While it doesn’t have as memorable a name as the preceding Integra, today’s Nice Price or No Dice RSX is just as neat a car. Let’s find out if this clean coupe is worth its asking price in dirty money.
Is it alright for a car to lie to you? When they were first offered for sale, twenty-plus years ago, Dodge’s Neon SRT-4 was claimed to get 215 horsepower out of its 2.4-liter turbocharged four. When some distrusting owners tested that claim by putting the cars on dynos, it was discovered that the engine actually made a heck of a lot more than that number. As it appeared completely stock save for a cone filter intake, the 2003 Dodge Neon SRT-4 that came our way yesterday might be old enough that average wear and tear has taken a toll on that overage of power. Still, there seemed to be plenty of life left in it, and at $8,700, many of you felt it a reasonable opportunity to get in on that liveliness. A solid 60% ‘Nice Price’ win was the result.
What’s in a name?
Today, let’s compare and contrast. This 2004 Acura RSX is of a similar age, size, and price as yesterday’s Neon. Differentiating the two are the number of doors, the Dodge’s hairier-chested persona, and the Acura’s much more inviting cabin and overall build quality. Which car would you rather have?
Acura introduced the RSX for the 2002 model year as both a continuation of, and a replacement for, the Integra. The name change was prompted by parent Honda’s concern that individual model names—Legend, Integra, etc.—were commanding more headspace from consumers in the marketplace than the overall brand, Acura. In what, in hindsight, was a very dumb move, the company threw out all the model names, replacing them with an alphabet soup of three-letter identifiers. The Integra nameplate recently returned to Acura’s U.S. lineup, attached to a fairly nice little four-door sedan based on the Honda Civic. The rest of the model range, however, is made up of the larger TLX and a series of crossovers, all named “something-DX” with no seeming rhyme or reason.
Not my type?
This RSX is more akin to the original Integra in intent than the current car, although its model lineup dropped the four-door model of the earlier series. This one is also, it should be noted, not the hotter Type-S model, lacking that car’s 200-horsepower engine and six-speed manual. Instead, this RSX is a base car, making do with a 2.0-liter K20A3 four with Honda’s intelligent variable valve timing (iVTEC) helping the DOHC engine make a still respectable 160 horsepower and 142 pound-feet of torque. Here, that’s mated to a five-speed manual driving the front wheels in traditional Honda fashion.
This is a first-generation RSX, meaning before the 2005 refresh, and as such it is the better-looking car. In another questionable move, Acura dulled down the RSX’s styling with that refresh, removing the cutouts in the front and rear bumpers where the headlights and tail lamps nestle, respectively. Despite this car’s somewhat institutional Taffeta White (yes, that’s the color’s name) over Titanium color combo, those elements give the car some character. That was lost in the later editions.
No accidents, no issues
According to the ad, the bodywork under that appliance white coat is in excellent shape and enjoys a history fully free of accidents. The five-spoke alloys also appear to be in excellent condition and wear newish-looking Michelin meats. Plus, the green valve stem caps mean those tires are nitrogen-rich!
The cabin appears to be in just as good a shape, reflecting the car’s fairly modest 122,000 miles. There’s some wear evident on the driver’s seat squab, but, on the plus side, all of the seats are upholstered in the optional-when-new perforated leather. Everything else appears standard and stock, save for the stereo head unit, which is a single-DIN Sony. This is an old enough car to be mostly analog, so there’s not even a small screen in the dash, and the HVAC is all manual. The car does have power windows and locks, so driving it won’t feel completely like Fred Flintstone’s your neighbor. A clean title and a recent smog test passing grade are additional attributes.
Accurately priced?
As we discussed at the outset, this RSX and yesterday’s Neon prowl the same seas as far as intent and current price. Both are compact cars with a sporting nature. To be fair, there are some substantial differences between them in the initial build quality and present condition, however. At $8,900, the Acura is a pair of Benjamins more than the Dodge, but the nicer interior and likely more refined Honda character might very well be worth the extra cost.
What do you think? Is this seemingly very well-kept RSX worth that $8,900 asking as it’s presented in its ad? Or, is that too much to ask for this Integra wannabe?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Fauxshizzle for the hookup!
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