Change XM to Sirius for New MDX

[gordongordo]

Just purchased a 2006 MDX Touring, 21,000 miles, for a good price, and find the vehicle more than meets my high expectations. I do have one question. Can you change the XM satellite service for Sirius . . . which has NPR (two channels), far more to my taste.

If I can change it, what must I do besides calling Sirius?

Cordially,

Michael

[nsxt2000]

I don't know the answer, but I bet someone on the forum does.

However I know that you have a nice SUV. After driving a 2001 MDX we bought new, it was time to replace it recently. We found a super 2005 with 13K miles and reasonably priced. Our previous MDX was not XM ready like the new one but having XM in my daily driver, an NSX, I wanted her to subscribe and she did.

As I have no experience with Sirius I don't know how to compare, but it sounds like we may be of close generations. Perhaps I should give it a try.

Thanks for participating in the forum and visit often.
-Mike S.

[gordongordo]

I appreciate the info, and yes, we may be of the same generation. I've just retired after 40 years as a professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, and I wanted to purchase a very good handling, attractive, and safe SUV that can maneuver adroitly on both ordinary street and freeway surfaces, but also on the unusually steep, twisty roads --- steep canyons and fall-offs everywhere --- in the hills right above downtown where I live. (There are hills here that make those in San Francisco look like they were designed for tricycles.)

Odd story about how I chanced upon an MXD.

After three weeks of research and lots of postings and discussion in Consumer Reports forums, I decided that the best vehicle for me was a pre-owned, certified Lexus RX330. Considering that Santa Barbara is 90 miles from Santa Monica, Brentwood, and not much farther from Beverly Hills --- in short, from the luxury vehicle capital of America and the world --- I found it easy using Edwards pre-owned links (which bring up Autotrader) to pin down about 30 or 40 RX330's in those areas . . . all low mileage and certified. This last Saturday (Nov 10th), I was slated to drive down to L.A. and sign the papers for the RX. Only . . . well, on Thursday night (Nov. 8th), there was a link posted at the main CR forum to the IIHS findings about rear-end collisions, and you know what? The Lexus flunked!

Instantly, I emailed the dealer and canceled the buying order for the RX330 and started used AutoTrader to find recent pre-owned Acuras MDX --- the top-rated by IIHS not for just rear-end collisions, but overall safety. There were about a dozen low-mileage ones, and I opted for my 2006 Touring that was being sold south of Santa Barbara in the Oxnard/Ventura area. It was at a small family-owned dealership; everyone seemed helpful and flexible; the service reputation of the firm is very high --- people drive in from northern L.A. for service there; and I got a very good price. What a wise choice!

Why not look for an MDX initially, rather than an RX330? Well, there is no Acura dealer here in Santa Barbara (which serves a greater area of only about 150,000 people), and you don't see many Acuras around. For every MXD I've seen, there are probably --- no exaggeration --- 7 or 8 times as many RX models, not to mention Lexus sedans.

Once again, Mike, thank you for the info. In the end, I'll probably have to take the MXD to a local car-audio specialist --- owned by a former UC Santa Barbara student --- and get his opinion if, after a few days, no one wises me up in this forum.

Michael

[nsxt2000]

Michael, thanks for the post. I can't believe that Acura seems to be missing such a lucrative market. In the greater Atlanta area we have five good dealerships, and even with that I see relatively few Acuras. (See my recent post about Acura owners being an elite group).

For over 15 years my wife drove Mercedes wagons before opting for her first MDX when they came out in 2001. She was going to buy the Mercedes ML, but frankly it did not match up to the standards fo the MDX.

I know you will be pleased with your decision.
-Mike S.
P.S. - Incidentally, it sounds like you have great roads for "spirited driving" opportunities. You should add to the recent thread cbout routes to drive.

[gordongordo]

Yes, I agree: Acura is missing out by not having more vehicles on the road. Whether Santa Barbara itself, which does have an affluent and even rich population on the average --- average, you understand! --- could support an Acura dealer is another matter. Even Lexus is just moving into Santa Barbara from further south (40 miles, most of its along a rugged coastline with no housing), and yet --- because of its reknown --- it seems, when you walk in certain areas of Santa Barbara, that you have to crawl over the cram-jam line up of Lexus cars parked along the curbs and in the parking lots to reach your destination.

The upshot? For every Acura you see here, you probably see 5 Mercedes and BMWs and 10 Lexuses. That's why I myself hadn't originally considered an MXD as my top choice.

One possible solution: much more targeted advertising by Acura, stressing both its high safety standards and its ultra high-performing vehicles as well as reliability. Frankly, until I saw the recent IIHS results and drove down to the nearest Acura dealership after locating a few tantalizing pre-owned MXDs, I had never even looked inside one, let alone sat in it. Fortunately I did, and now I'm an enthusiastic owner.

As a twist on this advertising campaign, Acura could casually knock the reliability and safety standards of certain Lexus, Mercedes, and BMW vehicles. From my own acquaintances, people who have been Mercedes owners for decades are eagerly searching for alternatives. That even includes very well-heeled relatives of mine in L.A.

As for the driving challenges in Santa Barbara, I discussed them in some graphic detail in a long threat recently in the Consumer Report forums, where I reported on a two-day test-drive of the new Buick Enclave --- a very impressive vehicle, considering its huge weight and size. It's a long thread, which I initiated on the Ford Edge --- which I briefly considered as a purchase --- and went on for several days of posts by others. http://discussions.consumerreports.org/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=cr-38auluxsuvgj&tid=7597

Michael

PS: When I reached the nearest Acura dealership in Oxnard/Ventura --- 40 miles south of here along that rugged coastline --- I parked along the curb, crept up onto the dealer's grass-lined lot, and went over to look at the vehicles. There was a couple there who were waiting for their Acura that was being serviced, so I naturally started chatting to find out what their experience had been with Acuras and the local dealership. Their zeal for both --- no other word for it --- was very reassuring to me, a debutante buyer at any Acura dealership. More reassuring still, they lived about 80 miles away in a tony suburb of West Los Angeles but always came to this small, family-owned dealership to buy and have their vehicles serviced. They said the same was true of some of their acquaintances in their locality who had Acuras too. For my part, I can say that it was probably the most satisfying buying experience at any dealership for any vehicle I've had for decades.

[nsxt2000]

I realize that is easy to second guess a companies marketing strategies, but I really do feel that Acura needs to consider a different agency with a fresh aproach. I am not alone in this. I recently read in trade publication that Southern California Acura dealers hired their own agency to promote the brand.

As pointed out in many post in the forum, I am a big fan of the entire Acura line-up, past and present, but especially taken with the NSX. When the NSX was in production (if you can call 1.2 cars per day at the time of it's demise production) it always dumbfounded me - I know that's easy to do - that Acura sponsored the Formula One race preview and never once showed an advertisiment for the NSX. It was always general brand identification.

One possible benefit I see of Acura taking the quiet approach is that over time more converts like yourself will find their way to the marque driving up demand and resale values.

Market segment placement is crucial to business success, but I feel Acura overdoes it by hiding the sailent features and quality of the brand under a bush.
-Mike S.