My Daily Driver: My Acura TSX wagon

1. How did you come to the decision of buying this car?

For a couple of years, I was really into white station wagons. I had a rare Volvo V50 T5 6M wagon that I bought from a gentleman farmer who annually used the car to deliver wool to a yarn lady in Taos, New Mexico. The one day my wife drove it (I was taking her car in for an oil change), a BroDozer rear ended it and totaled it.

I replaced the Volvo with a rare Saab 9-3 SportCombi that I found in Los Angeles. It was cosmetically pristine inside and out. Pro tip: Never buy a four-owner car with less than 50,000 miles without any maintenance/repair documentation. One day, it just wouldn't start. I had it towed to three different Saab specialists and they all threw up their hands. The last guy wanted $5,000 to repair it, without any guarantees, so I just sold it to him for scrap. 

I then scoured the net for another rare white wagon. I came upon a slightly used TSX wagon at the local Acura dealership. I immediately recognized it. It belonged to my Acura dealer manager neighbor's wife. They lived on my street. I was confident that it was babied and well cared for. So I bought it.

2. What has your ownership experience been like?

Problem-free. The two big downsides to this wagon are the engine and transmission. The wagon version of the TSX only came with a weak four cylinder and an old five speed automatic. But the upside is that the engine and transmission are proven and ultra-reliable. Over the years, and especially after we had two kids in quick succession, I came to appreciate the reliability. I don't drive fast anymore (I didn't drive that fast pre-kids). I just want a good looking, out-of-the-ordinary, reliable car. And now that we have a minivan, I really appreciate the TSX's low center of gravity.

3. What is your fondest memory with this car?

We took our son to see the Pacific Ocean for his first time in the wagon. It was a gorgeous drive to the Mendocino Coast. Just before you hit the coast, there's a small redwood grove. My wife drove, our dog Cooper was in the front passenger seat, and I sat in the back next to my boy in his child seat. It was bliss. Everyone I loved and cherished was next to me, comfortable and happy.

4. Why do you love cars?

There is no simple answer. I have thought about this question a lot and for a long time. I think the reasons are different, depending on the stage of life I was in.

When I was little, I was an only child and raised by overprotective grandparents in Taiwan. It was still a developing country then and there were only a handful of car models around. But I had a sizable collection of Tomica cars that I played with constantly. They fit in my hand, were of different colors, the doors opened, and they even had working suspensions. In a way, they represented the sibling I never had.

Once I moved to America at age eight, my passion for cars went into overdrive. There were cars of all shapes and sizes everywhere. I memorized every make and model out there. On Sundays, I would bug my step-dad to take me to the local supermarket, where I would buy the Sunday paper. I would go to the classified section and cut out every used car ad and proceed to Scotch tape them in a big journal I had. I was obsessed. Imagine if I had access to Excel back then! I think ultimately, at that stage, I wanted order in the chaos. I was still new to this country, unfamiliar with the language and the culture. But I was an expert on cars.

The movies Smokey & the Bandit and Cannonball Run were big influences. Fast cars and road trips were on my mind constantly. I wanted to be free from my suburban teenaged existence.

Then, I took a break from cars in college and grad school. I was too preoccupied with studying, working, and hanging out with friends.

My passion re-ignited with the internet. I started this blog in 2006. In my research, I learned so much about cars. Cars that I never knew existed before and trivia about cars I was already familiar with. In addition, through the blog, and later Twitter, I got to meet many fellow car nerds. I visited car museums (from Bugattis in Mulhouse to Land Cruisers in Utah), attended F1 races (Montreal, Austin, Suzuka), and went to countless car shows. Now, cars are a way for me to connect socially and a way to decompress from a hectic life.

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If you would like to participate, just answer the above four questions and submit one to three photos of your daily driver to milhousevanh at geemail. Thanks and have fun!