Cheapest Used Acura Vehicles - TL, TSX, MDX

The term ‘cheapest’ when applied to used vehicles can be confusing. If one were to go by the basic selling price, then you’d just have to look at any of the used car listing sites to see what each vehicle is selling for in today’s market. However, there are other costs like maintenance, repair costs, insurance costs and the fuel costs required to run the vehicle.

Acura is Honda’s upper line of vehicles so these are already not going to be the ‘cheapest’ vehicles on the market. However, within the Acura line, the prices differ widely.

Some of the models are confusing to sort out. Look at the Acura RSX around the 2006 models. These vehicles offer one of the better fuel economy rates, but they are the more expensive to insure for the average person. If you don’t have a clean driving record or happen to be a teenager, then the insurance costs are just that much higher.

When looking at used Acura models, realize that as luxury level vehicles, they come with a list of features not often seen. The options list that a previous owner might have added in can bump the price way up – something else to watch out for. Here are three of the better deals used Acura models.

2004 – 2009 Acura TL

The Acura TL is Acura TL is a midsize, entry-level luxury sport sedan that holds its value well. If you are looking at buying new this is great news, but it’s also good news if you are looking forward to buying a relatively new used vehicle and don’t intend on keep it for longer than five years. It also means that the consumers and the industry recognize the quality and value that comes with the vehicle.

Then consumers already knew that. They made the new Acura TL models the second best-selling luxury sedan in the US. There are several reasons for this. The vehicle is an entry-level luxury car, which means anyone looking to get into this class will be interested. It is a well-built car that offers reliability and reasonable fuel economy. It’s not as frugal as the RSX, but it is cheaper to insure.

As an everyday commuter, this vehicle offers comfort and style. It is alsoone of the cheapest in the new line of Acura vehicles and prices out nicely on the used car market segment as well.

The vehicle has been around in one form or another since 1996 and therefore offers a decent amount of supply for the used car buyers to consider. There are several generations available but the third isthe one most commonly seen as it was introduced in 2004. This is also the generation that put the Acura TL on the map with sales in that 2004 year alone of over 79,000 units.

2004 – 2008 Acura TSX

The Acura TSX is actually one of the lowest priced vehicles new and makes for an excellent choice on the used car market. Another four-door entry-level sedan in the luxury market, this vehicle offers a great deal of value. The Acura TSX offers solid fuel economy, still not as good as the RSX, but does achieve an EPA rating of 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. It is also much cheaper to insure over the Acura RSX.

Under the hood of the earlier models is a 2.4 L inline four-cylinder engine that produces 200 hp that comes paired with a six-speed manual transmission. There is an optional five-speed Sequential SportShift automatic transmission available. The later models have the same engine but slightly more power at 205 hp.

This Acura model has one of the highest residual values, which could mean that the very young used cars may price out a little higher than the competition. If you are only planning to keep the vehicle for a year or two then this doesn’t affect you except to help you to receive a higher trade-in value yourself down the road. If you are planning to keep the vehicle for a longer time – as in more than five years, all the used car prices balance out around this point anyway and residual value is no longer as major an issue. You may pay slightly more in the beginning, but you may be able to ‘make a deal’ on your purchase to compensate to minimize this cost anyway.

2001 – 2006 Acura MDX

Not all Acura vehicles are sedans, although Acura has built their reputation on those types of vehicle. One of the most popular Acura vehicles for families is their MDX line. This is a seven-passenger luxury SUV that offers phenomenal sporty handling and is one of the few usedthat the marketplace suggests is worth buying.

In the used car market, the prices vary a lot, in part due to the addition of some high priced features that rack up the price.

Marketed as a crossover, this vehicle has been popular since its release in 2001. This was the first of its kind to offer the valuable third row of seats – even if they are better suited to children. Several generations have been developed but the one you are most likely to find and that offers greatvalue in the used car market is the first generation, which ran from 2001 to 2006.

There were some problems with the earlier transmission from the 2001 – 2002 years. So if you can - go for a 2003 or younger model. The transmissions in the later models are not showing any major problems. The models after 2003 also received several structural and suspension modifications that improved the ride and handling.
The fuel economy of a crossover or an SUV can’t compete with the smaller sedans; however, the Acura MDX is competitive in its class.

The second generation of the MDX won several awards and eventually took over as Acura’s top selling vehicle, replacing the Acura TL, which held the spot for years.