buying for wife, drives about 60 total freeway miles a day, pros in general for tsx price (looking at an 06 for 21500), and also looking at an 04 525i bmw (1st year of the new styling) that would be about 3-4 thousand more, my wife likes that the bmw is bigger (feels a little more "stable" on the freeway) only thing holding me back is the bmw reliability bad reputation, should that really be a concern for a 2004 with about 30 thousand miles? how bad is it? just looking for some thoughts...

 

well...this is a somewhat comparison, i owned a 99 bmw 5 series before my tsx. i own a 04 tsx. to be brutally honest...i would NEVER EVER EVER buy a bimmer thats not FULLY optioned. the tsx is value at its finest and i honestly can't say that i have any complaints other than....not owning an 06'. for simple reasons, power front seats, memory seats, heated side mirrors, xm radio, mid display, and factory fog lights. thats my only gripe with my switch from bavarian to japanese. the bmw was great for the first 3 months. then ALL types of electrical problems started happening, then a bushing on the rear sway bar busted, and it costs ALOT to fix...i dont remember how much, i sold it as is and then bought my tsx. IMHO get the tsx, your wife will appreciate the drive overall. if you live in a wintery area, the FWD is an added bonus if shes not too much of a sports-car-feel enthusiast.


oh yea, the bimmer is first model year(another mistake i made) and the 06 tsx is just about as problem free as it gets....happy buying!

 

i've pretty sure you can get a 06 for 18,xxx, if not less?

i got my 05 new at the beg. of 06 for close 17,800 out the door

If it were me i'd take the tsx' over the bimmer, esp. since the bimmer is the guinea pig 1st gen for that new design, bound to be some problems, and fixing those euro cars arn't cheap! Also, the new bimmer interior looks just like my first car's interior... a 1987 735i.

 

the only thing holding me back from the tsx is that it is so small, I only went on a quick test drive but it felt like a 4 door civic, what would you owners say about the "stability" and "sound" on the freeway going 70, would a bigger car be much better than the tsx, like the tl. I hate the back of the tl with the rectangle exhaust, with some body/wheel mods they look sweet though, anyway any comment on the ride quality on freeway for tsx vs tl, I think I ruled the 525i out due to maintenance/1st model year trouble you guys referred to

 

I agree. I would never buy a BMW without the options. A BMW with out any options is just not worth it. If you are getting a BMW, at least get the Sport & Premium packages. Of course, xenons, navi, and heated seats are extra.

 

better tires and roadfeel is vastly improved.

 

with gas prices going up exponentially in the near future, stick with the 4 banger

 

I am glad you guys did this thread. I was really considering trading my TSX for a 525i. I think maybe I will stay in the Acura family and go for the TL.

 

And not to mention the 525 you are looking at is a first year model bimmer as someone else pointed out (yikes!).

 

Rebirth/ALL - where can you get an 06 TSX for 21,500?

I'm in the market for an '05 MT... and that 21.5k price is what most are starting at. Realistically, maybe 19k, but that's before taxes even.

Sorry to digress.... but that price point got my attn.

 

Geeze, so many BMW horror stories. You should probably try starting a thread in a BMW forum too, get two different opinions on this. We're obviously swayed by a bias over here.

 

Get the TSX.

 

The TSX is very stable at freeway speeds but is quite noisy (mostly because of the loud OEM tires). The TSX will give you over 30mpg on the highway. I've never driven a BMW but everyone raves about its suspension. I'm sure it will feel quieter, more refined, more comfortable. You should also compare the cost of insurance and regular maintenance.

 

Never driven one, but wouldn't a 525 with 185 HP be somewhat underpowered?

 

^^ what kind of torque are we talking about?

 

I just made a 13 hour drive in my '04 TSX with new tires. I was generally cruising at 70/80 mph. The ride was incredibly smooth. Not so noisy, but not quiet either.

I used to always drive my ex-girlfriends BMW 330i and I had the same option to either buy the same model as hers or get the TSX. Although the BMW was a very quiet ride, I am very happy with my decision to purchase the TSX.

 

You bought a brand new 2005 TSX in early 2006 for $17,800 OTD?

 

We're talking 184 HP and 175 lb-ft in a car that weighs about 3,400 lbs. I seriously doubt it will perform any better or equal to a TSX. Not that performance should matter here.

I'd personally go with the TSX in this case for the superior MPG alone.

 

I second the suggestion to start this thread in a BMW forum. Quite a number of people on this forum had previous negative experiences with BMW, and that was strong motivation for picking the TSX over the BMW (as well as MANY other things. standard equipment on TSX, value, mpg, etc.). Our opinion will be skewed since we love our cars and chose them over the BMW when shopping, as will the opinions in the BMW forum, but I think it's good to hear both extremes and form your own decision.

Personally, I'd check out the TSBs for the BMW especially because it's a first model year.

You may also want to hop onto the TL forum and post a TL vs 525i thread to get their opinion.

Lastly...test drive everything

 

^^ I am guessing that they would say TL, just like most people here are saying TSX and the question on the BMW board will probably say BMW. Interesting.

 

IMO the TSX and the 525 are two completely different cars / markets. Both are great cars but honestly I would only buy a bimmer if it had like everyone said luxury package or sport package. A base / stripped bmw's suck. I have a friend who had a 02 525 and it was a piece. No heated seats, no xenons pretty much just "wanted a 5 series".

I think a RL and a 525 would be a better apples to apples comparison.

 

Have to agree (except for the price, an RL comparison might be stretch though). Aside from what's been posted here, I'd have to guess that very few people cross shop the TSX and a 5 series BMW (new anyway), and since you can buy so much more used car for X amount of dollars with a TSX than any 5 series, I'm surprised there are many doing it with used cars. You can easily option a 5 (even a small motor one) well into the $40's (actually, you'd have to in order to equip it the same as a TSX), but aside from the equipment, there seems little comparison between the two cars.

 

If you can afford used 2004 5-series I think you can swing 2004-2005 TL?

 

I post your link at e60 BMW forum let's see what BIMMER guys will say
here's link : http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=51818

 

my brother has a last generation 335 ( i think - the 4 door). It drives so hard that its suspension is really uncomfortable. On PA roads (where he lives) its unbearable compared to my TSX. just my $0.02

 

i just read the bmw forums
those must be the most modest bmw drivers ive ever seen
nice of them to not take a position and give our prospective buyer a walk around.

on a side note (sorry for the digression)
the tsx really does feel amazingly light, and it is scary sometimes 0_0
but women love it, my girl friend who has a civic si, and all the other girls driving the a/t version.

 

have u ever thought about an audi a6??? or an infiniti??

 

lol! wow i was just thinking about that , thats what my mom has and she loves it!

 

yup overall very nice car with all the nice amenities of a luxury car... not a tsx or a 5 series.. but in between which is what you are looking for..

 

Interior space is usually one of the criticisms of the TSX. Road noise is usually a criticism of all Honda/Acuras. I've heard (but have not done yet) that switching tires can make a huge difference in the noise. I think the car is plenty stable at 70-80. Glides right along to be truthful. I made a run from here to Portland in mine - averaged 75 and got 34 MPG over 150 miles.

Thing that scares me about BMW's is the cost of ownership - insurance and maintenance. Side by side the TSX will be far more economical both in purchase price and reliability. All depends on where that factors into your decision making.

 

HEY If you but the BMW you might as well invest in a tow truck with it!

 

what kind of tires? (sorry for the threadjack)

 

People always say the TSX is too small, I'm 6'3" and I think the car is perfectly fine. I don't really lug around a lot of people all the time either. I just made a trip from NY to Boston, averaged about 32 mpg going avg of 85mph (which it didn't feel like!) and the TSX was great. My friend said the car made it feel that we were only going 60 when I was pushing 95. Road noise was decent but my tires kuhmo ecstas aren't the quietest around. Solution is just crank up your music about 2 notches and your problem is solved.

525- Mixed opinions. You are probably going to run into a lot of electrical issues in the future. Expensive maintenance after the 30k certified. The 525 with no options really isn't worth it. Used 05 TL's can be had for about 20k, only thing I didn't like was the build quality of some pieces weren't up to Japanese spec. From where you are coming from I would find a nice used TL, just for the space and reduced road noise.

 

Two totally different cars... for pure driving pleasure, the FWD/4 banger TSX can't touch the feel of RWD/inline 6 of the BMW (nothing else on the planet makes the sweet, sweet sounds of an inline 6). This, however, probably only matters to a true driving enthusiast. The flat out straight-line performance should be similiar, with the BMW delivering more torque at low RPMs compared to the TSX while the K24 in the TSX will sing at high RPMs.

For day to day reliability, fuel economy, maintenence cost, etc, the clear choice would be the TSX. For sheer driving pleasure and more space, the BMW.

One thing to keep in mind about buying a used BMW... most people who buy BMWs usually don't drive them slow and easy, no they drive them hard and fast. This means that the miles on a BMW may be 'hard' miles.

For peace of mind and lower operating costs, it would seem the TSX is a better choice... unless you want to buy a new BMW 528i. New BMWs are highly rated on reliabilityand you would know that since it is new, it was never beaten on.

 

think again before getting the 5 series

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=831