Older Acura TLs

frisconick · June 2005

Hey, nothing wrong with old chicks, they know what they are doing. :P

bodble2 · June 2005

Sure, of course. That's how they got the little chickens.

frisconick · June 2005

LOL

delmar1 · June 2005

The demographic info came from the Acura's Facts Guide which was shared with me. Besides the basic demographics...it also stated that another group is the mid-30s performance-oriented enthusiast men.

Not a chick car.

habitat1 · June 2005

Coincidentally to this discussion, my wife drove a friend's TL back from Annapolis yesterday - about a 45 mile drive.

The first thing my wife mentioned to me was the noticable difference in handling and braking between the TL automatic and our 6-speed. I was impressed, because she had no prior knowledge that the TL 6-speed has a stiffer suspension and comes with Brembo brakes. And her observation also came with three kids in the back seat - so she certainly wasn't driving aggressively. (Her one gripe about our 2005 MDX is that it does not stop with the authority of the TL 6-speed).

So, in the event this "chick" discussion continues - don't assume that astute driving senses are a strictly male characteristic. Also, don't assume you are an "enthusiast" if you drive an automatic. Both of these are myths.

pat · June 2005

Both of those concepts are myths ... and on that note, let's move along from the "chick car" portion of this program - I think we've exhausted the subject thoroughly.

danderson1 · June 2005

Since we are into the summer of '05, is it best to wait until the '06 TL's begin to show up? Someone mentioned depreciation, which I hadn't thought about. I keep my cars a long time, so it probably doesn't matter, but didn't know if the price would go up and whether 'problems' would be addressed in the '06. Thought?

tawneycat · June 2005

I really like the TL. Is is as consumer reports says a well balanced package of luxury and sportiness and comfort.

habitat1 · June 2005

There is a fairly significant difference in the suspension (and brakes) between the automatic and 6-speed. Taken from Acura's website:

Stabilizer Bars

Automatic
Front: 1.0 in. diameter (25.4 mm) x (4.5 mm)
0.18 in. wall thickness
Rear 0.67 in. diameter, solid (17.0 mm)

Manual
Front: 1.07 in. diameter (27.2 mm) x (5.0 mm)
0.20 in. wall thickness
Rear: 0.79 in. diameter, solid (20 mm)

Front Discs

Automatic: Ventilated, 11.8 in. (300 mm) diameter; 1.1 in. (28 mm) rotor thickness
Manual: Brembo® ventilated, 12.2 in. (310 mm) diameter, 0.98 in. (25 mm) rotor thickness.

pat · June 2005

We need to be talking about the cars and stop the generalizations about the people. They are silly, inaccurate and at times offensive.

Cars, please. Thanks.

giovanni1 · June 2005

I stand corrected. Sorry, I was under the assumption that only the difference between the manual and auto were the Brembo brakes and the summer tires.

calhon · June 2005

Mustang, terrible reliability? That's another myth. All model years have had at least average reliability from 1997 to 2004 and above-average reliability four of those eight years. 2004 Mustangs are actually more reliable than 2004 TLs, according to Consumer Reports.

jaymon160 · June 2005

Im interested in purchasing an '05 TL, however I am confused on whether I should wait a few months. After reading a few posts it sounds like the best option would be to wait till the '06 Model is released to get a better deal on an '05? Basically all dealers right now are offering the 05' TL w/out Nav for invoice $30,700. :confuse:

frisconick · June 2005

It is my understanding that the 06 will come out in September and I am sure they will are thinning inventory. If you wait too long there may not be a good selection. Invoice is a good deal, who knows how much more the 06 will cost.

pat · June 2005

about any of my recent posts, please feel free to email me. Thanks.

habitat1 · June 2005

Following up...the "HPT" high performance / summer tire package is a $200 option on the 6-speed. The standard tires on the 6-speed - at least in 2004 - were the same Bridgestone "Tourenzas" that came on the automatic. The HPT package were Bridgestone "Potenzas" for 2004.

kyfdx · June 2005

$30,700 seems like a good price.. I doubt you'll see it much lower.. They don't seem to end up with a lot of leftover models in September...

Invoice... that is what the dealer pays.. At that price, their only gross profit is the holdback..

Not sure what you are waiting for...

frisconick · June 2005

Agreed, I got my dealer to go for invoice, but gave him 31,000 because he held the car for me for a day, actually 2 days, usually they try to get you to buy NOW. Not this dealer, so I gave him 300 buck extra, and he didn't ask for it.

Like dyfdx said, what are you waiting for...

bg15 · June 2005

I am in the market for a 2005 TL manual, and there sure are rare in south jersey.
Not a lot to choose from, we wanted a red one with parchment leather, but would
have to wait 3 months or more, per the sales guy.

They dont seem to be in any rush to sell us a car, we decided to go with white
with parchment leather, and while the dealer said they could get us one no problem, they have not called back.

part of the prolem is there are few acura dealers around, wewent to he other one and looked around for an hour and could not get anyone to help us.
They had a red auto trans with parchment leather we would have liked to test drive,
but no help. I read the auto cars have poblems, trans and vibration problems, and
the manual is so much fun, but hard to get...

No problem if you want a deadly dark color, with leg burning black leather...

Seems like a fantastic car, but with the typical Japanese problem of getting
exactly what you want....

Brett

bg15 · June 2005

I have a 2003 passat GLX now, and want to trade it in on the TL, as its had lots of
problems, the worst of which was the fuel pump wore out at 25,000 miles.
i took the pump apart and the brushes were worn down to nothing.
I never ran low or out of gas....
Electrical problems (transmission connections) evap system alarm, coolant temp sensors failed, fan sensor failed, climatronic has 3 fault codes, etc.....

Its a nice car, roomy, inside is well laid out, displays are very nice, motor
is smooth mostly, REAL wood on the interiour, but the dealers service
sux, and the car always has problems...

I would NOT recomend the Passat to anyone other than a mechanic.

Brett

mth2 · June 2005

I don't think there will be a significant price increase on the 06 TL. Acura (Honda) has never, from my experience, radically increased the price on a model out of the normal year to year increases. Otherwise they would be deserting the target market that brought them the bulk of their sales.

Acura is not going to make a car in the middle of their lineup that most current TL owners/potential owners could not/would not want to afford. Among many other reasons, one reason TL owners don't buy RL's is because they are almost $15,000 more expensive. That's almost half the price of a TL!!!

I expect the 06 to be marginally higher than the current TL. Maybe like the 02 and 03 models, there could be a Type S version (or something similar) that could cost a few thousand above the base model.

mth2 · June 2005

I meant to post that last message in the TL 2006 board. I was going between message boards and forgot which one I was on.

Sorry.

ljwalters1 · June 2005

I am in the market for a 2005 TL manual, and there sure are rare in south jersey.
Not a lot to choose from, we wanted a red one with parchment leather

I suggest you look in the phone book to find the names of all area Acura dealerships and then find their website. Most allow you to view their curent inventory. THen you can find the one you want (if it's out there) and negotiate directly with that dealership. From what I understand, dealers want the '05s off their lots for the '06s, so they won't be as much incentive for them to make you a deal on a car that's not on thir lot.

Also, you might find out about a car that was delivered, but not on the lot yet (being cleaned up or something. That happened with my wife's Sienna. She wanted Silver with a Tan interior. I found one, but when I got there, the salesman didn't believe me. Turns out, after the dealership received the car, a supervisor took it home for his wife to check it out. Once we negotiated everything, they called the supervisor and had him bring the car in for us.

ljwalters1 · June 2005

I have a 2003 passat GLX now

Not sure why you're posting that here, but maybe your problems are withyour mechanic. I had a 2001.5 Passat GLX (same model as you) 5MT. I did have 1 major issue that was taken care of fine (I forget what it was, but remember being glad I got the warranty). Other than that, there were no problems, and the vast majority of my miles were hard city miles (big accelleration and big braking).

Good luck on your search for a TL. You'll like it (as I do), but you'll miss the rain-sensing windshield wipers and the real wood trim.

habitat1 · June 2005

Back when I purchased in May, 2004, the Washington DC dealers told me that a 6-speed in my color choice and required HPT package would take 2-3 months and would be at full MSRP.

I checked with my former hometown dealer, Contemporary Motors in Erie, PA and they got the car in 4 weeks at $1,000 over invoice ($2,200 less than the DC dealers, at that time). I have had no issues whatsoever having the car serviced by my local Acura dealer (in fact, we subsequently bought a 2005 MDX from Contemporary this past January).

I realize Erie is a long haul from south Jersey, but if you can't find anyone willing to cooperate with you on getting a 6-speed at a fair price in your area, you might want to give them a call. They seem to have a very good relationship and reputation with the Acura factory reps - and the TLs are built nearby in Ohio.

frisconick · June 2005

My TL does enough, I can easily sense rain.

bg15 · June 2005

I have looked at the on line inventory out to like 80 miles away, north jersey, delaware, pennsylvainia, and although some dealers show a white manual, they wont trade a local dealer for it, as it would likely sell at their place.
I call andthey tell ME they have it, the local dealers look on the special
acura web page and they dont show, when called they say they dont have one.
games, games, games...

We test drove an automatic yesterday, turnersville has a red with parchment
auto without sat nav!
But it seemed like a completely different car, and with the automatic, did not
seem as nice as my Passat. Sure its faster and goes around corners better,
but I want quiet and smooth, and the auto seemed to have a loud engine
when it down shifted under moderate throttle.
Not even close to the manual as far as fun to drive.

As to my Passat problems, I do my own work, as the local dealers cant seem
to fix any of the problems when I take it in.
Corroded electrical connections inside the car (transmission problem), coolant
temp sensors failing, fuel pump failing, gas tank leaks, these are not
maintanance issues, but parts failures.

We are still trying to come up with a manual trans car in a color we like,
one place has black on black, and silver with black leather, we both
hate black leather and are not crazy about silver....
Another place wants to give us almost nothing for our very clean trade in cars, but
may be able to get a white with parchment leather manual from a friend at another
dealer.

We may be screwed till the new cars start coming in.
They may want to move cars off the lot to make room, but they dont seem to be
trying hard in our case.
Now if we wanted a black on black auto, it would be no problem...

Brett

mth2 · June 2005

For some reason, the color I didn't like the most is now the one I seem to be becoming attached to- like you ljwalters1, white with parchment interior, 6speed of course!! I had a black with black interior (ebony) and I know the AC will cool it down fast,but living in central Texas, HOT means HOT, and the lighter colors are starting to appeal to me (but not silver). Maybe I'm just getting older...

ljwalters1 · June 2005

I have looked at the on line inventory out to like 80 miles away, north jersey, delaware, pennsylvainia, and although some dealers show a white manual, they wont trade a local dealer for it, as it would likely sell at their place.

By it from the dealer who's 80 mi away. That's less than a 2 hrs each way for a car you'll have for at least several years! Just be REALLY NICE to the friend who drives you there!!!

If you're doing a trade-in, you can drive it there by yourself. If you can work out everything on the phone, you might be able to have them drive to you

ljwalters1 · June 2005

Actually, mine is Green w/ Camel interior. The green is fine. I really wanted the Camel interior, and green was the only exterior I could get it with. I probably would've preferred red b/c I like lighter collored cars and Red is the lightest color that comes with parchment. The other COlors that came with parchment are navy and the gray metallic. I like the green better than the blue and gray b/c it's a gray-ish green. In the shade or twilight it looks gray, but when the sun hists it, it sparkles green.

I think the TL's exterior looks best in the tan metallic.

bodble2 · June 2005

You mean the Desert Mist? That's interesting because the year I bought mine, the dealer said that was actually the least popular colour.

ljwalters1 · June 2005

Guess it's true - there's no accounting for taste!!!

frisconick · June 2005

That's interesting, because I think the Desert Mist is a knock out color. My wife wanted a Silver, so I bought her a Silver, but I thought the Desert Mist was nicer.

rich48 · June 2005

I drive a 2000 TL with 80000 miles. I was wondering when to replace the timing belt so i contacted several dealers and got several different responses. One reccomended changing at 70000 or 5ys, another 80000 or 5 yrs and another 90000or 6 yrs. Acura reccomends changing it at 105000 or 7ys. As this is an expensive job and belt failior is not an option I'm looking for ideas as to when to change. I'm also looking for an excuse to trade for a new TL!

kyfdx · June 2005

Well... if you really want to trade and avoid changing that belt.... that seems like a perfect reason

Otherwise, I'd stick with the Acura recommendation and change at 7yr or 105K, whichever comes first...

Unless we need to come up with an excuse for the wife... If so, then I'd say it has to be changed immediately, so you better go buy a new car instead!!

frisconick · June 2005

Get a new TL and you get an new belt! :P

bodble2 · June 2005

I don't know guys, wives are pretty sharp these days. They seem to know when they being hoodwinked.

We'll just have to band together, pool our collective intelligence (no jokes please, ladies) and come up with more creative ways to fool them. :P

scjd · June 2005

Can anybody share the experience of owning the car past 100K miles?
I own 2000 3.2 TL with 75K on the car, and so far it is very reliable, did not spent even a cent for repairs (only did a brake job). Is it worth keeping another 3-5 years?
Thanks,

bg15 · June 2005

Finaly got a local dealers to get a white manual with parchment, and made the deal today.
Got took to the cleaners on our trade in cars, but that is what I expected.

We may pick it up Monday, depending on how the body side molding instalation
goes.
Before going through with the deal we test drove a manual trans model again, and
I just cant get over how different the car is from the automatic trans car.
It seems much quieter, much less motor noise.

Looking forward to some new car fun next week!

Brett

frisconick · June 2005

Why buy a new car when your present car is running great?

delmar1 · June 2005

Regarding Mth2 question regarding colors. Mine is also Deep Green Pearl with Parchment interior.

When I was considering colors...I saw a rather interesting color TL on the road...thinking it was a gray. However...after going to the dealer, discovered it was the deep green pearl.

The Acura web site does not capture the essence of the color...honestly. It isn't Gumby green. Rather...it is similar to the TSX Carbon Gray Pearl.

As Ljwalter1 indicates in post #7390, it is gray-ish green. I can see my car from my office window and observe the transformation it takes from the morning - midday - evening light.

What I like best is that it is rather unique on the road. There are a few colors out there that are becoming commodity stock colors. There aren't too many that will pull along side in Dark Green Pearl.

Parchment is a change of pace also. It also changes the interior to have faux wood trims instead of the faux carbon fiber. That also creates a different feel.

All colors are great. All a matter of choice.

mth2 · June 2005

Yes, the Deep Green Pearl is very intriguing. My only problem is with it is with myself - that is, I can't decide if I like seeing that the Deep Green Pearl's color changes with the direction of the sunlight or not. Sometimes I want to know what the darn color is, sometimes it's neat to see the color change during the day !!!!!

frisconick · June 2005

The Green is interesting, but too dark for me. I have had dark cars for years, that's why I chose the silver.

delmar1 · June 2005

Mth2...is the reason why you want to know what the darn color is...is so that the car can be located in the parking lot? Kidding...

Any case...it not only changes with the light...but with the surrounding backdrop and surroundings. They really did a nice job utilizing the full effects of a pearlized finish.

There is no other car the same color (in fact it is not the same color compared to itself). And if you are into a dark hue car (some cars look better darker than lighter)...the Deep Green Pearl is to be considered.

xrunner2 · June 2005

Noticed that advertising for intro of 04 TL and through the model year used the silver color in print ads and on tv. Have not followed the 05 model advertising. I think that car companies choose a color of their car for advertising that best shows off the car's shape, lines and character. Is this correct or what? Anybody in marketing and advertising that can confirm or refute? Obviously, color is a very personal thing and many colors have to be offered on cars to suit all tastes.

bodble2 · June 2005

Silver happens to be the color du jour. Currently it is the most popular color for new cars.

frisconick · June 2005

(some cars look better darker than lighter)

So true, in my shopping for cars, I checked the Infinity G35 coupe, and I think it only looks in black, it's the first car I have ever considered buying in black. The TL looks good in any color. :P

laurasdada · June 2005

I have an Abyss Blue TL, a darker color. When my car is not clean and shiny, I am sad. One step to (fabulously) shiny: Zaino. I learned of Zaino many years ago through the 300M discussion board, but with a Platinum Metallic (lighter) color wasn't interested in the expense or extra work of Zaino. I'm not sure I believed all the Zaino testimonials on the board. Well, how do you do! I am now a budding Zainoholic. Four coats and counting in the first month of Zaino arriving! For you darker color TL (or any car) owners, check out zainostore.com...

I might even buy the T-shirt!

frisconick · June 2005

Does that mean that Zaino isn't good for light cars like silver? Or it just isn't worth all the work?

laurasdada · June 2005

I'm sure it works great on lighter colors also. There are a few pix of silver cars on the Zaino site, they look great. Darker colors just benefit that much more.

Older Acura TLs

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