Hi,

I've been reading this forum for a few weeks now and I must say i love it. You guys all have good taste in cars! I am VERY close to purchasing a 2003 TL-S w/navi but i have a few questions.

First, would Anthracite Metallic be easier to care for than the Black Pearl?? I like the look of the dark color, but I don't want to have to spend alot of time washing / detailing the car. So right now, I am leaning toward the Anthracite. Comments??

Second, i want to get the windows tinted, and i really like the " mirror look " of the metallic tint. I dont want the tint very dark, but i do want protection from the sun here in Georgia. Any tips or suggestions on brands of tint, etc etc??

Thanks for a great forum for such questions!!

Steve

 

Lighter colors are always easier to care for then darker ones - Black has to be the hardest, with silver being the easiest.

 

Anthracite is a great color, a friend of mine has it and it always look good. However, it is still a dark color. I have NBP and I love it, a lot of work but it looks great! Since you are in GA and I assume you don't get much snow, if any, so you can wash your car year round. I guess you will have to flip a coin.

 

I have a black Cls, it only clean for about the first 2 min after I wash it. However, nothing looks better during those first 2 min after being washed. Black is worth the pain to me even though it also shows all dents , scraches, swirls etc... As for the tint, it depends on what color you end up with. I didn't get metalic tint because it looks sh@itty on a black car, however, I do think it looks good on Silver and a few others.

 

Better yet, depending on what kind of car you are driving right now and in what condition, you might want to consider waiting for a few more months until the 2004 TL-S comes out. I'm not 100% sure on this, but alot of people are saying that a massive redesign is in the works. Just my 2 cents worth.

axleback

 

The color of the car has been talked about. As far as tinting....we'll it is up to you, you have 2 choices: Legal tint which can range from 35% to 50% to none, you have to check with your state laws. My advice is that you go to a tintshop and ask them for the tint laws. Since the websites, police, and the DMV always have different answers. Illegal tint may get you a couple of tickets, ranging from warnings, fines, or a cop will request that you come back with clear windows (I hear it costs a lot of money to remove tint). Check what kind of tint is legal and illegal in your state, i.e. metallic, black, mirror, etc.
You might say, "well my friend has a limo tint and he never gets caught", my reply to you is some people are lucky some are not. It all depends if you want to risk it or not.

I have a Silver TL-S with 35% tints all around except front windshield and I like it a lot. Once you figure out what you want we can tell you what to expect from a tint shop so you don't get screwed by the shop

 

i definately want to keep the tint legal ! and like i said, i dont want it too dark, so i can see good at night. the guy at the acura dealer said he could get it tinted for me ( the work together with a local tint shop ). any pros/cons to getting the Acura dealer to do it for me??

i agree that the black pearl looks SHARP as hell, but i'm a tad on the lazy side when it comes to washing my car. hehe

i currently drive a 1990 Acura Legend 5-speed coupe. I love it and it drives great, but lots of stuff is starting to come apart. i.e. power window motors, windshield wipper motor, etc etc. I can't really wait for the 2004's and I'd really have to see these rumored body designs, because I REALLY like the way the 2003 TL-S looks, hence I dont really care about the 2004's......

 

Wait a few months for ths 2004 tl-s to come out. Dude the 2003 just came out a few months ago. I also heard that acura will go back to regular scedule instead of releasing new car models to earlier in the year.

So the 2004 model is very very far away

 

he's right, 2004 won't be available until 8/03 at the earlest

 

i think you guys are right ( about the 2004 ) and i really can't wait that long. actually, i've been waiting long enough already, i originally wanted a 2002 but it didnt work out that way.

i'm going to try to take another test drive this afternoon if my guy is there. i can't wait!!!!

any advice when talking price?? it seems that most people dont get too much off the MSRP....

i think the only add-on i want is the moon roof visor, and maybe the mud guards....

 

See if you can find a 2002 model cheap. On Star is useless anyway.