Hey all,

I'm currently serving in the US Air Force and am about to settle down in the LA area of California. I'm going to purchase my first RSX type S and I wanted to get everyone's opinion on the 04 vs the 05.
I know both the K20a2 and the K20z1 are excellent motors. And through my research, I've read that they've made some corrections to the suspension set up in 05. The question that is brought to mind for me is this, is the 1500 to 2000 dollar (pricing is subject to my area) difference worth the 10 horsepower bump and the slight suspension upgrades. I will be doing only mild upgrades to the car at first (intake, header, cat-back, etc., minor details) and purchasing an a-spec susp. kit right off the bat. Obviously i'm not bringing forward the other differences from year to year but thats also why i am asking you all, owners, technicians, tuners.
Thanks for any insight,
you guys are the best.


Price comparisons are with two vehicles with roughly the same amount of miles, from 75,000 to 100,000 miles

 

not really. depends which body style you like better.

 

Anything else guys? Any input would be appreciated

 

i think the facelift alone is worth the extra coin.

 

For the guys with higher mileage cars, how do these things hold out? Maybe i can find an 05 with some higher miles thats still within my price range. From experience working at honda, i know honda's can really put in for the long haul if they are taken care of properly. Anybody had any outstanding issues with their higher mileage RSX-S's?

 

They hold out well under normal maintenance.

suspension barely changed. doesn't matter if you're getting Aspec anyway.

 

rsx suspension sux...

 

Go the extra mile/dollar to get a well maintained, nearly stock/bone-stock car from a mature owner...

 

Hey my military brother! I'm Army! I'm partial to the 05/06 myself (yes I have one). Like kyden said, it's worth the facelife alone. I know you said you plan to only do light mods in the beginning but how far down the road are you looking at doing anything else? If you plan to get it tuned via k-pro for example the 04 will be better bang for you ONLY b/c you can use the ECU that comes with your car. With the 05 you have to find an 02-04 ECU and send it in or buy a completely separate one that's been modified by hondata with kpro on it. That's the biggest difference I see in my opinion.

 

the 05 body and style is worth the 2000 to me. The more comfortable seats, the better engine, body style is much better in my opinion. But all opinions.

 

05+ ftw... Looks, motor, tranny, stock wheels, etc.

 

I love my 03 and actually like the front bumper more then the 05-06. You're probably gonna change the wheels anyway so that doesnt matter either.

Plus I got mine bone stock for a steal from an Acura dealership, interior is still almost in mint condition

All opinions

 

I bought my rsx brand new from the dealer in 2002. I added the couple items new and improved to my generation, keeping me very happy with it

added:

- 06 S seats
- 06 S wheels/tires
- 06 S steering wheel
- 06 Aspec suspension