I have had my 04 TSX for 6.5 years now. I have always enjoyed this beautiful car, and strangely enough, the more I drive it, the more I love it! Over the years, the engine has gotten smoother and more responsive, and it has even become quieter. The NHB paint is absolutely beautiful still - it is still looking so shiny and deep that I could almost dip my finger into the paint!!! Over the years, the design still looks fresh and handsome. It really has aged very well indeed.

Lately, I have been looking at other cars, such as the A4, 3 series and Q5. The more I have driven the other cars, the more I appreciate my TSX! To the point that I even don't want to sell it now.... isn't this separation anxiety just strange!? :-) I just appreciate my car so much that I would like to share it with everyone!

 

Glad you like your ride!

 

 

ostrich,

None of those cars you are considering will be as reliable as your TSX. Keep you TSX.

How many miles does your TSX have?

I believe the TSX first came out in April 2003 as a 2004 model. I saw it when it first came out and it was love at first sight. I will never forget seeing it at a dealer's lot at night. It was a silver one with black interior. The car was just pulling in after being taken for a test drive. When I saw the interior of the car with the incredible dashboard lights, I knew right there and then that that would be my car one day. Although i waited a year for the 2005 model, i have loved it ever since.

Nice thread.

 

I feel the same way about mine. I've had mine for 6 years, paid off nearly 2 years now. It's a great car, what else is there to say

 

i feel the exact same with mine! i'm keeping mine til the wheels fall off then maybe dropping a k20 into it and making it a project car.

 

Thanks everyone! I paid off mine over 2 years ago too - it's been such a pleasure having it! I just love it.

Here's some photos from today - sorry that they were not the best shots, but you see, it still looks very new and shiny!





The thing is, I may be relocating to Canada at the end of this year. If I take my TSX with me, it will not have the metric odometer etc. If I want to get the metric system for the dashboard and to add the daytime running light etc. it will cost me about $2000 Canadian!!! Isn't that ridiculous for a car that is now worth just under $9000 trade in value? That's why I am looking for another car that meets the current Canadian standards.

Should I keep my TSX and fix it to meet the Canadian requirements, or get a new one here before I go? What are your thoughts?

 

Wow. your car is in fantastic condition. when I first saw car, i thought it was a 2010 Tsx, the condition is just so good.

ostrich, you keep this gem and you never let it go.

Even if you move to Canada, just use the speedometer and odometer that come with the car. As for daytime running rights, just turn on lights with your hand I do that all the time with mine. It just requires a little muscle since it is not fully automatic

Does the Canadian goverment require you to have metric system and daytime lights to register car in Canada????

 

Very nice well-kept TSX. I test drove the 04 tsx when it first came out. I wanted the Milano red but did not like the light interior. I am glad I waited and now have what I wanted. You still have a few months left to decide what to do. A suggestion, go to Canada and find out how much a car will cost. Go from there. I try to maintain my 06 tsx-it is garage kept and still looks good despite the numerous rock chips. I do lots of highway driving. My car is almost 3.5 years with 102,000+ miles. Love it.

 

Thanks, guys! The Canadian government does require daylight running lights but I need to find out more clearly whether the metric odometer is a must or not. I am also tempted because cars are so much more expensive over there in Canada, e.g. a comparably equipped Q5 will be about $10,000 more up there!!! That's why I am tempted.... hmm.....

 

I still love my 04 as well, and it is in beautiful condition like yours. I always get comments from people who think it is brand new. It has been babied and loved all its life. I know it will be very tough to hand over the keys when the time comes. I've also been looking around a little bit myself, as I could really use something with more utility. The problem is, I love the size and nimbleness of the TSX. I'm looking hard at the new wagon, as it provides more utility than the sedan, and it's not a big tippy SUV. It's going to be difficult to part, though.

Also, if I were in your shoes, I'd look around and have some cars in mind (with prices), but would definitely wait until the move is finalized before purchasing anything. No point in going to all this trouble if you are not leaving the US.

 

Nice ride!

I can tell you when I imported my USDM Civic to Canada some years ago they required DRL's on it to make it certified in Canada. You can just get a local mechanic to rewire the fogs so they come on when the ignition is on. That will substitute for DRL's. It did for me anyway. You shouldn't need a metric odometer. You have metric speedometer that is all you should need.

 

LuvMyTsx, I am also looking for something with more utility too! However, I still want the nimble handling and responsiveness of the TSX. If only the new TSX wagon would have a V6 and SH-AWD!!! Sigh.... anyway, now my number 1 choice is the Q5.

sj993, thanks! If they would let my car in with just the DRL switch done, I might just take it up to Canada then! Thanks!!! That will save me a lot of $$$ upfront, though I will need to figure out how to sell a US spec vehicle in Canada later.....

 

There's a bit more to it, but once you get the DRL's certified by a gov't inspection (part of the safety inspection I believe), you can sell the car anytime as its already passed certification as a "canadian road-worthy vehicle".

Metric odometer is not a requirement. Mainly just the labels for airbags, and the DRL's. You can get any decent mechanic to convert your car to DRL's pretty easily and for WAAAAAY less than $2K.

Do NOT buy a Canadian TSX and expect it to be in as good of shape as yours -- I guarantee that unless you find one that's been driven in Vancouver/Victoria BC, a Canadian TSX would have some rusting of certain components that yours might not. Although, being in Ohio, you see enough snow and potentially road salt (??) to make this a moot point.

Car looks good -- bring it up here!

BTW: My dad bought an US-market Toyota Tundra and saved over $10K including all of the stuff he had to do to get it certified in Canada.

 

Same here, sure doesn't seem like I've had it that long but it's true. (got it when first came out too)

Going to need a wagon for my dog but that won't be for a year or so. In the mean time I'm loving the car and will feel bad about getting rid of it.

 

Lookin' good! Your 04 looks great! Hope mine looks that good when its 6.5 years old.

I honestly didn't even think about Acura when I was looking at cars. I really wanted a Volvo C30 to tell you the truth. But, as they were still new and the dealerships weren't getting a lot of them, they really wouldn't budge on the price. And it seems like Volvo nickle and dimes you on the options. Gas was too expensive for the Impalla SS. The Lexus IS250 was too small. The Merc C230 Sport really kinda failed to impress me and the cost of ownership down the road scared the crap out of me. Same with the BMW 3 series.

Then I saw the TSX. I dropped by the Acura dealership on the way home from work dressed in my jeans, boots and a work t shirt. The salesman didn't immediately dismiss me because of how I looked (totally different story at the Lexus and BMW dealers. Pricks.) He showed me both an 08 and the brand new, only 1 on the lot, 09 TSX. We actually looked at the 09 first. It did absolutely nothing for me and I was about to leave, but he told me that the 08 was a completely different car, one that might suit my desires a little better. Figured, what the hey? I liked what I saw, so we took it on a test drive. He drove it off the lot and down to a parking lot about a block away (for some reason they didn't allow the customers to drive them off the lot.) As soon as I sat in the driver's seat I got wood. I knew that it was the one. 3 trips and lots of haggling over price later, I drove off the lot.

I totally understand what you're going through thinking about trading in your 04. I often miss my old Protege. It was a fantastic car. Gave me over 100k miles of trouble free service. I just wish I had done a bit more research before I bought that car. Parts for it were extremely expensive. Like BMW expensive. Front brakes were $100, tires were an odd ball size so they were expensive. God forbid the ac ever gave me problems, I would have been broke for months. Not so on the TSX. Even so, I was sad driving off the lot in the TSX. And I know I'm going to be sad when the times comes to get something else. But hopefully that won't be for many years to come.

 

Awesome cars guys. My 05 has got 104k miles, and it feels like the engine is hitting its stride now. My car certainly isn't babied, but it purrs. I've had some unfortunate things happen to my TSX maybe due to it being such a workhorse for my family, but consider myself fortunate that the costs are alot easier to pocket than something from Europe.

Consider my mom got the trunk latch fixed on her S500 and it cost her 1400 at the dealership, while I blew my transmission and had it replaced for $1500! Its seriously beneficial that at its heart, its a Honda.

My only complaint? I'm seriously contemplating trading it in for something with a stick. An old e46 3-series, a e36 M3, or an 06 TSX 6mt if I can find a good one. I just can't stand automatic anymore, even if this is best one I had driven. But my K24 in its current state of tune with intake, headers, hondata, tb spacer, is really, really awesome....just wish it had a manual tranny...

keep up the good work, guys and gals.

 

great car my broinlaw has ...wish i could trade 97 cl in soon for 1.....

 

hell yea, i treat my car like a baby too. Had it since September 04, bought it used with 20,000 miles on it.. I still only have 87,000 on it, just got new Dunlop Sports Sig tires and new brakes. People always ask if I have a new car.. I'm like no, its like 7 years old and they are like no way its that old. But hey thats the beauty of the 1st Gen TSX, still looks fresh after all these years.

 

agreed man, same here too.

 

Here's my baby:

 

more pics:

 

Thanks, everybody!

Curls, we do have a ton of snow in NE Ohio too! LOL! However, I think that we use sand but not salt here? I have to really check on that though. I believe that Alberta uses sand but not salt, right?

Deepen03, that is a nice lookin' car that you have!!! I have to confess that even though they didn't show up clearly in the photos, there are several dings and scratches on my TSX.... but yours is just pristine! WOW!

I am still trying to decide whether I should just take it up to Canada or get a new car now.... I would hate to see that it will start to fall apart in a couple of years' time and then I will regret why I didn't get a new car in the US! LOL! Oh well, we can't have it all, can we? LOL

 

How many miles do you have?

 

Your TSX should already have the metric system designed into the speedometer (i.e. miles in large font, kms in small font). For Canadian cars, our speedometers are shown in kms with large font, and miles in small font. In short, no changes required.

DRL is mandatory though.

 

thanks man.. yea my dad bought it back in 2004, and I've been driving it since I got my license in 06. we bought it used with 20,000 miles on it and I still only have 87000. it still runs great and I take care of it a lot. I have armor-alled the interior countless times and hand waxed it twice.

 

I have about 79,000 miles on my TSX. It does have the km/h in the speedometer. However, I wished that Acura would have allowed us to digitally switch the odometer from metric to Imperial and vice versa! They do this for BMW and Audi, so I don't know why they would not do it for Acura...

deepen03, I have hand waxed my car quite a few times too! However, I have not done any Raino to it at all.... I meant to do it but I just never got round to doing so!

 

ostrich:

What is Raino?

You mean Zaino?

 

Oops!!! Miamicarfan, I had my senior moment.... yes, I did mean Zaino!!! LOL! Sorry!!!

 

My A/C is broken. Have an appointment Monday morning to get it checked out.