Odometer:  508,058

Since I’ve been on a mission to get all my friends Acura-fied, it was time again yesterday to check out a local car for a friend who’s looking to upgrade from his Honda Accord.  It seems that DrivetoFive lately has rather turned into a venue for test-drive reports of local Acuras for sale!  On a related note, does anyone else think it’s kind of clever that a road that’s home to an entire row of car dealerships in Mesa, Arizona is called “Test Drive”?  It doesn’t beat the name Legend Trail but it’s still kind of cool.

My buddy Brock and I scouted out a pretty clean 1995 Legend LS coupe in Cayman White Pearl yesterday afternoon in central Phoenix, Arizona.  This example has “just” 219,000 miles on it and appears to have been taken care of for most of its life, though it definitely at this time stands in need of a nice detailing.

Cayman White Pearl was a 1995-only color, and 1995 was the last year of the Legend name in the U.S.  This TYPE II coupe is an automatic and runs well but has its share of mechanical needs.  The check engine light came on, the tires are old/loud, and there is no record of a timing belt & water pump replacement – something these old Legends require every 90,000 miles or 8 years.  My Legend is coming up on its 6th timing belt replacement in the next few months, and this one should have had the service performed at least twice by now.

Some behind-the-wheel time for Brock.  The car ran nice but (in form true to most Legends that were equipped with the 4-speed automatic transmission) does have a “kick” with the first-to-second-gear shift.

Parting shot with the old and (soon to be?) new Legend owners.  Brock did end up making an offer on the car so we’ll cross our fingers.

My 1994 LS continues its effortless drive “PAST” five daily.  When I checked into my hotel in Los Angeles last Sunday night for my two-day stay, the guy standing out front doing valet complimented me on the paint job.  When I told him how many miles the car had on it, he requested a closer look and a glance at the odometer as proof.  It’s times like those that make my Acura ownership experience so rewarding.

Now for the exciting stuff about what’s NEW at Acura:  Over the coming months, I’ll be involved in some exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at the all-new 2013 Acura ILX.  Acura released the following in an email newsletter to its customers this week:

As you’ll remember, I had the privilege of flying as Acura’s guest to the Detroit Auto Show last month where I witnessed firsthand the unveil of the new model Acura ILX, the next generation NSX supercar, and the new bodystyle of the RDX crossover SUV.  I spoke with Jon Ikeda who is Acura’s chief designer and the man responsible for the look of the ILX.  Some of our dialogue is captured here:

Stay tuned in the next couple of months as I continue to share my experiences in learning about the ILX itself as well as the people who are responsible for bringing it to life!

If there’s anything you can count on from me, it’s always a nice Arizona sunset picture.  I happened to capture this one on Thursday afternoon when I was heading home from work on Arizona Highway 87.  Views like this never seem to get old around here.

Safe travels!

Here’s an oldie from February, 2004.  The coupe had 125,000 miles on it.  The picture was taken at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Calfornia, after a 28-Legend “West Coast Meet.”  At the time, I had my 18″ x 8″ Mille Miglia wheels installed.

Had a bit of service performed on the old Legend this past week – just an oil change and some manual transmission fluid replacement.  In the meantime, though, I was able t0 cruise around in this fresh looking 2012 Acura TL with only about 1,500 miles on the odometer from Acura of Tempe.  I stopped by the best hole-in-the-wall Mexican food place in Scottsdale:  Fiesta Burrito.  The rolled tacos & guac are pretty divine.

Not a bad looking car from this profile.

This past weekend I flew to Salt Lake City to spend a bit of time with some friends.  Due to the short timeline, I opted for a flight rather than driving up the trusty old Legend.  I did, however, still get to roll around with a familiar car thanks to my friend Branson who let me take his Cayman White Pearl 1995 LS coupe out on the town for a couple of days as my “rental” car.  The amenities in this car beat an Enterprise compact any day!

Soaking up a few minutes of sunshine while doing shopping in Salt Lake City with my mom as well as my friends Jeff and Matt.

On Sunday night after flying back to Phoenix, I  took a drive to LA for work.  It’s about a 400-mile, 6-hour journey.  The view on I-10 westbound was awesome…

… until I ran into one of the worst construction-induced traffic jams of my entire life between Palm Springs and Banning, California.  The 4 lanes of freeway went down to 1.  I was alerted to this fact about 30 miles ahead of time by a sign on the side of the road, but thought it could in no way be that bad.  It was bad.  Horrible, in fact.

Even after a small “win” of having found a small frontage road that paralleled the interstate and moved at twice the speed, I later regretted having tried to divert from the freeway when I had to re-enter it and inched forward at a snail’s pace along with hundreds of other cars trying to merge.  I think I put 100,000 more miles on my poor car’s clutch just enduring this massive delay (along with about 3,500 people).  I later learned that the entire fiasco stretched over 20 miles and was due to late concrete arrival during some pothole fixes.  Nice work, Caltrans!  Aside from this, the trip to LA was an easy ride in the old Acura.

One of my sources for mileage inspiration many years ago was a man by the name of Lloyd Laycook of Kanab, Utah – not far from my hometown in St. George.  Lloyd became a bit of a celebrity in the longevity world when he took his 1990 Lexus LS400 to 555,000 miles.  The car was subsequently purchased by one of the Utah dealership and to this day remains on display there.  When I first heard Lloyd’s story, I actually sought him out and gave him a call to talk about his travels and success story.  Just shows you that with meticulous care, there are lots of cars out there that are capable of hitting miles in the 5′s.

I have to give a quick shout-out to my friend Wes at Highline Import Auto.  Wes has been there when I’ve needed him for jobs in the past on all of my Honda and Acura cars.  This past week I had an emergency alternator replacement in the Legend at 506,970 miles and Wes handled it on short notice.  This is now the third alternator that coupe has had, including its first.  The last one was an Autozone “Duralast” model that got me down the road for about 106,000 miles.  Huge thanks to Wes and his team for taking such good care of me in a pinch.

Finally another lesson in proper parking since I’m a fanatic.  End space, pulled far to the edge!

Back home to PHX tonight!

Odometer:  506,706

I was pulling out of my neighborhood this week on my way to work one morning and stopped dead in my tracks when I spied a car ahead in a parking lot that I hadn’t seen for a couple of years:  this 1988 Acura Legend convertible.  Back in March 2010, I test-drove this converted ride out in Eloy, Arizona at a private seller’s home.  It had 87,000 miles and was for sale for $1,900.

These next two pictures were taken this past Wednesday, February 1, 2012.  Actually – the car looks even better than it did two years ago, which is a relief.  At least it’s now wearing seat covers to obscure those ratty leathers.

This definitely isn’t the first time a Legend’s been chop-topped.  It’s been done on several occasions with the second generation (1991-1995) model, too.  This particular 1992 coupe is painted in a 1995-only color, called Garnet Red Metallic.

On the topic of oddball conversions, try this one on for size.  As any die-hard Acura Legend fan knows, the 2 door and 4 door Legends share no exterior body panels in common.  There’s an ongoing Legends in Junkyards thread on the acuralegend.org forums.  One of our members spotted this interesting creation.

Coupe with sedan front end!

This has been done before, and even on a model in Desert Mist Metallic like mine.

Weird seeing the different front end on the car!

This morning I decided it was time to give the old high-miler a little TLC so I’ll walk you through my easy process.  I’m often asked how I keep an old car looking shiny.  In reality, it doesn’t take a ton of time!  Start to finish, I only spent about an hour on this.  I’ve had a slow leak on the left front tire so I topped off the PSI before doing anything else.

This old car is definitely not without its squeaks and groans.  Over the last few months, the driver’s door hinge has been getting really loud.  I finally took a minute to spray some WD in there and it’s completely silent again.

I pulled out the vacuum and did the whole interior.  The floor mat you see there is my “daily” mat, complete with a hole worn through from the heel of my shoe!  I keep a “show” set of mats separately in the house – they’re fresh in the box for special occasions only.

Thankfully while most of the country battles bitter winter weather, the worst we typically deal with here in the Phoenix area is a little bit of dust.  The car didn’t need a whole scrub-down, just a quick rinse.

I use only micro fiber towels.  I’ll usually go over the bulk of the water first with a chamois, then come back for the streaks with these towels.  Water is still beading up pretty well since the last wax several months ago.

Don’t forget to take care of all the jambs – including doors, engine, trunk, and even the fuel filler door.

This is also a good time to wipe down the dust on the motor.

Nicely cleaned up interior!  You may notice something here.  Protective dealer plastic on the carpet of the door sills – yes!  I bought a roll of this stuff on Ebay many years ago.

I did a quick polish on the chrome exhaust tips.  They get a little oxidized from time to time.  I just used a one-step Meguiar’s wax called Gold Class.

You’ll notice that I use Meguiar’s products for mostly everything.  I love the Endurance tire shine.  Smells like grape!

Take a damp towel and wipe down the wheel wells a little while you’re in there.

Meguiar’s Natural Shine is a nice product for exterior rubber, vinyl, and plastic – like my front grille and fog light surrounds.

The finished product.  Battered and scarred front end with nearly 507k, but it still looks decent from afar.

All original paint back here!

In current Acura Legend club news:  Every year since 2005, I’ve attended the National Acura Legend Meet (NALM).  Each year the location changes to a new “host” city based on bids that are submitted by local chapters that would like to bring NALM to their hometown.  Bidding was closed a few days ago for the 2012 event.

Stay tuned because in a couple of days the NALM Committee will make the announcement regarding the location of the 2012 event!

Tomorrow the high-miler goes into Acura of Tempe for a few items of maintenance to keep it mechanically in tip top shape.  Among the list of “to-do” items are an oil change (just because I might as well) EGR system cleaning (EGR system last serviced at 434,000 miles), front upper control arms (still original to the car), alignment (because the new front suspension work will require it), and manual transmission fluid (last changed at 467,000 miles).  Any other recommendations, fellow Acura owners & drivers?

Happy Superbowl Sunday!  Hope everyone’s enjoying the big game.  Here’s Acura’s contribution to the long-awaited game day commercial lineup, featuring the next generation supercar Acura NSX concept vehicle.

Almost made it to the weekend!  Just a quick post with a few pics from this week.

A photo from the last wash.  She still cleans up decent.

Geared up in my Acura shirt and en route to the office!  I get asked routinely if I work for Acura when I wear this around town, and I enjoy the chance to talk about the brand.  My 10-mile commute is just the right amount of time in the car to get my quick road-trip fix in before a busy workday.  It takes me about 15 minutes door-to-door.

Love seeing a nice Legend coupe silhouette alongside the freeway in the morning.

Finally, a lesson in proper parking technique.  I was coming out of the Target Supercenter tonight in Tempe, Arizona and realized that I must be somewhat crazy for parking a mile away (for door ding aversion, of course) in a car that’s 18 years old with 506,000 miles.  But hey, I needed the exercise, right?

Happy weekend everyone.

Odometer:  506,012

Yesterday a good friend of mine took delivery of a gorgeous and rare, classic Acura.  This 2-owner 1994 Legend GS in sherwood green pearl (a 1994-1995 color only) had only 127,000 miles on it at the time of delivery.  Congratulations Jeremy on a fine ride!

Later that night, picking up the car with a customary “key handoff” picture as is tradition among all my friends and family.  Kevin and Donna will surely miss their old faithful Legend but have two immaculate 2005 Acura TL’s to replace it.  There seems to be something about the Acura brand – once you’ve owned one, you keep coming back for more.

Jeremy’s new Legend looks remarkably similar to the one that surfaced not long ago on the Internet with a “Legend… Of Zelda” license plate, right here.

Meanwhile, my old ride keeps chugging!  It passed the 506,000 mile mark on the way home from work today.

Swing by the automotive news website TorqueNews.com to see a short write-up I put together on the new 2013 Acura ILX concept vehicle based on my experience at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month.  The article is here!

Ever seen a $600,000 Corvette?  Yesterday a couple of friends and I saw a 60th Anniversary C6 Corvette on the auction block at the Scottsdale-based high end automobile auction called Barrett-Jackson go for that price.

Every year, this event draws thousands of car aficionados for a chance to see high dollar, exotic, and rare vehicles find new homes.  The old Legend was perhaps one of the most “seasoned” vehicles on the grass polo field spectator parking lot while we wandered through the inventory of vehicles, automobilia, and food vendors.  It’s like a full-blown circus for car people.

The local Bondurant Racing team was on-site providing “hot laps” in Grand Sport Vettes.  I feared for my life from the passenger seat!

A couple of vehicles I thought were interesting – like this Amphicar.

And a big ol’ red beast.

Lots of nice stuff up for grabs.  My friend David had hooked us up with Bidder Guest passes and VIP access.

Branson, pictured at left, drives a beautiful 1995 Legend LS coupe.  It was a Legend meet at my house.

Branson at the wheel heading home last night.  Yes I’ll happily give the keys to the high mileage Legend to just about anyone who’s crazy enough to want to drive such a beast.  Still runs like a champ!

This morning we went to check out a very clean 1995 Legend LS coupe in Desert Mist Metallic.  Looks like a twin to mine but it’s got the wing spoiler and it’s got an automatic transmission.  Can be yours for the bargain price of $3,700 here.  I was checking it out for a friend of mine who’s not local but has been on the prowl for a clean Type II coupe.  It’s pictured in the background here and has  (only!) 198,300 miles on it.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

How’s that for an illustration of mileage differences!  I had the opportunity yesterday afternoon to accompany my friend Matt with his mom who was looking for a new vehicle.  She ended up buying a gorgeous graphite-colored Infiniti G37 coupe that had 20 miles on it, or about 505,370 miles less than my Acura Legend!  New off the lot.  I wonder if I’ll ever own anything so new.

When she brought it by my house in the evening, it had 39 miles on the odometer, and I was allowed to drive it about 6 miles to meet up with friends at a local car show.  I’ll be curious to see if the Infiniti’s got what it takes to get to half a million and beyond.  It sure does look and ride nice!

It was another in-town weekend for the old Legend but with plenty of running around.  Since my mom was in town, we had some sights (and people) to see over the past couple of days.  She and I had registered about a year ago to participate in a half marathon race together.

After picking up our runner information packets at the Phoenix Convention Center on Saturday morning, we drove up historic Central Avenue to meet a couple of friends for brunch at The Good Egg.  En route, we passed by a number of important landmarks, including this hotel called the Westward Ho.  Completed in 1928, it was the tallest building in Arizona until 1960.  The hotel itself closed in 1979.

Since we’re on the subject of mileage achievements:  This morning we participated in the Rock & Roll Arizona Half Marathon.  The 13.1-mile race started in downtown Tempe, Arizona, and ran a huge loop through the cities of Scottsdale and Phoenix, then back to Tempe for the finish.  We couldn’t have asked for better race-day weather, at 60 degrees and overcast.

This is a picture with my mom at the start line in our assigned corral.  Literally thousands of people participated.  We were herded like cattle!

Post-race and back to our shuttle vehicle.

And finally a farewell as mom caught her early afternoon flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake City at “Sky Harbor” airport.

Bon Voyage!

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.

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!

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!