Automotive

TSX in the near future?

The “Teg” is holding up great. The time has come where I could use a 4-door. At the same time, I want something that is reliable, fun, and looks professional. Having some bells and whistles would be great too!

I’ve been keeping a watch on the Acura RSX when it came out. I always wanted one. The RSX replaces the Integra. And I’ve had a TON of fun in my Integra. I’ve driven the RSX (both the base RSX and the RSX-S). Fun cars.

Then one day, I had my Teg in for some work. The dealer loaned me a 2004 Acura TSX. Wow. It looks sharp (inside and out). Its a blast to drive. And its the right size for me. I’ve driven the Acura TL for a week which is also an awesome car, but too big and expensive for me. The TSX on the other hand is just right for me.

The Civic has been another option. The 2006 Civics look sharp too. I’m not sure I’m sold on the front end design. I do like the design of the back end – the lines are very sleek. Comparing numbers, the Civic is about the same size as the TSX (with the TSX being a few inches longer, I believe). The Civic has a handful of bells-and-whistles while the TSX has everything, standard. I’ve also owned a Civic and it was a great car. But I want something different.

So I’ve been keeping an eye on Acura’s website. They have a financing deal going on and it looks like I can take advantage of it. I played with the numbers and they all add up. I put a little bit of money down on Saturday for a 2006 Acura TSX, manual, no navi (as they call it – there’s an optional navigation unit available). The dealer I went to had only one TSX with a manual transmission and it was a black car. Black is ok, as I told the dealer, but I’ve had black cars for the past 8 years would like to try something different. Locating a manual transmission TSX is going to be tougher than I thought. Many dealers only have a few TSXs and the ones they have are mostly automatics. What was nuts is they had the color combo I really wanted, on the show room floor, but the car was an automatic. The automatic is actually really nice. It lets you drive without thinking, or you can micro-manage the shifts. But the manual is really smooth and effortless. It makes driving the car a blast.

So here’s the colors I’m looking for, in order of preference:

TSX Blue

TSX Silver

TSX White

TSX Red

The blue and silver cars can have a black or gray interior and my choice is the gray (or “quartz” as they call it). The white and red cars come in black or tan and my choice there would be with the black. I know. I know. Black is hot. It is. But tan makes me sick in my stomach.

The goodies? There’s plenty:

  • 2.4L 4 cylinder engine

  • 205hp @ 7000 rpms, 164lb torque @ 4500 rpms

  • Leather seats, front seats heated

  • Power everything, including the seats

  • Bluetooth hands free phone (although it may not work with my phone

  • 2 auxillary audio jacks (glove compartment and center arm rest) for MP3 players.

  • XM radio (which I could care less about)

  • Trip computer (finally!)

  • Lots of safety – I think there’s about 8 air bags (2 front, 2 back, 2 side, and 2 curtain), traction control + ABS, good crash ratings.

I should find out this week if the dealer can get a car in the colors I’m looking for. If not, no worries. The Teg is still doing great. If I get the TSX, the Teg will go to Olessia and Olessia will sell her Civic (think we found a buyer already).

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