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Readers’ Rides & ILX Driving Experience

Posted in ILX, Reader's Ride on May 18, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  512,435

No news is good news, right?  Maintenance wise, the old Legend is still chugging along daily without any complaints, though I did notice my brake rotors (still the originals, yes) are warped and it’s probably time to ditch them.   At lunch yesterday I crossed paths with an immaculate looking 1994-95 Legend LS coupe in Cashmere Silver Metallic traveling in the opposite direction.  I gave the driver a customary thumbs up and he returned the favor with a giant, long stare!  I love the sense of ‘family’ that I can share with my fellow Acura motorists.

Snagged these few pictures tonight en route to dinner in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona.

I received a visit this past weekend from a long-time friend from my hometown in southern Utah.  Blair and I have been friends since high school and he has owned a number of Acuras including a few Legends.  His currently family car is a beautiful 2007 Acura TL Type-S in Kinetic Blue Pearl.

Here’s a picture of us from exactly 9 years ago, in May 2003 – St. George, Utah.  My Legend had a mere 100,000 miles on it.  Blair’s 1992 Frost White LS coupe had about 80,000.  Classiest cars in town!

And this past weekend during our visit.  Blair still has his white 1992 coupe.

Blair and I had some fun with our Legends back in the day.  Here’s a picture from a car show in April 2004 after we’d both done some modifications to our cars.  As I recall, we took 1st and 2nd place in the Import class at the show that day!

Thanks Blair and Megan for stopping by!

With each post, I’d like to start to share a story or two from others who have have Honda and Acura cars that are as as well traveled as mine is.  Tony from Toronto, Ontario drives this gorgeous 2001 Acura CL Type-S with 212,000 kilometers on it.  Tony comes from a Honda family and the first car he ever drove was his dad’s 1992 Accord.  Thanks, Tony, for sharing your story and I wish you luck on your quest for 250k and beyond!

Here’s the car that got Tony hooked on Honda, circa 1994.  He looks a little young to be behind the wheel!

And picture proof from Tony that Canadians get “ultra” premium gas!  94 octane – wow!

And following is a super clean (and rare) 1994 Type II Legend GS 6-speed sedan that belongs to Drive to Five reader Duane from Folsom, California.  Duane’s Legend is immaculate for having 208,000 on the odometer.  I’m convinced that life for any Acura is only beginning at 200,000 miles!  Based on the pictures below, I think many will agree.

Duane has a very unique Acura ownership history.  In his own words, here’s the story:

I had bought a 93 Sirius White Pearl LS back in 1997 with 36,000 miles. I drove it until it had 195,000 and then sold it. I didn’t even know Legends came in 2 doors or M/T back in 97 when I got my first one. I did get a 93 Pearl White 6 speed couple back about 4 1/2 years ago, but got in a crash while sitting at a light that I decided to sell the coupe instead of getting it fixed. I then bought the 4 door GS and had 2 at a time for a while. An A/T LS 4 door and a M/T LS coupe. Then I had both 4 doors at the same time. I’ve driven nothing but a Sirius White Pearl Legend since 1997. My kids (18 and 20) don’t remember me ever having a different car.

Gorgeous car, Duane!

The month of June is renewal time for my insurance policy on the Legend.  When I went to put the latest card inside the folio in my glove compartment, it made me realize just how many are in there.  I have every insurance card back to September 2003 for this car!

Years ago I grabbed this little booklet at Walmart because it’s handy to have if an officer says, “License and registration!” rather than having to shuffle through a glove box full of paperwork to find what I’m looking for.  Much like my maintenance record binders, this little booklet is overflowing with registration and insurance stuff.

Here is the cascade of insurance cards.  I guess this is what you accumulate when you own a car nearly 10 years!

I added a new one to the lineup, shuffled the pile like a deck of cards and put them away.

Check out the latest segment in the series of 2013 Acura ILX videos, now posted on Acura’s YouTube channel.  This was filmed a few weeks ago when I attended the 2013 Acura ILX and RDX Press Launch event in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Along with folks from the automotive press, I was able to get behind the wheel of each of the 3 drivetrain configurations of ILX.  It was an incredible experience to drive the ILX right here in my home state and on roads that I’m familiar with.

Finally, a special feature today:  Ever wondered about how a car gets its name?  Little did I know just how involved the car-naming process can be.  I recently had the chance to meet with Vicki Poponi, Assistant Vice President of Product Planning at Acura, to get the inside scoop.  Check out the ILX Experience “Tyson’s Blog” tab for my full write-up!

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Save the Manuals

Posted in ILX, Legend on May 4, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  511,810

One of the things that most impresses people about my mileage success with my Acura Legend is that the car still has its original clutch.  My clutch maintenance has consisted of the following:

  • Clutch master & slave cylinders replaced:  90,012 miles
  • Clutch master cylinder replaced:  382,740 miles

That’s it!  It’ll give your left leg a workout, but the fact remains that the original clutch still somehow has some life left in it and is not slipping.

Anybody who’s an “enthusiast” driver like me demands complete control of his or her automobile.  We are now in an age where the masses are moving toward primarily automatic cars.  While some cars that claim to have manual attributes (paddle shifters, sport shift modes, and other ways to engage the driver in selecting gears) these measures are still no substitute for the driving connection that comes from having a third pedal in the driver footwell.  Of the eight Acura Legends I’ve owned, all except two have been stick shifts.

Believe it or not, there’s a whole 20,000-fan community on Facebook dedicated to advocating the cause of helping the traditional manual transmission endure.  Join up if you’re as much a fan of a manual gearbox as I am.

A fitting history lesson:  I learned to drive a stick shift on my dad’s 1994 Ford Ranger pickup 5-speed when I was 15 years old in 1997.  It was the bare-bones little green two-wheel-drive pickup pictured here.  As I recall, it didn’t even have carpet.  And along with manual roll-up windows (do they even make vehicles with those anymore?), it had a manual transmission.

Dad took me and my brother to a remote dirt road called the “Arizona Strip” because it marked the state line between Utah and Arizona.  I had a lot of fun figuring out the delicate balance between throttle & clutch until I finally got it right.  Here is the very road where I learned to drive.   I went back much later with my Legend and took this series of pictures in November, 2008 when my car had 355,000 miles on it.

Amazing how well Desert Mist Metallic hides the dirt when the lighting is on your side!  Speaking of mastering a stick shift, in my opinion nobody’s skill came anywhere near that of Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna who during his F1 racing career picked up 41 wins.  This guy’s heel-toe shifting technique is masterful.  Watch him pilot this NSX around a track.  Senna passed away almost exactly 18 years ago but his legacy is unforgettable.

The parking lot at the bank when I ran an errand during my lunch hour today looked like an Acura convention of sorts.

The car next to mine is a 1995 Legend Special Edition.  The “SE” model, offered in 1995 exclusively, is easy to identify because it was the only Legend that came with a two-tone paint scheme.  In this case, we’re looking at a Sherwood Green example.  I left the owner a business card and the handwritten address to the online Legend forums on it.  To the right of the SE is a 2012 Acura RDX SUV.

Current Maintenance News:

A couple of new things to report this week.  The coupe was making a terrible whining noise intermittently which came from the alternator area.  I suspected that it might be a bad alternator but in fact we discovered it was the A/C tensioner bearing.  The below part made it about 511,600 miles before it failed.  $85 later and I was back on the road.

And it was time to retire that old faithful set of Michelin Primacy tires that I’ve been riding on for nearly 100,000 miles.  Discount Tire in Tempe, Arizona hooked me up with a pretty decent deal this afternoon on a set of Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires.  The guy at Discount asked me for the odometer reading after we walked around the car to assess the condition of my old tires.  He was floored when I said, “five eleven, eight oh four.”  Guess they don’t see a whole lot of cars in there with over half a mill!

Peeking out from the service bay…

Look at that delicious tread life.  These ones have a 60,000 mile warranty.  Love these tires.  Thanks Bill and the Discount crew!

And finally, I’ve scheduled this Legend’s 6th timing belt & water pump replacement.  The car will go into Acura of Tempe next Wednesday for the service, which is typically recommended every 90,000 miles.  It was last done almost exactly two years ago, at 421,013 miles on 5/12/2010.

Another high mileage story worth sharing is that of my friend Brett in Huntington Beach, CA.  Brett and I met via the Acura Legend online forums and we’ve hung out a couple of times – most recently last August when I was in his neighborhood and we met up briefly.  I first learned of Brett when his 1995 L sedan in Canterbury Green had about 222,000 miles on it.  Today he’s at 241,000 and the car still shines better than most vehicles with half the mileage.

My only counsel to Brett is the same as my neighbors used to tell me:   Be careful!  If you wax that thing any more frequently, you’re gonna wear the paint right off it!

🙂

I’m off to San Diego for a wedding this weekend, but I’m riding copilot with a friend so this old Legend will get some chill time.

Happy Friday to all!  Since I reminisced in this post about ‘learning-to-drive’ experiences, I’d like to hear from readers.  What vehicle did you learn on?  Comment and share!

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Tucson Trip & Latest ILX Video

Posted in Arizona, ILX, Legend, Road Trip on April 29, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  511,719

On September 24, 1994, my Legend was purchased by its original owner from Acura of Pleasanton, California.  Patricia drove the car off the lot with 288 miles on the odometer for the total sale price of $41,250.20.  The car had been on the dealership’s lot for several months as a test-drive vehicle.  It was one of the first “refreshed” 1994 model Legend coupes in the Bay Area at the time, since it was built in October 1993.

Eighteen years later, I gave Patricia a look at her Legend with 511,400 more miles on it than that day in August 1994.  And I could still see the look in her eye that told me she missed the car and the 9 years she had spent with it until I took ownership in early 2003.  Yesterday, she competed in the Duathlon Nationals event in Tucson, Arizona which she had flown in from San Francisco for.  The Duathlon consisted of a 5K run, 35K bike, and another 5K run.  Patricia’s 4th place victory is evidence that she’s still very much “got it” physically.

Patricia and I met at Starbucks in Tucson, which is about 100 miles away from my home, for a chat after her event.  She and I have kept in close contact over the years since I bought my Legend.  She even attended the Drive to Five celebration last November when it turned 500,000 miles at Acura Headquarters in Torrance, California.  As we got caught up over a drink, I looked out at the Legend in the parking lot.  “From this distance, you can’t see the rock chips,” I said.  Her reply, “Oh, I can!”  She loves to give me a hard time about how I’ve let the paint on the front end get beat-up and the clear coat fail on the trunk lid.

Congratulations to Patricia on another of her many athletic successes.  Hope we can connect again soon.

Taken at a rest stop just north of Casa Grande, Arizona on westbound Interstate 10.

Only in AZ do you see a warning like this at a rest stop. I’ve actually managed to live in Arizona for over 6 years now and never see a scorpion.

Yesterday evening I attended a KUPD 97.9 (local radio station) “UFEST” rock concert in Mesa, Arizona with my friends Raul and Matt.  The car sat in the corner of a dirt parking lot ($10 parking!) while we enjoyed getting our ears blasted by Chevelle, Staind, and Godsmack.

Chevelle takes the stage.

Mechanically, the old car needs a few things.

  • Alternator started making a whining noise on the way back from Tucson yesterday.  It was changed only 4,755 miles ago but I went with an aftermarket unit instead of OEM and I think that may be the reason to blame.  Lessons learned!
  • Tires need replacing (and they’re wearing badly on the insides primarily, so I probably need an alignment).  I bought these Michelin Primacy tires at Discount Tire at 392,107 miles.  I don’t think I’ve put 119,000 miles on this set of tires because I’ve had a couple of other sets of wheels/tires on the car over the last couple of years.  I’d say, however, that they do have at least 80-90k on them.  These Michelins are spendy (I was quoted $750 for a new set this week) but they are the best tire I’ve ever owned and I wouldn’t settle for anything less.
  • Timing belt & water pump are now 90,706 miles old.  In my car, they are recommended to be changed every 90,000 miles so it’s now due for this service.  I’ll probably get it in to Acura within the next couple of weeks to have it taken care of.

All in all, still running great!

In NEW Acura news:  Check out the latest in the series of videos illustrating my feedback on the all-new 2013 Acura ILX model which goes on sale next month.  Lee DaSilva, Senior Product Planner at Acura’s main office, shared some Q&A with me during an exclusive test drive.

For a complete write-up of my experience, stop by the “ILX Experience” Facebook tab.  You can click into the Tyson’s ILX Blog screen and see not only my story about driving the ILX, but also a log of reader questions that I’ve answered about the car.

The ILX that I drove in the video was this gorgeous Crystal Black 2.4 liter 6-speed with black interior.  I loved how the 6-speed model has a few special touches on the interior to give it a sporty feel:  contrast color stitching on the leather seats, and red accents on the gauge cluster.

A couple more shots from behind the scenes at the studio.

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The ILX Experience

Posted in ILX on March 11, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  508,964

After completing my Drive to Five last November, naturally I started thinking about the day that will inevitably come when it’s time to retire the old Legend from daily duty.  Today, I’m 9,000 miles later in my Legend but getting some very exclusive behind-the-scenes perspectives on a brand new and exciting Acura model called the 2013 ILX.  I was sitting on the front row at the Acura Press Conference in Detroit  at the North American International Auto show when the cover was pulled off the ILX concept car, and I’ve since been able to sit behind the wheel of the production version.  It’s a sleek ride!

Acura has graciously invited me to spend some time with the design teams and executives at Headquarters who are responsible for bringing this new car to life.  I also got to see, touch, and even drive a pre-production ILX.  As I’d shared in a recent post, in the coming months I’m going to share this exclusive look at what’s new from Acura with all of you.  I’ll be relaying my discoveries on a special Acura Facebook page called “ILX Experience“.

  • The first tab, ILX Access, will chronicle my encounters through a series of videos.  Already posted there are a few videos from my trip to the Detroit Auto Show in January, as well as meetings in Torrance, CA with Jon Ikeda (Acura Chief Designer), and John Norman (Acura Interior Designer).
  • The second tab will provide more details about the ILX itself including pictures and technical information.
  • The third tab gives a little background on me, and
  • The fourth (Tyson’s ILX Blog) will parallel Drive to Five with some insights into my observations about the new car.  The Facebook portal also serves as a Q&A for anyone who wants to interact with me by asking a question about the ILX.

Designer Jon Ikeda has a long history with Honda & Acura – it was incredible to have a dialogue with him about his role as a pioneer in Acura design.  I quickly learned during our visit that everything you see on an Acura, whether it be in my old Legend or this all-new ILX, has a great deal of design strategy behind it.  Stay tuned to the upcoming videos as I learn more.

I’m really excited about continuing to share my experiences!  Join me for the ride.

I was raised around cars; my two brothers and I have always shared an interest in anything with a motor and four wheels!  The old Legend made a 50-mile trek yesterday to the outskirts of western Phoenix in a teeny town called Wittman, Arizona.  Wittman is home to the Speedworld Raceway which hosted the 2012 Desert Diesel Nationals drag-race event.  My younger brother Bentley is owner of a diesel truck performance company called H&S Performance.  He brought his race truck down from Utah to compete in yesterday’s event.

Arriving at the speedway.  Perhaps I should have entered the high mileage Legend in the Sand Drags or the Mud Bogs?

Pre-race shot with my 2 brothers, Bentley and Payton.

This 2008 Dodge truck is equipped with a 6.7 liter Cummins diesel motor.  Tricked out in its current state, it produced 946 horsepower in a recent dyno test, over 4 times the 230 horsepower output of my little 3.2 liter Acura Type II V6!

Payton finally gets his shot at the 1/4 mile dragstrip.  His best run of the day was an 11.7 second quarter mile at 127 miles per hour.  This is one pickup with some serious pick up!

Payton’s time was good enough to get him a first place trophy in the Pro Street class.  Congratulations P!

My parting shot today is special for two reasons:  It’s taken at a CVS pharmacy (my employer) and it shows perhaps the most car-friendly parking space ever!  For someone who typically parks a mile away to avoid door dings, this particular spot at the store on Indian School Road in Scottsdale, Arizona gives front-row store access without putting your car into a battle zone!

I loved it enough to snag a couple of phone pictures last night.

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Mobile Entertainment

Posted in ILX, Legend on March 8, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  508,761

How does one stay entertained on the road for half a million miles?  It takes a lot of music!

My Acura came fully loaded with the essential amenities of 1994, including a cassette tape deck in the Bose head unit.  One option for the Legend model at the time was an accessory trunk-mounted 6-disc CD changer, which my car didn’t have.  I remember very well the drive home to Utah from San Jose after I bought the car in March, 2003.  My mobile music entertainment came from a tape-deck converter and a Sony Discman.  My how things have changed!

When I first took the iPod plunge by purchasing my gigantic 80-gig “Classic” model, I immediately needed a way to take my tunes with me on my many cross-country road trips.  My brother who is an electronics genius hooked me up with a pretty advanced setup for its time – a Pioneer CD/DVD/pop-out screen setup that gave me iPod compatibility.  In its day, this was a pretty cool setup.  He even ran the auxiliary wire through to the center console so it’s out of sight.

What’s that on the playlist, you ask?  None other than a Jon Secada classic from my 80’s MEGA MIX!

Technology has come a long way from the old school flip-out monitors.  In many of today’s Acuras you’ll find a navigation screen and a computer system more powerful than any home PC I’ve owned.  Mapping functionality, maintenance reminders, audio controls, climate controls, voice activation, and other things that a luxury car buyer could only dream of 18 years ago when my car rolled off the line.  What’s on YOUR road trip playlist?

Everyone who follows my blog knows I’m a record keeper.  I’ve even managed to hang onto the original Autotrader print-out from almost exactly 9 years ago when I bought my Legend.  Love at first sight?  I think it was.

And a picture from heading out to work today on a clear 50-degree Phoenix morning, still driving that same car (413,761 miles later).  She fired up on the first try!

Happy Thursday everyone…

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Auto Show Recap

Posted in Car Show, ILX on January 13, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  505,296

I was thumbing through the above magazine in a doctor’s office last week and thought the headline would be appropriate to use on Drive to Five.  This year’s Detroit show was huge for Acura since the company proudly unveiled 3 never-before-seen bodystyles to the public.  In talking with Jon Ikeda, lead designer of the 2013 ILX concept, he feels the car’s design will endure as timelessly as the 1991-1995 Acura Legend has.  So perhaps it’s fitting to say that since from a styling perspective, these new models are winners, the Legends have yet again been reborn.

The auto show was a total sensory overload.  Instead of going crazy with the photo uploads here, I’ve put “most” (about 170) of my pictures into one of my Photobucket albums that you can browse at your leisure.

http://s301.photobucket.com/albums/nn43/tysonhugie2/

This sign from the entrance to our “backstage” coat room says it all!  This whole experience felt like a dream.

Following are a few of the highlights, though.

Acura rolled out the red carpet for me and for a few other online bloggers at the Atheneum Suites Hotel in downtown Detroit.  The company’s hospitality was unmatched!  I felt like a celebrity when I arrived at the DTW airport and met up with “my driver” at the baggage claim who was holding a sign with my name on it.  The next two days carried on that feeling.

The Press Schedule was distributed to us upon arrival.  Acura’s 25-minute time slot was at 2:35 p.m. on Monday; Honda’s moment in the spotlight was the following morning.  A few of us staked out the front row of the Acura booth so that we had a perfect line of vision for the big 3-car unveil.

I had the chance to meet and greet many great people.

Below is Chris Tobias, editor of the AcuraConnected.com blog.

Below is my photo with Kurt Antonius, Assistant Vice President of American Honda Motor Co.  I was having him (and a number of other Honda & Acura important people) sign the inside cover of my hardback copy of the “Drive to Five” blog.

Here’s the result – along with a glance at the Acura Press Kit – a small black box that contained a USB drive with media.

Ford’s slogan here struck a chord!

Loved the suspense of seeing the next generation NSX under wraps.

The second day of the show (Tuesday), instead of just having the new ILX, NSX, and RSX on display, Acura brought out the rest of the fleet – all finished in jet black paint schemes.

It was super chilly out when we walked to lunch.

The absolutely stunning next generation Accord coupe concept was rolled out at the Honda conference on Tuesday morning.  I LOVE this paint job!

Awesome video spotlighting the new NSX concept.

The overall NAIAS experience was incredible.  Plus, I was able to see Michigan for the first time.

I had to laugh when getting on the Detroit “People Mover” train system in downtown Detroit on Monday night with Acura’s Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, John Watts.  We quickly learned that the train only moves in a clockwise direction and therefore had to take the very “scenic” route around downtown Detroit to get to our destination, which we probably could have walked to faster than the shuttle got us there.  Still a good way to get a nighttime view of the city skyline.  Huge thanks to Acura for the chance to experience the Auto Show!

This afternoon I had a (free!) oil change on the Legend coupe performed by the friendly folks at Acura North Scottsdale.  Here’s a picture from when I picked it up in the service drive.  No major issues noted — it’s ready to go for another 3,000+.

I’ve got special company for the next few days – my mom’s here for this Sunday’s PF Changs Rock & Roll Half Marathon that we’ll be competing in together.  Given my lack of preparation, this upcoming 13.1 miles will be a challenge.  If only I conquered the miles as easily as my Acura does.

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Live from Motor City

Posted in Car Show, ILX on January 10, 2012 by tysonhugie

When I rolled 500,000 in my Legend at Honda of America’s corporate office in Torrance, California last November, one of my rewards for achieving this milestone was a trip to see this auto show.  And what a reward it was!

Aloha from Detroit, where today I was able to experience the excitement of my first visit to the NAIAS.  Lots and lots of gleaming metal objects with big engines, sexy curves, and more technology than ever.  What an incredible chance to see some brilliant pieces of automotive engineering.  Acura debuted three very impressive models today – a revised RDX crossover SUV, an entry-level ILX sports sedan, and a concept for the next generation NSX supercar.  All three are destined to become leaders in their respective divisions.

The ILX was especially impressive to me since at a target price of less than $30k, it’s a lot of bang for the buck!  The concept model on display didn’t yet give us a chance to get hands-on with the interior, but from a design perspective this car looks like a winner.  I had the exclusive chance to meet one-on-one with Jon Ikeda who designed the vehicle.  His perspective confirmed that this sedan is a bold and well thought-out entry by Acura into the entry level luxury sedan market.  The highest trim level of the ILX will reportedly have a hybrid motor.  And – something I especially appreciate given the number of miles I’ve driven my manual transmission Legend – the ILX will get a standard 6-speed transmission.

Stay tuned for a full report once I’ve arrived back at home in Phoenix – we’ve still got one more day of auto-show-goodness here in Detroit and you can bet I’ll be soaking it all in.  Huge thanks to Acura for the hospitality throughout my stay!  I have truly enjoyed meeting and greeting some of the great folks who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the company operate as seamlessly as its cars do:

Before leaving Phoenix, I happened to park next to a 1994-1995 Legend sedan at the airport parking lot yesterday…

Press Pass!

The vehicles were kept under tight wraps until the 2:35 p.m. Acura press conference.

The Honda booth had this immaculate 1983 Accord Sedan – the first Honda built in America.  I peeked inside and it was an automatic transmission and had had 47 miles on the odometer!

The ILX unveiled!

And the next NSX.  Mid engine, V6, AWD Hybrid, made in Ohio!

This post’s cell phone pictures will have to suffice for now – but I at least wanted to share my excitement from this awesome day.  More to come!

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NAIAS-Bound

Posted in Car Show, ILX on January 7, 2012 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  505,115

By 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night when I land in Michigan I’ll have a definite need for that new embroidered leather jacket that Acura presented me with during last year’s Drive to Five Celebration…

The high temperature for the day in Detroit is forecast to be a whopping 37 degrees Fahrenheit – a full 30 degrees colder than I’d be dealing with here at home in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Am I ready to leave this beautiful blue sky?  Usually I’d hesitate to – but I’m extremely excited about being able to participate as a guest of the most anticipated auto show in the country.

If time permitted, I would love to be making the exactly 2,000-mile (each way) trip in my trusty old Acura Legend — and you can bet I’d be stopping at the state line to take a picture like this upon arrival.  My friend Ben is every bit as road-trip-crazy as I am.  He’s owned his 1992 Acura Legend LS coupe since the day it was brand new.  Michigan is one of the states he’s been to with his car that I haven’t yet seen with mine.  I’m jealous!

For those who won’t be making the trek to the North American Int’l Auto Show, the next-best thing will be to join the live web broadcast on Monday afternoon to see what’s going on.  Acura’s press conference will be held at 2:35 p.m. Eastern time.  The following link will get you there.

http://www.acura.com/FutureVehicles.aspx

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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Auto Show Bound

Posted in Car Show, ILX on December 18, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  504,613

A chilly, rainy week in Phoenix!

Trips this week were limited to just the day-to-day work commute.  Still fires up on the first try every time,  but the Optima red-top battery that I’ve been running since August 2008 is struggling a bit more every day.  The desert heat is very rough on batteries – I seem to get about 3 years out of them, max.

It’s an extremely busy time of the year in the Pharmacy Benefit Management industry in which I work so there have been some long days at the office.  So long, in fact, that I was there later than anyone else in the entire building!  This was the scene when I returned to the parking lot at the end of the day for my commute home.  The lonely Legend:

I recently dug up a fun memory of my mileage-accumulating past.  Back in the 300,000’s, I started creeping up on matching the odometer reading that my friend Dave in St. Louis had on his daily-driver 1992 Honda Accord.  Dave, the nerd that he is, actually put together a rendering of his prediction as to when our mileage readings would intersect.  As it turns out, I don’t think he was too far off!

I thought it would also be interesting to again plot out my car’s mileage history in visual form.  Its life sure changed in the first part of 2003!

As some of you may remember, as part of the 500,000 Mile Celebration, I was invited to go as Acura’s guest to the upcoming Detroit-based North American International Auto Show!  This week we got some of the travel logistics squared away for my first-ever trip to Michigan.  Unfortunately, time won’t allow for me to drive the Legend out there.  Michigan is one of only a handful of states that the car has yet to see.

I’m honored and excited to see some of what Acura and the other manufacturers have up their sleeves.  I know that an all-new Acura ILX sedan is going to debut, as well as a sneak peek at the next NSX and a revised RDX.  You all know I’ll report back in full detail!

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