Car buying advice needed. New Accord Coupe V6 or a used Acura off lease?

[The Sauce]

I was originally set to get the new Accord coupe V6 240HP. But now I am thinking a bit about maybe saving a few more bucks and picking up a 3 year old Acura coming off lease. I don't know much about the different Acura models though. I would want a coupe with a manual transmission and a V6. Can anyone enlighten me here? Opinions welcomed.

 

[LiQiCE]

The only Acuras currently in production with a 6-speed are the RSX Type-S 6-speed (2002, and 2003 models), and the CL Type-S 6-speed (2003 model only), both are coupes, but I'm not sure how many you're going to find off the lease ... Other than that, there's the Integra which you might be able to find. The RSX and Integra are both 4-cylinders though, so your only other choice is the CL Type-S 6-speed, a very nice car imho, but its new for 2003 and you probably won't find many off the lease. If you're lucky you might find one used ... But from what I understand the CL-S 6-speed is not in heavy production like its automatic sibling so you'd most likely have to go brand new to find one (and wait a few months) ... So you probably wouldn't save anything by going the CL Type-S route ...

You're probably better off going with the Accord v6 coupe, or considering getting another car off the lease. Perhaps a Nissan Maxima v6 6-speed?

 

[geno]

The only 3 yr old Acura /w a standard is an Integra If you want a stick, go for the Accord

 

[UNCjigga]

IMHO the '03 Accord interior (assuming you go all out for the V6 Coupe 6-speed) is much better than that of any 3-year old Acura, save for maybe the NSX or the RL! (LiQiCE forgot to mention the NSX...it also has a v6 with a 6-speed tranny, and its been around for awhile, but it might be outta your range )

 

[The Sauce]

Aah, ok good info. Thanks. I though there were more manual acuras out there in the past.

 

[LiQiCE]

Oh yeah ... The NSX, heh ... Well he did say he was looking to save a couple of bucks by going with an off the lease Acura

There are some Acuras with manuals that are older than what a typical off-the-lease car would be. I don't know if you'd be interested in purchasing a 1995 Acura Legend Coupe LS w/6-speed. Those cars were very nice for their time, sporting a 230hp / 206 ft-lbs. engine ... And you'd certainly save a lot of money over a brand new Accord if you could find one, but I'd imagine that there are most likely a lot of advances in cars that you might want in a 2003 versus an 8 year old 1995 model Legend.

Unfortunately, Acura has been pretty stingy with bringing forth manual transmission cars for their lineup, especially in the midsize sector. I'm guessing they started to see that a lot of people buying luxury cars simply don't want a manual transmission anymore. The CL Type S 6-speed was only marketed in an attempt to boost sales of the CL (which have been pretty poor compared to the TL, and MDX).

You could wait for the 2004 Acura TL (not a coupe), which will sport a lot of the features that the new 2003 Accord has, and then some. Maybe Acura will shock us and include SMG in the 2004 TL Type S

Good luck with your car shopping!

 

[The Sauce]

I'm guessing they started to see that a lot of people buying luxury cars simply don't want a manual transmission anymore.

Then I wonder why whenever a manual version is released it is always in high demand and backordered for months (e.e. g35 coupe 6-speed which is backordered 5 months in my area).

 

[LiQiCE]

Originally posted by: Snatchface

I'm guessing they started to see that a lot of people buying luxury cars simply don't want a manual transmission anymore.

Then I wonder why whenever a manual version is released it is always in high demand and backordered for months (e.e. g35 coupe 6-speed which is backordered 5 months in my area).

If its like the CL Type-S 6-speed, they're not produced as heavily as their automatic counterparts. There is a "high" demand, and a backorder for CL-S 6-speeds too, though the backorder is probably not as much as for the G35.

I'm not arguing with you that there's a demand for manual transmission cars, I'm just saying that Acura hasn't really been making manuals for awhile unfortunately ... And I'm betting that the majority of cars sold on the market today are automatics (At least in the case of Acura and other car manf. in that market segment). Not everyone has the need for speed and a lot of people buying in the luxury segment (read: BMW, Lexus, Acura, Infinity, Mecedes, and the like) want the car for luxury, comfort, and name recognition ... and with that comfort comes the unwillingness to have to shift the car yourself. I totally understand that there's a market out there for people who want cars with a focus on performance yet at the same time want some of the luxuries associated with cars like Acura. That market however is probably smaller and sells less cars.