phatbear

Hello everybody. Just wanted your thoughts on the purchase of a used 2004 TSX with 200,000 miles for $5900. It's from a dealer so its not a rebuilt title and has had no major accidents or engine trouble.

Thoughts??

A SiQ TL

Do it.
Drive for 5, you're almost halfway there.


Seriously though, has all the scheduled maintenance been kept up on?

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

meh, i'd pass

WILLDOGS

Don't just assume that there are no rebuilt tiltles or engine trouble just because its from a dealer. Run carfax/autocheck

And I wouldn't pay more than $4,000 for it and drive it till it falls apart which may be a while. I'd say if you can get another 100k out of her, you got your money's worth

Legend2TL

+1, check CarFax and I agree the price also seems high for the mileage even for a Honda/Acura.

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

Take it for a test drive. Both highway and local. Ask the dealer for a free carfax report on the vehicle.

Hapa DC5

With proper maintenance any car can see 200k+ I agree with the above comments, drop it another $1500 or so and drive the car another few years you'll do okay.

nj2pa2nc

carfax is only good with information provided to them. Even tho I have all service done by acura/honda dealers only the service from Acura of Reno showed up. The acura dealers I use in Pa and NC do not share info with them

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

check service records if available... that car can easily last 500k with proper maintenance...

calisoulsurfer

I tend to agree with everyone, but you can't rely on just their suggestions. Carfax and Autocheck are flawed, and are under multiple lawsuits all across the country for providing flawed information and not following through on their claims. Even with the basic information on them, also check the federal government database online to make sure the car's not stolen. Just because a car comes from a dealership doesn't mean its a no problem car.

You also have to realize that no matter how good a person maintains their car, 200K is a lot of miles. Even cars with excellent maintenance can still have problems. You may not have an issue with some catastrophic, but any item that will fail from wear is likely to start failing soon if it isn't already. Getting service records is important. When was the last time timing belt/chain was serviced? Water pump? Brakes? Drive belt/pulley/tensioners? How much life is in the cat?

Honda/Acura will last a long time, but at 200K you're going to start running into wear items wearing out that would have worn out at 100K on a domestic.

phatbear

thanks everybody. on way to see the car to test it and the dealer called me that it was just sold.... oh well.... :/ on to the next one...

calisoulsurfer

Yeah that's the other thing with cars like that... they go fast.

feuss2

iTrader: (1)

definitely. if it lasts that many miles it shows you how good it is

mdechgan

The TSX is a very high in demand car. Very difficult to find one in good condition and low mileage for under 10k. People just don't sell them. That is to show how good a car it is. I don't see any heavy problems with the car that can't be fixed. The timing chain should last forever. I got my tranny rebuilt for $600. Just as long as the car isn't salvaged or the chassis bent the car is a bargain.

Simba91102

This is pretty much just what I've been told also. I think it's a combination of things that have kept the 1st gen prices high (a big one being how uninspired the 2nd gen car is). I'm getting ready to sell my 05, and it will have 166K-167K miles on it when I do. For a car that is 7 years old and with that many miles on it, it's in amazing shape. I'm sure there are others out there too (including my wife's 07 with 145K miles on it). These do tend to be pretty bulletproof.

mdechgan

What problems do you here about the 2nd gen? I was thinking about getting one soon. But in a test drive it just felt like an overpriced accord.

xradman

For one, it's ugly.

A SiQ TL

Either you're crazy or I am , cuz I think they look better than the 1G IMO. If I was going to buy an Acura now, the TSX would likely be the one I would get. With the V6 and 6 spd.

edit: just noticed this was moved to the 1G TSX forum, so I'm probably not going to have a lot of people agreeing with me

Boulder TSX

No, you won't have much agreement here. --Ha ha!. Of course, we're biased, (all of us, in both forums.)

I think they're both great cars.

But the editors of Car & Driver and Motor Trend have also stated they liked the design of the 1G best, neither group liking the front end of the 2G. (Just sayin')

uhohkaitlina

Amen!

My car was backed into in park, and had minor cosmetic damage, and that was reported to carfax.

Yet, my dumbass friend hit a pothole and ripped off my oil pan and seized my engine. Honda repaired it and put in a new engine. THAT never made it on the carfax. And, that's about as major as it gets..

A SiQ TL

I can see what they're saying about the nose. It seems all the new vehicles in the Acura lineups have the same front end. But for some reason the TSX doesn't look bulky and horrendous to me like some of the others do.
Whenever I see one on the road, I definitely give it an admiring look. I don't dislike the 1G, but I like the 2G more.

xradman

Only current generation Acura that I think look better than the previous model is the MDX. Every other car including TSX, TL, and RL looked better in prior incarnation. I don't dislike the nose as much as I dislike the tail treatment. They look like something out of hormone confused Japanese teenager's anime fantasy.

fast1

The 2G is the much softer sedan (Accord-ish). Ride quality is a lot less sharp and I didn't like the new nav/display. To each their own.

Simba91102

Let me explain just a bit. My comment on the 2nd gen was based on a consensus, it's not necessarily just my own opinion (though it is). All of the present generation Acura models have tended to be somewhat polarizing. A little more revolutionary than evolutionary, and that's bound to alienate a portion of the fan base. I'm done with new Acura's for the time being because of it, and I'm pretty sure that I'm not alone. On the other hand, the new designs have probably captured some that are new to the brand. It's pretty well known that many 1st gen. TSX owners and pretty disappointed with the newer offering. Oh well, Acura doesn't seem to care so why should we?

Simba91102

Good luck finding a V6 TSX with a 6 speed.

calisoulsurfer

Eh, I really like the looks of the newer TSX's except for that grill, but you have to give Acura credit in that they are trying to do something out of the ordinary. The knock is that they should know when enough is enough and get out.

I love the handling and styling of the new Accord. I just don't like the dash with all the buttons. I feel like I'm in an Apollo space capsule.

calisoulsurfer

Eh, I agree with you. Look, I love the looks of my 04. Definitely from rear and side rear angles. Other angles it is definitely started to look aged. From the front end its definitely every bit of a early 2000's car.

calisoulsurfer

Well let me say... I was given a 2011 RDX as a loaner when I took my 04 TSX in for service. I loved everything about that RDX. Absolute luxury inside, great color, super quick and amazing handling actually. Definitely liked driving that around Savannah!

Simba91102

Looks like we may lose another one to the cute-ute dark side!

calisoulsurfer

Well no I didn't say I was going to buy one. I said I liked it. I don't think I'd ever own an SUV because of the gas mileage for the most part. I was just saying that for an SUV it was pretty nice. On the flip side, if I did end up with one it would be because it has a bit more storage and utility for me that I need than my car does.

SoCaliTrojan

I agree. The direction that Acura went is disappointing. For now, I can't imagine myself seriously considering getting a new Acura in the future. I originally got my 1G with the plan to trade it in for the 2G refresh, and even though I have gotten used to the look of the 2G, the 1G still looks so hot and the 2G not so hot.

Billy M

i just traded my '06 with 157k miles on it for a new '12, and had absolutely no problems for every one of those 157,067 miles. if you find another (or mine) go for it.

in just about 6 years i did nothing more than change the oil, transmission fluid, and a set of tires and two sets of brakes. can't ask for much better than that, and the exact reason i bought a second one.

calisoulsurfer

How much did you end up getting ACV for the car if you don't mind me asking? I have thought about trading my 04 with 162,000 on it, but I've been looking at no more than $4500.

Billy M

Sure... Ended up at $5,500 where I purchased it. Got an offer for $6,220 but it was with a questionable dealership that tried to nickel and dime me to make up for the difference.

nj2pa2nc

I agree=my 06 tsx has been problem free also-still with the original brakes. They will soon need to be replaced. I am hoping the 2013 tsx with MT will have the tech package. That is one of the reasons I did not get the 2012 tsx-se.

Johns

I find some of this funny. Almost any car can last a long time. Just got rid of my Mercedes C230K. 160,000 miles. The most reliable car I have ever owned. The first repair other than maintenance was a bad thermostat at 125,000. Nothing else. Got rid of my old VW Corado in 2000. It had 205,000 miles and the only repair to the engine was a motor mount replacement.


My wife's 04 TSX has 145,000 on it. We have had a few problems with it, but it is going strong.

calisoulsurfer

I think most of us do. Your post is true, but you have to remember two things.

First, quality of build. Clearly a Honda will cost less than a Chevy in regular maintenance and repair costs over the course of 200K. Why? Built better.

Second, a Chevy Cavalier CAN last longer than a TSX. How? 65 year old woman driving the Cavalier doing regular maintenance versus an 18 year old kid driving his TSX like it was a Formula 1 racer with all sorts of mods and barely any maintenance.

The point is, any car can go a million miles even (and that's happened with many makes), but it all depends on how its driven and how it was maintained. That's the point of the people replying to the OP. A 200K TSX is fine assuming it was well-maintained and driven.

CAgine

From my experience, I wouldn't say its a bad buy but you better talk down the price a little more.

The TSX engines are notoriously bulletproof, and if it has been well maintained, you could squeeze another 100 something K miles out of it, which will be well worth your money

JDM8o9

think about resale