Recommended sedans? TSX or IS
 

Looking for a sedan for the wife. Currently driving a 2004 civic which is a total POS lol. Some potential choices are including TSX and 2nd Gen IS350. Any thoughts on one or the other? Any owners please chime in

Mainly looking for safety, luxury, reliability. Not really looking towards euros as we all know they are known for being reliable. Let me know if there are any other better choices out there that are recommended by you guys. I am open to suggestions

Budget around $15-18k

Edit: Sorry to clarify, we're looking at IS350 so I can have some fun too lol

The wife is open to driving stick also, but really rather not as if anything happens if shes out with friends or family, someone else can drive the car also

I was looking at the first gen IS300/Altezza and TSX.
Almost picked up an IS300, but one thing that I don't know if I could live with; no fold down rears.

It may not bother some, but I like having the extra room.
Not sure how the 2nd Gen IS are, but that may be something you want to look into.

3rd gen Acura TL-S Manual. Fun as hell.

OP said for the wife... I'm gonna go on a hunch and say things like, safety, reliability, running costs are more important than the fun factor.

I've owned my tsx for about 6 months and havent had any problems. Some things to consider with the tsx:

04-05 is slightly different from the 06-08 you can google but heres some stuff i can name off the top of my head.

new in 06 is 5+ horsepower + imrpoved long block components bluetooth, aux, power passenger seat (lol 04-05 doesnt have this)

04/05 tsx a/c compressors known to fail, door lock actuators known to fail on all models (typical honda), seat track can have play and can rock slightly (mine does this). if you end up shopping for a tsx, check for all of these.

sorry but dont have much input for the IS

Comparing an IS300 01-05 v a TSX 04-08, take the TSX.

The IS is a pig on fuel in comparison, cost of ownership is higher, cost of parts is higher and insurance as well (lack of used parts is a killer)

Being you said its for your wife I would ask her which she prefers, but as someone who has owned both, get the TSX.

S63 AMG

^I think OP said 2nd gen IS.

I had a 6MT 07' TSX and it was super comfortable. I miss it a lot. Nothing broke for 80k kms that I've owned it. Only oil changes.

IS350/250 RWD does have an epic turning radius (not sure if that matters to OPs wife). AWD is something to consider since TSX is only FF

Crap.
Well, sadly the same applies for everything I said with a IS250/350 and even more so with the AWD models.

If cost is important but you still want a nice car to drive the TSX is the way to go. If you need to have all the bells and whistles and cost is not super important, IS.

pick whichever is better on gas

Second gen IS is a pig on gas considering how NOT fun it is. Unless you're getting the one with the touchscreen the interior looks cheap as fuck.

Pretty sure they have a life, and go out everyday. So S63 is out of question.

I have a 1G TSX and it's a lovely DD. Roomier than a IS but a bit noisier. The leather is cheap because it's coated in plastic but easy to clean as a result. Have had zero problems with it. Have only driven the 2G IS once and thought it was terrible - gutless 2.5L V6, tiny back seat, old fashioned interior.

For the TSX, the 2004-05 models are cheap and plentiful (around $8-10K for a good one) and work just fine for a DD. The 2006-08s are hard to find used so prices are a bit inflated IMO (I paid $21K for mine 5 years ago and could probably get $14K for it now - nutty though mine is minty and low mileage).

For your budget you can probably snag a 2009-2010 2G TSX too especially if you don't need leather.

My 2 cents is that you won't regret owning a TSX - it'll do everything you'd expect a DD should do. Has enough room, enough power, enough nice things, it's smooth, quiet enough etc. At some point you'll regret the IS - tiny back seat, gutless motor, boring driver etc.

Edit: The TSX has terrible brakes. Budget some cash for better brake pads and rotors. Any old Brembo blank will do the trick.

Just take TSX. They aren't even in the same price category and if you are conscious on your budget, TSX is meaningfully cheaper and will meet all your wife's needs.

If you carry more than 2 people, the IS has really tight rear seat. The legroom is bad. The TSX is a much more comfortable car for 4 adults.

Honda 6 MT is butter smooth and it is a joy to drive it.
Own/Owned two 1 Gen. TSX.
Realible as hell. Oil change is mostly all you need all year around.

*whatever dn53 is correct. Door actuator, Head Unit lights, Seat rail all common problem.

Yes the sec Gen is as mentioned has a really small interior. what about a gs. You can find some within your budget

I was looking into the 2nd gen IS350 a while back, no major issues with them from what I could find. The 250 had issues with carbon buildup IIRC, so you'd want to add a catch can kit that was pretty cheap and depending on the mileage get the head cleaned out as well.

The is350 has like 100 more horsepower for 1 less mpg. Legroom for the back is non existent it your above
5'11

1 quoted mpg, but real world mpg is much better on the TSX, especially in Vancouver where most of the driving is city driving.

Really enjoying my TSX as a daily. Had the dreaded lock failure but other then that's it's been great. Very roomy even with 4 full grown men.

Thanks everyone for your input, much appreciated! Glad to hear from some actual owners of the cars. Will take her to look for TSX this weekend and probably an is350 if I can find one around. She seems more receptive to the IS because it looks "nicer" lol and probably more comfy ride. We rarely, if ever have other people in the car, usually just me and her so the backseat is not really an issue. But I'm more of a Honda fanboy myself but the extra 100 horses and more torque is hard to ignore.

Gerbs: Have you had any issues with your is350 during your ownership? And how much to fillup and mileage if you dont mind me asking?

IS350 all day.

This is coming from a previous TL-S owner, currently have an 08 G35S sedan, that couldn't find an IS350 that fit my budget with what I wanted.

It's tough comparing a 200hp FWD 4cyl to a 300hp RWD 6cyl.

I've been a Honda guy forever, I'd give up the few MPG any day of the week to have the IS.

2010 Acura TSX V6 STK#B15060A

It's almost within your budget to get a V6 TSX.

My wife loves the 2G IS, particularly the Pearl White one.

I had a 05 tax before too and it was a great car as everyone else mentioned. It is slow but should be more than enough for your wife. But if I had to choose again I would probably get an is350. The amount of power it has over the TSX is so tempting

But then again you have to factor in the cost of the TSX vs is350. If it's significantly more may not be worth it. So I would say within 1 or 2k get the is350, anything more than a TSX would be probably be ideal