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Comments
Can you please tell me exactly how much you paid? Did you get any other add-on accessories?
Thx.
It should have a roomier rear seat and much more comfortable. The one I tried the rear seat backs felt almost vertical, very uncomfortable. Also seemed very narrow.
While I realize this is a sport sedan, I would think that this detail should have been addressed. If I can't take people in comfort in the rear seat, I might as well buy a 2+2 coupe!
That's what I thought too when I bought my CL, but I've learned passengers getting in and out of the back is just as much a pain. That's one of the main reasons I'm looking at the TL.
The VW Passat is a great car with AWD, but its V6 is too slow, it's W8 is too expensive, and both are too unreliable.
Granted, almost any car provides relative safety if not driven to excess under challenging road conditions...vis a vis, my 1994 Camry is without blemish not because of it's safety features (almost non-existent), but because of my driving habits :-)
It almost makes the design that runs along the bottom of the doors...look like it has an aero package even though it doesn't.
Also when I looked at all the other colors lined up in the lot (silver, blue, grey, black,..) white didn't show hardly any dirt at all. Even though I took my finger ran it across a small section of the body...and my finger was black with dirt.
Up here in New Hampshire, that is a big plus....
By the way - to all buyers - DON'T pay for the add-ons! make a deal for the car at MSRP, and then tell them that you will take if IF . . .they "throw in" the mats, trunk tray, splash guards, etc. These items cost the dealer almost nothing, and you can get some good value for yourself. One local dealer was pricing the trunk tray at $595! What a joke - there is about $6 worth of plastic and molding labor in it. Don't be gouged - walk out, the dealer will quickly "see it your way".
That can be good or bad depending on what you're looking for.
The 4 things missing to me are:
awd
auto headlights
auto wipers
one touch rear windows
I wouldn't mind paying xtra for those but I am still considering the TL or a spec'ed out 325xi. Both manuals of course
oh yeah brakes felt pretty good but I can't wait to try out the Brembos and LSD
3. Show the salesman from the list what accessories you are interested in, and ask the salesman if they will match or beat your price. I did this when i purchased my Tl-s in 2001. I got mudguards, and fenderwell trim for the website price, and installed them myself.
4. If the salesman is unwilling to meet your request, ORDER THE ACCESSORIES FROM THE WEBSITE. You can install them yourself, or if that is not your thing, you can go to the service dept. at the dealer and they will install them at the regular labor rate. the only way I would get accessories from the dealer at time of purchase is if the are free, or discounted. Don't be afraid to tell them that they are overpriced.
1. Are tinted windows an option with the TL? If not how would one go about getting the windows tinted, but in a professional way. Meaning it won’t bubble up in a couple years. About how much would it cost? Also what are the legal ramifications? I know some states have laws that say the windows can only be tinted a certain percentage. I am in a job that I will move around every 2 years or so, I don’t want to get stuck replacing my windows because I am in a state with strict tinting laws. This leads me to my second question…
2. Can I go to any Acura dealer to get warrantee service? In other words once I move to another location, which will happen less than a year after I buy the vehicle, will I be snubbed by an Acura dealer because I didn’t buy the Auto there? Will I have more difficulty getting regular maintenance or warrantee service done on the car?
You do have to check your state's laws, but the local tint installers will tell you what it is. If you move to a state with more stringent restrictions on tint, you WILL have to remove it from your windows or risk a ticket. On the other hand, removing tint film is reasonably easy and a tint installer can do it for $60-$100.
1. Take a good look at the car.
2. Figure out what you think it is worth to you.
3. Pay that amount.
The sticker price is just a number made up by the marketing folks. If Acura bumped up the MSRP by two grand then told you they would give you a $2,000 discount, would you be happy?
Mdhauke - Most modern tints will not bubble like the stuff used 10-20 years ago. The percentage of tint allowed varies from state to state. Which one will you be living in?
Warranties are honored at any Acura dealership, so long as it is in the same country as where the vehicle was purchased.
Given the discounts now available, I think that it deserves a look if the attributes it offers are of interest.
- Ray
Owner - 2002 W8 nearing 20,000 mies . . .
Have any TL owners gotten a chance to check their mileage yet?
TL-
I am down to the wire between the TL, TSX and I35. Which one????? Your opinions????? And I will keep pricing in mind when I go shopping.
I is illegal to tint the front side windows in Calif, but I have never in 20 years been stopped for it. Just don't get too dark, and don't drive like an idiot.
The bubbling tints you seen on the road are most likely self-applied with material from the auto parts stores. The new films are semi-mettalic and stop a LOT of heat from entering the car as well as improving the lines of the car. Look at the photos in car ads - the cars always have tinted windows for this reason. It also provides a litle privacy - good for the ladies.
By the way - the dealer told me that they will hold the MSRP for a long time with no discounting due to limited production. Get your discount via the "add-ons" and enjoy this great car!
On the TSX board, a new TSX owner got 32 mpg on the road driving the car back interstate, which is above the stated mileage. It should get even better after break-in!
Your theory looks good on the forum but doesn't hold water in the real world. What we have here is one hell of a sport sedan that has a loyal owner following which has been waiting for the remake for quite some time. I have talked to several dealers in the last week. If a dealer got 5 TLs in, 3 to 4 were already sold and the next batch in due in for another month. So guess what the unsold car is selling for? Please apply the laws of supply and demand to your theory.
By the way, for 33K, the car is worth every penny of it. I didn't want the test drive to end.
It's been awhile since I've logged on to edmunds.com but I wished I hadn't ever left! W/O reading this entire tread I thought I'd post my problem and while reading some history here wait for any replies.
We purchased a Certified Pre-owned 2002 TL Type/S less than two months ago. My sister has owned one since new and loves hers and after we borrowed theirs for a week my wife did too.
After buying the car was when I did a little research and found comments/post about transmission troubles. We had some wheels to be replaced because of previous damage so when at the dealer I asked, too late albeit, but was told the car was on its THIRD transmission. Feeling a little taken and only having a few days with the car I decided surely it was OK. We bought it at 28561 miles and by this time it had two transmissions replaced and the shift solenoid changed on the last one. Now, at 32435 miles it is going back for the fourth transmission. The car was purchased 10/15/01 and will be two in two days. What are my options? I'm getting hammered by my wife because she no longer feels safe driving the car let alone carry our 4yr old son and our second on the way. Aren't dealers supposed to declare this type of problem without being asked? Does a lemon law carry over to new owners after the initial owner has settled or disposed of the lemon? And get this, like an idiot I signed an arbitration agreement. I just love that one. I am extremely humiliated and can’t believe I decided to forgo my usual research and jumped into this vehicle eyes wide shut! If anyone has anything that can help I would certainly appreciate it.
Dano
I have to agree with you about MB ranking very low on the reliability scale. BMW/MB people buy those cars for snob appeal like someone said. I buy my cars because I want a reliable and dependable car, then something that looks a little sporty too. I think the Acura TL is a very nice looking car in and out. Not to mention it crushes BMW 325/330 series in the HP area. I can't stand an auto maker who charges $450 for folder down rear seat option (like BMW does) or almost $500 dollars for metallic paint. By the why for the person getting to excited by Lexus, I think they have nice products (reliability wise) but they look so much any more like a car my dad would shop for. That ES330 has huge ugly lights. Here is a link I've incorporated. Infiniti finished #1 in quality ranking with their cars.
"Infiniti Ranks Highest in J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) Study [Jul. 23, 03]"
http://www.infinitinews.com/
This comes straight from JD Powers. I like them because they don't care whether you are foreign or domestic, they tell it like it is. So as I said in a prior posting, Infiniti, Acura and Lexus all make fine products and will continue to be much more reliable then American cars and many of the German cars too.
Like a TL-XL
I am pretty sure people will want that option and are willing to pay 1k or 2k more
When Wards Auto named the Accord 3.0L V6 (the "little brother" of the TL's engine) to its 10 Best Engines list for 2003, they praised both its torque and its sound, as well as its overall design excellence. And the TL has even more torque.
And in their first drive of the TL, Edmunds said "Out on the road, this V6 is very refined, and there's plenty of power at any speed."
One thing that’s bothering me and I am far from a Car expert. I read on here that the knock on the TL is that it’s front wheel drive verses rear wheel drive. What are the big differences? I think I read somthing about under steer or something like that but I have no clue what it means. Also isn’t front wheel drive a big advantage in adverse conditions like rain and snow?
Thanks for your help
As far as engines Honda makes some of the best engines out there. Never doubt Honda in the engine department.
As far as purchase price is concerned I would wait a year to buy the TL(if you are interested in it) because 1st year cars always have bugs to work out(rattles mainly.) Also, I have heard on this board the TL went for sticker in 1998-1999 when it first came out. In 2001 you could probably buy a TL for 600 dollars over invoice. I think waiting until demand goes down for the TL would be a smart thing to do if you want a resaonable price on one.
FWD is more compact giving more room inside the car and trunk, better gas mileage and better traction with more weight over the driving wheels.
RWD is more balanced in general, but weighs more overall, and the drive train takes up a lot of space.
Because of the weight in the front of the FWD car, it will tend to understeer more than a RWD car when driven hard. That means it will want to go straight as you are turning. RWD cars tend to over-steer, where it turns farther than you want.
Please note - In normal driving you will never notice any of this, only when pushing hard.
FWD cars also can exhibit "torque steer" where the car tends to pull to one side when accellerating heavily. Better engineered cars like the Acura have eliminated most if not all of this.
Only the "enthusiasts" who plan on driving their vehicles like a race car on our public roads should have any concern about front vs. rear drive. Rear wheel drive cars offer better overall performance when driven at their limits. It's a combination of the driving wheels also being used to control the direction of the vehicle, and the mechanics of pushing vs. pulling a car through a turn. Weight balance also is a factor. Torque-steer, where the front wheels pull to right during hard acceleration, doesn't appear to be much of a factor with Acuras. Nissans are notorious for ripping the steering wheel out of your hand if you're not careful.
If you don't plan on pushing your car to it's limits, you shouldn't worry about it.
$29,755 + $545 Destination = $30,300 Non-Navi
Navi adds another $1,821 = $32,121 With Navi
Talon - Muspod is just going by the numbers. I'm not certain he really understands what they mean and which ones are important.