[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How are Acuras? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/5/2012 1:21:32 PM EDT
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Just looking around. ~$16000 is my price point. Want something sportier than the V6 Camry I'm giving to my brother. TL/RL/whatever, I know nothing about. Needs to be good in the snow.
Debate will be between Acura and a V8 4Runner. Either want sporty or the 4Runner, already decided on that if I go the SUV route. Thanks! 
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Nice-looking, well-made and they hold their value. Here's a nice TL in your price range.
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I've had an Acura RSX Type S for 10 years and around 150k miles. No complaints except for the anemic radio (I think current Acura equipment is better) and the fact that it sucks in snow.
I'm dreading the day it finally rusts out from under me since it looks like the "hot hatch" market has imploded. |
| TLs have known transmission problems, not sure what year it stopped being a problem. I'd go with a TSX myself, I find that they look better but looks are in the eye of the beholder, as they say. 4Runners kick ass. A lot of ass, non-stop. Did I mention they're awesome? |
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Quoted: Yeah I'm having a hard time going away from a ~05 V8 4Runner, just looking at other options if I'm dropping this much cash as a college student. If they suck in snow, then that makes the decision for me. No offense bub, but if you're a college student, you should be driving a much cheaper car even if your parents are funding your education. Be decadent once you have a career. |
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get a honda if you want it to last, and a basic Honda at that.
Acura have a lot of electricroniv gizmos, and well, all the older Acura I've been in had some issue with one of those gizmos (never impacted drivability, just stupid shit). but, I'd give Toyota the edge due to timing belt/chain issues on Honda motors ($2k every 60k miles or bent valves) plus an older 4runner shouldn't be too expensive, and last a good while at least through college. |
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The only Acura's I'd buy at this point would be the 2nd and 3rd gen TL type S.
I wouldn't touch any of the newer acura's, they've destroyed the looks and they need to pay for it. A 2nd gen type S would be much lower then your budget. A 3rd gen type S might be hard to find for 16k. |
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My wife's current '07 RL is flawless as well and a very good car for comfort with a smidgen of 'sport.' If you want sporty I'd snag an older 3 or 5 series Bimmer or Audi A4/S4. I had a '01 Audi S4 (B5 platform,) which was very sporty but a maintenance nightmare due to dual turbos and a poor turbo/oil feed system. the newer ones in your price range are nice but heavier but use a NA engine and thus are less sportier. You can buy B5 S4's for cheap but you'll need to replace the turbos most likely but a more fun and stealthy fast car I don't know of.
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I have owned alot of Hondas and currently own a Toyota. The recent Hondas I owned go to 100k before your timing belt needs replacement and its only 2k if you dont replace it and let the valves self destruct after loosing the belt.
The Hondas are more fun to drive and I stil have a late model Civic SI but I am getting older and with my old bones , prefer the comfort my Camry provides |
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Quoted:
I have owned alot of Hondas and currently own a Toyota. The recent Hondas I owned go to 100k before your timing belt needs replacement and its only 2k if you dont replace it and let the valves self destruct after loosing the belt. The Hondas are more fun to drive and I stil have a late model Civic SI but I am getting older and with my old bones , prefer the comfort my Camry provides New Hondas have timing chains |
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Acuras are sportier, classier Hondas. Very nice vehicles in my opinion, and well built, as far as I can tell by working on a few of them.
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Yeah I'm having a hard time going away from a ~05 V8 4Runner, just looking at other options if I'm dropping this much cash as a college student. If they suck in snow, then that makes the decision for me. It's FWD, so it won't be bad at all in the snow with the right tires and some sense. FWD's are a bit kooky to get out of a slide compared to a RWD, but they're harder to lose control in initially anyway. I have to echo what another member said though––That's a lot of money on a payment for a car, if you're still in college and not established in a steady paying career. 16k on a 5yr with 4% interest is just about 300/mo. |
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Acuras are sportier, classier Hondas. Very nice vehicles in my opinion, and well built, as far as I can tell by working on a few of them. Quoted:
Yeah I'm having a hard time going away from a ~05 V8 4Runner, just looking at other options if I'm dropping this much cash as a college student. If they suck in snow, then that makes the decision for me. It's FWD, so it won't be bad at all in the snow with the right tires and some sense. FWD's are a bit kooky to get out of a slide compared to a RWD, but they're harder to lose control in initially anyway. I have to echo what another member said though––That's a lot of money on a payment for a car, if you're still in college and not established in a steady paying career. 16k on a 5yr with 4% interest is just about 300/mo. I cannot strongly enough emphasize how incredibly important it is to just own your shit when money is tight. credit should only be for people who have a career established and much higher means than outlays. I have been working through the hell of a car pmt and school. it sucks huge big donkey balls. if I could go back in time, I'd go back and slap the fuck out of myself for ever thinking that using credit on a car is an even remotely good idea unless you make much more than you spend. if you don't, one little fucking thing can set your entire life into shitville. trust me, you will thank all the others later |
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Wife drives an 08 TSX w/nav. It's been flawless for 60k. Tires, brake pads and fluids is all it's needed. Sports enough for the wife, and will pull 28-30 mpg on the hwy. Leather still looks new even with an 8yo. Nav is a bit dated by new standards but works well and the touch screen is very intuitive. J |
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Quoted: I've had an Acura RSX Type S for 10 years and around 150k miles. No complaints except for the anemic radio (I think current Acura equipment is better) and the fact that it sucks in snow. I'm dreading the day it finally rusts out from under me since it looks like the "hot hatch" market has imploded. Sad, but true.  I had a '02 Civic Si modded for all motor, hence the name NA EP3. It was a sad day when I sold it for an S2000. I sold the S2000 for a WRX STi and felt no feelings. My wife and I loved the Civic compared to the S2000 (for day to day living). There are times when I miss having a hot hatch. Maybe I should have bought a 5 door STi instead.  |
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Here is a trivia question: Why do Japanese car companies have 2 brands each in the US? Example: Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity Do you have an answer to this, or are you just curious? Because you got me curious. My guess: I'm going to guess its just the same thing that Ford and GM do with their base and luxury level cars, but the Japanese were just playing it safer by having ONLY two brand for each manufacturer: a base brand and a luxury brand. Whereas Ford and GM have multiple brands each, which eventually led to internal competition within each company. Ford>Mercury>Lincoln, there was no need for a "mid-luxury" (or whatever Mercury was considered) brand since you can get either a fully equipped Ford or a base model Lincoln, so Mercury died. Chevy>Pontiac>Buick>Cadillac, the "sporty" line of Pontiac died out b/c Chevy also produced sporty cars. GM still has a two upper scale brands however (Buick & Cadillac), although they may have different enough audiences that they will both thrive. The American car makers tried to branch out too much and ended up making too much redundant, internal competition between their own brands, so some of them failed and did poorly. The Japanese saw no need for all of these extra "house" brands and therefore kept it at only two different brands aimed at two entirely different audiences: one caters to the average Joe (Honda, Toyota, Nissan), one caters to the wealthier folks (Acura, Lexus, Infiniti). Each has its own market share and is different enough that they keep being successful. Each also has a few "sportier" trims of one or two of their vehicles available, so almost everyone is covered. This is, of course, all my own speculation, and a guess. To get back on topic OP, I know a few people that own Acuras and are completely happy with them. They have the reliability record that Honda is known for, so I'd say if you can afford it, you can't go wrong with one. However if snow capability is your main concern, I'd go with the 4 Runner, they are also pretty bullet proof from what I've heard. Its pretty much a toss up of whether you want a sportier car or a capable SUV. |
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One thing you may not like, well I don't like it on the TL, is the steering. My neighbor has a TL that I've driven and the electronic power steering is annoying as hell. It seems like the car is playing a game with you to keep you alert and on your toes...driving straight, and the steering wheel will tug one way or another randomly it seems.
Overall the TL is a nice car, interior and engine are nice, Nav system is ok, but I can't get past the steering issue. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Here is a trivia question: Why do Japanese car companies have 2 brands each in the US? Example: Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Nissan/Infinity Do you have an answer to this, or are you just curious? Because you got me curious. My guess: I'm going to guess its just the same thing that Ford and GM do with their base and luxury level cars, but the Japanese were just playing it safer by having ONLY two brand for each manufacturer: a base brand and a luxury brand. Whereas Ford and GM have multiple brands each, which eventually led to internal competition within each company. Ford>Mercury>Lincoln, there was no need for a "mid-luxury" (or whatever Mercury was considered) brand since you can get either a fully equipped Ford or a base model Lincoln, so Mercury died. Chevy>Pontiac>Buick>Cadillac, the "sporty" line of Pontiac died out b/c Chevy also produced sporty cars. GM still has a two upper scale brands however (Buick & Cadillac), although they may have different enough audiences that they will both thrive. The American car makers tried to branch out too much and ended up making too much redundant, internal competition between their own brands, so some of them failed and did poorly. The Japanese saw no need for all of these extra "house" brands and therefore kept it at only two different brands aimed at two entirely different audiences: one caters to the average Joe (Honda, Toyota, Nissan), one caters to the wealthier folks (Acura, Lexus, Infiniti). Each has its own market share and is different enough that they keep being successful. Each also has a few "sportier" trims of one or two of their vehicles available, so almost everyone is covered. This is, of course, all my own speculation, and a guess. To get back on topic OP, I know a few people that own Acuras and are completely happy with them. They have the reliability record that Honda is known for, so I'd say if you can afford it, you can't go wrong with one. However if snow capability is your main concern, I'd go with the 4 Runner, they are also pretty bullet proof from what I've heard. Its pretty much a toss up of whether you want a sportier car or a capable SUV. Back in the 70s the US put an limit on Japanese car imports. To circumvent this they 'made' more brands to import more Japanese cars. |
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The only Acura's I'd buy at this point would be the 2nd and 3rd gen TL type S. I wouldn't touch any of the newer acura's, they've destroyed the looks and they need to pay for it. A 2nd gen type S would be much lower then your budget. A 3rd gen type S might be hard to find for 16k. No shit. They uglied them up to the point of I wouldn't be caught in one of the newer ones. |
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Yeah I'm having a hard time going away from a ~05 V8 4Runner, just looking at other options if I'm dropping this much cash as a college student. If they suck in snow, then that makes the decision for me. No offense bub, but if you're a college student, you should be driving a much cheaper car even if your parents are funding your education. Be decadent once you have a career. Agreed. One of the smartest things I ever did was walking away from buying a new Tacoma as a Junior. Needed a payment like a hole in the head. |
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TLs have known transmission problems, not sure what year it stopped being a problem. I'd go with a TSX myself, I find that they look better but looks are in the eye of the beholder, as they say. 4Runners kick ass. A lot of ass, non-stop. Did I mention they're awesome? 2003 was the last of year the bad transmissions. I just took a gamble on a 03 CL with the same drivetrain, it had its transmission replaced fairly recently so hopefully I can get 5 years out of it. I really like the car so far, comfortable and handles really well for FWD. |
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They are upper end hondas for us US peasants. I don't know anyone with one who has taken care of them and been unhappy. Can't speak for the newer ones but some of the issues with older acuras can be avoided by maintenance. Some just happen but there are many places to turn for support and usually easy fixes. Most parts will be more expensive than a honda if something does fail.
They rear wheel drive now? Nothing is sporty about a heavy ass front wheel drive car pushing through corners even if it pulls decent. |
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I have three friends who drive Acuras, one of which has two of them. They all love them, they have been basically flawless, and they are nicely equipped. One of them got rear-ended in his TSX at a red light by an idiot in a construction van. It demolished the trunk, but he and his wife walked away and ate dinner at the Waffle House on the corner while they waited for someone to come pick them up. They were barely even sore. If we'd been looking for an SUV the last time we shopped for a vehicle, I would have probably gotten a gently used MDX. |
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Quoted: Just looking around. ~$16000 is my price point. Want something sportier than the V6 Camry I'm giving to my brother. TL/RL/whatever, I know nothing about. Needs to be good in the snow. Debate will be between Acura and a V8 4Runner. Either want sporty or the 4Runner, already decided on that if I go the SUV route. Thanks! Overpriced Honda. |
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TLs have known transmission problems, not sure what year it stopped being a problem. I'd go with a TSX myself, I find that they look better but looks are in the eye of the beholder, as they say. 4Runners kick ass. A lot of ass, non-stop. Did I mention they're awesome? All 4speed electronic transmissions coupled to V6 engines, in accords, odessey's, pilots, mdx's, and tl's from 99 to 2004 had issues and Honda backed them to 100K, some customers got even better coverage with documented service records. 2005 and newer transmissions are much better, and the remanufactured transmissions that they began putting into 99-04's are holding up now. It took a few trys to get the right fix, but everything seems good to go. Standard repair is remanufactured trans, new ECM, and new fuel pressure regulator. ETA: I fixed a lot of rattles and squeaks on TSX's, to me it was always just a 4 door RSX, which was the replacement for the Integra. If I recall, TSX was the JDM Accord when it debuted in the US. |
| My mom has a 2000 Acura TL. It has been a good car for her, and the dealership has been awesome. I don't remember now what the symptoms were (they were not severe), but my husband was driving the car and told her to go to the dealership and have the transmission checked. They kept telling her there was nothing wrong. Then she really did start having problems and she took it back in. Her warranty had been up for a while. They checked the service records and saw she had been complaining since before her warranty was up, so they gave her a new transmission for free. No problems since and this was a number of years back. |
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TLs have known transmission problems, not sure what year it stopped being a problem. I'd go with a TSX myself, I find that they look better but looks are in the eye of the beholder, as they say. 4Runners kick ass. A lot of ass, non-stop. Did I mention they're awesome? All 4speed electronic transmissions coupled to V6 engines, in accords, odessey's, pilots, mdx's, and tl's from 99 to 2004 had issues and Honda backed them to 100K, some customers got even better coverage with documented service records. 2005 and newer transmissions are much better, and the remanufactured transmissions that they began putting into 99-04's are holding up now. It took a few trys to get the right fix, but everything seems good to go. Standard repair is remanufactured trans, new ECM, and new fuel pressure regulator. ETA: I fixed a lot of rattles and squeaks on TSX's, to me it was always just a 4 door RSX, which was the replacement for the Integra. If I recall, TSX was the JDM Accord when it debuted in the US. The TSX is indeed our version of the JDM accord. I visited a friend while he lived with in dad in Singapore and his dad drove an Accord paid for by P&WC. |
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So, it's a pay for the name wrong wheel drive sedan vs a SUV? You're doing it wrong. If sporty is your objective, you should be looking at RWD and AWD cars... But, I think I agree in with DriftPunch's point. You should really look at something more value-oriented until you finish school.
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I have an '03 Acura that had the O2 sensor go bad at around 35000 miles(covered under basic warranty). Since then I haven't had another issue with it mechanically other than the glue holding the windows to the actuators has worn out(windows still work fine though). It now has 147000 miles. Nothing but oil and filter changes, I skipped the overpriced 30k/60k/90k fools preventative maintenance garbage.
Why has it lasted as long as it has? Simple, watch the movie entitled "Gung Ho" starring Michael Keaton. Fat, drunk, overpaid, whiny American assemblers versus proud and disciplined Japanese workers. My car is 100% Japanese. |
| I have an '05 TSX 95k and not a lick of trouble. Wife has an '05 MDX 50k and has only had one minor issue. The tranny cooler bit it and needed to be replaced along with the radiator and tranny flush. Only cost me $500 to fix. Both cars look and drive great. You get a lot for the money with Acura. |