im thinking of trading in my 05 tc with almost 28k miles in for a RSX at an Acura dealer. according to KBB..the trade in value of my car is like 13k. do you think i can get a used RSX type S somehow? how much more would you expect for me to pay? thank you

 

If you trade you will suffer on the tC. Try to sell it privately for a little more.

 

tru dat! apparently alot of people end up waiting for weeeeks to order one, so you might get a decent price for it if you sold it on your own.

 

But why would you want to? Seriously....
Sure the Acura has 50 more HP....but it has less torque....the TC has 163lb/ft of torque at 4200RPM, whereas the RSX-S has only 143lb/ft at 7000RPM. In day to day driving, the TC is going to feel stronger, and it will be less tiresome to live with. Sure, the acura is ultimatly faster, but you have to rev the crap out of it to get any power.
The real solution would be to buy the TRD supercharger. That will up the TC to 200HP, plus it will up the torque. Your TC will smoke the Acura then, and at $3200, it will be cheaper than trying to sell your car and buy another.

 

that's what I said.

 

Well it really depends on why you want to trade it. Im guessing just because the RSX-S has more hp and is faster? Im a huge fan of the way the RSX-S's look and the interior. Although I do think the tC has a better dash setup.

Back to the topic though, it might just be me but id be a bit wery buying too old of an RSX-S just because you know whoever owned it probably drove the crap out of it (being a high reving engine). Also this is the last year of new RSX so the price of used ones will probably hold value even better.

Id honestly say keep the tC and SC it. Would still be cheaper and I think better car overall.

 

The RSX-S has very high resale value so expect to pay alot for it. My guess is if you do get 13K for the tC, you still have to put in at least 5K for a decently used one.

What Ryhian said is true and that can be applied to all popular sport compacts in that their owners will most likely have beaten on it. The high-revving part isn't really too much of an issue since Honda engines are made to rev. It is also true that the refreshed 05 versions of Type S has Type R parts and has more performance potential (i/h/e + hondata can bring your wHP to about 210~220). However, that's more money spent.

The torque arguement for the tC can be a bit deceptive. It's all about how flat the curve is and how the gearing is optimized. There are torque and horsepower threads if you search for them.

 

hey larfboy, it's your choice, do want you want. I had a 2003 RSX type S and I loved it!!! the six speed transmission is great! I had Eibach (sp?) springs, AEM CAI, AEM pulleys, and cat-back exhaust. it felt and looked great. the intake literally raored when the VTEC kicked in! but, being a Honda- low torque compared to the HP. I had it for two years and sold it b/c it wasnt my daily driver and I didnt want to pay $450 a month to keep it in the garage. It had only 5,000 miles on it. I have two young kids so I was just too worried about them thrashing the interior, etc. IMO the RSX "looks" faster than a tC. But I now have a 2006 tC and I love it! I would love it even more if it had the 6 speed, it's so nice having another gear! Insurance will be more on the RSX and it only runs on premium gas (which is like $4.00 a gallon in San Diego) while the tC will take the cheap crap gas (cheap relatively speaking!) If I was in your position, I'd just get the TRD supercharger and call it even. I think (someone let me know!) that a tC with the TRD S/C will be faser than a stock RSX type S on a straight road. well, let us know what you decide and good luck with your choice!

 

When I was originally in the market for a new car, it was between the RSX and the tC and the deciding factor for me was that the insurance on the tC was a LOT cheaper because it's categorized as a hatchback whereas the RSX was considered a sports coupe. But the choice is yours, the RSX is definitely an amazing car.