Honda Car Forum

I'm looking at a 2004 model. No Type-S. Don't want the sky high insurance rates... It's a manual transmission. Anyway, does anyone have any tips, advice, troubles, things I should check before I buy, etc.?Thanks.

it is now 6 years old as they model cars,, most likely they got rid of it because it starting to have tons of repair bills. needs tires, etc... and if it got new tires on it, it may mean they rolled back the odometer to cheat you on miles, which makes it even more of a repair trap.Repairs is the main thing when buying an older car.. you need to look for a car that only 2 to 3 years old to try to stay out of the repairs... or it would pay you to buy new.

allen, i have never read so much crap in all my life. changing tires and then rolling back the clock? are you for real? what planet do you live on.

Ok, sounds like you need a real answer.Allen doesn't know what he's talking about.Likewise, its an Acura, which is made by Honda- so unless it was abused by the previous owner, it should be relatively issue free. These cars are very, very reliable.As far as things to look for I suggest:-Make sure the shifter works smoothly. It shouldn't be hard to shift or grind going into gear.-Depending on mileage, you may want to see if the timing belt has been replaced. The k20a found in the RSX is an interference engine- if the belt breaks, your valves can smash into the pistons and destroy your engine. This should be done about every 7 years, or about 90,000 miles. It typically cost about 600-800 to do. Put the car in the air and check- A) are there any leaks? B) Grab the front wheels and try to yank them left to right. There should be no play. Honda's and Acura's sometimes have issues with their upper and lower ball joints getting weak. If one of these goes your wheel will literally nearly snap off. Though on an 04 your problably fine.Thats all I would check...

you realize that an type s is only like 5-10 more per month depending on where you live.if i were you id go with the Type S, think of future investments like resale value compared to the base rsx. Plus i know for a fact that the type s comes with a timing chain so you wont have to replace a belt at or around 100K miles so youll save there too. In addition to that were in a recession therefore you can get a killer deal. The leather, bose handeling, are superior by far... i dont know go big or go home thats the way i live...

My type-s has over 120k miles and still running strong! Just take care of it and get it serviced and change your oil regularly, and all that good stuff, and that car should run for 250k-300k miles. I will warn you though, the rsx doesn't have the best trans in the world. Mine has grinded 4th since I've had it. But that's no big deal, and other than that I have no problems or complaints.

ok ya this Allen W guy doesnt know what the hell he is talking about..well 1st of all too bad your not buying a type S your missing out man! the 04 rsx should last you a while as long as you maintain it correctly

Acura is made by Honda.Very very reliable.You should never get any problems with it.It will have high insurance because:It is still considered a sports car, it is a 2 door car, and it is an Acura, a premium brand, and many teenagers have them so they have high insurance rates.If the RSX has around 100,000 miles, make sure the belts were changed. Serpentine belts and timing belt.