illinimatt81

I currently have a 2004 TSX AT with Navi. I'm at 166,000 miles and will be 13 years since I took delivery next week. Last night my mom picked up a 2014 Silver TSX with Tech Package at 29K miles off a one owner lease for $19K after retiring her 2005 TL. As I drove it around last night it got me thinking maybe I should do the same.

My 2004 has been meticulously maintained. The dealer marvels at it when I take it in for routine service. Everyone that gets in thinks it is a new car. The interior is mint. I mean that seriously. The exterior is near perfect and looks showroom new as there are no swirl marks as I have polished and waxed every year. I have a new windshield that was paid by insurance as my original developed a crack on a really cold day in December. Already replaced the AC nearly 2 years ago. All the fluids were recently replaced and I have new rear brakes.

I just wonder how long I can realistically expect to keep winning with this car. I've seen that many go well past 200K and there is the one over 500K. They aren't making any more TSXes, the TLX does not impress nor do I want to spend over 30K for a new Acura. I view the 2013/14s certified pre-owned coming off lease with ~30K miles as an exceptional buy that I could maintain to the same standard and I can go another 8-10 years without issue.

I don't have to do this, but my thought is I am one major repair away from it not being worth to fix or not having any value left to sell/trade. I also do not like anything else on the market and love this car.

Any reason I should not do this?

TSX1012m6

Ha, similar thing happened to me. I brought home my 2012 and my brother that day was calling dealership wanting to buy one for himself. The whole black/manual/made in Japan aspect really got him going.

Wow $19K is a great price. Are you open to a manual transmission (non tech only I believe)?

illinimatt81

I'm sticking with Auto and want the tech package if I do it. I'm seeing a few for $18-20K. I'm viewing this mostly from a financial perspective and what costs less in the next 8-10 years for me. Right now if I spent $14-15K after sale/trade and kept the next one 8-10 years I would come out ahead. If I keep my '04 I probably spend $1000-$1500 a year in maintenance - there will be front brakes and new tires in next 3 years and then a 200,000 mile major service if I decide to keep going. Doesn't include water pump and alternator which are still out there and they can fail at any time and my research here on the boards shows by 200,000 I can expect it to - hopefully when I am not far from home. I'm also going to be moving to an area of the country for the next 3 years where there is not as much selection as there is in Chicagoland meaning I could end up losing what I have of value in my current car if something happens and then have to fly somewhere and drive one back, so that's a consideration too.

ceb

166k miles on a TX i nothing. If it really is well maintained then why trade it in. What can you get on trade? $4k. If you get a "new to you" 2nd gen TSX for $20k (after taxes and tags) then the car has cost you $16k. You can do lots of repairs for $16k. If your car really is in great shape, then invest the $3000 for the timing belt, brakes and tires and you're ahead by $13k. Add a new set of shock and a detail for $1000 and you've got a new car - you're still up $12k. Revisit this at 250k miles and you might invest a couple of grand again.

You know the history on your TSX - you know nothing about the used TSX you may buy. Lease car are generally abused more than owned cars, maintenance is often deferred and the cheapest swill put in the tank. My sister leases an ILX here and owns an Equinox in New Mexico. The Equinox is garaged daily, the ILX stays in the driveway (empty garage) most of the time including during snowstorms. It is never washed. The Equinox gets weekly washes in a brushless wash. I get asked what gas she should put in the Equinox, but she never asked about the RL or the ILX. She does the maintenance as required but nothing more. I know of several Mercedes leasers who have figured out how to reset the system and never get maintenance done.

VR1

I have a friend with a 04 TSX with 190k miles, I have a '13 with like 36k. The 2G is nice but imo its not a huge upgrade from the 1G TSX. It's not much faster, it doesn't handle better and there's not really any significant feature/upgrade that really distinguishes it from the 1G. Of course, the interior of the 2G looks much more modern then the 1G, but technology wise the tech package TSX was already behind when it came out and today is severely outdated compared to new cars. You could just get a new headunit in your 1G with android auto/apple carplay/back-up camera and be far ahead tech wise then a 2G TSX tech.

illinimatt81

You are all right. I know my car and it's solid. I invested in proper care and treated it right. The age concerns me more than mileage. It looks and feels new and drives solid. Nothing of concern. I guess I can't wrap my head around driving it up to 20 years and it continuing on this way but maybe it is realistic.

WheelMcCoy

An old BMW problem was blue smoke coming out the tailpipe. It meant the engine was burning oil, most likely due to neglect. The joke was BWM owners only change their oil 0 times or 1 time. The 1 time they changed it, they saw how much it cost and never did it again. Since that hurt BMW's used car market, they now smartly include "free" maintenance for the first 3 years or so. Surprisingly, Toyota does this too (for 2 years). But Toyota's main reason is to keep customers returning for regular maintenance. Unfortunately, Honda / Acura does not offer any variation of this.

Yes, because you were so meticulous maintaining your car, you know it. You can probably continue on till 20 years. My sister has a well maintained 1997 Honda Civic; the Honda mechanic that works on it wants first dibs when she plans to sell (soon). So 20 years is not out of the realm of possibility.

Hold it for 25 years and your TSX could qualify for classic car status, the only instant benefit is it would be exempt from emissions testing.

kurtatx

In Chicago (I grew up and lived in Lakeview in my early 20s), I would wait to upgrade anything and save a little extra for AWD. I know that sounds cliche (I used to drive a RWD in Chicago), but the experience of driving an AWD car in the snow and poor weather isn't just safer, IMHO it's much more enjoyable.

Also, I-L-L!

illinimatt81

I-N-I!

My wife has an AWD Subaru so if it is really bad weather where we are headed we take that vehicle. I wouldn't want it personally due to the poorer gas mileage and extra maintenance given how we don't have bad winters in Chicago and when it does snow IDOT is all over it. Other than the blizzard of 2011 roads are fine.

I went to the auto show last night and spent some time really looking around with open eyes. It still dismays me that the Accord has better technology than the TLX. I shared this with the booth staff and they didn't disagree. I walk around and see what Lexus is doing or even Infinity and you start to realize Acura needs to up it's game. I'm very loyal to Acura but my eyes are beginning to wander now.

In any case, I am keeping the 2004 TSX and going to take it over 200,000 miles as I planned to. I'm so close. It's not worth letting go of until something major happens. I also am not emotionally ready to let it go. The amount I'll get for it is far less than the value it holds for me. Maybe in the next few years Acura will start leading again and get me excited about something. Wanting to buy a 3 year old TSX because they discontinued it and last chance to get a low mileage clean car to run up the odometer on while not being excited about their current offerings is a problem.

Thanks to all for the input. Having third party objective advice helped in the decision that in the end I am not getting anything other than what I have but newer and still outdated technology.

TSX1012m6

Excuse me a moment please. Did someone just reccomend a AWD car for Chicago, and you said you don't want it because of gas mileage and... IDOT is all-over the roads when it snows??

Is there another Chicago in the USA because the one I have lived in all my life does has TERRIBLE winters and even worse public works that plows out streets. The DOT is not all over the roads when it snows. On my street we call the snow plow the unicorn because they are so rare.

I'm getting the impression that although there is excellent advice from people who have been there and done that, you just are only hearing what you want to hear.

illinimatt81

LOL! In all seriousness, have you lived anywhere but Chicago? I say this as I spent 6 years in Michigan while my wife was in medical school and had a residency. It would be easy to complain if you lack something to compare it to. Even one inch of snow in Michigan would result in a total shutdown, wipeouts all over the place, massive pileups. Ice on major interstates was common. Might as well been Atlanta.

Have you ever seen cars in Chicago drive with their 4-ways on? I had never seen this until my first time driving in Michigan in the winter. I had no idea what that meant. Turns out it means ice, and it's a common sight. Seeing plows was rare, and using salt even rarer. The "plows" in Michigan aren't even mounted on the front. They have this butterknife contraption under the truck that grooms the snow. When any kind of snow comes they let everything become a total mess and only go out at a leisurely pace after all is done.

IDOT on the other hand will have every truck out in the median with lights blinking waiting for the "go" command before the storm hits so the roads never have snow/ice accumulation. IDOT also sends out several trucks together in a line and sweeps shoulder to shoulder on a diagonal to completely clear the road.

Chicago is best in the nation with snow removal. Nowhere is perfect, but Chicago does it best. And speaking of roads, if you think they are bad in Chicago also take a quick drive over to Michigan. You'll quickly realize just how good we have it.

TSX1012m6

Damn Michigan needs to step up their game! I've lived in the Chicago suburbs as well and I have been fortune enough to experience phenomenal snow plowing. The residential/main roads are always plowed often. I know its not fair to compare a suburb to Chicago however. I realize the vast difference. In the area I am in the city, if it snows you can cancel all your plans unless you have Blizzaks or AWD. Not necessarily because of the main roads, but because of the lack of plowing on the residential streets. Especially in congested residential areas.

I also stayed in New York for a winter and a lot of people already were equipped by default with Subarus (and other various AWD cars). I would assume that people who live in Michigan would get the hint after the first winter but I am guessing not?

illinimatt81

There are a lot of Subarus and AWDs in Michigan. That's actually why we got one as for the first time I had to deal with poor roads. I hadn't encountered it before. On the plus side, I'm an excellent driver in poor conditions now. When it would snow if I didn't have to take the TSX out it stayed in the garage.

AWD helps, but does you no good when you get a quick lake effect snow shower that immediately turns to black ice. Nothing can save you there.

Now if we could only do something about people in Chicago slamming on the brakes when it rains. I've never understood that!

BROlando

Chicagoland winters aren't very snowy.

Roads are plowed instantly

You don't need AWD here. AWD just helps you get going. Not sure how its "safer" than FWD.

OP, your decision to keep your 1G is sound. I don't think the 2G is a car that would make me want to "upgrade", though it is a very nice car.

TBH, the 1G seems to have a more solid build. The 2G has some additional features, but they're outdated even by 2013 or 2014 standards.

I've been debating selling my TSX next year and buying a 3 series/M3. But....I probably wont since its not a necessity, and the TSX works/runs fantastic.

tecono1

Having lived in the Chicago suburbs and Chicago proper for the first 25 years of my life, I still marvel at how well IL handles winter. You could have a blizzard with nearly clear roads but go into WI and be at an utter standstill. I'll never forget one instance when my sister and I were snowboarding up at Granite Peak and slogged for about 6 hours one one plowed lane of I-90. As soon as we crossed the border into IL at Beloit, the roads were immaculate, even as snow fell. We made it home to the western burbs in near record time.

I spent 9 years after that living in CA in the SF Bay Area and regularly went up to the Tahoe area - again, IDOT would have run circled around CalTrans, even with mountain passes.

I live in Maine now and was expecting the worst. I got snows for my TSX figuring the roads would be a nightmare in the snow, but ME DOT has it down, right up there with IL - pretty impressed. (on that note, i need to update my location!)