MotownTSX

We've been caught at their site!!! HAHAHAHA!!!

Yeah, obviously you have a ton of BIASED Bimmer owners(?) over there that are basically basing the increased costs of a BMW on vanity mirrors, real wood trim, LED lights, and naming inserts. That has to be the most ridiculous thing ever. And that's why it is better that the TSX. WTF?!?!!

And I can't even imagine BMW fans lauding so highly an Audi since all it is is a souped-up VW?!?!!!! Yet they rip on Acura saying it's nothing but a dressed-up Honda?!?! Again, WTF?!?!

Audi's reliability is about that of a 1987 Datsun. In the tanker. And ever notice when VWs get recalled (every month), so do a healthy batch of Audis??? Go figure.

Good thing bowersan went over there to set them straight.

dom

I agree with you here rzee. And I guess the 50K figure I threw out before should have been higher say 75K. My point was, if I had a large deposable income, and as Jason said "the ability to brush off any repairs" only then would I consider a much more expensive vehicle, but I would'nt be driving around in a 35K CAD TSX because things like reliability, FWD, gas mileage and common sense would'nt be that important to me.

I could afford a new car every 3 years and the repair and maintenance costs with ease. So why make the "smart" move (TSX) when one can afford to make the wrong move (MB) I mean could I have afforded a 50K 3 series? yes. Easily? No. But how smart a move is that considering the all the factors

All I'm saying is a large disposable income = options. And I'll have a hard time believing that any Millionaires or people with 500K in the bank would choose the TSX over a 5 series or MB S600. Would I take a TSX over a 3 series at the same price? I plead the 5th on that one because I've never driven a 3 series.

Jason

I don't know if Larchmont is a millionaire or has 500K in the bank, but I think he would buy the TSX over just about everything else. There's your one exception. Well, he'd either buy the TSX or an Infiniti FX45.

Jason

Thank you Dr. Brad.

dom

Larch is THE ONE exception

And Brad is abosolutely right. But maybe some wealthy individuals have the belief that a BMW or MB is simply better? Is it wrong for them to think that? Are they right? The answer could go either way. But this notion that anyone who drives a BMW, Infiniti, MB or Lexus is a fool for wasting his/her money just does'nt sit well with me. I know people who think I'm insane for spending 35K on a 4 banger. Are they misinformed? Yes, but you still have to accept/respect other people's opinions and decesions.

Jason

I agree. Well, actually, I do think some of those cars are a waste of money, but I wouldn't call any 3-series owner a fool. Like we've all said before, you can't knock the 3-series just because it's 33% more expensive than the TSX. It's still the benchmark. But I do think most BMWs and MBs are overpriced and unnecessary.

donutchow

i'm from that bmw forum, and i started that topic. i registered here because i'm NOT biased towards acura, my parents have onwed 4 hondas in the past 10 years. i'm seriously looking to buy the TSX when i graduate college next year because it's $26,000 and a lot less than the 3 series. i test drove it a few weeks ago and didn't like how the clutch pedal was SO light, but it would be nice in traffic. also, i diddn't like how the gauges started at due south, i found myself going 55mph when i thought i was going 30mph because of the turned gauge cluster. and i thought the turning radius was very wide, and it didn't make quick nimble turns, and the front hood is pretty high. other than that it's a great car, the interior is amazing, the seats and options are a great deal. i wonder if i could get a new gauge cluster to be more like a normal car if i get that car. is that possible?

Eric

donutchow

oh yeah, and i have a 1990 mx6 5 speed right now. my first car

dom

This all being said, the TSX is still the best car for under 80K in the world

That is if my drivers seat stops grinding I have an appointment next Wednesday to get the thing fixed. If they plan to simply lube the track like they did last time they got something else coming. I want a seat that moves as smooth as a baby's ass.

Sorry to get off topic. Its been said in this thread before and I have to agree. Do any of those guys from the other forum realize that a A4 is simply a dressed up Passat with less HP from the 1.8L engine. I mean they can put 180 in the Golf and Jetta but not in the A4? Does that make any sense to anyone?

Jason

Welcome to the site donut. Nice to see someone actually test driving the car, although I know you were defending it the whole time. This should be pretty interesting now because that thread on your forum has got new life to it, and more people will probably come here. What have we done!

As for the gauge cluster, I highly doubt you'll be able to customize it. I'm sure you'll get used to it? I dunno. I get my car later in the week. Also, I'm surprised you didn't find the car nimble in turns. Maybe you need to open it up a bit more on your next test drive. Good luck.

dom

Welcome donutchow,

Your smart man for atleast looking at the TSX. The one thing you'll have to remember I I think you already do is that the TSX is a far better value than either the A4, 3 series or IS300. Does it accelerate as well as the IS? No, handle as well as the 3 series, No, is the interior as refined as the Audi's, No (But its damn close) Its damn close to the other cars in everything I'm mentioned so far actually and much, much cheaper to boot. The TSX will also be more reliable than all except maybe the IS. If your on a budget like most of us and it sounds like you are by reading the other thread, the TSX is the only way to go for you, with the exception of a used A4 or 3.

One other thing the TSX has going for it, its unique, they'll only be 15K in the US this year compared to the countless bimmers and Aufdi's your going to see at every street corner.

ClutchPerformer

OK, i couldn't help myself. I posted some stuff on their forum. I got tired of all the false/illogical statements. We'll see how it goes.

Jason

Good job Clutch. Nice and civil with great points.

donutchow

thanks for the welcomes. i didn't push it during the test drive much, but i found the car sat taller than the 3 series, and it felt wider during the test drive. hopefully when i get out of school next year there may be a cheap demo or dealer one with 8,000 miles on it that i can grab for like $22-23k. also, i'm not a big fan of the rear styling. i think it's growing on me but it just seems too tall and comes to sharply to an end, almost like a caddy cts. just my opinion.

fdl

The rear shape plays a big role in the great drag co. (0.26) this car gets. I'd say the back is more about function than style.

Another big part of that low number is the attention given to the underside the car.

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=117652

donutchow

.26? i think that's the lowest number for a production car i've seen.

fdl

Honda Insight has a DC of .25

crisco

Welcome donutchow,

I guess I'm the minion who started this whole brouhaha by importing your thread. I'm glad to see you at least gave the TSX a test drive. I brought the thread over here to show the boys a sample of some of the biases we all have regarding our cars. There was a bit of ignorance over there as well I suppose, but we can probably be accused of that from time to time. Hopefully, we here at acura-tsx.com come out in the end on the objective side of the scale more often than not.

As for your test drive, sounds like a lot of subjective preference (gauges, hood height, rear styling etc). Personally, I got used to the gauges very quickly and I really like the overall styling - especially the rear. Not sure about your view on the handling though - I find the car very nimble.

With regards to the 3-series. Yes, they are excellent cars (especially the 330). But, as I've said in these forums before, I get worried about what I'm paying for when they charge ridiculous amounts for options like moonroof, leather, heated seats etc etc. I guess I'm overly value conscious, and want a car that comes with all these items already installed and that won't be routinely in the shop.

jcg878

I think with the Insight's engine combo that if the DC was any higher, it wouldn't move above 25-30mph

dnb

It's all marketing. The Audi folks don't want the 1.8T model to be too close to the 3.0 in terms of power.

The same 1.8T makes ~225 hp (stock) in the Audi TT.

donutchow

i do agree that it's bullshit to pay for leather, heated seats, sunroof, and other option packages. that's just because people are willing to pay it.

the problem with the gauge cluster..... i have to look down to see my actual speed and rpms. in a normal car i can glance because they're usually around 10-11 oclock (clock position) and in this car it's like 8 oclock. i really like the white and blue lights on the cluster when they light up, that's sweet. do you notice the shifter has a metal ring that gets relaly hot?? i noticed that on my drive. i would exchange it for the wooden shift nob for $70.

rzee

Don't forget, even though everybody is trying to compare TSX to the 3, they are in different classes. BMW 3 is a compact (now you know why it's a better handler), while the TSX is a mid-size sedan.

As for the 6 o'clock gauges, it does take some time to get used to, but mistaking 55 to 30 should be more likely due to the fact that there is very little wind/road/engine noises at crusing speed.

And at .26 cd, the TSX is amazingly stable at high speed, unlike someone on the BMW forums had suggested.

Give it another go, only this time, don't be afraid to use the throttle and make aggressive turns. You will not be disappointed.

larchmont

Neat thread, and great to have Mr. Donut over here! -- especially since he actually drove the car. I just can't stomach these people who express such expert opinions about such-and-such car, especially a negative or lukewarm opinion, without having driven it or even ridden in it.

Reminds me of what they say about the Oscars. You know, a lot of those Hollywood types (that's who does the voting) don't really see a lot of movies (except their own). It's been said that they decide what to vote for according to what movies they think they would have liked if they had seen them, based on what they've heard about them.

Car forums (not to mention reviewers) can do better than that.

Rzee makes a great point on how maybe the complaints about being fooled by the speedometer are very much a comment on how smoothly the TSX rides.

Mr. Donut's comment about the front hood being pretty high is interesting. I'd never thought of it, and I don't know that it's been mentioned on here, but come to think of it, I realize that I'm often stretching my head upwards to see over the hood -- I have no idea what kinds of situations it would be.

P.S. (Edit): Now that I paid attention to it, it's not the hood that I stretch to look over, it's the high top of the dashboard (is there a name for that top part of the dash, the part that sort of sticks up on the TSX?). But maybe that comes with having a high hood?

ClutchPerformer

I spoke to one of their admins. He's cool. Here's a thread introducing us. I'll be lurking there in the future.

fdl

ClutchPerformer

Why? The link works. :P

fdl

This is what i get. I guess you need an account there?

Sorry, an error occurred. If you are unsure on how to use a feature, or don't know why you got this error message, try looking through the help files for more information.

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larchmont

Me2

donutchow

yeah, you gotta register to see that thread because it's in the lounge, and that's for members only.

Jason

Cool idea. We need a lounge for all future TL info.

larchmont

With a lie detector.

Asio

hello

larchmont

Hello, welcome!

Some people might think this is "off-topic," but I say that "hello" is on-topic on any thread.

I guess maybe you're saying you're from the BMW forum? But, no matter, we know you're just getting warmed up.

rzee

Then again, larch can turn any thread from on topic to off topic to no topic, so it's all good!

dnb

OK. Let's wander off into the weeds again.

If a thread goes off-topic, does it automatically turn into a PW thread? If the answer is "no," could someone tell me how to spot a PW thread?

[We need to worry about something other than the 2004 TL going 10% one way or another.]

rzee

When you see larchmont's name in a thread, you would know it's a PW thread, but wait, his name is in all the threads. :P

dnb

Larchmont is like Elvis. He's everywhere.

This gets me going off in another tangent: Given his high posts/day, and his round-the-clock presence, is it possible that there's more than one entity posting under the name "Larchmont"? (Some of you may remember the same conjecture being applied to Shakespeare some years ago.)

dom

Either that, or he does'nt Eat, sleep or pee......or wrok for that matter.

TsXtian

i say a better comparison is the bmw 320i vs our tsx. the prices are almost identical...off by a couple of 100 bucks....i know they don't have the 320 in the states but they do up here in canada. if you're interested in comparing, it's on http://www.bmw.ca

briny319

Why are we even wasting our time talking about this crap. How freaking stupid do you have to be to say:

Handling: a4 wins
speed: A4 wins (if you chip it)
safety: a4 wins
comfort: a4 wins
styling: a4 wins
value: a4 wins
status: a4 wins
reliability: draw
dealer service: acura wins

reliabilitiy is a draw. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
yea right.
audi is probably a draw compared to hyundai. hahahahahahahahaha.

That guy is so full of shit its not even funny. the reliability was the funniest part but c'mon the a4 is the best value? yea right.

Ok I'm done wasting my time on this topic.