Weck

Well, the car is now 9 years old with 177K kms and I'm on the fence on whether it's time to trade it in for another TSX. I'm the original owner of this never-tracked car and it's treated me fairly well over it's life. Aside from a new starter and the ever-present clutch master cylinder squeek, it's never let me down. Paint is near perfect; interior good with leather wear on driver seat bolster.

But it has the original clutch, exhaust, rad, wheel bearings, shocks and rear discs/calipers ... and with an upcoming total rear brake job and new clutch/mc, I'm wondering if it's worth spending money on it and keep it for another 2 years.

The '12 TSX would probably run me $35K Cdn for all the options I want. If I went that route, what should I expect for a trade in?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Simba91102

The mileage isn't bad, but I'm inclined to advise moving up. I'd forget a new one though and look for like a low mileage 010.

DuckDodgers

If your plan is solid on at most 2 more years, sell now. The work will pay for itself over time, but not that short a time.

Weck

Why '10? Best value considering depreciation curve?

mrgold35

177,000KM (110,000 miles) is really low mileage for an 04 TSX. You are still good for another 80,000-120,000KM at a fraction of the cost of 12 TSX. It is really hard to give up on such a good car. I'm saving my 06 TSX for my son when he starts driving in 2 years (purchased new with 7 miles on odo).

Have you thought about the 07-12 RDX w/ tech? You will miss out on the 6MT; but, the turbo, sh-awd, better visibility, navi/ELS/bluetooth, and extra space make up for it in no time. You can add Hondata for $300+shipping and get 30hp/30TQ. You can keep the TSX for a commuter car.

I’ve been 100% happy with the purchase of my used 08 RDX/tech. The RDX is my favorite vehicle in 30 years of driving.

Simba91102

Pretty much. I'm concerned the 09's are trouble prone (04 light), and the 011's and 012's are still pricey. I much prefer the 1st gen, but unfortunately nice ones (low mileage 07 or 08) are becoming hard to find.

feuss2

iTrader: (1)

Your car is just breaking in - keep driving!

Weck

Thanks for the replies - it did get me thinking towards keeping it. The 1st gen is a great car and I'm reminded of it every I get back into mine after driving something different. Even the lines of the car still look super-fresh and timeless. That says something for a 9 year old model.

You're right, 177K is definitely low mileage. I haven't checked in to this forum for awhile and all the talk of a/c units and steering racks failing has gotten me nervous. Mine seems ok (knock on wood), but the early electrical gremlins (radio head, centre stack, seat heater) don't instill confidence. For now I'm keeping it. Maybe I'll still be driving it in time for the TLX or ILX-S

Simba91102

I for one understand, and 110K miles is no big deal (I'm still driving and enjoying my 05 with 173K miles on it). That said, I do worry occasionally about the fact that if anything breaks, it's probably going to something expensive. I shudder to think of putting $2K-$3K into the car; then I'd definitely have to drive it forever!

04-6mt-atx

iTrader: (2)

It is hard to let go of a 1st gen. Just traded my 04 6mt w/ 96k in for 09 MDX sport/entertainment and will always miss my old tsx. Of course, the added creature comforts, torque and awd are worth the trade.

TSX69

Currently holding on to my 2004 (w/ ~75,000 miles). After seeing Honda go all out on the 2013 Accord, I hope that it translates to vast improvement as well to the Acura line. 2014 should debut the new TL & TSX ... or TLX if they combine them. Probably worth the wait for the Earth Dreams engine, new transmission & various other new features. 1 of the main reasons I passed on the 2nd generation TSX was that it was not that much different from the 1st in terms of what I was looking for (basically the same 2.4 engine, 5 speed auto, still no ventilated seats or LEDs ...) but that should not be the case this time around ...

gogozy

same here, except 2004 TSX has even lower mileage. after seeing some report of 2013 accord, i felt it's a mix feeling. the 2013 loss double wishbone setup, gain earthdream k24W, and some other nice feature. however, don't forget the 1G tsx is still consider to be one of the best handling Honda.
i also heard the k24 in 1st Gen TSX does not have cat cast into exhaust and have real exhaust vtec and the 2G does not have? this is probably not an issue with most driver but that it mean something special to the buyer looking for mod.
since K24w now has DI, which mostly prone to carbon deposit,and so i will not get into K24w for at least 2 years of watching. plus i am very used to how my tsx handle, there are lots of control near limit, and attribute it to the DWB setup. perhaps Acura will continue to use DWB setup on RL, TLX.
because of these uncertainty, i had decided to keep my tsx for another few years. I am glade we made the purchased of this TSX, and this combination hard to come by today, i just can't let it go (unless they decide to sell TSX wagon in Canada, then i would trade it in for a tsx wagon...)
if you decide to keep the car, there are 2 areas I would pay extra attentions, the AC compressor, and power steering fluid pipe(check for pipe lump, rust, and pump leak)

Weck

Good thinking. I'm leaning that way too.

Now that I've decided to keep my 1st Gen, I replaced the clutch/master cylinder after having difficulty shifting for the last couple of months. After dealing with that annoying throw-out bearing problem for the last 5 years, the new assembly is like night and day. It literally drives like a new car. I had a '12 civic loaner that cemented my decision, though that's not a fair comparison.

With the front axle down, they found a couple of rusted exhaust bolts and a leaking CV boot.