ScreamingVQ

I did some car testing this weekend because I am looking to buy a used car in July. Both of those cars are 1999's. I didn't look at the obvious stains or scratches since these are used cars.

Millenia S
Pros:
Styling looks solid and has substance
Interior leather
Brakes
Smooth ride
High-end TQ
No wind noise
Bumps don't make thumps
Steering has great path accuracy
No TQsteer
Feels really solid
Engine sound and smoothness


Cons:
Door close sounds aren't pretty
Center dash is hard plastic
Lots of road rumble (tires?)
Low-end TQ is weak
Transmission is lumpy and slow to react to differeny throttle positions
Darty and light steering wheel

Acura TL
Pros:
Wonderful VTEC rush
Low-end TQ
Features
Sound system
Transmission is smooth and willing
Doors thunks
Soft touch plastics everywhere
Steering is perfectly weighted and precise
No correction needed when you hit a bump (I LOVE THIS)
No bump steer or kickback
Handsome styling
Solid feel

Cons:
Engine has slightly lumpy idle
Growl is more annoying than Millenia's soft snarl
Slight TQsteer
Brakes are weak and feel very soft
Tires are plain crap: noisy, harsh, don't grip well
Ride quality is to lumpy and thumpy

I'm actually leaning towards the 3.2TL because of its features, even though I love the Millenia's styling and feel down the road. I also think the 3.2TL has a better engine suited for slow city driving, but the high-end power of the Millenia is amazing once the transmission decides to kickdown. Both cars have proven reliablity history. Both cars are similar in price (19K) and whoever wants to deal will get my business.

Are the transmission on the 1999 TL's a reliability problem?

I just thought I'd share my test drives.

samkws

well...the millenia is a gd car...but it is an aging design ...a couple more years b4 the TL..they keep face lift the car but has nth to improve for the powertrain...

the miller cycle engine WAS a high tech design but proven can't catch up the new engines today...

the TL is larger...and has excellent value per dollar...
with the tire complain...u can just get a new set of aftermarket on ur own...it's no big deal...

just a reminder...mazda's tranmission is a lot worse than honda's tranmission...

monkeymato

With the tranmission...there are the members here with problems that have had tranny failure. I've been driving a '99 TL for 2 years and its got 24k miles on it and havent had any problems. There seems to be a bad batch of tranny's out there but dont let that sway your decision. Think of how many people out there dont have tranny problems compared to the ones that do. The TL is the best buy out there IMO.

BlackShadow

I have a 99 TL with over 60K miles and my tranny is great. I don't know what exactly you want from a car but I would suggest the TL because IMO, it is better overall, especially the engine.

samkws

tranny goes out coz some ppl think the TL is reallie a SPORTS car...that leads the the transmission overheat and fails...
but we all know every car with automatic transmission are not for racing or watsoever...

smoothnyc

hmmm... i would go with the 99 3.2 .. my first car was a 1997 millenia.. i dont think i would ever buy another mazda again...i had good times in that Millenia but the pasrt were way way way too expensive. The styling looks good but its a style that dates back to 1995 so that means the car design started in Oct. 94 ... and by the way way way way too many folks driving Millenias now. Some of them are driving some beat up ones at that. But nonetheless if the car is in good condition ( body paint and engine) and you prefer it then get it...just keep in mind what i said...good luck ...btw im the proud owner of a 03 abp TL-s/navi for the past 2 months. Getting my first oil change today

ScreamingVQ

These two cars were great during the test drive. I did some research on the TL has slightly better reliablility.

These two cars aren't the only cars I'm looking at right now though.

jr

I had a mazda millenia rental from hertz a while back. it was not a type s model.
I put about 1400 miles on it in a week and missed my tl-p every mile !!
Being that it was a rental with about 9000 miles on it, I am sure it has had some hard use, But this car was not all that comfy, I felt like i was sitting on the road when i drove it , did not care for the tunes at all, the motor was kind of load and scary sounding. It did have nice brakes, and I have always liked the looks.
all in all I would say,
GET THE TL.... you will like it ALOT more.

steve29

The Mazda Millenia is an excellent car. That is what I had prior to my 02-TLS. I Didnt have the S model, but the P was soooo smooth. I have had so many problems with my TL, it is kind of sad. Not one problem ever in the 3 years i had the Millenia. It is up to you what you prefer. Good Luck

vtec 6300

Why would you want to get a Mazda if you can get an Acura for a similar price? Even though it's a Millenia (looks like a luxury 626 to me), it still has the Mazda badge which makes the car look cheaper compared to the Acura TL. That's my 2 cents.

neuronbob

Did you guys look at the original post? It was written in May 2002.

And is he kidding? Millenia S vs. TL? The cars are not even in the same class.

vandy786

Steve29 thought the Millenia such a better car than his 2002 TLS that he found it necessary and worth the effort to bring up this old thread. Sorry to hear about your TLS problems, but a Millenia just doesn't compare. I would pick an Accord or a Maxima over it if the TL wasn't available.

FidizzyTypeS

The millenia is a nice car and I like the fact that its supercharged.

fasTLane

It was a good car to sit in and get away from all the noise at the car show.

The stereo wasn't disabled.

Vicman17

Millenia S is Japan-made and the TL is made in Ohio. BIG difference in quality, fit and finish. The only thing is that you may have difficulty finding parts for the Millenia, I know my friend does. Usually an arm and a leg if you ever do find one. You may want to consider parts availability down the road.

VQ35DE

Another thing about the Millenia S is that it's similar to the IS300 in that it doesnt have the best acceleration around (0-60 in 7.5 seconds) but has a pretty impressive topend (bet. 140-145mph).

I'd get the Millenia S only if I really couldnt get a good deal on a TL or I30/I35. WARNING: Don't even consider the base Millenia unless you want to get pulled on by a Prius.

2001TL4KCdude

Branding standpoint

TL is an Acura
Millenia is a Mazda

samkws

however the engine is already outdated as they are not going to use that anymore~

the miller cycle engine was once gd, but it's gas eating and only has 2.3 liter, which is not enough for these days...

and most of all, this thread is outdated too~ =P

Ruski

there seems to be a bad batch?

Must be a very large batch.

Or botch.

Ruski

so you are saying that TL-S is just for looks and should not be driven like its name suggests? Are you saying they were not serious about it when they were pasting the little red "S" after "TL"?

I guess I should have bought a more serious performance sedan instead, one that was meant to look good AND perform under pressure.


P.S. many people on whom the tranny failed did not even drive their cars hard at all.

Ruski

Speaking of Prius, why are people so enamored with that car? I understand - great fuel economy. But why couldn't Toyota make it look nice too? It looks almost as bad as Aztek to me. I could not come close enough to it for fear of barfing, how could I ever learn about all the wonderful fuel economy features? And it is not cheap, right? And it does not really perform that well.

steve29

to vtec 6300. At the time that i got the millenia, the 99 tl was coming out, which was bland as hell. thats why i got the mazda. the 99 tl was crap untill 02. And you bet your ass the the quality of the millenia was superb compared to the tl now. I got the TLS in Nov. 01 and had a bunch of stuff go wrong, numerous trips to the dealer. Millenia , NONE. I am not badmouthing Acura, I am badmouthing the Americans who build them. I love the TLS, but wish it was made in Japan. C'mon guys, look at the threads on here about problems and tranny's going like they were Yugo's.

Ianbiz3

dont pay 19k for a 99TL i can easily sell mine 2 u for 15k, w/less than 50k miles on it

Jon1981

I got my 1999 tl going for $13,500, full OEM bodykit, tint, and tweeters, email me at jonsmobie_v200@hotmail.com if ya interested. or for pictures

Vicman17

Driven like what?

How do you "drive" a type-S anyway? So a red "S" means to drive the crap out of it?

And what is a "more serious performance sedan" that performs "under pressure"?

I'd like to know what cars fall in this category.

kev03types

Lets put it this way I had a 2000 millenia s and my lease was up 11 months ago. Now I have a 2003 type s and you really cant compare the 2 cars they are like night and day.

1SICKLEX

Okay, some of you are have no clue so READ UP, the Millenia was to be the FIRST car under AMATI, the Mazda luxury brand ( to battle Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Benz, BMW etc). The Millenia was a 35k car, built to standards to beat the ES 300, C280 etc at the time. The car got GREAT reviews and won a couple. The car has some of the closest panel tolerances, on the MICA paints, the cars are rotated to ensure an even finish with no drip, etc etc etc. The car was built to COMPETE With luxury cars. The Miller cycle engine in the S is like no other on Earth.

Mazda was losing TONS of money, and since it costed HUNDREDS of MILLIONS to build a new brand, they left that plan. But the Millenia was still built.

If Type-S were so sporty and true, why did Acura drop the name (another bad move and bad for re-sale)?Aerodynamics and space come into play. The car just as solid as the TL, which is 10k more. 55mpg, no plugging in. These are HUGE selling points.

Vicman17

Great info on the Millenia.

As for Acura "dropping" the name. Only Acura knows. We as consumers can only speculate. But how is it bad for resale?

The Type-S is not just the TL, there is an RSX (still not "dropped")as well as a Prelude with the same badge.

1SICKLEX

The luxury car market is a very tight place. That is why all cars look similar (Germans). That is why cars tend to be re-designed to look like the last model. That is why model cycles are longer. Re-sale. Changes KILL re-sale value.

Imagine if Benz changed AMG to FDG in 3 years? Or BMW M were changed to T, then V. It would kill re-sale and hurt image.

No one wants something on a luxury car that is not made anymore, in other words. Unless it's like a rare M3 CSL or so

That is why you got to be real careful with stuff in the luxo market.

TLaskin

The only Mazda worth buying was the RX7 and now the new RX8. No question, go with the TL

Edward'TLS

NO ! The twin-rotor RX-7 has a major flaw in the engine design. The engine block will crack once it has reached certain mileage. Mazda dealerships have been replacing the whole engine for free secretly.

Rotory engines are notorious for their high gas and high engine oil consumptions.

Vicman17

So you mean cars should never be changed from the previous model (sounds like the Camaro/ Trans-Am platform- and their re-sal value sucks) Model changes don't affect resale, market demand and product credibility does. Maybe your idea of resale is different, as an older model would obviously be of less value than a newer one. It's called depreciation.

The black book value dicates the resale value and not a discontinued trim.

Kill re-sale, as in no one would buy it? This one is way off on left field.

joseph_99tl

vicman.....how did you restart this thread..

i mean...not a problem..

i was just curious..

were you surfing the forum without
your crash helmet?...


lol.

Z Factor

Millenia S:yack:

samkws

lol
mazdas are not reliable anyways~

and yes...millenia WAS a gd car...but it never got redesigned (just some minor face lift) and it had a pretty long model life...since 93??? 94???

certainlly this car is totally outdated, and the TL was a 98-99 design...so who's better?

john32

GO WITH THE TL MUCH BETTER