It's very interesting reading this thread. There's been a bunch of good points made, but guys, the Yugo PWNZ. :lol:

No really. Eric, if you haven't driven the TSX yet drive it and see what you think of the handling. Compare it to the rest, then forget all that. The way I see it is like this:

You like all three cars. You have your dislikes. They all eseentially balance out. The final factor is what you are comfortable paying. If the TSX has want you WANT, get it. I don't think you will be dissapointed in the TSX at all. For what it's worth Hondas do make good cars, they make em cheaper, they are cheaper to maintain (not because of substandard parts but because you're not paying for the roundle), and if you treat it right it'll last for ever.

To some people 5k is nothing, to others it's a big deal. It holds more weight when it's your money.

another good point GD. some people arent load with money *cough*speedster*cough* which makes the little bits of money not seem as much. donut its ur money. buy what u want. opinions r useful, but when u go buy ur car, think bout whos driving it. u or them?

another good point GD. some people arent load with money *cough*speedster*cough* which makes the little bits of money not seem as much. donut its ur money. buy what u want. opinions r useful, but when u go buy ur car, think bout whos driving it. u or them? [/b][/quote]
GD made a good point but Speedster being incredibly spoiled and having too much bling bling has nothing to do with it :P .

Donut's dilemma has to do with price.. He's trying to justify on this board the reasons for buying the TSX.
TSX =$27k
A4= $30k
325= $35k

If its price youre still worried about... dont get heated seats on the a4 and youll be even closer to the tsx. The price on the audi and acura are very very very close. PLUS...audi offers 1.9% financing! How much is acura offering? 1.9% financing = saving more money than you think down the line.

Lawrence

i THINK u should write another paper, this time about the tsx and any other car that is suggested to u. donut, just pick which car u want, whether or not its what anyone else here wants. if u want the tsx cuz u like the shifter and etc, buy it because u want to. everyones going to have an opinion. but its u who makes the choices in life. this guote kinda fits, but kinda doesnt, especially since its from a children's book but here

"Be who you are and say what you feel (insert "OR BUY WHAT U WANT") because people who mind don't matter and people who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

bottom line...

Acura's are built for Economy first... Luxury Second... and performance last...

Remember one of the main facet's of Honda's business is cheap and reliable cars

Acura's are basically Hondas with a more refined yet cheap interior.

Of course if you're stepping up from an economy car or what not you'll be drooling when you see a car with a better interior than the one you currently have.

BMW's are built for Performance first... Luxury second... and economy last...

On the other hand cars such as Porsche's were made to be used on the track and then slowly made their way to the consumer, they're not made to be luxurious at all, although they have leather and all the other knick knacks...

I reccomend that you watch the history of Porsche on the history channel (for all of you that haven't seen it I think it may be on again tonight, it was on this morning)

L337 is right....If the GT3 was available when we bought our 911TT, my dad wouldve bought that, because the power to weight is incredible, and the N/A responisveness. Thats pure porsche, you cant even get a sunroof on a 100k car...its all about performance

if you are thinkin of buying a car i would seriously recommend attending a car show....you can see upcoming models and decide which cars are worth a test drive without going to billions of dealers. I saw a TSX at a car show back in the winter for instance.

try living near dc. i drove 100 miles today, and didn't get above 40 mph many times. and shifting at 3k rpm, does it matter how much performance i get? i just want a smooth ride, and to rev it to 5k rpm at least once when i'm in the car per day.

my sister is leasing the 9-3, it's a nice car! she got the sport seats and they're really comfortable.

in the acura, with the torque so high, it will feel like its not pushing you into your seat, its just SLOWLY accelerating, where as you rev the 325 to 3k itll push you back into your seat....

eric, if you want a smooth ride (why would you?) a 325 without sport package is WAY to soft for my likings. Im saving up for a Dinan Stage 3 suspension for my car (in devolopment or out now, i havent checked in a whilw)......because id sacrifice a harsher ride for better handling performance. With what your explaining the 1.8T would be good, lotsa torque from the turbo, softer ride.....id get it

me too, i saw one in january in philly. i'm all about car shows

Ok, a couple things:

I did not say anything about speedster and money, I was making an objective point about how some people view money based on tha type of car donut is looking at (luxury cars attract luxury buyers). So please don't make me say things I didn't. (you may read into it however you want though)

Donut - With the amount of traveling you'll likely do, the type of roads you will likely be driving on, I would go with the car that would be the easiest/cheapest to maintain. Here's a few tearms you should recognize - cost effectiveness, return on investement (let's not get into an argument about if/if not cars are investements, that's not the type of investment I'm talking about here), bottom line (the bottom line being in your pocket).

Don't forget your buying the car for you ....

i wonder what the acura warranty is. same as honda? it would be nice if they did the hyundai warranty, 10 year shit. that's really nice. the price of the TSX is $26,450 including leather, heated seats, roof, xenons, split seat, 6 cd changer, which is an impressive list. oh, yeah, and it has a 6 speed! i don't like how it gets max torque at a high 4500rpm, but i'll have to drive it to see what it's really like. but on paper, it seems like a great value.

i wonder what the acura warranty is. same as honda? it would be nice if they did the hyundai warranty, 10 year shit. that's really nice. the price of the TSX is $26,450 including leather, heated seats, roof, xenons, split seat, 6 cd changer, which is an impressive list. oh, yeah, and it has a 6 speed! i don't like how it gets max torque at a high 4500rpm, but i'll have to drive it to see what it's really like. but on paper, it seems like a great value. [/b][/quote]
You've never had one of these "look at how cheap this car is, and look at ALL the features!" cars. My dad kept that Acura for about 8 months before he dumped it in favor of a Benz E430.....How do they make things like the Evo, the WRX, RSX/TSX so cheap? Tell me? Please, id love to hear it. BMW's are expensive because the entire car is quality. The TSX has a quality engine. Period. A few things ive when i drove our acura. #1 JAPENEESE are famous for using EXTREMEMLY thin sheet metal on the body panels. The slighest little door bump and you had a big dent (my dad said the same thing happened to his RX-7, some kid fell of his bike, into his car (the kid was going 1mph, the car was parked) and had to have the whole panel pounded back out. Besides the torque, the interior had all sorts of squeeks, the steering was too loose, feedback was terrible, handeled like your grandma's cadillac. I could go on and on, but buying an Acura TL was probaly the worst car my dad ever bought he said. I know its your money, but when you go to trade it in, whats going to be worth more? An acura, or a audi? The acura will be worth in 1 year, what the audi will be worth in 3....

ok guys i have to get in on this.

ok our family had the acura legend since 1989 and it is still running well. They are VERY reliable; nothing had to be replaced yet after close to 200,000 miles. If you are in a budget I would think you should get the Acura. I have no idea what the costs of these cars (TSX, A4, and 3 series), but if its like 1-3 thousand dollars difference, I would definatly get something else, unless you are all up for comfort and reliability.

The 2 reasons why I do not like Acura is this; the engine is not as refined as the 3 series, even the A4, and also the style and the materials used just do not compare with german automobiles. You dont even need to drive the cars to see if they are solid; take a look at the body and see/feel the metal. German cars are so much thicker and more solid.

After a few years the acura will loose its image but the german cars shine away.

Performance wise I cannot say since I have not driven a TSX but I feel confident the 3 series would prevail in this catagory.

Bottom line is this; test drive them all. See what YOU like and not what others like. I kinda like the TSX, it looks very nice. If 'I' had to rank these cars it would be this:

-3 series
-A4
-TSX

The 3 series would probably be the most expensive and it may be a couple of grand more, but in the end, it is WELL worth the wait and savings.

BTW, the TSX and the 3 series SHOULD not compete since they are two different classes. i just visited acuras site and compared the TSX with a 325Ci and all I can say is wow. There is a reason why the 325 is more expensive. Including all the good reasons why to buy a BMW stated above, the TSX does not have

-power passenger seat (the TSX has power driver seat only; why the hell would car makes do this making only one side power and not the other...probably to cut cost)
-no heated mirrors
-it says 'not listed' for vanity mirrors

Personally, it is the little things that make a nice car a nice car. One time I checked out a Lexus IS300, since it was the same class as the 3 series coupe/sedan and i opened the hood. Did you know that the hood of the IS300 is not held with hydrolic cylinders but with the traditional metal rod that you have to raise for the hood not to fall? This is what im talking about small, detailed items. Another experience is with my dads Lexus GS300. THe trunk is also not hydrolicly held. So sometimes, especially on a hill, the trunk would close on its own, i got hit on the back once when i was loading something in there, versus the 3 series (a car that is not made to compete with the expensive GS) has hydrolics to hold the trunk lid in place. THe design of the trunk was awful as well. There are two huge bars that swings in and out to have the trunk open and close. When the trunk is full, these bars would hit cargo in the trunk so basically, you must make way for the bars to fit inbetween the cargo for the trunk to close. The 3 series, and all bmw cars, there are no bars, just two hydrolic cylinders that neatly tucked away, (away from cargo) when shut so when you have a FULL trunk of cargo, the trunk lid closes at all times.