fine too. The rings may or may not have sustained any real damage.

In most cases a new oil pump, rod/main bearings, and new rings and it will be fine.

OTOH, if a good used engine w/ lower miles is really ~$700, that seems like a no-brainer.

Runs but is knocking/ticking. I need to dig up the final diagnostic test performed by Acura. I'm certainly not in a position to rebuild though the thought has crossed my mind. My experience in dropping/rebuilding engines is all VW related. I think this is a little more complicated. :cool:

Keep in mind that the dealer is going to prescribe a new factory long block if there is any internal damage, no matter how repairable. They do not get involved with "patch together" fixes on 250k engines when they have to warrantee their work. I would not either.

That does not mean that it's not fixable. You might be able to repair it and get a lot of additional miles out of it.

+1

I vote $2k on Craigslist. You don't want it, you don't want to fix it, seems like a no-brainer.

Hey Steve is there a magic request you make at the DMV? They have always blocked me from transferring title with no smog certificate. I would absolutely love to find a work around.

For the OP, the liability you can face with an un-transferred title is all the tickets, tows, etc. the vehicle may receive will accumulate in your name until the title is transferred. And it may be 2 or three sellers down the road before someone tries to transfer it, especially at this price point.

Yes, if you file the paperwork when you sell you are ultimately in the clear, but it can be a huge time wasting, frustrating hassle clearing your name with all the agencies that may be involved. For some reason, they don't like to believe it is not your car anymore, they just want your money and they have your name.

eastbay,

You can certainly transfer title / ownership. You won't get a registration without smog. Are you sure you aren't mixing this up?

G

Declare non operational. Must run but I will tell you what happened to me when I sole a car and that very same car was sold many time after to various people. it ended up with stolen engine, and various stolen vehicles on the property. Crazy scary stuff if you don't get paper work correctly done. AAA will do that for you without crazy wait at the DMV.

Ok, let's assume I will get all the paperwork filed correctly, which I will. Didn't know AAA will do that for you so that will save me some time and effort. I guess my question is, how do I get the maximum money for this car without putting in a bunch of cash and time? The registration is good until March of next year so there's no real rush other than it's parked outside my house. Having cash in my hand now would be nice but I'd be willing to wait if I would receive more cash later.

The thing about this is that you are dealing with the low ballers who want to make a buck and will grind you to death. Not to mention they will waste your time, the no shows, and many will promise to pay full price but only want to pay half once there. Is dealing with that crap worth it instead of spending time with your family? You have to ask yourself that. I think the max difference is 500- 800 bucks if you are lucky. Dealing with the bottom of the barrel is no fun. Then, there are those who do not want to reg. it under their names but will only take pink without filling out anything for their flipping benefit. Every time I buy a car, I make them go to AAA with me and get title transfer. If not, no deal, I don't need it that badly. I haven't bought a use car in a long time. Most of time, I know the seller. I don't sell, I gift my old beaters to my workmen. Selling is a PITA.

about 10 years ago, my Acura Integra GSR (need a small car for fuel milage instead of my dirty trucks) was bought new. Drove it for a week and was followed home. these bastards wanted the motor so they try to take the car but couldn't get the motor running due to some Acura key chip thing. This was 4pm. Neighbors came running 0ut screaming then the cops showed 15 minutes later. Cops told me to get rid of the car. they will come back for it. Is not if, but when. I lost a bunch of money, car was sold to an older guy who bought for his kid. AAA, bank, the whole deal. Four years later, I got a call form the The next day, I spoke with the station captain, he told me that I need to show up to verify that when I sold the car, and it did not have a stolen engine in it and that it was original. The bastard said that they bought the car like that from me, the original owner. I filled out some forms at the station and waited for a court date. I get another call a few weeks later and was told to not show up to court and the issue was solved and that I was not involve with stolen goods in anyway. But the cops never told me what actually happenedd, they refused. I was a little pissed about that. You never know who you sell a car to? They can buy from you in the morning and rob a store with it come noon, then you are screw if you don't transfer title immediately. Not worth all that crap. We have too much to lose.