rocket354

Entry-luxury category (no clue how many cars in that class there actually are).

Looking at some other articles, it appears as though the ILX probably won't be around for much longer. That is a shame, as it's a quality vehicle, and a good idea, it just needed a few more things to really catch on (less noise, a few more options, and a performance version, as examples).

I bought my 2013 ILX brand new in September, 2012, with 9 miles on the odometer. As of today, 5 1/2 years later, it's at just short of 70,000 miles. While I've complained about the road/engine noise in the past, I've grown to accept it. The engine noise isn't ever overly loud, it's just never overly soft--it's always right there no matter what RPM you're at. But that aural feedback always helps with a manual transmission car.

I feel like just now, when it's finally paid off, is when I'm getting the value out of the car--see the first link, above. I've had little maintenance or repairs to do beyond oil changes and a recent first tire change. I had one battery conk out after 13 months, that's the only unexpected thing and it wasn't the original battery so I think it's hard to fault Acura for that. Insurance cost is so low it's barely noticeable, and at about 30mpg overall, the car doesn't break the bank at the pump, either.

When I drive it, it still drives like brand new. It feels sturdy and the engine is smooth and strong. The idle is quiet and just as smooth--the tach needle sits unmoving right where it should. As an early adopter, I didn't get quite the purchase price deal that some folks have gotten more recently, but I feel like I will more than get my money's worth out of this car. Tyson's went over 200,000 miles in about five years, and I can imagine mine going just as far (just taking a biiit longer to get there). No car payment for the next 10-15 years? Sign me up. If all goes as planned my next vehicle will be an electric, autonomous vehicle.

So all that is to say that as of this writing there isn't a single other car out there I'd rather be driving. I've had friends with BMWs and Land Rovers that are in and out of the shop continuously. Sometimes from day one (coughlandrovercough) or otherwise definitely once the car reaches 40k. My own previous cars were starting to show their age at this point; there was always a bit of concern in the back of my mind if today was going to be the day something finally breaks. But not with my ILX. I feel like I could jump in it and drive to the moon and back without so much of an inkling of doubt.

My apologies if this post was a bit rambling, but I felt that in what might be the twilight of the production years for the ILX, I should sing its praises and reveal my appreciation. My car is definitely only in the spring of its life--I won't be even thinking of selling it for a long, long time.

kipsy

feel the same way about my 2006 tsx. 140k and been paid off since 2010. just had it oil sprayed by carwell.com last week and the underside was in great shape. little rust on bottom of passenger door. 1 muffler sounds a little raspy.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I still have my 2006 TL that I bought in 2010!
it's the greatest car I've ever owned.

OP!

GrafZeppelin127

I have to say, I feel the same way. When I first leased mine in mid-2013, replacing a 2002 Saturn, it seemed like the perfect car for me, precisely what I wanted -- an attractive, semi-upscale small sedan with leather, moonroof, five-spoke wheels, and a stickshift -- and when the lease was up I found that there was nothing on the market in that price range that I really liked better. Having both leased and purchased in the past I found that I liked owning a car outright and not having to worry about monthly payments or mileage allowances.

I still find this car very appealing and always enjoy driving it. I put 103,000 miles on that Saturn; I expect to put twice that on the Acura, if I live that long.

nothome17

Acura should really change their motto to Precision Crafted Daily Driver (instead of Performance)

aomechmarine

Myself and the Op have the same tastes and mindset when it comes to cars. My next car (as of right now) is going to be the 2018 Accord Sport 2.0 Turbo Stick shift. Stick shifts are going extinct, so I keep aware of my options. I already test drove it, I loved it. Unless an Acura TLX Type S comes out, I'm going Honda and not Acura. This Accord has a similar vibe to my ILX, except main thing I feel is a nice upgrade is that its simply bigger and roomier. To justify getting into payments for a newer car, i HAVE to feel like i'm actually upgrading in some way, unless if I was just looking for a reliable good used beater, that's different. I definitely plan on keeping this ILX for about 20+ years, i like having a back up car. But I will have to get into payments again in about 2023-2025-ish when I buy a certified pre-owned 2018-2020 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 Turbo stick shift. I HAVE to get certified pre-owned because this car is turbo and it's going to attract tuners and people are going to use Hondata and reflash it to 300+ HP (the flash is already available), and some are going to be abused. I don't want to get one that was raced and is ready to blow, especially with no kind of warranty.

I don't think that Honda will carryover the stick shift after 2020. New Accord sales seem to be bad right now. I also have no immediate need to upgrade, The ILX is still kicking ass. But by June 2023, my car will be 11 years old. If I wait too long to buy a certified pre-owned Accord, It will be too hard to find a good one. So if the 2021 Accord refresh has no Stick-shift, Then I'm going to start looking for the car in 2023, maybe hold out until the ILX is 13 years old in June 2025. Its' 2018, so that will be 5-7 more years of NO car payments. Hell yea. And if they DO make an Acura TLX Type S with a stick in 2020+, or the Accord 2021 refresh still has a stick, then I'll wait even longer, and have no payments for 7-10 years. Based on this, my ILX will become my backup/beater car when it's probably 12-15 years old. So I'll most likely get a decade or so of no car payments. This car is great.. I'm definitely going to get more then my money's worth from it. Plus, since it will be my back up car, the ILX will probably last a good 25 years, since it won't be racking up as many miles at that point. And We've had family cars go past 20 years, and cars were built way crappier back then, so 25 years is an easy goal.