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Acura RSX (All years/types)

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Comments

  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    Lexol and Meguiar's make reputable leather cleaners. I bought Meguiar's wipes which are basically to clean the leather. But an actual leather condition (which costs more) from either of those manufacturers should be able to restore the leather. I think if/when you have your car's interior detailed, they pretty much use the same thing.
  • michiganmanmichiganman Member Posts: 65
    Hi all. Just thought you'd like to know that I asked Mobil1 (through email) when they were coming out with a 5W-20 SuperSyn. Here is their response:

    "Mobil1 0W20 motor oil will be available in March 2003 which will be approved for all the 5W20 vehicles."

    Wonder why they would make a 0W20 and not a 5W20... any ideas anybody?
  • jamesw7jamesw7 Member Posts: 23
    I drove a loaner RSX (not Type S) last week due to my MDX was in service and I like the RSX. The only complain I have is the noise came out from the back (exhaust pipe?) and it seems to be coming from the engine. The noise sounds like the jet engine. Is this normal?
  • sgrd0qsgrd0q Member Posts: 398
    If it sounded like a jet engine I wouldn't worry about it. Now if it sounded more like a turbo-prop - you may have a problem there :)
  • rascalloverascallove Member Posts: 28
    Hey, I'm 18 and my parent are going to buy me a new car under $30,000. Help me choose a car that is reliable, dependable, and has good resale value. I am thinking of getting an 2003 accord coupe EX V6 auto or 2003 acura RSX auto with leather. I am getting auto because I can share that car with people in my family. What car do you think is better and what car is good for a 18year old guy. Please reply!
  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    jamesw7, yes, the first time I drove my RSX (I have the Type-S :), it sounded just like a jet engine! And when you hit VTEC at 6 krpm, wooohooo!!!! :D

    rscallove, if you can't tell from my above paragraph yet, I'd definitely recommend the RSX, even the auto that you're considering. If you don't need to transport a lot of people, the RSX is a sportier car and will have a better resale value.

    It's also smaller, lighter, and a better handler. The Accord will be able to fit 4 adults (3 plus driver) more comfortably and might be cheaper to insure. Good luck!
  • kevin111kevin111 Member Posts: 991
    While the RSX would be fun, and is frugle on gas, for up to $30K, you might want to also look at:
    Infinity G35 coupe (base with auto can be had for under $30K
    Nissan 350Z (same comment as above)
    Acura CL-S (with the way they are selling, should not have a problem gettin one for under $30K.
    Lexus IS300 (same comment as above).
    Infinity G35 sedan (can get one with one or two options for under $30K)
    Loaded Nissan Maxima SE - clearing them out for the 2004s. Not selling well due to the less expensive Altima.
    With $30K and wanting an Auto, have a ton of choices.
    $25K or less, and want an auto, different story though.
  • acbeacbe Member Posts: 16
    I couldn't agree with you more beowulf7! Yes, my type S sounds like a jet engine too, and I love revving it up even more everyday...it's just SO MUCH FUN!!! ;o))

    rascallove, I would definitely recommend that you look at insurance prices before you decide on a car. When I was 18, a little Ford Escort cost me over $1000/6 months...yes, with a clean record...although, I had never been insured before.
  • rascalloverascallove Member Posts: 28
    Hey, The car that my parent are gettin me is my own car because they got theres but if a car break down we can alway share cuz it auto. i want a coupe cuz ill get more girls and it look better. I want a sedan cuz i heard that u get bored of a coupe after a while cuz there no space and the insurance is high. My sister just got the altima 3.5SE v6 and it a sedan now i want a coupe cuz me and her could switch cars. I'm not going 2 hook up my car all imma do is get foglight and 17inch rims and mayb a spoiler. I might pick the accord coupe 03 EXV6 auto over the RSX auto leather v6 because i think accord has better resale value and it easier 2 sell an accord.
  • maxxed_outmaxxed_out Member Posts: 23
    i guess im a little late on this, but, isnt the TSX supposed to be replacement for the Integra 4 door, an is based on the Accord, BUT, the RSX is still based on the civic. Why is this if they wanted to enhance the RSX? I forget, but didnt the Prelude have its own platform? Why didnt they use it, instead of the civic platform to make it more sports car like, and plus, Honda stopped selling the Prelude anyway?
  • maxxed_outmaxxed_out Member Posts: 23
    rascal love... 30k for firs car?!??!? Dang!!! dats mad $$ for first car, i got my site on a 6k car or the ol family car
  • gsgman69gsgman69 Member Posts: 75
    30k is too much for a first car unless money is no object for you and your family.

    I love cars but I also keep in mind that they are horrible investments that depreciate faster than just about anything except laptop computers.

    If I were you I would take a 15k car like a VW Golf or Civic SI and invest the other 15k in the stock market, a college education, a downpayment on a house, etc.

    Or better yet a used Mazda Miata for around 10k and then have 20k left over.
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    Money, plain and simple. Honda went cheap on the Small Car Global Platform (Civic, RSX, Element, CR-V), and the Prelude chassis (based on the Accord platform, actually) had too many expensive suspension pieces to justify it being the foundation for an Integra replacement.
  • maxxed_outmaxxed_out Member Posts: 23
    why does honda need to save money? There is alot of integra enthusiasts who actually want power. But, they keep the civic platform? At least Prelude wasnt ALL accord, it had some differences from the accord base. The were getting rid of the Prelude anyway, why just junk a true sports car, when you can keep it for another vehicle, and replace it at the same time. NO Itegra enthusiast would complain if they went with the Prelude platform, they would've been happy, even tho it mite cost a little more. Honda took a big junk of their teen group away from them when they stopped Prelude, so why not keep it alive, maybe it will get some Prelude fans into buying an RSX
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    You've just summed-up most of the reasons why I bought a '01 Prelude (instead of the RSX-S) after owning a '96 Integra LS and a '98 GS-R. I was really psyched about the RSX until I learned it would be built off the dumbed-down Civic platform.

    Actually, I would've been okay with the K20A engine (it's not a B-series, but it's probably just as robust), but wasn't willing to sacrifice on the chassis/suspension.
  • rk922rk922 Member Posts: 22
  • maxxed_outmaxxed_out Member Posts: 23
    than whats the integra(rsx) for?
  • rk922rk922 Member Posts: 22
    the rsx just replaces the integra.
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    that the Accord coupe is supposed to replace both the outgoing model as well as the Prelude.
  • silverrsxs1silverrsxs1 Member Posts: 27
    ...a suspension with the Civic. In fact, the RSX-S doesn't share a suspension with the RSX. Granted, they run off the same chassis, but it's chassis that's enormously adaptable, and the stiffer spring rates and bigger anti-roll bar in the RSX-S give it wholly different handling characteristics than the civic. As for the powertrain, the 200 HP i-VTEC in the RSX-S is widely considered to be one of the most advanced four-bangers on the planet, being one of the few N-A fours that scrapes out 100 HP per liter. Other than the Celica, I'm not aware of another similarly priced FWD sporty coupe that can hang with the RSX-S in a speed/handling battle. Past comparisons on this very site would seem to bear out that assertion. Buy what suits you, but don't rule out the RSX -- without test-driving it -- because of some ridiculous prejudice against the platform. It's not one of Car and Driver's 10 best, Sport Compact Car's 8 Great Rides, and Edmunds reigning champ of sport compacts (in a test that included the 'lude) because it sucks.
  • maxxed_outmaxxed_out Member Posts: 23
    I never wsaid i didnt like the RSX bcause of its platform, actually, its one of my fav cars. The only reason the Lude was so far back in that test BTW, was bcause Honda stopped producing them, thats the only reason, they had a lot of good stuff to say about it, too. What im sayin is that the Lude was a great car, so the should keep the spirit alive, after all, if they can make the civic's chasis so different and sporty in the RSX, why cant they do it with Prelude's? Theres my question. Really the only reason the Lude didnt sell is bcause Honda didnt car enough for it and put a 1990s interior in it, only reason. Noone has beef bout how it looks on the outside, NO ONE, or, its driving characteristics
  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    Yes, it's definitely a ton of fun to go north of 6 krpm. :D

    A couple friends and many others I know on-line have installed aftermarket exhausts on their RSX/RSX-S, and they claim it makes the sound even sweeter!

    For me, right now, the stock exhaust's sound and performance is plenty good.
  • silverrsxs1silverrsxs1 Member Posts: 27
    It's a fine car, and in a way, I prefer the looks of the 'lude to the RSX, but I think all the harping on the Civic chassis is unnecessary. The upside for Honda in building one chassis from which they can build a bunch of models is obviously cost efficiency. It's the reason why a top-of-the-line RSX-S is considerably cheaper than a top-of-the-line Celica GTS, for which Toyota built a purpose-made chassis. The problem for Honda with the lude is all of the competition right now in the grand tourer market. Their own CL-S and Accord coupe, the Infiniti G35 coupe and of course the Euro offerings, make it a tough sell to build yet another touring coupe to throw into the mix. The lude just occupies a tough segment
  • snaphooksnaphook Member Posts: 130
    Would RWD have helped Prelude sales? I personally believe it would have. A RWD coupe priced below 25k with a reputation for quality would have almost zero competition. I don't consider the Mustang serious competition because there is such a large segment of the population that would never even consider this car. In recent history the only thing that comes close was Nissan's 240sx. I would be very interested in the re-introduction of this type of car with maybe a little more power and slightly fewer amenities. If there ever is another Prelude I think it could fill this niche.
  • diploiddiploid Member Posts: 2,286
    I think they tried to compensate for a lack of RWD by offering 4-wheel steering. Apparently that didn't work.
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    Rest assured that I did test-drive a RSX-S for about an hour, and while it was spirited, the car didn't do much more for me than the GS-R I was already driving every day.

    It was on the way home from the Acura store that I decided -- on a whim -- to stop and try a Prelude. Game over for the RSX-S.

    You're splitting hairs by claiming the Civic and RSX don't share suspensions: they use the same components and design, regardless of an individual model's tuning. That was Honda's intent when they adopted the single Global Small Car Platform. Sharing parts saves lots of $$. Just ask Nissan.
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    Hello folks. I just picked up a new RSX-S. Other than what little is stated in the owner's manual, do any experts out there have any comments about break-in? I'm wondering if I should avoid my usual mountain driving since it will necessitate some engine braking. Any general comments?

    Thanks in advance,
    Darren
  • revkarevka Member Posts: 1,750
    Congrats on your new RSX-S! I'm no expert on the RSX, but as a rule, I've always been told that you want to avoid any kind of extreme driving during the break in period. That would include: quick starts, sudden braking, driving at full throttle, or driving at contants speeds for extended periods of time.

    Since the break-in period is so important, mountain driving may not be such a good idea during this time, imo. Of course I always tend to take a more conservative approach when it comes to this sort of stuff. You may want to refer to your Acura service manager for a final opinion. Others here may have more to add.

    Btw, weekends are a little slower around here, so you may want to give it a few days for additional feedback. In the meantime, here's another discussion from our Maintenance & Repair board that you may want to check out: How to properly break-in your new engine.

    Good luck, and keep us posted on your RSX-S experience. ;-)

    Revka

    Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
  • rogerabrogerab Member Posts: 29
    I am new to this post and would appreciate information on snow tires. My daughter purchased a 2003 RSX Premium with V rated tires. Has anyone experienced these tires on snow & ice on the RSX.
    Any help will be appreciated.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    We drove a base 5-sp RSX, and it sounded a little loud. We also looked at an RSX-S. The salesman started it up, but we didn't drive it. I think it sounded quieter than the base RSX.

    I guess the cars have the same engine block, but the RSX-S has a higher compression ratio according to the catalogue. That must mean the cylinder heads are different on the two engines, and there could be a real difference in the way they sound.

    Do any of you know anything about this? Thanks in advance.

    Bob
  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    One thing the dealer stressed to me - which is in the list that revka mentioned - is to vary the speeds. That means don't use the cruise control for at least the first 600 miles.

    The RSX and RSX-S are virtually identical (but not exactly the same) in terms of speed and HP for the first 5,500 rpm or so. So the engine noise content will be similar. But the Type-S has much more room to run (higher rev), so at stratospheric revs, the -S will be a lot louder.

    The RSX is not meant to be a quiet car. If you seek quiet engine noise, check out the TL or CL. But of course that'll also cost you several extra grand.
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    Anyone know the (rms or peak) output rating on the amp for the RXS-S? Thanks in advance.

    Darren
  • needfaspeedneedfaspeed Member Posts: 1
    i think the peak power for the bose system is 200 watts... 100 of those coming from the crappy subwoofer.
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    Gee, I thought it'd last for ever - a whole week and a half! I finally got a chance to wind it out. Wow, is that ever addictive. I shouldn't have tried it in the first place - now I want to rev it all the way up all of the time.

    Luckily I don't have to, because contrary to popular belief, I've found that the engine has plenty enough low end torque for normal ("around town") driving.
  • napapacodanapapacoda Member Posts: 42
    Hello, I noticed honda Civic and accord owners have their own forum made specially to state what deals are out and how much people paid for their car before TTL. I was wondering if there was a forum like this for the RSX and if not, can one be made? I am interested in hearing what deals are out for the RSX type S and to hear what deals people around the US got.
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    There was such a topic - it is now read only presumable due to a lack of traffic. This topic suffers from some of the same lack of traffic.

    I just purchased an RSX-S in Colorado for just about exactly Edmunds quoted TMV (about $50 under it).
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    Did you pay a 'dealer processing fee', which can run about $250 in our area?
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    $249.
  • napapacodanapapacoda Member Posts: 42
    Can a host possibly make that topic non read only? Even if people don't post in it on a daily basis, it is a great topic to have for all future RSX owners.
  • revkarevka Member Posts: 1,750
    To napapacoda and those interested - I started up a new Acura RSX pricing discussion. We'll see how it goes.


    Also, look for a direct link to this new discussion in the Helpful Links on the left side of the page. Happy motoring!


    Revka

    Hatchbacks & Wagons Host

  • primera_gteprimera_gte Member Posts: 7
    i got 200 over invoice. that was with absolutely no haggling. i went back to one of the dealerships where i test drove it. walked up to the salesperson and said. "i'll pay 200 over invoice." he said, "that's not a problem." the deal was consumated within an hour. they ran a credit check and the computer was down. there was a 45 processing fee and that was it. dealer holdback on this car is about 600 dollars so they made about 800 on the deal.

    dealers are hurting. november-february are great times to buy cars because everyone spent their money on x-mas. i bought mine the day before x-mas.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    We plan to buy an RSX sometime this year, and I didn't know how much over invoice to offer. Since we do not include a dealer processing fee in our out-the-door offer, it means that you got yours for $245 over invoice, which is much lower than I was thinking was possible. I thought $400-$600 over invoice would be the lowest they would accept.

    Do you think there was any special reason for your price being so low? For example, did you buy a silver car when they had lots of them in stock?

    Thanks a lot for posting your price!

    Bob
  • primera_gteprimera_gte Member Posts: 7
    they actually had to get it from another dealer, because i didn't want to wait for their shipment to come in.

    if there is more than one acura dealer nearby i would ask over the internet for prices. there you could haggle with the internet manager where the price is very concrete.

    here is my philosophy on buying almost anything. i'm going to spend x-amount of dollars someplace. it might as well be their dealership instead of someone else's. plus they're going to profit from servicing it. try to milk it for all it's worth. i try to turn the tables around on them. they're buying something from me: loyalty, referrals, scheduled maintenance. since i live in socal, i have a plethora of dealers to choose from. there are at least ten within one hour away from each other. i know in hawaii that it's bit different.

    dealer holdback is about 3% making it $600. so even if they sell at invoice they're making 600. i'm sure if i tried harder i could have got it for 100 over invoice. (my friend did this for his wife with a celica but he spent all day at the dealership) i got in and out of there within an hour. it took longer because their computer was down so they couldn't run a credit check.

    btw. since it was x-mas week acura gave me 3.49 percent financing over 60 months.
  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    Wow, you got a great deal! I didn't know Acura was running special financing promotions. 3.49% over 5 years is awesome!
  • dsm6dsm6 Member Posts: 813
    Just after my RSX-S passed the break-in period, I fueled up. I wasn't driving like a maniac for that tank full, but I was driving like a guy with a high revving car that just passed its break-in period - not babying it any more, finding out how good it pulls at high rpm, etc.

    Anyway, I averaged just about 31 mpg on that tank. Flog it some and still get almost 31 mpg? Yes indeed. Crazy, I tell ya.

    The speed of the car and the pull of the engine is deceptive until you play with it a bit - a result of the relatively smooth power delivery that ramps up as rpms climb.

    It ain't exactly a relaxed cruiser, though, as my wife pointed out to me repeatedly as she drove it. It's not terrible, with enough down low such that you don't need to rev it around town, but it doesn't loaf around like her Grand Prix GTP. C'est la vie. You've got to pay to play, one way or another.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,439
    I happened to be checking prices on a Honda with the Internet person at a local (NJ) dealer, and happened to notice the RSX prices. Base 5-speed, $18,712, Type S stick, $21,712. I think the base AT was about $500-600 more than the stick. Don't really know what this is related to invoice, but must be pretty close to it.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • beowulf7beowulf7 Member Posts: 290
    dsm6, even though you were flogging the car, you probably shifted infrequently over the course of some 350 miles, right? If you did a lot of highway miles, then the few tenths of seconds you're i-VTEC'ing won't affect the mileage much.

    But if you're constantly doing it stop light-to-stop light in a city, then you'll see a big drop in mileage. :(

    stickguy, which Acura dealer (where in NJ) did you see those prices? Do they include destination charge? The prices sound good. :)
  • rascalloverascallove Member Posts: 28
    Imma get a acura rsx white but I don't kno what options I should get with it. Any suggestions?
  • tnjrobi1tnjrobi1 Member Posts: 41
    I've been looking at the RSX S for a while now and I want to know if 03 would be a good year to buy or do you think the 04 will have more changes?
This discussion has been closed.