I've been toying with the idea of trading in my SUV for a while now, and getting another sports car or sporty car. (In the past, I've owned 2 different generations of Toyota Supras, a '98 Trans-Am, a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T, and even a Pontiac Fiero SE - so this is generally my preferred type of vehicle.)

My price range (whether I went used or new) was under $20,000. I had my eye on the new Mustangs at first, but don't think I'd really be happy with a base model of one of those with a V6, and they quickly get close to the $30,000 range for a V8. Then I took a good, hard look at the '06 Eclipse. Certainly much better looking than the '05's, and seemed to handle a little bit better too - but in the end, just too pricy. GT models are priced out of my range, and even the base models come close to my upper price limit when equipped with the 2 "option packages" most people would want.

Quite frankly, I felt like I was running out of options for a car I'd be happy with. Then I stumbled onto the Acura RSX. It seems that practically everyone who owns one loves it. It's a perfect combination of Honda reliability and Acura luxury and styling cues. I bought mine from a Honda dealer with 60K miles already on it, for under $14K. Nonetheless, it drives like it's brand new. Handling-wise, it's superb. Easily matches the new Eclipse in cornering and braking ability, and feels like it outperforms it in acceleration.

My RSX is an automatic. Unlike many people, I didn't really want a stick, because I spend too much time in stop and go traffic. But Acura's "autostick" is really pretty cool. It's the only one I've seen that truly lets the driver make the shifting decisions without the computer interfering. (EG. If you want to stay in 1st. gear up to the redline, it'll let you - rather than upshifting prematurely in the name of saving some wear and tear on the car.) So I feel like I've gotten the best of both worlds. (If you want a Type-S though, you won't have a choice of an automatic at all.) And quite frankly, you DO want a Type-S if maximum performance is your primary concern. It has 200HP instead of 160HP, mainly because it uses VTEC technology to control both the intake and exhaust side of the engine. The base model RSX only uses VTEC on the intake side - and more for the sake of fuel economy than performance.)

The only complaints I have so far are as follows.

1. The factory "Acura" stereo is horrible. It sounds muddy and FM reception is dismal. Worse yet, it's not even a standard DIN size, so you'll need a special dash kit (or will have to fabricate your own) so aftermarket stereo head-units fit properly in the dash. Swapping it with a Pioneer stereo made a *world* of difference though. The stock speakers are capable of much more sound quality than the factory head-unit can deliver. Be forewarned though. The RSX dash lights up in red at night. Many aftermarket stereos light up in green or blue, and look bad in contrast to red backlit gauges.

2. Whenever a small child sits in the passenger seat of the car, the side airbag warning light flickers on and off randomly on the dash. This is apparently because Acura uses a sensor in the passenger seat to detect if a passenger is properly seated or not. Unfortunately, kids tend to be too light (and squirm around more than most people), so they keep tripping the sensor. Many RSX owners complain of this sensor going off on its own, even when nobody is in the car but the driver. Seems like a bad design.

Amount Paid (US$): 13995
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Automatic