Back in the Saddle: ILX Return from Utah & My Showroom Display Case
Odometer (ILX): 206,792
Happy Labor Day.
After a 15-month hiatus, my 2013 ILX is back from Utah. My brother was using the car for daily duty – though his driving only added up to about 6,000 miles in that length of time. It had been since last November when I sold my TL Type-S that I’ve been driving around without a ‘modern’ (post-1990s vehicle) so I was glad to get back into something with iPod connectivity and other conveniences.
It felt a bit odd to slide back into that driver seat again after so long, but the car smelled, drove, and handled exactly as I remembered it. Before leaving St. George last Saturday, I paid a quick visit to grandma and grandpa as well as to my friend Blair who has a couple of 1989 Legend coupes that are up for grabs. Check out the video at the bottom of this post – free to a good home. Any takers?
The St. George -> Phoenix trip felt much like every other I’ve taken, except for one new stretch: The Nevada Department of Transportation has recently (within the last month, even) dedicated a new stretch of road as part of Interstate 11.
Formerly, the drive between Las Vegas and Phoenix required driving through the town of Boulder City which would become overrun with traffic headed to Hoover Dam, especially on holiday weekends. Now, the new freeway bypasses Boulder City to the south and reconnects with Highway 93 just prior to the bridge over the Colorado River. It’s a pretty slick piece of road that will easily slice 5 or 10 minutes off my drive.
I happened to pull off at a scenic viewpoint and end up right next to a 2018 ILX. Its owners were very nice!
The road is so new that traffic is light, and I was able to stop in the middle of the onramp for a photo without blocking anyone.
The other exciting thing is some progress with my literature collection. After 20 years of acquiring merchandise and brochures related to Acura vehicles, I finally have a way to start showcasing some of it. Several weeks ago, I purchased a 70″ long (38″ tall, 18″ deep) display case from a company called Achieve Display. It arrived in Phoenix a few days later but I had to rent a full size pickup truck to retrieve the 300-pound pallet that it came on at the freight depot.
Assembly was a bit of a chore, as the 8-page instruction manual was lacking detail, but we figured it out. I took some time to do an inventory of some of my collectibles and filled up the case right away. I also ordered a plexiglass 6-up magazine display to hang on the wall (and another one is on the way) so my laundry room which leads into the garage is finally transforming into a bit of a showroom. In going through my boxes of literature, I discovered duplicates in some of the items.
Light reading!
I have over 80 brochures ranging in model year from 1986 through 2015, as well as probably that many magazine articles as well. Time to get my library in order! One day I’d like to scan a bunch of the items and digitize them to share with the community but most of the pieces are larger than a typical sheet of paper.
My friend Jerry gave me a few awesome items including these vintage hats.
Finished product – for now:
Short video on ILX retrieval:
Blair’s 1989 coupes:
Display case & garage walk-through:
Interstate 11 informational placard
Headed back to PHX
My friend German stopping by to take the NSX for a spin
Photo a friend sent me of a 1992-era dealership
Saw this in one of the vintage mags: Ads for different car clubs, including 2 Acura clubs. I want to join!
My friend Eric gave me a sweet Polo shirt for being his first commenter on RentalReview.blog. Go check out his site!
He also gave me some magnets I can use for a little advertising.
Service manuals galore.
Magazines on display – and a framed jigsaw puzzle of my 1994 Legend GS.
drivetofive 
September 3, 2018 at 7:11 pm
I really enjoyed the tour of the new glass case. I think you could do a post just going through it, item by item! Have you ever loaded up the 3.5” floppy to see what images are on the disk? Pretty cool that you managed to snag the H from your old Prelude. That story made me nostalgic for my old 84 Accord hatchback (my first car).
Welcome back to the ILX too. Any repair work slated for it before it gets pressed back into duty?
September 4, 2018 at 6:38 am
I actually did pull up the screen saver once, back when I had a computer with a disk drive. It wasn’t all that exciting, haha. And I’ve also retrieved files from some of those CD-ROM “Advertising Planner” items too. They have really cool graphic images, taglines, and printable documents about the cars. These days, I think the automotive pressrooms just have you download all of that to PDF or if you’re lucky, you can get a USB drive at the major auto shows when a press conference reveal takes place.
The ILX got an oil change a couple of months ago and oil life still says 100% so it’s good to go. My brother did put a new set of tires on it, Kumho 215-45-17, and they are meaty. I really don’t anticipate needing to do much to the car for a little bit yet.
September 3, 2018 at 7:16 pm
Thanks for the shouts-out, Mr. Hugie! I’m delighted to see the VHS tapes made your special display. Welcome back to your ILX, too. Cheers!
September 3, 2018 at 7:17 pm
(I hope someone saves those Legend Coupes, too!!)
September 4, 2018 at 6:38 am
Thanks Mark – glad you caught that mention! And I’m also hoping someone has a need for the 1989 Legends, even just for parts. We’ll see what happens. Hope you had a great holiday weekend.
September 3, 2018 at 7:24 pm
Glad to see that the ILX has returned to the fleet! I will say I’ve always loved those cars and yours continues to be one of the cleanest (and high mileage, haha) examples on the road today!
September 4, 2018 at 6:40 am
I just saw the August 2018 sales figures and the ILX still isn’t doing very well. It sold only around 900 units for the entire month (compare to MDX / RDX which sell around 6,000). So that explains part of why you really don’t see many ILXs on the road. The RLX is even more rare. It only usually sells about 100 units. People are definitely turning toward “light trucks.”
September 3, 2018 at 7:39 pm
Hi Tyson, I’m glad that you got the ILX back from Utah, welcome back! Almost hit 207,000 miles soon! Are you going to drive the ILX everyday for now? I love 1990s Acura brochures, wow 80 brochures. I always enjoy to look the brochures of different kind cars. I hope you are doing well and have a great week. 🙂
September 4, 2018 at 6:40 am
Thanks Josh! Yeah for now I will be mostly driving the ILX again. If you ever come across any old Acura brochures, let me know. I have collected items from every year since the brand was launched 32 years ago! I hope you have a great week as well!
September 3, 2018 at 8:00 pm
Welcome back to the ILX! She looks minty fresh as ever.
September 4, 2018 at 6:41 am
I know! I was happy with how well my brother cared for it. Only drawback – I don’t have an available garage space for it, so I’ll do my best to keep the paint in good condition. At least it’ll be covered in my office’s garage during the workday.
September 4, 2018 at 6:14 am
Glass case looks awesome, Tyson! You’re giving me some ideas on how to display old memorabilia. We’re glad to see the ILX back. I bet those creature comforts are nice to have again. From what I remember, that premium sound system was really crisp with some good bass. Looking forward to the next drive!
September 4, 2018 at 6:42 am
Definitely. Sounds like we will proceed with an October weekend so I’ll be seeing you then. Oddly enough, last night a friend messaged me that he was googling pictures of “Duncan, Arizona” and my blog post about it came up. I love it when one of our road trips provides some education and entertainment benefit to people down the road!
September 4, 2018 at 10:40 am
Thanks for the blog shoutout! Glad the ilx is back in the stable too.
Those poor ’89’s.
I should miss The Phoenician, but i don’t.
September 4, 2018 at 11:10 am
You bet! And thank YOU for the continued generosity with T-shirts and swag. I think this makes 3 shirts now you’ve augmented my wardrobe with: The Alaska trip, the 555k, and now the RRB 1st commenter. Woot woot.
September 4, 2018 at 2:18 pm
This just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Anything that has to do with organization just tickles my fancy. I knew that you would quickly fill that case up, but first and foremost, I am impressed that you were able to put it together (maybe with help, even) considering the 8-page instructions. Did I ever tell you that I loathe instruction manuals? If you ever get back to Mt. Carmel Junction, step on into the Thunderbird Restaurant and check out the model car collection of the owner, cleverly displayed on shelves around the room. I will privately text message you photos….
Gearing up here (literally) for the next adventure, where are paths are definitely going to cross! Have to Hava!
September 4, 2018 at 2:36 pm
Yeah, this instruction manual was the pits. The photos were OK, but the parts were not labeled well and some looked very similar to one another. I got it figured out with the help of a friend (and a dog). Next up is maybe to dress up the interior of the showcase with some LED lighting.
September 5, 2018 at 6:52 am
Excellent idea! And hang a big framed photo or puzzle above it? How about a collage of framed prints above it on the wall?
September 5, 2018 at 6:53 am
Oh, disregard! Just saw the vid of the showcase that shows magazine rack and such above it!
September 5, 2018 at 5:31 am
Glad you got your ILX back too. Of all the ones I’ve ever seen yours always seemed to me the most aesthetically pleasing. The silver with aero kit really is well integrated. Too bad pass cars are not selling. Interesting that both the ILX & RLX ( bottom & top of the line) have the lowest sales numbers.
BTW let me know when you get serious about illuminating that display case. I found a reasonably priced kit that may be narrow enough and I’ve used in our kitchen pantries that includes a remote to change colors, dim & power cycle it…
It seems so rare these days to find Gen 1 Legends in great condition. Someone would REALLY love these 2 to invest in restoring them. But hey you never know…
September 5, 2018 at 6:15 am
Yeah actually I just got an email today that they’ve debuted the 2019 ILX – a new generation, technically, via email press blast as opposed to at a formal auto show. The overall shape looks identical to me but the front & rear are refreshed. We’ll see if it does anything for the sales numbers. Good to know on the LED options! I am anxious to get my magazine display up and call this project “done” (for right now).
September 6, 2018 at 11:57 pm
I can’t wait to try that new interstate. I wonder if there is any good scenery out there. Glad to see the ILX back after being gone for so long. I bet it feels good to be in something that you’ll never have to worry about.
September 7, 2018 at 6:25 am
Certainly does! Modern conveniences are nice to have. Plus the great MPG is a bonus. I think its first trip will be to the Grand Canyon the weekend of 9/20 for our Havasu Falls hike.
October 3, 2018 at 12:29 pm
Hey Tyson, long time no see!!! My phobe has been bad off for a while now, I finally got another phone, glad to be back!!!
Glad to ses you havs the ILX back, such a nice car!!!
This past May 23, I traded my TL for a 2011 Kia Optima EX premium package, 2.4 GDI, Black w/ Biege leather, pano roof, cooled seats and all, 165K, now 168K miles, I really like it!!!
Also, the RDX made 12 years on 9/25 and is currently at 230,937 miles!!! Very proud of her!!!
Sorry to write about myself, have some catching up to do with you!!!
Glad to see you’re still driving, tripping, and eating!!!
October 3, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Hey it’s great to hear from you, and thanks for the update! Wow, the RDX is really getting up there in miles. Sounds like you are enjoying your Kia – those are some really nice goodies. Congratulations.