potential_TSX

Here is what im looking for:

A nice reliable car with great handling costing at MOST 30k, not a penny over. Performance (of course) is necessary, but i question when people call the TSX a "slow car"; i've test driven the TSX and i was able to get up to illegal speeds VERY quickly.

Currently i'm considering the Subary LEgacy GT 250hp turbocharged and the TSX. I have yet to test drive the legacy GT, but i'll do that shortly.

Are there any other cars i should be considering? How does the legacy GT (and subaru in general) compare against the TSX and acura?

xjdmb16a2six

i have never driven the the tsx and the legacy so i cant compare, but i can tell you that the tsx have more and better features. the legacy will out perform the tsx because its AWD and got turbo. however, from what i heard the tsx handles pretty good for a fwd car and the i4 is not much of a slug.

drigo

besides the legacy being a faster car....the exterior & interior is just plain butt ugly to me... ...it's been mentioned many times before..the tsx is not a race car..but its not a slow car either..good luck with your choice...

potential_TSX

hows the legacy handle?

ninjamyst

do a search...there been many discussions on this exact comparsion. A few members also traded their TSX in for Legacy GT. I test drove both and the GT is a great car but not much on the luxury side. Depends on what you need/want in life. I rather spend $30k on an Acura than a Subaru.....

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Plenty of discussion on this already so a search will turn up more.

Handling can vary from reviewer to reviewer, but from my personal experience with the Legacy GT, I was not wowed by the handling. In fact, I felt the TSX was lighter on its feet, quicker to transition, and actually understeered less at initial turn-in. But again, impressions will vary from individual to individual based on their driving style, driving history, and basis for comparison.

kenzo

Full Disclosure: I own a 2005 Legacy GT and have about 35000 miles on it. We've owned and enjoyed many Acuras/Hondas in the past:
'86 CRX-HF
'87.5 Legend Coupe L
'88 Integra LS
'90 Integra LS
'95 Integra GS-R
'00 (?) Accord EX V6
'03 Odyssey
'04 TL
'05 Odyssey
(I'm sure I forgot a couple)
and have extensive test drives on an '04, '05, and '06 TSX (all MT).

I've been trolling on this board in the hope that Acura would beef up the TSX a bit; I like the interior/toys in the TSX, although the Legacy GT, especially the Spec.B, is also well-equipped.

It took me about a month to unlearn the FWD handling technique, but when you get used to powering through corners with AWD - wow.

Most people feel that the TSX has the edge in interior features. I agree. For me, the extra performance (ultimately better handling at the limits and also in rain/snow, and much better acceleration) were more important. Your mileage may vary.

I've summed it up like this before:
The TSX is a better passenger's car.
The LGT is a better driver's car.

It's nice to have choices!

cheers,
kenzo

STL

Just because the TSX doesn't have a turbo and AWD doesn't mean it's not a driver's car. Heck, the AWD system in the subie really isn't even geared towards performance (like the SH-AWD system Acura has started using). While we'd all like a few more ponies under the hood, the K24 powerplant in the TSX is plenty sufficient (at least in 6MT form) -- unless you like to drag race teenagers at stoplights. It's also worth mentioning the long-term relability (and service costs) on the NA engine in the TSX will better (and cheaper) than the force-feed engine in the subie.

BulldogHockey

Other choices I considered before buying TSX:

Mazdaspeed6 - Great turbo 4 cyl, also w/ AWD. I like the exterior looks on these, interior doesn't really compare

Altima SE-R - Nice engine from Nissan, way too many Altimas on the road for me. Handled well, somewhat cheesy interior

Saab 9-3 - My brother in law has one of these, and I really enjoyed driving the turbo for about a week. Manual tranny and steering feel just weren't there for me though. Interior was pretty nice.

Cadillac CTS - The 3.6L V6 is a nice motor from GM. Great pep, excellent handling from 50/50 weight dist (RWD). My friend has one of these and I jump at the chance to drive it. I like the exterior a lot and actually thought it was one of GM's better interiors (flame away people) With incentives probably near 30k.

The base Audi's, BMW's, and Benzes are going to be well above 30k with any options.

kenzo

Never said it wasn't - just that's it's not as much a driver's car as the LGT.

Since I haven't driven a car with SH-AWD, I don't have an opinion on it. You've driven both SH-AWD and Subaru's AWD?

So... any future increase in TSX power is only good for drag racing?

I've owned many Acuras/Hondas (see above) and three turbo'd Subies. My experience has been that they are both very reliable and service costs have been slightly higher for the Acuras. What's your experience for both makes?

Thanks for your comments - it's great to have unbiased, open dialog with car enthusaiasts. Cheers!

kenzo

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Can you explain your reasoning for saying this? What criteria are you using to make this determination. Everyone has a different opinion of what a driver's car is so just making a statement without stating your criteria isn't particularly helpful...

kenzo

Sure, happy to, although it's just subjective opinion - I don't have instrumented test data on either car.

The most significant difference for me was the limits during hard cornering - the TSX initially felt more "nimble" but understeers significantly when pushed. In the LGT, exit angle can be modulated very smoothly with the throttle since it's AWD with a slight RW bias.

I like both cars a lot, the LGT is just a better combination for me. Again, it's good to have choices.

cheers,
kenzo

MattJP

Subies are decent cars. We owned two: an old skool 00 2.5RS and a 02 Leg GT.
I traded in the RS on my TSX. I haven't had a lot of luck with the Subies like I thought that I would.

I'm giving Honda products a try this time around.
Who knows...maybe we'll see a turboed TSX with SH AWD sometime in the future.
Now that would rock...

Matt -

Mockenrue

I was down to those exact two cars in April when I bought my TSX. They were VERY close, to the point that I got into intense negotiations for the GT and got the dealer down quite a bit by playing him against the Acura. In the end, when I really looked closely at the two, I saw that I would have to put a LOT more weight on HP and torque in my pros/cons list to go with the GT. I'm very happy with the TSX. For what it's worth, my personal pros/cons list went something like this:

TSX Pros: Better interior, much more comfortable seats (the GT seats just didn't fit me very well), better stereo, slightly better looks, bluetooth, less expensive to begin with and holds value better.

GT Pros: Better HP and torque and AWD

The real kicker for me is that 95% of my driving is stop-and-go city and suburb driving. During the test drive, it took me a while to get to a place where I could really enjoy the GT's power. I knew that what I really needed was a quality car with first rate comfort and features that can occsionally be opened up for a fun, fast drive. The TSX is excactly that. It can be quite fast, and the handling is exceptional. Many people say the TSX handling is better than the GT, but I didn't get enough of a sense of it from the test drives. To me it was pretty close.

One more factor was the brand image. I'm kind of an anti-snob, which is why I didn't want a BMW or Lexus. My last car was the highly underrated Olds Intrigue. Anyone that boutght an Oldsmobile must care more about the car than the image. That said, I've always wanted an Acura... it just fits me. Great performance, high quality, but not overly pretentious. Subaru has a great rep too, but ever since I sat in a Legend back in the 80s, I kept my eye on Acura and now was the time.

Chris

afici0nad0

let us know how your test drive with the LGT goes.

you should have a better idea by then.

afici0nad0

https://acurazine.com/forums/search.php?searchid=301307

el chile grande

Both are reliable & you will pay for service on either. The decision to make is performance over style. The TSX IMO has great standard features under 28k. The exterior has slight advantages over the suby. The under 30k LGT would be hard to get unless you robbed yourself of some features. I'm not bias in my opinions. I just migrated out of my suby. Turbos are a blast, but beware of that mod bug. Ask yourself seriously. Will I get the mod bug for hp? Yes=Suby No=Acura

If you are on any car forum, it's because you either love modding in any shape, form or you enjoy being around fellow enthusiasts alike. Good luck on either choice. Both are great rides.

I hope dazuy doesn't mind me using his car as refrence? Hard choices for sure!

Vegito

I wanted speed but the wife wanted something nicer.. these were the two cars we looked at and I'm here.. with a tsx

that awd would be nice driving in the snow to work ...

DLTSX6MT

Exact same thing happened over here, brother!

bz268

How about this deal?

MB R500 fully loaded
2-year lease
1 payment
$9000 out the door
no monthly payment

MattJP

thats a spec b in the pic? upwards of 35k for that.

el chile grande

The color gave it away.

vidgamer

My problem is that if I get towards that price, then I start having a lot more options. (As someone mentioned before, BMW, Audi, etc.) Although the Subaru is probably faster, more reliable..... I probably should have taken a closer look at the Legacy GT when I was shopping. Oh well.

Our other car is a Subaru and I'm pretty sure it's faster, but I still enjoy the heck out of the TSX. It's more fun to drive, not just more luxury features, and it's still plenty fast. I don't have too many excuses to get the max power out of the TSX, so I usually am pretty happy with the power. Although all of this talk about headers sounds tempting...

VegaTSX

For 35k i would've skipped the GT and go for the g35 coupe that's my .

potential_TSX

spec.B for 35k? try closer to 31-32k. Besides, the spec.B has the same engine as the GT.

The 2006 legacy GT is going for 28k without nav

The local subaru dealer is offering me a 2005 subaru legacy GT w/ 7k miles for 21k OTD.

The 2005 has the same 250HP turbo engine as the 2006 and the new 2007s

its quite tempting.

EDIT: sure, the above prices are without add-ons but IMO the base legacy GT comes with everything i need. Maybe its just me, but i have no need for navigation, spoilers, heated seats, sunroof, etc.

CarbonGray Earl

What are you waiting for?? Go get that LGT....post pics when you get a chance.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Actually, this illustrates a good point about the Legacy GT...poor resale value. MSRP of around $28k, sale price around $26k, and the dealer is selling it for $21k already with only 7k miles?

My 2004 TSX, that I owned for more than 2 years, had 31k miles on it, with a sale price of $26k, was probably sold for around that $21k price after more than 2 years and with a heck of a lot more miles.

So that might be something for you to consider. If resale will be important to you one day, the Legacy will have a big penalty in that area compared to the TSX.

el chile grande

Damn! That LGT depreciated fast.

potential_TSX

I was at the subaru dealership 1 week ago, i noticed they had a 2005 legacy GT for 27k. It was still in packaging. I was there today and i noticed they reduced it to their "special" price of 23k which i then haggled down to 22.5k

Is this car a good deal? The 2006 legacy GT is identical and i believe the 2007 will be also. This one doesnt have leather. In 2005 they had 2 versions of the GT, the "GT" and "GT limited". According to the dealer, the "GT" doesnt have leather and thats the only difference. They dropped the non-leather model for 2006 though.

psteng19

Hi ones3k.

Stick or auto?

Dan Martin

Why not just post this in your other thread? https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31505

potential_TSX

auto, i don't want a stick

DLTSX6MT

Another fine example of a car salesman speaking out of his

I shopped for the LGT Limited 5MT in 2005. Leather wasn't the only difference. I don't remember for sure, because I didn't really look at the non-Limited version, but I think sunroof, electroluminescent gauges, power seat, upgraded audio and dual climate zones were also differences.

For 2006, Subaru simplified by offering the GT only in Limited trim.


I've read/heard many times that the LGT isn't that great with AT. (But then again, how many times have we read that about the TSX?) I've driven a friend's LGT w/ AT and was somewhat surprised at the significant difference in response due to the AT (vs the MT's I tested back in 2005). I tried the manumatic mode, too, and it .

EuRTSX

that's a great price. when i was shopping around for cars, they had a white 05 Legacy GT for 22k. Exactly what I wanted, the car was perfect, still wrapped up.

Butt, I have a TSX. =P

CobaltForge

It's a good price for an '05. I don't know if you want to chance it, but the '07 LGTs are coming out within the next few months, which should really drop the prices of those still-remaining '05s.

LGT w/Auto isn't so bad as the Manual on the LGT isn't as smooth as the TSX's.

potential_TSX

Im pretty sure they both have the same audio system and the non-limited does have dual climate zones. I've test driven both the 2006 limited and the 2005 im about ready to buy. Sun roof? I dont use those anyway. Power seat? I'll be the only one in the car, i wont use it.

potential_TSX

when did you see it advertised at that price?

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Threads merged for ease of viewing.

And if they are willin to give you a new car at $5k less than their MSRP, which undoubtedly will be under their invoice, they're really looking to get rid of it. I'd be a little wary if I were you.

DLTSX6MT

Sounds like it may be a good car and price for you, then. My main point was only to trust car salesmen and their "expertise" as far as you can throw them.

Ishakir

I was about to get a Legacy GT but then I asked the ladies what they thought.

I now own a TSX