Hey everyone,
I'm I'm considering an ILX for my wife as a commuter car. something a few years old with a lot of life left in it. I like to do most of my own work on my cars, and I've owned more than one Acura in the past. What I'd like to know is whether or not the ILX is an easy car to work on, and if there are any known issues from any model years that I should be aware of or any model years I should stay away from. any information you can provide when it comes to looking for a used ILX, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for your knowledge everyone.

 

A bit of info in case you didn't already know: ILX is only in its 1st gen right now. However, from 2016-2018 (MMC) there was significant drivetrain, safety tech, and style upgrades. In 2019+ (MMC2) there was additional style upgrades with some very minor tech upgrades. No drivetrain changes.

 

I would stay away from the 2013-2015 models since the base model lacks power and overall this period lacked modern Tech. 2016-2018 like Schen72 said was a huge jump in terms of performance since every ILX came standard with the K24 engine that put out 201 HP and 180 lb-ft torque, so basically a Civic Si but now paired with a 8 speed DCT engine built in house by Honda. The 8 speed DCT IMO is one of the best DCT engines out there whether it be Hyundai or Mercedes and hasn't had any problems to my knowledge. 2016 brought the AcuraWatch Plus package which would be the bare minimum trim I would look at since it provided: ACC, MID, FCW, LDW, LKAS, road departure mitigation, CMBS but ideally the best bang for you buck is the Premium package because that's where 4 way passenger power seat, driver memory seat, real leather, auto dimming mirror, premium audio, Blind Spot, and rear traffic alert become standard. You can find CPO 2017-2018 ILX Premium with 20K miles or less for about $19K or less. If you are looking at a 2020 then again I highly recommend the Premium package since you get the most bang for your buck and that's where Android Auto and Apple CarPlay become standard. You can upgrade to the A-SPEC if you want a more premium sporty look with wider tires but I highly recommend avoiding the Tech Package or the Tech Package with A-SPEC since that package mainly revolves around the crappy outdated GPS system.

My wife and I bought a 2020 ILX Premium A-SPEC for her to commute to work and while it's not a BMW, exterior wise it's still a really good looking car that should be reliable, has low maintenance and cost of owner ship compared to other luxury cars, very good gas millage for a high reving naturally aspirated engine, safe, and Acura has some really great deals. The purchase price for our Premium A-SPEC was $26K and change which isn't bad for a $31K MSRP car.