drivetofive

Odometer:  514,200

Friends, family, and fellow Acura fanatics:  I’ve got a new car.

Thanks to Acura I’m the proud driver of a brand new 2013 Acura ILX, 6-speed manual with 2.4 Liter, 201 hp engine.  It’s finished in Silver Moon exterior, black interior, and outfitted with accessories to align exactly with just how I want it to look.  I love it!  “New car smell” is something I’ve never until now experienced for myself.  The newest car I’ve ever owned – my 1994 Legend – was already 9 years old when I bought it in 2003.  I’ll be sharing my experience with this new ILX from behind the wheel and behind the scenes in the coming 12 months.

Without further ado, I present the newest Tyson-mobile in all its glory.

New meets old.  Big shoes to fill here!

From worn out old-fashioned key to brand new I-key.

Here’s how my day went.  Come along with me for the ride.

Arrival at the Acura dealership yesterday morning.

Love at first sight?

Where’d my rims go?

Check that interior.  Minty fresh!  Still in plastic wrap.  6-speed manual transmission.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

A quick peek at the initial odometer.  I haven’t seen that many zeroes in… ever.

First order of business:  Customize it!  A bunch of boxes of goodies had arrived in preparation for our day.

The 2.4 Liter ILX comes from the factory already nicely equipped with the Premium package.  But you’ll notice right away that I outfitted my ILX with features that will set it apart from others:

• Sport Underbody Kit
• Rear Lip Spoiler
• 17″ Diamond Cut Accessory Wheels
• Illuminated Door Sills
• All Weather Mats
• Trunk Tray
• First Aid Kit

The front bumper had to come off to install the under body spoiler.

Technician Simon getting started with the install of the decklid spoiler.

I had to take a picture of this wheel well because I don’t know if it’ll ever be this clean again!

Same with the rest of the undercarriage.

It’s finished!  Lowered back down off the lift.  I’m digging the 17″ accessory wheels.

And the obligatory key hand-off photo with John Watts, Senior Manager of Acura Digital Marketing.

Finally rolled the car outside to get a good look at the finished product.

Meeting with Daniel Yong (left) who works on the Accessories team at Acura corporate. Pictured at right is Simon who performed the install of all the accessories.

Now, out on the town last night!  Downtown Phoenix made the perfect backdrop to some rolling video scenes that you’ll see on arriving to YouTube in the near future.  I’ll let you know when to tune in!

First fuel up.  It’s like feeding my new baby with a bottle of 91 octane.

For those who have followed Drive to Five and the Acura Facebook page since last year, you’ve seen that I’ve been privileged over the last several months to meet and interact with some of the amazing people at Acura who brought the ILX to life and who are excited that it represents the next generation of Acura automobiles.  This car truly reflects the level of pride and commitment that each of those individuals have in the quality product that they build.

As the ILX is inducted into my garage, a tribute is due to my trusty old Legend that hit 500,000 miles last November.

For the first time since March 26, 2003, my 1994 Legend LS coupe will not be my primary “daily” car anymore.  I started this Drive to Five blog in March 2011 and have shared my travels with my readers since then, but my history with this car (and with Acura in general) dates back many years prior to that.  I still vividly remember that day 9 years, 2 months ago when I excitedly took these pictures before assuming ownership at about 95,000 miles on the odometer in San Jose, California.

I’m a historian.  If you haven’t already noticed, I love documenting things – using pictures, stories, videos, or any means possible.  I’ve kept a daily journal for over 10 years now.  As I prepared for the Legend’s imminent retirement, I dug out my box of journal books (I’ve now switched to an electronic version) and found the entry from March 26, 2003 when I took delivery. First, a look at my day planner page.  This was a big week for me – I was also interviewing for my first “real” job at SkyWest Airlines, which I did end up getting.

Journals:

Following are some of the words that I wrote.  As you can see, my excitement was hard to contain.

3/26/2003

I’m on American Airlines flight 129 from Las Vegas to San Jose.  It was crazy getting to this point.  The McCarran airport is huge!  I had to find gate D-10.  I only brought a carry-on.  It’s kinda weird to think that I’m carrying $9,500 cash right now!  Scary.  11:30 p.m.  I’m home and in a new car that I couldn’t be more thrilled with.  This Legend is one SWEET ride.  Just glides down the freeway.  And the 6-speed — mmm.  Plus it’s been babied.  I have a huge book of records, and scratches on the car are almost nonexistent.  I lucked out!  Carla and Kent picked me up at the curb of San Jose airport.  The deal was made quick.  I knew the car was for me the second I saw it in the driveway.  Kent made me a taco and I paid the $9,500 cash, then I sat in the car for 10 hours, stopping only in Baker and on I-5.  The ride was awesome.  I blasted my tunes.  There is no CD player, but I used my adapter and I loved it.  It’s good to be home.  I’m so glad things worked out for today.  I am thrilled with the Legend.  I’ve been dreaming about one for probably 5 years.  Bentley will be excited too.  Ahhh… so much to do tomorrow – it’s been a busy day.  I traveled about 1,600 miles I think (via plane and car).  Carla was cool; I like her personality and she was really concerned about me being comfortable with the deal, etc.  She even emailed me to make sure I got home safely.  I put 696 miles on the car.

Little did I know what those first 696 miles would later become, 9 years down the road.

• 419,200 miles driven
• 35 U.S. states visited
• 3 Canadian provinces visited
• 1 Mexican state visited
• 6 houses lived in, in 2 states
• 3 college degrees
• 2 freezing Utah winters
• 6 hot Arizona summers
• 7 National Acura Legend Meets
• 1 valet parking job
• 13 different sets of rims
• 5 tickets, 1 window tint warning, and 1 drug search
• 1 break-down & tow
• 2 deer collisions
• 4 different jobs/employers
• 158 oil changes at
• 18 authorized Honda & Acura dealerships
• And a partridge in a pear tree

The car has paid for itself over and over again.  I’ll continue to drive it with some regularity and keep Drive to Five alive with updates.

I’m really excited, though, to experience a whole NEW level of driving technology (19 model years newer than what I’m used to!) that’s brought out in the 2013 ILX.  We’ll see if this new car is as road trip friendly as my old trusty Legend has been.  I’m already planning out some summer adventures to make sure the ILX gets plenty of use, and I’ll of course share the experiences with my readers.

Two miniature milestones have already come to pass.

50 miles

100 miles

Now, if I can just get used to a newfangled I-Key, cell phone connectivity, push-button start, and driving a vehicle that’s smarter than I am.

Stay tuned as the ILX adventure gets underway!

This entry was posted on June 13, 2012 at 6:01 pm and is filed under ILX, Legend. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.