Proud new owner of a 6-Speed Diamond White TL in TN
12-06-2009, 07:55 PM
#1
Colorado Springs
Thread Starter
Proud new owner of a 6-Speed Diamond White TL in TN
Hello everybody!
After being a member on here for a few months, most of you have known that I was anticipating purchasing a 6-Speed TL when the time was right. I am currently on Leave from Iraq for 2 weeks and won't be home for good until May next year. I was planning on purchasing this car when I got home for good because I didn't want to let it set for 5 months.
Welllllllll, all that changed when my wife and I took a little trip to Gary Force Acura in Brentwood (Nashville) TN on Thursday. I had only been up close and personal with the TL for a brief 20 minutes when my wife and I were looking around another dealership in El Paso on a Sunday back in April this year. We didn't get a test ride because they were closed on that particular day, but we were very pleased with what we saw.
When we arrived at this dealership, we were greeted by a very friendly guy (David Tran) who showed us into a Black/Ebony 6-speed and showed me the ins and outs of the technology it had to offer. I was very impressed with the interior quality and general build quality, but I knew the color I came to get was the Mayan Bronze/Umber. They didn't even have a Mayan Bronze on the lot in any form, but I did notice their White 6-Speed.
The last color I thought I wanted when I was considering my options was white, because my 1998 Prelude and my wife's 2009 Accord EX-L are both white. In fact, the Prelude is Diamond Pearl White, which is the same exact color as the Acura.
But one look at the interior (taupe) color was enough to change my mind. On this forum, I had read everyone's opinion and had seen a limited number of taupe interior pictures and had always ruled it out. But in person, the interior color was gorgeous! I couldn't believe how classy it looked and it sold me on the spot. I even went and looked inside a Black/umber automatic to make sure I was making the right decision and decided that the color was not what I was looking for (not that it's not a nice option in general though).
My test drive was an eye opener as well. The engine was very responsive in both power delivery and throttle response. A quick jaunt around the nice community of Brentwood and on the highway showed a sufficient amount of power for me (coming from a supercharged Prelude with 250whp in a chasis that weighs 800lbs or so less). The steering was extremely pleasurable as it was neither too light or too heavy. A car this heavy definitely does not give the allure of all of its weight in my opinion.
The SH-AWD was perfect too. Later on that night after the purchase, I took it to a local mall parking lot to do donuts and figure eights and could not break the car loose. I practically scared myself because I thought I would flip the car before getting the end to break loose. Also, it could be the all-season tires, but I got them to chirp loose on more than one occasion and i would classify my driving at that time as 7/10's when that happened.
The technology package is awesome as well and I've used it more and more. This is coming from a guy who gutted everything in his Prelude in the sake of performance, so it's a welcome change.
So here is how the deal went down, I had no intention of purchasing the car in the same day, but the dealer had asked what it would take to sell me a car that day. I knew in my mind the series of things that it would take, but didn't think he could match it. So I decided to humor myself and went into the cubicle with my wife and him. He tried to sell us on a monthly payment at first which we promptly shot down and told him we were a final-price type couple. So he threw out $43,395 initially. From reading responses on here for how much you all have paid for your TL's (6spds), we knew would could get him way down. We countered with wanting a couple thousand taken off. He gave us the nervous laugh and gave us the traditional "he's here to make a living too" which we agreed. He left and came back with an offer of 42,500. We said more like $41,000 would be our selling point, which we later changed to $41,500 when he said that was too low. He later came back with $41,700 which seemed to be the lowest he would go. Thinking we couldn't get it any lower, we began to talk about add-ons and financing. He threw in the wheel locks for free (not a big deal as you all probably know) and free color-matched splash guards (which probably was a good enough deal) and also threw in our first service for free as well, which I was happy with.
So I was happy with the price so far because then we found out that since I am active duty military, I am qualified for NO SALES TAX! When my wife and I bought her 2009 Accord literally one year ago, we felt we talked the salesman down a considerable amount only to lose all of our gains with the addition of sales tax. Knowing the high amount of TN Sales Tax, this was probably the one thing that sealed the deal the most. But the final part was securing the 1.9% APR Financing. In 20 minutes, we were told that we had secured that rate and the deal for me was a few signatures away. With registration fees around $60, you can see the great deal we ended up getting. I would like to know if anyone has beat $41,760 out the door with taxes and all because I felt like I had achieved a great deal that day!
So it's been more than a few days since I took possession of it and I'm loving it more and more. I am pleased to announce that I recorded a high of 26.2 MPG on a recent trip to Nashville (according to the MID) which I found extremely acceptable. I achieved it using cruise control and kept it between 70 and 78 the whole trip. Around town, I am pretty sure I haven't got better than 18 to 19mpg, but that is probably par for the course and the cost of owning a V6 AWD large sedan. I am not disappointed in the least bit.
So I'll shut up now and let the pictures do the talking. Of course, I will update this as I begin modifying it in the spring, but I hope that everyone who buys this car has been just as pleased as I have been!
The Wife's car and my new one. I can definitely tell the similarities in the chasis, but it does not detract any more from how much i like it.
My Prelude (front) as it currently sits in Ohio with my sister's (rear) in a little photo-shoot day spring 2009.
After being a member on here for a few months, most of you have known that I was anticipating purchasing a 6-Speed TL when the time was right. I am currently on Leave from Iraq for 2 weeks and won't be home for good until May next year. I was planning on purchasing this car when I got home for good because I didn't want to let it set for 5 months.
Welllllllll, all that changed when my wife and I took a little trip to Gary Force Acura in Brentwood (Nashville) TN on Thursday. I had only been up close and personal with the TL for a brief 20 minutes when my wife and I were looking around another dealership in El Paso on a Sunday back in April this year. We didn't get a test ride because they were closed on that particular day, but we were very pleased with what we saw.
When we arrived at this dealership, we were greeted by a very friendly guy (David Tran) who showed us into a Black/Ebony 6-speed and showed me the ins and outs of the technology it had to offer. I was very impressed with the interior quality and general build quality, but I knew the color I came to get was the Mayan Bronze/Umber. They didn't even have a Mayan Bronze on the lot in any form, but I did notice their White 6-Speed.
The last color I thought I wanted when I was considering my options was white, because my 1998 Prelude and my wife's 2009 Accord EX-L are both white. In fact, the Prelude is Diamond Pearl White, which is the same exact color as the Acura.
But one look at the interior (taupe) color was enough to change my mind. On this forum, I had read everyone's opinion and had seen a limited number of taupe interior pictures and had always ruled it out. But in person, the interior color was gorgeous! I couldn't believe how classy it looked and it sold me on the spot. I even went and looked inside a Black/umber automatic to make sure I was making the right decision and decided that the color was not what I was looking for (not that it's not a nice option in general though).
My test drive was an eye opener as well. The engine was very responsive in both power delivery and throttle response. A quick jaunt around the nice community of Brentwood and on the highway showed a sufficient amount of power for me (coming from a supercharged Prelude with 250whp in a chasis that weighs 800lbs or so less). The steering was extremely pleasurable as it was neither too light or too heavy. A car this heavy definitely does not give the allure of all of its weight in my opinion.
The SH-AWD was perfect too. Later on that night after the purchase, I took it to a local mall parking lot to do donuts and figure eights and could not break the car loose. I practically scared myself because I thought I would flip the car before getting the end to break loose. Also, it could be the all-season tires, but I got them to chirp loose on more than one occasion and i would classify my driving at that time as 7/10's when that happened.
The technology package is awesome as well and I've used it more and more. This is coming from a guy who gutted everything in his Prelude in the sake of performance, so it's a welcome change.
So here is how the deal went down, I had no intention of purchasing the car in the same day, but the dealer had asked what it would take to sell me a car that day. I knew in my mind the series of things that it would take, but didn't think he could match it. So I decided to humor myself and went into the cubicle with my wife and him. He tried to sell us on a monthly payment at first which we promptly shot down and told him we were a final-price type couple. So he threw out $43,395 initially. From reading responses on here for how much you all have paid for your TL's (6spds), we knew would could get him way down. We countered with wanting a couple thousand taken off. He gave us the nervous laugh and gave us the traditional "he's here to make a living too" which we agreed. He left and came back with an offer of 42,500. We said more like $41,000 would be our selling point, which we later changed to $41,500 when he said that was too low. He later came back with $41,700 which seemed to be the lowest he would go. Thinking we couldn't get it any lower, we began to talk about add-ons and financing. He threw in the wheel locks for free (not a big deal as you all probably know) and free color-matched splash guards (which probably was a good enough deal) and also threw in our first service for free as well, which I was happy with.
So I was happy with the price so far because then we found out that since I am active duty military, I am qualified for NO SALES TAX! When my wife and I bought her 2009 Accord literally one year ago, we felt we talked the salesman down a considerable amount only to lose all of our gains with the addition of sales tax. Knowing the high amount of TN Sales Tax, this was probably the one thing that sealed the deal the most. But the final part was securing the 1.9% APR Financing. In 20 minutes, we were told that we had secured that rate and the deal for me was a few signatures away. With registration fees around $60, you can see the great deal we ended up getting. I would like to know if anyone has beat $41,760 out the door with taxes and all because I felt like I had achieved a great deal that day!
So it's been more than a few days since I took possession of it and I'm loving it more and more. I am pleased to announce that I recorded a high of 26.2 MPG on a recent trip to Nashville (according to the MID) which I found extremely acceptable. I achieved it using cruise control and kept it between 70 and 78 the whole trip. Around town, I am pretty sure I haven't got better than 18 to 19mpg, but that is probably par for the course and the cost of owning a V6 AWD large sedan. I am not disappointed in the least bit.
So I'll shut up now and let the pictures do the talking. Of course, I will update this as I begin modifying it in the spring, but I hope that everyone who buys this car has been just as pleased as I have been!
The Wife's car and my new one. I can definitely tell the similarities in the chasis, but it does not detract any more from how much i like it.
My Prelude (front) as it currently sits in Ohio with my sister's (rear) in a little photo-shoot day spring 2009.
12-06-2009, 08:09 PM
#2
Grandpa
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Virginia, Besieged
Age: 68
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I've owned mine since 11/30, and no day goes by that I'm not glad I got it.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying mine. :-)
Hope you enjoy it as much as I'm enjoying mine. :-)
12-06-2009, 08:16 PM
#4
Senior Moderator
iTrader: (1)
Congrats on the purchase and thank you for your service. 
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12-06-2009, 11:28 PM
#10
Racer
Congratulations man!! I really like the color combo. I remember seeing that taupe interior when I was shopping and the first thing that came to mind was how luxurious it looked compared to the ebony and umber.
Glad you are on board and looking forward to your wise ass remarks. LoL.
Thanks for your service in the military and be safe brother.
Glad you are on board and looking forward to your wise ass remarks. LoL.
Thanks for your service in the military and be safe brother.
12-07-2009, 01:53 AM
#14
Colorado Springs
Thread Starter
Also, that little black piece under the driver headlight is a "jdm bumper pole" which is controlled with a button inside that raises and lowers it so that you are able to recognize the front of the car to fit into tight parallel-parking spaces (which I guess is a necessity in japan).
Unfortunately, i won't be able to turn the TL into a JDM goodie-machine like the prelude though!
12-07-2009, 06:57 PM
#20
3rd Gear
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Cali
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I understand your feelings on that deal. CONGRATS! Bought my WDP SH-AWD HPT (w/ ebony interior) last June for $38,200 ...driving it home felt awesome, like hitting a frikken lottery!
I'm also retired military.
Thank-you for your service!
I'm also retired military.
Thank-you for your service!
Last edited by nachoTLS; 12-07-2009 at 06:59 PM.
12-12-2009, 07:43 PM
#28
Colorado Springs
Thread Starter
Thanks man. I am a automobile nut through and through and dove heavily into research on every competitor to the tl before I got it. I was cross referencing the taurus sho, infiniti g37 and hyundai genesis and probably should've test drove all of them first but I goofed up and test drove the tl first and couldn't leave without it...haha.
The car is still a blast and I'm writing this as me and the wife finish up the drive from mansfield ohio to clarksville tn. We're getting 25mpg now but on the trip to ohio ended up getting 26.3mpg in total. I love it though!
The car is still a blast and I'm writing this as me and the wife finish up the drive from mansfield ohio to clarksville tn. We're getting 25mpg now but on the trip to ohio ended up getting 26.3mpg in total. I love it though!
12-18-2009, 03:47 PM
#31
12-18-2009, 07:01 PM
#32
Colorado Springs
Thread Starter
I just wanted to put a couple pictures in here for the fun of it. I noticed I left out a picture of the rear end.
And a picture of the free coffee mugs, haha (pink is for the wife)
Leaving to go back to Iraq today. I washed the car and detailed it really well and filled the tank up before I left. Now she will sit until the beginning of May until I can drive her once more
And a picture of the free coffee mugs, haha (pink is for the wife)
Leaving to go back to Iraq today. I washed the car and detailed it really well and filled the tank up before I left. Now she will sit until the beginning of May until I can drive her once more
12-20-2009, 12:14 PM
#34
5th Gear
Join Date: Dec 2009
Age: 50
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Congrats on the new car. I haven't picked my up yet, and I and still trying to decide which color I want between black and white. Your car is really making me lean towards white.
Enjoy
Enjoy
07-07-2010, 05:51 PM
#38
Colorado Springs
Thread Starter
I've got new surprises headed this way for the 4G forum by Saturday. Turns out that the stainless steel equal-length J-Pipe is ready to be installed on my car on Saturday morning. So pictures will be coming soon of the installation and also some sneak peak pictures of the SH-AWD full length exhaust! 
Also, I'm going to be picking up my side skirts from Acura of Peoria on that same day, so expect photographs of the installation on Sunday! Woot!
Also, I'm going to be picking up my side skirts from Acura of Peoria on that same day, so expect photographs of the installation on Sunday! Woot!