hbmike11

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I am considering buying a used 2004 Acura TSX 6 speed manual.

Questions:

1. How do you like the car?
2. What's your typical gas mileage?
3. Things you like/dislike?
4. What's the 0 to 60?
5. Problems?
6. Any other information?
7. What changes occured from 04-05? I know about the heated side mirrors on the 05, anything else?
8. Any TSBs?

Keep in mind, I want a sporty 4 door car w/ ok performance. It has to be an Acura, Honda, Toyota, or Lexus. My budget is 13K-20K. I considered a Lexus IS300, but the gas mileage is horrible. 03+ Honda Accord - I hate the seats. I also considered a 99 Lexus GS400, but they don't come in a manual transmission. I must have a manual transmission. I will not be modifying the car. I already have a sportscar for the weekends. I currently drive a 03 Honda Accord V6 Coupe, 6 speed manual, I will be selling it soon, I need a 4 door.

Mike

jlukja

Hi Mike, welcome to Azine. The questions you ask have been asked before, many times. The best way to find the answers is to use the search function but since you're new, here are some links to get you started:

Gas Mileage
like/dislike
0-60
Problems
TSBs

The discussion in this thread might be helpful to you as well.

Good Luck

LoveMyTL-S

Welcome to AZ Mike. I have an 04 TSX and it's been great! The only real problem I've had with it is a rattle, but that's been taken care of. Good luck.

jwood_06TSX

Welcome Mike! I had an 04 5AT and compared to my now 06 5AT, it was def slower however in the MT, i don't know. You would probably be happy with an 04 MT though! As for any problems i had with the 04, headlight condensation (taken care of under warranty), sliding drivers side seat (fixed under warranty), little tear in leather on drivers side seat (fixed under warranty), and glove box rattle that i fixed by myself with some foam. Other than that, it was a great car. As for the speedyness of the car, it def isn't the fastest car out there but it does what you need it to.

An average 0-60 times are in and around 7-8 seconds.

Mileage for me was lower becaue of my 2.88 mile commute to the train station, so i only got about 19-21. I'm getting worse on my new 06 TSX due to breaking in the engine and such. However, when i drove the 04 back from FL, i got 36 MPG

There really wasn't anything i disliked about the car except for the non auto door locks. When you put a lot of new cars into drive the doors with automatically unlock or put it back in park (or turn off the car) the locks will unlock, on the TSX, it doesn't work that. You have to manual use the lock/unlock button and that is honestly the only think i DO NOT like.

For any other infor you need regarding your questions, Jan provided you with some good links and then just use the search button to find the rest. If you have specific questions based on the info that you find (or get confused) feel free to come back with more questions.

This site truly does a enormous amount of information and it can be time consuming to sort through it all, but you will find what your looking for!

curls

Given your preferences and criteria, I think the TSX will suit you well. Since you have a weekend warrior sports car, the TSX will be a nice, upscale, yet sporty daily driver and will likely provide you with years of trouble-free operation.

If you're getting the 4-door because of a family, it's a superb family car and can fit many different baby seats w/o problem. It's also extremely safe with its plethora of airbags, VSA, traction control, ABS, etc...

As for the changes between 04/05 in the USA, I think you basically got it. Also I think the "A" logo on the steering wheel changed slightly... whoop-dee-doo.

Good luck in the search and welcome to this rediculously informative site.

hbmike11

Thanks for all the input.

I've really struggled to find the perfect car(s) scenario, but I think I might have just figured it out. I finally got my dream car for the weekend (97 Toyota Supra TT 6speed Black, stock, only 40K miles). But I can't drive the Supra as a DD. After owning a couple 4 cylinder cars (01 Integra GSR, Scion Tc) and not liking the feel of a 4 cylinder, I decided to get an Accord V6 6 speed coupe (keep in mind, I did not have a Supra then). I can't stand the seats in the Accord, and since I have my sports car for the weekend, I don't need anything fast for my DD (the Accord is pretty fast for a DD, 0 to 60 is 6.1 seconds, 240 hp. I think the TSX is the best 4 door, kinda sporty car on the market. Well, if someone has a 04-05 Black/Black TSX, high mileage, 6 speed, I'm interested. My budget is $15K-19K.

rb1

Be sure you check out the seats in the TSX thoroughly. From my point of view, they're comfy enough. But they're on the soft side and lack side support (e.g. for holding you in place in the twisties) compared to what I'm used to in German cars.

bradykp

i agree, they are significantly nicer than the honda, which was part of the reason why i went with TSX over accord, but there are times where i wished i had a nicer seat (love the g35s seats!)

curls

Personally, I like the seats in the TSX better than those in the G35. I spent 10 days in a G35 in Florida while I was there (brand new rental w/ under 1000 miles) and when i got back to Ottawa, I still liked the TSX seats better.

To each his own -- none of us are the exact same shape. But, I think the TSX seats have enough adjustment points that they're pretty accomodating to 99.5% of the population.

Napkin

For luxury with zero power, the TSX is for you. It's a nice ride with a clean interior. As for power, count this car out. It gets beat out by nearly everything for power. I'm in a situation where I love the luxury of it, but it makes me feel like a grandfather driving the car. I would like something in between. A TSX with power, if you will. They could have at least given us that option. So it all depends on what you want. It's a lot of money to spend on a car with no power imo. (I've owned cars that only had decent power, so maybe I'm biased).

brandt

HUH?!?!?!?

dom

Go away, seriously, your shit is getting tiresome.

Reach

Seriously... the TSX is one of the fastest NA 4-bangers available. Some of us value the other features of it, like the reliability and MPG we get out of the car too.

If you were expecting v6/8 power out of the car, you've got serious re-thinking to do.

dom

What blows my mind about this guy is that he owns the car! I can understand someone who was interested in the car bitching about its power but not someone who dropped 30K to buy one.

He was even complaining about his monthly payments being too much.

synthetic

Well at least it's coming from an owner so it's a legitimate complain on his part. I've seen people bitch about TSX's power without even driving it.

The TSX is not meant to provide a mix of "family-car" and "sports car" driving experience eventhough that's what most people expect from it. It can only do one of those at a given time.

Drive like you'd normally drive a G35 and you'll be very disappointed by the TSX.

Drive like you'd drive a Porsche on a country-road and the TSX delivers a very satisfying performance for the N/A 4 banger that it's got.

You can't expect anything from this car if you're used to tapping your gas-peddal at a high gear and flying past other cars. That's what high-powered V6 and V8 engines are for.

You can however make the driving experience 2wice as fun by switching to one or two gears lower and keeping the car at the 3000-4500rpm range. In that range, very few cars can make the TSX look slow. It all comes down to how comfortable you are with downshifting to the 3rd or 4th gear on a regular basis. If all you want is to cruise at 6th while having the option of tapping the gas-peddal and catching up to that Mustang that just ran by, the TSX is not for you.

Is this a con for the TSX?

perhaps. This is the kind of behavior you'd expect from a riced-up Civic that cost only $15K, not a $30K Acura. The general belief in North America is MORE $$$= MORE POWER.

Is this something that you should notice during your test drive?

Perhaps not. Unless you manage to rent a TSX for a few days, this is not something you'd fully obsorb during a test drive.


I repeat what I said:

The TSX can only deliver one style of performance at a time:

1. Family/Econo car performance(drive in high gears, keep the rpms under 4000, get great gas mileage, enjoy the comfort and luxury, watch cars fly by)

2. Sporty performance (Drive in lower gears, sacrifice gas mileage, put up with engine noise, keep your foot on the gas peddal longer, put up with jerky DBW, love the sporty ride, smoke V6 cars while your VTEC is dancing to Techno)


You can't have both worlds at the same time. In some cars you can: G35, TL, IS-350, Accord V6, and even Camry are some of them.

None of the cars mentioned above are nearly as fun as the TSX when it comes to spirited driving.

Decide wisely...

rb1

I moved to the TSX from a turbo motor (1.8T) that had better low-end torque, slightly shorter gearing, and powered a car weighing 300 lbs less than the TSX, so I looked at this particular aspect very closely on my test drive.

(Folks might laugh at me using a Jetta 1.8T for comparison, but it's 5th gear pass 50-70 is about the same as a WRX, 8 seconds or so -- very respectable).

The TSX is fine once you get it above 2500 RPM (not much change in torque after that, maybe a 10% gain at the peak), and even does "OK" between 2000 and 2500 RPM. 3rd gear in particular pulls very nicely in this range -- usually I can take turns without even downshifting into 2nd if I'm feeling lazy.

I do miss buzzing around on the highway in 5th gear and just tapping the gas to get around people, but 5th in the TSX pulls almost just as hard and 4th is better (gear for gear). The 1.8T did pull nicely between 1500 and 2000 RPM, but that's where forced induction makes the difference in an I4. No N/A I4 is going have much oomph in that range.

The TSX 6th gear is clearly meant for cruising, but it still has acceptable pull even so. And if you do need to downshift, the TSX transmission makes it a breeze.

dom

Sure, but now thinking that the TSX has ZERO power is something he should have noticed during the test drive. There's a big difference there.

And of course its a legitimate complaint, people comment that they wish the TSX has more power every day, no surprise there. But joining a forum where 20 of your 23 posts centre around complaining about the cars lack of power is not legitimate. Its idiotic. He dropped 30K of his money on a car he now hates and feels the need to now bitch about it to whomever will listen? Not on my watch. He should find the nearest mirror and let it listen to his BS.

jlukja

^^

jwood_06TSX

I like your style dom!

Reach

For some reason this reminds me of the Hollywood guy who was going to sue acura because musiclink didn't work in the 06 TSX properly and that's the only reason he bought that car.

synthetic

That could have many reasons, one of which may be:

He got smoked by a cheaper, less prestigeous car.

I say cut the guy some slack! As you said, the guy dropped $30K on a car that he doesn't really appreciate. He needs a place to vent! Where better than an Acura forum?!

dom

Thats no excuse. anyone who knows something about cars knows there are several far cheaper cars that are much faster than the TSX.

I have no problem with venting. Hell, I bitch about the TSX all the time. But I do it rationally and subjectively.

Stating that the TSX has ZERO power isn't rational. As I just said in another thread, its my job to take out the trash.

savage

pm VirtualBong i think he is still planning on selling his TSX...

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fs-2005-acura-tsx-w-navigation-359803/

brandt

I just bought (in Jan.) a certified pre-owned '04 TSX AT with 56k miles for $19k. They are out there and its a sweet little car for that kind of money. It's our commuter for now and in 18 months it becomes our teenage daughter's car. Nice and safe (a bit peppy but still safe enough for a 4 mile drive to high school).

ATJ32

Nicely done my friend. Napkin you should learn from the test drive, or look at the spec sheet before throwing down 30 large. Acura did not put a to your head and said "200 HP is all your getting now hand over 30k".

I own a 03 Accord Coupe 4cyl 5AT with leather and 04 TL 5AT.

I bought the Accord new and it lacks power, I knew that after the test drive. I travel a lot and have put 70K+ miles on it, I am comfortable on long drives I like the styling of the car and gets me great MPG.

I have rode in a TSX 6SPD and love it. The TSX is what it is. Luxury, semi-sporty with good suspension and a very confident chassis to boot.

I could of spend my 20K on a used Cobra,TA,300ZX,WRX and dear I say a brand new SRT4 instead of the Accord(If I was just looking for speed). You could of bought a clean MKIV TT Supra, brand new EVO or STI etc with 30K(If speed is all your looking for). They don't put TSX in comparison tests with EVOs and STIs for a reason, they also cost around 30K.

ZERO power = Dead horse 200(205)HP = TSX

zooter

In all fairness, HBMIKE asked for opinions - and Napkin's opinion is that the TSX has no power. Like you've all said, it's all subjective - and, by the comments it looks like there is history with Napkin. Too bad that someone who dumped $30k on a car is so bitter about his ride. IMO. Guess he should have bought that '81 Camero IROC.

I purchased mine (TSX not Camero) 1 week ago, and yea, there were things that had more power out there, but I opted for the '07 TSX for the complete package. So far, so good. Happy to be a part of the club.

Main point is that buying a car is subjective. Probably most of the people here think that the TSX is a pretty cool car - it's why we are all here. Go out and test drive and think about what matters to you and what doesn't. It's a big investment, do your homework and you'll be happy.