I see a lot of posts from people who are multi-Honda/Acura buyers. I'm just curious how many are first time Acura buyers like me.

I can't say that I'd buy another Acura, but I can't say that I won't. I'm certainly not disappointed with my RDX (it's only been three days) but I tend not to be much of a brand loyalist. There are brands I absolutely, positively would never buy (does that make me a brand hater?), but I can't see myself ever being loyal to one particular company.

In February I bought my first ever Saturn. Never gave that company serious consideration until they came out with the Outlook on the Lambda platform. The same with Acura. Never thought seriously about an Acura until I heard about the RDX.

 

First time Honda owner here (I have a TSX). Love it.

 

I am not sure that I would say I am not completely brand loyal. I love Honda/Acura, this is my third Honda product. I had a 1995 Civic for a couple of years, 1999 Acura Integra GSR for a couple of years and now I have this TL. With the last two cars I have looked at several other cars but I have wound up back in a Honda product. The standard features, quality, overall value and great reliability keep me coming back. I am be coming more country loyal though. The Japanese cars just do it for me. I can say with absolute confidence that there isn’t one car made by GM, Ford or Chrysler that I have any interest in. Let me clarify that, I would by a truck made by GM or Ford, but I would rather spend my money somewhere else than on a car made by the big 3. GO ACURA.

 

First time Acura buyer, but this is my 3rd overall Honda product.

Owned a hand me down 88 Accord Lx-i from my folks and a 99 Accord Ex. All I've owned are Honda's 4 cyl cars and never a V6. This is probably my only Acura car I may own though. I want to move on with another car company aside from Honda/Acura now.

 

I'm not too brand loyal. This is my second Honda, and first Acura! I had a '90 Accord which I bought new. I will seriously consider Acura again, not only for the product, but also for the service I have received.

 

i try not to be brand loyal but do end up buying hondas :S

4 honda's in the family so far. (99 civic, 99 prelude, 00 crv, 07 rdx :S) although pops did own quite a bit of different rides in his time

audi in germany
renault alliance
chevette
oldsmobile cutlas ciera
dodge caravan
and then its all been honda's after that.

I really would like to pick up a RWD as my next whip (replacing the lude) but thats on hold

 

Yes. I am loyal to Acura, Honda, Lexus, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, VW.... Wait, what?




Seriously, I have owned 3 VW's (loved them), two Hondas (loved them), a Lexus (loved it) and three Acuras (love them).
They all loved me back too.

 

This is my first car purchase so it's a first of anything that I've owned. I wouldn't say I'm brand loyal...I did a lot of researching before deciding on the RDX. Might have gone with a Subaru Legacy if I didn't feel like I needed the extra utility..or even the Infiniti EX35 had it come out sooner.

Safety & Reliability are big factors for me though - so I can see myself buying more Hondas/Acuras in the future (assuming their QC doesn't dip).

 

second honda product i owned, but my neighboor actually gave me my 1992 accord, couldnt kill that thing 232k miles and still kickin. first car i bought was the rdx and loving every minute of it, would def buy honda/acura product again, i feel safe knowing im driving a brand with a great track record for safety and reliability

 

first car i have was an acura integra 2door 89, first car i bought was a honda civic lx 4 door 89 , then acura legend 4door 92 , honda civic 2door 93, ford tauros 2000, dodge intrepid 2000, now i have an acura mdx 03 , that`s 5 product from honda/acura .

 

I presently own the RDX, a Mitsu Lancer Ralliart, VW GTI and just sold my C5 Corvette. I have also owned Fords, Chryslers and GMs. I have always tried to purchase the best product without regard for loyalty, domestic, import, etc.

Having said that, the Honda product (RDX) is by every measure, the best vehicle purchase I have ever made. Based on that experience, I bought a Honda lawn mower and am equally pleased with that. I am often consulted for auto buying advice, and while I'm not ready to go around wearing Honda logos, I will first try to interest them in the Honda product that most closely suits their needs.

GMs newest offerings appear to be competitive, but their long history of releasing unfinished products with overlooked detail and poor reliability is too recent for me to give an unconditional recommendation.

I would not recommend Chrysler to anyone, ever. Their newest offerings benchmarked -- and almost equal -- the industry leader's last generation vehicles.

My Ford recommendations are limited to the Fusion/Milan/MKZ platform.

To performance buyers, I suggest Honda, VW, Subaru and Mitsubishi.

To older (soft cruiser) buyers I suggest Toyota and Hyundai.

Mercedes deserves special recognition for producing the most unreliable vehicles on the market.

 

This is my second Honda product, and def wont be the last. I plan on buying an NSX after I pay off the TL. (keeping both) The girlfriend wants either an MDX, RDX or a TSX, so I guess my brand loyalty rubbed off on her!

 

I consider Honda and Acura to be the same brand, I am a brand loyalist. So my RDX is my sixth Honda product. My first was a 1980 Honda Civic. My second Honda was a used 600 coupe with a 2 cylinder engine. That 600 was a blast to drive around.

Actually I owned two 1971 Honda 600 coupes, I purchased the second one from a junk yard for parts.

 

Mrs. Rizzo's C230k is coming off lease in April 08 and we have not had one single problem with the car. Not one unscheduled service visit and only one small intermittent squeak.



OTH: this is my first Honda/Acura and I bought it as a compromise at the time. It's really grown on me and now I'm seriously considering replacing the Benz with a RL.

.

 

we used to own a VW, Ford and now toyota and acura. Since my CL-S's tranny problems, acura/honda are kinda on my number 2 right now but seeing the current models dont have tranny problems, my next car maybe a honda/acura. toyota is my number 1 because we own a camry with 214k and running great. but i can almost promise you that all the cars that i will ever own will be japanese. my relatives all have japanese cars and they run great for a long time. plus the VW and ford we used of have were junk. so thats my reason or reasons

 

On the face of it.....you would think I was brand loyal to Honda\Acura...having owned nothing but since my first new car in 1984 when I bought a CRX, and have since had....

88 Civic LX
89 Integra LS
95 Integra GSR
98 Integra GSR
02 RSX/S
05 RSX/S
06 RL

But I'm not...if any other car maker could produce a better all around vehicle for the same price point and have the same reliability, I'd be gone in a heartbeat.

IMHO, people that are brand loyal are playing right into the manufacturer's hands....It gives them an excuse to be lazy.

I also have a Honda Push mower, but not a Honda riding mower. My rider is a John Deere, although lately JD has been cheaping out on the lower end models they sell at Home Depot.

It's funny, when I bought my JD in 2000, none of my neighbors had one...now they all do. My lawn looks like a golf green after I mow.

 

First timer here. Absolutely love my RDX.

 

first time acura owner but did own an 05 civic ex-se- 5spd. i have owned mercedes, volvo, nissan, mitsubishi, mazda, eagle, hyundai, ford, chevy and bmw.

 

I was all Honda/Acura till I drove a GS and LS

 

Somewhat of a brand loyalist, but this is my first Acura (RDX). I have owned the following:

1986 Accord
1991 Civic
1998 Accord V6 Coupe
1998 Accord V6 Sedan
1999 Accord Coupe
2000 Passport (not really a Honda)
2003 Pilots (two of them)
2006 Ridgeline
2006 Element (daughter drives)
2007 RDX

In addition, I have owned two Toyotas, two Infinitis, two Volvos, two Nissans and a few Chevrolets throughout the years.

 

I have owned

1991 Hyundai Elantra
1997 Honda Civic EX
1999 Acura TL
2000 BMW 323i
2001 BMW 330i
2002 Infiniti QX4
2003 SAAB 9-3 sports sedan
2005 Acura TSX (current)
2007 Acura RDX (current)

From the list, you can tell which makes I don't like (SAAB and Infiniti). Love the Bimmers, but way too costly to maintain. I can't really say I am a Honda Loyalist...

I never liked Mercedes Benz, but the latest 2008 C300 sport is really changing my perspective of that brand...

 

I can add though that the funny thing is that the Honda ergonomics never change.

On the 88 Accord the sunroof button was in the same place right to the left steering wheel, it was in the same place 11 years later on the 99 Accord, and again 4 years later on the 04 TSX. Hilarious!

 

What, no GM products? Ford? Chrysler? LOL. I bought my first GM product in 14 years last February when I picked up a loaded, 8 passenger Saturn Outlook for 41K. Sorry, but it's better than the Acura MDX which costs more.

Regarding the C300 sport, I almost bought the C350 Sport instead of this RDX. But I wanted more utility than a sedan provides and I wanted a second vehicle with AWD. I know you can get the lower priced C300 sport with 4-Matic, but it's too slow. The C300 will only do 7.1 seconds, 0 to 60. That's slower than an RDX. Worse, that's slower than a damn Camry or Accord. I would find it embarrasing to drive a MB sport sedan that cost 10,000 bucks more than a V6 Camry or Accord or Altima and is SLOWER. A lot slower. Totally unacceptable. Only the C350 is faster but you get the staggered wheels which makes them expensive to replace and no 4-Matic on the C350. That's why I changed my mind about it.

I guess I'm not a brand loyalist.

 

Well, the only GM "Product" in the list is the SAAB 9-3. It sits in a GM Epsilon chassis and most of the parts are from the GM parts bin (e.g. the engine is the Ecotec 2.0L, tweaked by the Swedes). I have driven many GM products (mostly rental), but from my experience with the GM built SAAB, GM means "generally mediocre" to me. No offence to your purchase of the outlook...

Didn't do your homework eh?

 

$41k and Saturn just doesn't look right.....

Please, please tell us how a Saturn Outlook(does it have it's own email adddress? ) is better than an MDX....

 

Ever since my father purchased his first new car in the Fall of 1993 we have owned nothing but an Acura. I love this company, and the cars.

Father:
-1994 Integra LS
-2000 Integra GSR
-2003 Acura TL-S
-2005 Acura TSX

Me:
-1994 Integra GSR (4dr)
-2005 RSX-S
-2003 TL-S

My cousin has an 01 CL-S, uncle had an 04 TL. I look forward to ownig more Acura's in the future. NSX, Honda S2000, and whatever else catches my eye that I can afford.

 

Actually I took a peek at the Saturn website, and with most of the options thrown in, it will get up to $41K.

But all said, the outlook and the MDX are in totally different classes, the former a typical SUV, and the MDX luxury SUV. The quality and build is also different (MDX being better, JMHO). The MDX also looks way better both interior and exterior, JMHO.

performance wise, the MDX way more power, same torque, more advanced AWD system. better fuel economy with the MDX.

Plus regular maintenance of both vehicles at dealership is very similar; GM service costs at dealership has never been cheap...

 

Considering my cars have been:

Dodge
Plymouth
Isuzu
Ford
Nissan
Dodge
Nissan
Subaru
Acura

I think its safe to say, I'm not a loyalist. Best product for my needs is what I buy. That being said, I do think Acura makes higher end vehicles with a complete standard equipment list (not 10k in options like BMW), good prices and good resale.

 

I believe that most of us are Brand loyal because we (on the zine) are car savvy, do our HW, and want the OVERALL best bang for our buck. For me Honda and Toyota make the best products out there dollar for dollar pound for pound. And that my friends is why we keep on comming back. We just love the good stuff.

 

2nd Honda product ('05 Odessey, then an '07 TL-S MT).

Guess I'm here by what I will no longer buy:

After a '79 Chevette, I stopped buying GM (plastic shift linkage gave out - $$$).
After an 88 Voyager, I stopped buying Chrysler (3 transmissions, two radios, one fuel pump)
After a '96 Windstar, I stopped buying Ford (car seemed to disintegrate even following the MFGr's maintenance schedule)

And yes, I'm religious about following maintenance schedules and driving cars to make them last. I simply had enough bad luck with the Big 3 to move on.

After an excellent experience with our Odessy, buying the TL-S was simply weighing my midlife crisis against the $$ (but not $$$ for the BMW 3).

Guess which won?

 

I was a Acura brand "loyalist" till now. I owned a Legend for years,among other products and I can say that the quality in Acura products has dereased to the level that it is no better built than a toyota or even some American car products.
The RDX has been a total disappointment to me.Read my past posts if your interested -it details some of my gripes from quality of build to quality of service.
Cant wait for the day I trade it and put the Acura label behind me.Most likely I will go for a lower cost toyota that will get me good gas mileage/have less expensive maintenance and the service department will treat me better than my acura dealer I have now.

 

63 Jag XK-E roadster.
A slew of 69-73 Fiats and a 74 X1/9. They broke fewer times than my friends' Brit trash. With the exception of the uncannily-reliable XK-E. Unless it rained.
75 Opel Manta GTE (illegal in the US, but what the heck).
76 Olds.
Two 78 Pontiacs.
89 Chevy.
Three Mercurys - 74 Capri IIs, 79 Capri Turbo, 00 Sable (shoot me).
3 VWs - 83 GTI, 89 Corrado G60, 90 Passat GLX.
Audi A6.
Mazda 323.
Toyota MR2 Turbo.
Isuzu Trooper.
3 Hondas - 96 Civic LX sedan, 05 V6 Accord Coupe 6MT, 07 Element EX.
4 Acuras - 96 Integra GS-R, 04 TL-S, 06 TL 6MT, 08 RDX-T.

I'm sure I've forgotten a few. Since 2003 it's been nothing but Honda products in my garage, even though I've closely checked out the competition. They've simply worked for me, including my Honda mower (++ XLR8R). I never thought I'd give up my LawnBoy, but it found a home in my girlfriend's garage next to her Accord SE.

 

Nothing but Acuras since 1988. The cars have been excellent, the service great. I looked at other cars last time, but its nice to deal with people you trust, that you know wont rip you off! This week my RDX is a year old, 24000 miles, not a problem!

 

Oh man...how could I have forgotten my Fiat 850 Spider!? (mine was Italian Racing Red)



I could take every corner on the Air Force Base at the posted speed limit, without using brakes or squealing tires. Drove the SPs crazy -- then they loved it -- after I let them drive. In the back country, my buddy's MGB-GT would power away on straights, but I always had him in the twisties.

I never had a major problem with it; we'd use the Fiat to run for parts when the MG suffered a Lucas fit. Thanks for the memory Bleu...

Years after it was gone, I got a recall notice that the seat mounts were rusting, and seats were falling out the bottom of the car.

 

Those 850s were a blast, no question. Two red ones and a robins-egg blue one that was at the Fiat exhibit in the Detroit Auto show before I bought it. I saw one earlier this summer on the road - MAN those things are tiny!

 

The last one I saw was bolted upside down to a painted roadway scene on the ceiling of an LA shopping mall, down around Long Beach, I think. That was about 15 years ago.

 

Someone here (a few posts earlier) indicated that he can't wait to put the Acura label behind him. Well, when I had my 1999 TL, the sportshift transmission was in it's first year of production, and I hated driving that car because of it. I eventually got rid of it, but then thereafter, Acura offered owners then free replacement of the transmission and also a 7 year warranty for it. Maybe should have kept it then. Have to admit, didn't really want to go back to Acura for that reason. But all car manufacturers (including Toyotas, just less often) will go through a time when one of their particular model car years, have problems which will taint their quality reputation. The question is how they respond to it, and get themselves back on track.

The GM SAAB 9-3 is a good example, where, up till now, they still have to work out their quality issues in their late model cars.

Toyotas and Acura (Honda), have been a good quality and reliable brand for years. This is also reflected in their high resale value.

For that poster who can't wait to get out of his Acura and into a reliable Toyota, I say, go for it. You can't go wrong there. BUT IT DOES NOT MEAN HONDA PRODUCTS ARE POOR QUALITY. Check their car production/reliability history/facts before you make that judgement. Check the number of recalls they have had in their cars. In fact, if you check NHTSA website for recalls, Toyota also had their share of it, just not as many as compared to say Chrysler.
If a car manufacturer has quality issues throughout their car line ups, and for continuous number of years, then you can safely say that it is probably one to avoid.

For that poster who vented about Acura, I remember that it was not real quality issues but something else which you felt should have been there or something.
Just be happy and move on to your next Toyota, and hopefully it is not one of their rare recall ones.

 

Toyota and Volkswagen both had major engine sludge issues. Toyota was compelled (though not right away) to take care of owners, thus saving their quality reputation, and most people are unaware that it ever happened. VW spent years blaming the owners, and are still suffering the consequences today.

This has got to be my all-time favorite recall though:


Imagine tooling down the road with a detached steering wheel in your hands -- like a Hollywood comedy -- John Candy would have been perfect.

 

Well this is my first Acura so based on my 40 years of owning cars of different makes, who knows what will be next!!
Here is what I have owned( 25) over that period( thought it might be interesting to keep a spreadsheet going) ,not necessarily owned to coincide with the Vehicle year sequence as some of them were used cars and in some cases owned two cars at the same time..

1959 Plymouth Coupe V8
1967 Ford Mustang Coupe 6 cyl.
1969 Volkswagen Type 3 Stn. Wgn 4 cyl
1970 Toyota Crown Stn. Wgn 6 cyl.
1972 Dodge Monaco Stn. Wgn V8
1972 Volvo 142E Coupe 4 cyl
1973 Toyota Corona Stn. Wgn 4 cyl
1974 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper 4 cyl
1974 Dodge B200Van Conversion V8
1976 Ford F250 Truck 6 cyl.
1980 Datsun 210 4 door 4 cyl
1982 Nissan Stanza Hatchback 4 cyl
1983 Volvo 245 Stn. Wgn 4 cyl
1986 BMW * 325i-Euro Coupe 6 cyl.
1988 Plymouth Voyager Minivan V6
1989 Volkswagen Westfalia camper 4 cyl
1994 Toyota Camry Stn. Wgn 4 cyl
1995 Nissan Pathfinder SUV V6
1997 BMW 328is Coupe 6 cyl.
1997 Mazda Miata Convertible 4 cyl
1998 Nissan Pathfinder SUV V6
2003 Chevrolet Silverado Truck V8
2005 Toyota 4Runner SUV V8
2006 BMW 325i Sedan 6 cyl.
2008 Acura RDX CUV 4 cyl.

 

From your list I only have heard of the cars from 1986 and on.

What's a Westfalia Camper?