. . . buying a new TL-S as my car broke down and it will cost $5K to fix it, might as well by a new car and I hafvfe to do it ASAP.

ANyway, I've seen 2 reviews at website that claimed that the auto transmission has a tendanct to fail at 4k miles - are other posters here experiencing this problem?

Are the other problems that i should be aware of?


Also, I'm working on getting price quotes from the web and most are quoting just under sticker - is there any dealers out there that are open to haggling? What should I expect to pay?

Thanks!!!!!

 

Don't let the transmission rumor deter you--some people seem to be having a problem but the vast majority are not.

As for pricing, it depends on how desperate you are. If the dealers know that your current car is broken down and you NEED a new car, they're not going to budge much at all. If you can wait a few weeks to haggle and show them that saving money is more important than getting your new car NOW, then you'll likely save a couple grand.

 

Hey Iceman,

Thanks for the advice . . I agree, under no circumstances am I going to let them know about my predicament. I just got a quote for what appears to be a 2002 TL type S w/Nav for $29,990 - I e-mailed the dealer back to confirm because I think the price is too low to be true.

I don't have the brochure, but what is the diff between the TYPE S with and without the NAV - is it just the NAVsystem only?

Thanks
ncstatesman

 

Which dealers are you working with? I bought mine from Mike Mitchell at Leith in Cary back in april. The price you quoted is what I paid for a TL-S w/o nav back then.

The only difference is the NAV system itself. The dash is rearranged somewhat to fit it and some A/C controls are integrated into it.

 

yes, difference is just the navi and it's components. there are no extra added options when you buy the navi.

 

how in the world did you get them to go lower than invoice price? with navigation???? no way...

go here to check invoice prices for TL-S

that's almost a whole grand under invoice for the setup with navi...i don't think dealers want to lose money

 

get the TLs, you won't regret it.

 

I think I'm gonna get the type s w/out the NAV, I simply don't need it and can use the extra dough.

ANyway, the price they quoted was incorrect, it's $29, 990k for the TL-S w/out NAV, I knew that price was just too good to be true. I think 29,990 is good enough, don't y'all aggree?

Also, how expensive is it to retrofit a DVD player in the car?

I got the quote from Acura in Chapel Hill and I'm waiting forthe other quotes to come in

 

Yeah that's a pretty good price. They should throw in the mud guards and wheel locks at that price. Assuming you don't want a body kit, mud guards are a must IMO. They will protect your paint and I think the car looks better than without them.

just my 2 cents

 

that's a good price...i paid $1000 over invoice for my ride bad in may. someone just bought a tl-s non navi yesterday for $850 over invoice in socal. the cheapest i have read is like $600 over invoice...it's not like i need to beat anyone . with the current situation with empty lots or lack of colors (like most socal dealerships), get it asap!

 

Guys, thanks for the feedback . . . at quoted price, they include, at no charge the Alloy Wheel Locks, Splash Guards, & Trunk Liner - they haven't got back to me on the the color - I really want a silver satin . . just like the look of that color :-)

 

For most people, the TL-S is a great buy, and it seemed that way to me when I got mine in July.

However, it doesn't seem that way anymore and here's why:

 

For most people, the TL-S is a great buy, and it seemed that way to me when I got mine in July.

However, it doesn't seem that way anymore and here's my top 10 reasons why:

1: Too Many Rattles (3 different sources)
2: Uncomfortable Ride and mediocre handling
3: Cheap interior look
4: Poor build quality (speedometer problems and door paneling problems)
5: Poor paint quality...tons of chips
6: Uncomfortable seats for long drives
7: Mediocre gas mileage NOT inline with ratings
8: Medicore "Bose" sound system
9: Weak tires
10: Already bored with the car

On the other hand, if all you want is a powerful quasi-luxury sedan, you can't beat the TL-S in this price range.

Good Luck

 

NCStatesman,

Did you get that quote from Leith Acura in Cary? I'm planning to go there and Performance Acura in Chapel Hill to see who can give me the best deal.

 

Yea.... But why take the risk The car is know to have transmission problems (it not just a "rumor") and although all of the cars don’t' encounter them some do and the car you plunk down $30,000 could be one of those bad transmission TL's
If you want performance buy a maxima if you want luxury buy an ES300 if you want both buy a BMW ($40,000)

 

There's always the warranty. Don't let the transmisson rumor keeps you away from buying an TL.

 

F U C K I N G HATER!!!!!!!!! please just go somewhere else.

 

get the winter floor mats as well...they are nice...

if u want silver satan, u may get a lower price...coz they build more silver...

we wanted a lower price for our anthracite TL, but they only willing to give it if we want silver...
but i got the anthracite anyways...

 

A couple pieces of advice...
1) Don't listen to hammerton/hammercool/whatever he wants to call himself, he's an idiot who has been repeatedly banned...but feels the need to get back on this forum even though not wanted by using wingates and bragging about it. Hammerton, go get a bicycle you lamer...why would you want to be in or post to or try to get back in a forum where no one listens to you, likes you, or wants you here?

2) About these:

1: Too Many Rattles (3 different sources)
2: Uncomfortable Ride and mediocre handling
3: Cheap interior look
4: Poor build quality (speedometer problems and door paneling problems)
5: Poor paint quality...tons of chips
6: Uncomfortable seats for long drives
7: Mediocre gas mileage NOT inline with ratings
8: Medicore "Bose" sound system
9: Weak tires
10: Already bored with the car

I disagree...1. there have been people who have rattles and people who don't. You'll find this anywhere. I had one rattle, which was quickly fixed. 2. The ride is one of the most comfortable out there but this car, like every car, has it's +'s and -'s. If the handling isn't race car like, go get sways and springs and struts. 3. The interior IMHO is beautiful, wtf is this guy thinking? 4. I've almost never heard of these problems at all. 5. A problem with all cars nowadays because of new environmental regulations on paints. 6. I took a 10 hour straight drive, with one stop for gas and nothing else...and it was one of the most comfortable rides I have ever had...hell that's why I bought the car. 7. Most gas mileages are 27 or so...I get 28 on my car highway, and much less in city b/c of my driving habits. 8. For a stock system, it's average, not great, not terrible. 9. I'd have to agree. 10. Sucks for you.

Glate...you may need to file lemon law on your car...with that much to whine about you may just have gotten a bad car...some of the stuff you said is total BS if you're saying it's anywhere near a common thing.

The tranny thing some have experienced...but realize that we're also the hardest TL drivers out there. Considering that, and that there aren't a WHOLE lot of them, I'd say it's not too big of a deal.

This car has been absolutely wonderful for me, along with many others. Search to see what our problems have been...but realize the mass majority have had little or no problems and love the car...that's why the TLS gets such high ratings...

Austin519

 

Hammercool:
I don't even see why I bother, but when I see you acting lame, or idiotic, I WILL let you know...be aware that since it seems you are contsantly I may not always be able to tell you. And it's not namecalling if it's completely true Hammerton And if it gets bad enough...I will track your IP through the proxies you're using, and be happy to notify your ISP you're harrassing a forum...I would absolutely LOVE to pull strings for the moderators in this forum, and working for 3 ISPs, the DoD, and soon the NSA does have its advantages...

Austin519

 

i agree with everything Austin519 said... and just to add i have both the 00TL and the 02TLS and love them both, the TL has about 20k hard miles on it, and the TL-S has about 15k harder miles on it, and both trannies are holding up fine. also just to mention the interior, IMHO its the best looking interior i've seen short of the new audi A6 and A8's... most people who've been in my car tend to agree....

 

What do you mean there is always the warranty? Who wants to take ther brand new car which their paying $400 a month to the dealer to get repaired under warranty? The TL-S if a very good car but no car is worth the hassle and time(Two weeks) of transmission repairs.

 

I think the tranny thing is getting out of hand. Yes, many tl's & cl's have had tranny failures, but as said above, they are covered by warranty and they comprise a very small fraction of the tl & cl's sold.

BTW, 3 out of my 4 friends with new auto BMW's had tranny failures (2001 330, 2001 530, 2000 X5), does that mean don't buy a BMW b/c the tranny will fail?

I borrowed my friend's 330 the other day, it drives like a sports car compared to my TL-S, BUT, the ride was uncomfortable, the car was not roomy at all, and the interior is very cramped and pretty darn plain,
when I got back into my TL-S I went AHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the helpful insights - I really appreciate it!
I feel comfortable with my decision to pursue gettin this set of wheels - I can't wait. About the tranny, I think I'm going to take my chances because the odds are low I'll get a bad one, but, I may decide to hedge my bets and tack on an extended warranty (it more than paid for itself on my '95 Eagle Talon AWD) if I can get a deal on it.

I know someone who has the regular TL and she's really pleased with it.

Mr Polo, anyway, the price they quoted me was wrong, the TL-S is proced at $30,420 and with taxes, tags, and registration/doc's, etc. total comes to $31,591 - this was the price Performance (chapel hill) quoted me.

By the way, how hard is it to install one of the real wood trim kits that you can order - I'd hate to put one in and then have the fit and finish look lousy

 

You forgot to mention something about the BMW...If you want to start spending lots of time and money on repairs after the first 30-40 thousand miles, buy a BMW.

 

It's worse than that, Tea Elle! If you want to spend a lot of time on repairs RIGHT AWAY, then buy the BMW! Yeah, the warranty covers it all (including scheduled maintenance), but I have been tremendously inconvenienced with the amount of time my car has spent in the shop.