Acura TL Owners: Meet the Members

Karen_S · October 2003

Welcome TL owners! Introduce yourself here.

amazon · October 2003

I've got an early '03. Bought it in March last year. Still pretty happy with the car. No transmission problems after 20,000 miles, but I did receive the extended warranty on the transmission. I think my Acura looks much better then the new one (and was a lot cheaper too).

neuronbob · October 2003

Longtime Edmunds member. I traded my 2002 TL-Premium on a new 2004 TL. I bought the first one delivered in my area, in fact. I haven't looked back. The new car looks better outside and in, and the performance blows the old one away. My 2002 was already the best car I'd ever owned and I'd had no tranny troubles at all in 33k miles, so I was happy to upgrade to another Acura. Looking to keep the '04 for a long time.

colinz · October 2003

i was driving a 2000 honda civic before getting my 2003 TL about 3 weeks ago. what a great car for the price. i paid about 16k for my honda and 25k for my TL. probably one of the best cars you can get for 25k. the 2004 is nice but for 33k .....i can't afford one. hopefully i don't get any transmission problems. has anyone tried installing the moonroof visor themself? is it hard to install?

torontotl · October 2003

I have a 2000 TL and I'm looking at the 2004 TL and absolutely loving it. Just test drove it today. Amazing test drive I must say. Smooth, with great torque, great off the line. Quite a bit quieter than the 2000 TL as well. I'm not sure when I will trade my baby in but I know I won't be able to hold off that long because the new TL is sooooo darn nice. I do want to see what the camel interior is like before I order. I think it'll be either the WDP with parchment or the Abyss Blue with ebony or camel. We have a much more limited selection of colour combinations up here in Canada.

bodble2 · October 2003

Those are my colour choices too! Have you had a chance to see the White Diamond in the flesh? Have you seen what the Desert Mist looks like?

What have you been told about supply? I was told only 5,000 TLs for all of Canada for the whole year. And that people who are not picky about colours will stand a better chance of getting one relatively quickly. 5,000 seems like a low number unless they meant 5,000 for the rest of calendar year 2003!

torontotl · October 2003

Downtown Acura in Toronto has a WDP demo car with the parchment interior. I personally love the colour I've always loved blue cars and haven't seen the Abyss blue yet. Do you know of a Toronto are dealer that has an Abyss blue TL?

I haven't seen the desert mist yet, I have a gold TL now so don't really want another gold car. I know nothing about the supply. I do know that they always tell you that they don't have enough cars, especially when the car is first being introduced.

bodble2 · October 2003

Sorry, couldn't help you with the Toronto area dealers. I'm in Vancouver.

mmm17 · October 2003

I just traded in my 2000 Acura TL w/nav for a 2004 TL w/nav. I've had the car for 3 days and it is great. The XM radio is wonderful and the voice comands are very helpful. The car is deep green pearl with tan interior.

gregory28 · November 2003

mmm17: we have the exact same color combo. I just picked it up yesterday. Next to the black/parchment I think this combo is the nicest. I just don't have time to deal with all the maintenance a black car needs. I signed up for a 3 year XM radio contract- the sound is fantastic. I'm actually a talk radio guy, but this will be a good distraction for me.

I wrote long summaries last night in the general "Acura TL, Prices paid and Acura vs. G-35" sections. I gave my experiences with positives and negatives (very few).

bodble2: When are you pulling the trigger? It's time to jump in the pool and not just sit on the side. :-)

Congratulations to all. Please share you're purchasing experience with all of us. What did you pay to buy or lease? Where did you buy from? Any problems?

gregory28 · November 2003

What color combination?

iceneedle · November 2003

I own a 2000 TL (with NAV) which has 43,500 miles on it. I can honestly say that I haven't had any problems with it. Ever. So why am I looking at a 2004? Well, I'm intrigued by the new NAV system, the XM radio, the memory seats, not to mention the look of the car.

My 2000 is silver with black interior and I'm really looking to change. I was thinking about Anthracite/ebony, but the green looks pretty nice as well.

gregory28 · November 2003

It's nice to know that you've been trouble free with your Acura.

Memory seats, XM radio and many other features make the '04 a delight. I owned 2 gray cars in a row and my wife asked me to pick a different color this time around, I think the Anthracite is an awesome color. I prefer the parchment interior with the faux wood though, a reason why we bought the green.

Welcome to the club!

gregory28 · November 2003

Any problems with anything? Any pleasant surprises?

I have an occasional rattle in my steering column that I'm getting checked next week. The driver's side headlight is calibrated slightly too low and I'll have that adjusted. I'm still getting used to the low calibration of the HID headlights; I guess on-comers can get blinded by them.

I have an '04 TL. It is by far the most fun car I've ever driven. There's so much to do in the car that the ride is quite interesting: 100 channels of XM radio, DVD-A, regular CD's, FM radio and AM radio. The blue lighting is quite nice to look at in the evening. The seats are quite comfortable and I haven't experienced any permanent "butt prints" that some have mentioned. How are the parchment seats to clean? I know the '03-'04 TL people have these same leather seats. I'm wondering if "gunk" can get stuck in all the perforated holes.

I do have a few ideas on how to make the car even better. I find the rear window a bit small and the two rear head cushions block the view partially. I'm normally alone in my car and would like these rear head cushions to be able to slide down manually or "fall down" electronically like in some of the Volvos. I do find the storage space to be a bit restrictive. Storage pouches on the fronts of the seats would help (close to one's calves). I'm sure a few more spots could be selected for storage space. I'm going to purchase an after market storage area for the trunk.

pmf13 · November 2003

I know it's been a while since your post torontotl, but in case you're still looking I saw a blue TL at Acura in Markham (Highway 7 and McCowan). It looked pretty sharp, but I think I prefer the Desert Mist.

pmf13 · November 2003

I'm encouraged to hear about your positive experiences with the new TL. I've decided on a Desert Mist with Navi. It will be the first automatic transmission car I've ever owned in almost 32 years of driving. The stick will be tough to leave, but Toronto traffic is just nuts and being a software designer I love the voice response gadgets.

I'd be interested to know which dealer you used and whether they were decent to deal with. I'm just poling around trying to get the best lease rates before I pull the trigger and would appreciate the benefit of any experiences you've had.

Thanks and safe motoring.

bodble2 · November 2003

I'm curious as to how you determined what would be a fair trade-in value. I guess a fact we all have to accept is that any dealer will give you a value thousands less than what you can get in a private sale. The (partial) offsetting factor is the savings in GST & PST on the trade. With the TL, the irony is that since there is almost zero discounting, in a way it is easier to work a trade since now you don't have to worry about determining what is the "true" trade-in value since the variable (being the selling price of the new car) has been eliminated! Thanks in advance for your commments.

torontotl · November 2003

I agree, in a way it is easier to compare a deal now because dealers in Toronto aren't offering off MSRP all you can do is compare trade in values. I searched the net until I found a site that could give you an idea of trade in. Now of course the dealers were all below that except Sherway which is why I ended up there for the purchase. I think the site was autonet.ca

bodble2 · November 2003

I'll check it out.

bodble2 · November 2003

This may not be the proper topic for these question but something torontotl said triggered a thought: Why would trade-in allowances differ significantly between dealers in the same town. Don't they all use the same blue book, or black book, etc., and don't they all access the same group of auto brokers? And secondly, does it make any difference to trade with the original selling dealer, aside from the fact that they may give you a bit of a break for being a repeat customer?

torontotl · November 2003

I think some dealerships are will to give you a bit more on trade in if they think you have a car which they will be able to sell on their lot easily as opposed to selling it to a wholesaler. Also it may be their way of giving you a deal on a car which they are selling at MSRP.

mhewitt · November 2003

Just picked up my black/ebony, w/o nav yesterday. Noooooooot baaaad! DVD-Audio is unreal--although the title choice is somewhere in the dark ages CD's were 15 years ago when they were just coming on line. Disk sources are Amazon--decent discounts--acoustic sound and Best Buy. Google probably mentions other vendors. And I think you must use just DVD-Audio disks and regular CD's, but not SACD's etc. XM radio is great also, but leaving it on for an hour in order to hook up to all channels hasn't been possible. Side body molding will be useful hopefully, but its not the utilitarian wraparound kind found on Saab's Volvo's etc. No vibrations, mysterious sounds etc. etc. It was hard to leave my Saab, but I've fallen in love with this car almost instantly. Hope everybody else is enjoying theirs also.

gregory28 · November 2003

Congratulations on your purchase! Welcome to the club.

builttospill1 · November 2003

My wife and I just purchased an 04 TL today. We decided on anthracite with ebony and nav. Our color choices have changed over the past month. We were first looking at the blue with quartz interior, then we were leaning towards the silver. Finally over the past two weeks it came down to pearl white and anthracite. We also strongly considered the Infiniti M45 (super car with a large discount) and the G35. Our concern with the M45 was the back seat passenger space and with the G35 the interior quality seemed below what one would expect when paying over $30k.

Our main concern with the TL was the blind spots. For all those who haven't purchased it make sure you are able to live with the blind spots. I was also not happy that you hear a beeping sound if you don't have your seat belt engaged.

The interior design, the technology, and the quietness of the car is what sold us in the end. I love the fact that the nav has a touch screen option, something the G35 was missing. We are picking the car up tomorrow.

gregory28 · November 2003

Congrats on your purchase! Regarding blind spots: I learned that you need to lean all the way over to your left from your driver's position and have your forehead touch the window. Set your driver's side mirror so from this position you can see the the back corner of your car. Next set your passenger's side mirror by leaning way over to your right, then set this side view mirror so you can see your passenger's back corner of your car. Lastly, position your rearview mirror so that it has as complete view of the rear windshield as possible. Obviously, these adjustments need to be made from your correct seat position for driving. This method has eliminated the blind spots for me.

kahunah · November 2003

"The driver's side headlight is calibrated slightly too low and I'll have that adjusted." - Nov 07, 2003 (9:48 pm)

That's the way it's supposed to be. My TL is the same. The headlights are perfectly angled in such a way as to not interfere with on-coming traffic (driver side lower) at the same time illuminate as much of the shoulder as possible (passenger side higher). This setup is works extremely well on unlit country roads. You'll also notice that when you switch the high beams on, the lights shine evenly on both driver and passenger sides.

When I drive my '00 TL in the country (at night) I always get on-coming traffic flashing their high beams at me, thinking I have mine switched on. Now with my new TL, it only occurs a fraction of the time.

gregory28 · November 2003

philipnow · November 2003

I just sat in my old 2001 TL before handing it over to my brother-in-law who's buying it. I think its seats are more comfortable than those on my new '04 TL. The cushions on the new one seem a bit too firm and the side bolsters are positioned somewhat uncomfortably against my shoulder blades when I sit up straight. Anyone else notice this?

Otherwise loving my TL! Can't wait 'til break-in's over so I can push it more. I've taken it fast in corners which it has handled with aplomb. I can't seem to throw it off balance. My old ('01) TL's front tires would squeal and start to slide when going fast through tight corners.

kfhmail · November 2003

I have the same problem. I have taken two test drives and both times I have felt the seat back cushions (side bolsters) against my shoulder blades. This would bother me on a long trip. Maybe the seat backs will "relax" or give a little with use.

Anyone else notice this?

Plus...the visibility from the rear view mirror seems limited.

debis04tl · November 2003

Kthmail, I understand that also tipping your rear headrests forward has a positive effect

kfhmail · November 2003

Thanks. I have adjusted the headrest down (to lowest position), but I did not realize that they tilted also.

Will try that next time I go look at the Tls.

Thanks.

[visibility from your rear view mirror by debis04tl Nov 24, 2003 (5:23 pm)
Kthmail, I understand that also tipping your rear headrests forward has a positive effect ]

torontotl · November 2003

I believe that the rear headrests do not tilt, they just move vertically.

debis04tl · November 2003

you may be right torontotl. I was repeating something I read.. that will teach me.

gregory28 · January 2004

The new TL was rated number one against 15 other "near luxury" cars. That's huge!

chuck04tl · January 2004

I told myself I can wait until next fall to buy an 2005 TL. This would give Acura time to work out the bugs with the first year car. But I came home one day in early January to find the Feb issue of Consumer Reports on my counter top. I picked it up and started reading. That same day I went down to the dealer and picked out a deep green pearl /camel beauty. I am in love with this car. Electronics, power,smooth,quiet etc. The best sport sedan car for the money period.

bodble2 · January 2004

Lucky the Victoria Secret catalogue wasn't left on your counter. You would've had some explaining to do going to work wearing.......Yikes, not a pretty picture!

chuck04tl · January 2004

Bodble2

I was already sold on the new TL. Consumer Reports just pushed me over the edge.

raher · January 2004

I bought my wife a new TL. Silver/Ebony/NAV/auto.
She was in the hospital for awhile right after I bought it for her so I drove the car every day for a week. It was a great release for me. I traded a 2000TL/NAV and while it was a nice ride, I never considered it sporty enough. I have raced some things in my life and I like a car that performs. This is a very fine car in every respect.

4cubes · January 2004

Bought a NEW TL w/Navi in mid december. I absolutly love it. I drove to Florida in this car, and it was very comfortable. The XM was great on this trip. This is my 2nd car w/Navi, and I can't live without it. I'm selling my old Acura MDX, and it seems like you get a lot of this money back. Everyone seems to want it.

A couple of matters:

- How do I stop the beeping seatbelt alarm. I usually wear it, but sometimes I take it off to get $$ out of my pocket or going extreme short distances.

- Bluetooth. I got a bluetooth phone & I'm using it. I was lucky to find on a chat room that SPRINT PCS selling these through their customer service line. It works pretty good, and I use it all the time. I have had a few problems with it.

I've had it switch off in the middle of a call. I've also had it lock up. There is no re-boot key. It wouldn't go back to radio, so I was stuck on the highway. It fixed itself after I shut off and restarted (just like alt-ctl-delete).

Everyone wants computer in the car (me included), but I don't want the alt-ctl-delete stuff.

Navi - my 2nd time with this, and I can't live without it. It has saved me so many times. I just want to be able to OK the terms & conditions upon purchase of the car, and stop having to hit that. I had this in my 2001 MDX, and thought they would fix this the next model year.

I've read post on visibility: It certainly isn't great, but no car is perfect. It is great out the front, which matters to me more.

smoore5 · January 2004

I just ordered an auto TL with Navi and should take delivery in late March. I chose silver with the black interior. It appears that the colour choices and combinations are more limited in Canada (for example, we can only get the red and the anthracite in the manual).

I had my heart set on buying the G35 Coupe but after test driving both cars I decided to get the TL. I actually liked the G35 engine and ride better than the TL. The seats, navi, instrumentation and the stereo were another matter.

I am 6'and 200 lbs. and I could not find a comfortable position to drive the G35. The side bolsters squeezed me too much and the lumbar adjustment (which I also had in my '96 Maxima) just didn't provide support in the right spot. The seats in the TL were perfect and with the ability to telescope the steering wheel I was able to find a very comfortable driving position.

I am a little farsighted and prefer to drive without my glasses. Without my glasses I couldn't read all of the instrumentation on the G35 but the TL was easy to read. On the G35 I also found that bright sunlight tended to wash out the Navi screen. I didn't find that problem with the TL probably because it is below the window line and out of the direct sun.

I am with Bell Sympatico in Toronto and they don't have any bluetooth phones yet. I understand they should be getting them but they won't confirm a date. If they don't have them by November when my contract is up I am going to have to change to Rogers.

I took the car on a 4 year lease. I am annoyed that Honda Canada doesnt' offer a four year warranty in Canada when the car has a 4 year warranty in the U.S. I wasn't able to negotiate the price down but I did get them to throw in the Acura Extended Security Plan for one year ($835) but it isn't as comprehensive as the original warranty (it doesn't cover the navi or the radio for example).

After I leased the car I looked at the U.S. Acura site and it indicated the car comes with satellite radio. Does anyone know if this feature is on the Canadian model?

orange_peel · January 2004

XM service not available in Canada.

kahunah · January 2004

In Canada, the TL 6-speed is also available in white, black and silver. All manual interiors come in black only.

Major components warranty is 5 years, 100,000 km.

jlmvcr · February 2004

After reading all your messages Regarding the 2004 TL I need to get behind that wheel and experience the Joy you all feel.

Have a Black with Black with Nav been delivered on the LUCKY day of Feb 13th.

I cross shopped this car versus the market place and Dollar for Dollar in my mind it produces the biggest bang for your dollar.

Hope to see some of you on the road soon.

kahunah · February 2004

Oooh...you may want to consider picking up the car on Saturday instead : )

jlmvcr · February 2004

I would never make it, was supposed to be delivered on Monday and I had to do a lot of begging to get date changed.

Need to get the thrill of the Acura TL

brew99 · February 2004

I know this is technically not the right forum, but jlmvcr and smoore5 can you share what your buying experiences were like, prices paid etc. I am just about to pull the trigger and would love to hear what kind of discounts you may be getting. Congrats on your new purchases!!

Thx!!!

jlmvcr · February 2004

Well as I wanted a car from stock and did not wait I paid full price to get What I wanted which was Black on Black Auto with Nav.

But could have got approx 800.00 to 1000.00 off for factory order in Vancouver.

But with TL getting all these Number one ratings in last week or two , they may not budge expect as always shop on Cold days at end of month with Net price in your pocket they all match.

bodble2 · February 2004

I thought it was the other way around, ie. you can get a bigger discount if you bought one from inventory on hand rather than wait for the next one off the boat.

brew99 · February 2004

Thx for the info, interesting that they were not willing to budge for the on-hand inventory as per bobble's comments. Did it make a difference with navi or non-navi or did you only price out the navi?

Bobble - did you make the purchase as well??? I thought I was following the thread on the board that you were waiting/holding off?? Congrats if you did.....How did you do?

bodble2 · February 2004

I will bring my CL-S in sometime in the next week to see what trade-in value they'll give me. I've bought several cars from this dealership group so I'm hoping they will give me a decent trade-in allowance inspite of the unsold '03 CL/TL at ridiculously low prices sitting on their lot. But if the trade-in allowance is way low, I'm inclined to hold off until near the end of the model year, or maybe even wait for the '05's. I mean I'd love a new TL, but I don't want to give my car away. It is literally in mint condition with very low mileage (35,000 km).

jlmvcr · February 2004

If I had selected any color other than Black they would have talked discount . At the time this was the only Black / Black / Auto / Nav in lower mainland , so it becomes the old supply and demand rule , and the Dealer ruled .

Acura TL Owners: Meet the Members

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