drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  514,705

Odometer (ILX): 2,729

Cosmetic surgery time!  While in pictures it my appear that my old Legend has found the fountain of youth, in real life it’s very evident that this car has circled the globe more than 20 times in the distance it’s driven.  The car has its share of bruises and bumps, but each one has a special memory attached to it:

• The scrapes on the front right hand corner of the bumper when I side-swiped the garage on Valentine’s Day 2010.
• The chipping paint from when I rear-ended a lady in a Volvo in Fort Smith, Arkansas in summer 2011.
• The passenger side turn signal light that’s held in the bumper by duct tape.
• And the headlights that will forever be out of alignment since I hit those deer in Texas in 2008.

Well, it’s time to give this old ride a fresh look.  My brother has arranged for some paint work on the old car to get it looking showroom fresh, so I drove the Legend to St. George, Utah this weekend to leave it with him for a few weeks.  Here are the pictures from my 400-mile trip to Utah last weekend.

The old “Legends West Inn” in Wickenburg, Arizona has seen better days.  Wickenburg has about 6,300 residents.  Not much going on out there!

113 degrees outside and still purring along.  This shot taken just south of Hoover Dam on Arizona Highway 93 which was recently greatly improved with widening and resurfacing.

Now, how about capturing some of those battle scars.  For once, I’ll try and magnify them instead of hide them for pictures:

Believe it or not, the paint on this front end is only 4 years (but 215,000 miles) old.  When I hit those two deer in Austin, Texas in 2008 it was repainted.  Guess I should’ve been using that nose mask more often since then!

Clear’s been failing on the trunk lid for awhile now.

It’s easy to be accepting of these types of cosmetic flaws on a car with about 515,000 miles on it.  The real eye opener is when you see a car with only 92,000 miles on it that looks like the below.  Anybody else see this Brooklyn beauty low mileage Legend GS sedan on Ebay right now?  Yikes.

That’s been a rough 92,000 miles!

Sides on the coupe look decent, though.  And those 16″ wheels have been refinished before, by a place called Alloy Wheel Repair Specialists here in Phoenix.

By dusk, I was passing through Las Vegas Nevada and getting on Interstate 15 northbound, with just 100 miles left to go.

A visit over the weekend to a place that has worked on my Legend a number of times:  Jody Wilkinson Acura.  Pictured here with two core members of the service team there:  Alex and Allen.  The Jody Wilkinson dealership in Salt Lake City, Utah hosted the National Acura Legend meet in 2008.  Great people and great service, always.  Thanks guys for playing a key role in the drive to five and beyond.

On the ILX front:

• I finally spent some time getting my phone paired with the audio system so I am bluetooth enabled now!  Cool feature!
• I really like the blue accent lighting at night that shines down from the overhead console.  Creates a nice glow in the cabin.
• “Oil life” indicator on the maintenance minder display says 70%.  I asked when I should bring the car in for its first oil change and was told to simply follow the oil life indicator as a guideline.  Quite a change from my standard ritual 3,000 mile service visits.
• I learned that the sound system maxes out at “level 40” volume and I still haven’t managed to blow out a speaker.  This Premium Audio System sounds awesome.
• June sales figures show ILX sales ramping up steadily – I can’t wait until I see my first fellow ILX driver on the road and can give him or her an enthusiastic thumbs up.

I visited my local friend Woody who just recently picked up a sporty 2012 Civic Si.  Woody’s “Rallye Red” 6-speed ride has been named Rosie.  She’s got 700 miles on the odometer.

Finally:  What’s the max payload on this thing?

I’ll be taking the ILX to northern Utah tomorrow to spend the holiday with my family.  A friend in Salt Lake needed a huge favor – transport from Phoenix of four 18″ Lexus SUV tires & wheels.  The gentleman who I picked them up from took one look at the ILX when I pulled up and said, “There’s no way you’re getting these tires in that car.”  As it turns out, he was wrong!

One in the trunk, three in the back seat.  Snug as a bug (and carefully covered so they can’t scuff my perfect interior).

Take THAT!

Next up – over the next five days, the ILX will travel about 1,600 miles round-trip from Phoenix all the way to the Utah / Idaho border.  Cooler temperatures?  Yes, please.  You can bet there will be plenty of pictures to accompany the story.

Happy Independence Day!  Enjoy a 90’s Acura flashback with me.

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!

Odometer:  513,863

I got a little artsy on my way out of work this afternoon and snapped a few iPhone pictures of my car on campus.  I’ve worked at the Scottsdale, Arizona office of CVS Caremark Corporation for almost 4 years now.  It’s a stable day job and gives me the schedule flexibility to take some great road trip vacations each year.  Right now I’m working as a project manager in our IT department.

Since I’m talking about work, here’s a part of my cubicle.  Yes, with a LEGEND trunk lid emblem on the wall that I picked up at the junkyard years ago.  The lava lamp and giant PEZ dispenser give me some visual excitement when I get sick of staring at spreadsheets all day.

The 1994 Legend is doing well this week.  No issues to report, and ice cold A/C which is a relief in our Arizona inferno summer.  Next scheduled maintenance will be a 5W30 oil change at 516,449 miles per the Acura of Tempe maintenance reminder.

I’ve been humming the theme song from that ride at Disneyland, “It’s a Small World,” ever since I got a photo text message from my friend Ian yesterday afternoon.

I’ve shared before how many of my friends send me random pictures of Acuras that they see driving down the road, just because it makes my day.  Well, yesterday I got the following text from Ian (who’s not necessarily a Legend “enthusiast,” but he sent to me because he knew I’d find it interesting).   He moved from Phoenix to Atlanta a month or so ago.

• “I passed this 4 door Legend today and took a pic because it had a strange fin over the top of the rear windshield.  It was color matched and looked factory.  It’s difficult to see in this picture but it’s the best I could get.  Have you ever heard of or seen anything like that?”

It took only one glance at the picture and I put 2+2 together.  Ian had just passed my friend Joe on Georgia Hwy 74!  The roof spoiler, from a company called Sarona, made the connection unmistakable.  Joe and his family have been friends of mine since 2006 when I stayed at their home during my cross country road trip to the NOPI Nationals Motorsports Supershow in Atlanta.  Even more interesting – the Legend that Joe was driving (and that Ian spotted) is one that I actually picked up for Joe in December, 2006 in California.  It’s a rare Granada Black Pearl GS 6-speed that he calls “Blackbird.”  Quick history lesson here:

Taking the keys from the car’s first (and only) owner, Sivaram on December 17, 2006.  I was 24 years old and excited to play “transporter” for Joe and drive the car about 10 hours from San Francisco to Las Vegas:

150,000 miles – yet the seats looked absolutely brand new:

Even better yet:  This guy was so particular about recordkeeping that he’d made an entry into a little log book with each and every single fuel fill-up over the car’s life.  Twelve years’ worth!

Picture from the drive back to Las Vegas, where Joe was to pick up the car at a later date.

More photos here of that whole adventure.

I saw Blackbird again in 2009 at the NALM (National Acura Legend Meet) in Branson, Missouri.  Joe had added the roof and trunk spoilers.  The car looked better than ever.  The photo here was taken at the dealership in Springfield that graciously hosted our group for a (rainy) BBQ.

I spoke with Joe about his car this morning and did confirm that Ian had spotted him on Hwy 74 yesterday afternoon.  He reports that Blackbird is now just over 250,000 miles and still trucking along on its original drivetrain and clutch.  Yet another testament to Acura reliability when under the ownership of someone who takes exceptional care of their vehicle.

Acura comparo:  I was grabbing a Subway sandwich on my lunch break and happened to park a couple of spaces away from a 2001-2002 Acura CL.  The CL was the logical replacement to the Legend coupe when the Legend was discontinued after the 1995 model year.  The one pictured here is mechanically a very close sibling to my Legend:  3.2 liter V6, 225 horsepower (mine is 230) and 16″ wheels.  Any similarity in styling, though is tough to pick out.

Reader News:  Sending my congrats to my friend Jeff in Dallas for his milestone today in his 1994 Legend LS coupe!  131,000 and barely broken in!

Jeff’s Legend coupe, though about 383,000 miles “younger” than mine, started out looking very close to mine as a 1994 Desert Mist Metallic LS.  Over the years, though, it’s transformed into what we like to refer to as my car’s evil twin.  He added a number of hot modifications, including 18″ Acura A-Spec wheels, clear/red taillights, and JDM one-piece headlights.

Looking great, Jeff.  And keep that odometer rolling.

The latest in the 2013 Acura ILX series of videos was released yesterday – this one highlighting my recent visit to the Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN) facility in Greensburg, Indiana when the ILX started production in April.

I was privileged to travel to the plant for the “line-off” event while about 2,000 associates looked on as the first production ILX rolled off the assembly line.  I got a front-row seat for the festivities and was able to meet with Jeff Conrad and a few of the other associates who are proud of Acura’s newest offering.

The entire story is featured on Acura’s Facebook page, under the “ILX Experience” tab.  Click on the “Tyson’s ILX Blog” page and you’ll be able to read the article there.  In the meantime, here are a handful of pictures.

Press credentials – woohoo!

Just moments before the big event.

And the new car rolls up.  The first production ILX was a Fathom Blue 6-speed.

Associate Jen from Corporate Communications took me on a tour of the facility.

These are Acura ILX quarter panels, freshly stamped on-site!

Yes, it was windy in Greensburg that day!

Proudly wearing my green Honda ballcap (with a hard hat inside it) back at home in Arizona.

I had a great time during my visit and it was an honor to be a part of such a special occasion for Acura.  Until next time… drive on!

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!