I noticed that alot of TL owners, here on this site. are in their twenties/early thirties. When I was that age, I was into the sports car scene. I owned a couple of Datsun Z's, an old Datsun 510, and an early 80's Civic Si. I didn't even own a 4 door or automatic trans car until I was 40. What is the attraction to the TL as opposed to the more sporty, "younger generation" cars of today?

 

The TL is gangster...

I bought it because it was a relatively sporty car with a superior aesthetic and Honda durability. By being an Acura it was much more exotic than the 1000's of BMW's and Accords driving around, much more youthful and raw than an Audi, Lexus ES, and Infiniti I35, wwaaayyy more car for the $ than a Merdedes, and finally more classy than the sluggish IS300.

Plus I like sedans...go figure.

It was just a change of pace from the truck/BMW dominated area where I'm from.

 

I got my first TL in 1998 (a 1999 model). A couple years earlier I had graduated college, gotten a full time job, and had a used 1985 Toyota Celica GT. That was a cool car in itself, aww, the memories, but that is another story. I started looking for a cool car, with a larger engine, and more room for my friends. If you've ever tried to stuff 4-5 guys into a old celica you'll understand why I now wanted a 4 door. The TL had everything I was looking for. Sporty looks, a big engine (220hp at that time), came fully loaded already, and was priced way cheaper than anything in its class (like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, etc.). It really became a no brainer. I loved it and at the end of 2002 I upgraded to the 2003 TL-S. I have not regreted it since.

 

I like sedans. I've never owned a coupe, and I might not ever. But why the TL? I've always liked the styling. Some say it's bland, but I say it's subtle yet elegant, with a bit of sporty and aggressive edge. She turns heads everywhere she goes... take that, Motor Trend (boring design, my left nut ).

:twocents:

 

Exactly

 

For me it was quite simple. I have worked for Honda for 17 years and I love the quality of there products. I was driving a spotless 1989 Prelude Si when we had our second child. I got the it's not practical speech from my wife. I really needed a sedan. I did not want the old lady sedan so I was thinking about a BMW, Audi or something like that when a perfect 2002 TL-S was lease returned to my dealership. The car was owned by a 40 year old single women so I jumped on it cheap. Working for Honda and having a Acura dealership directly behind me made it a no brainer. This has been by far the best car I have ever owned and I plan on having it for long time. If I ever replace it it will be with a used RL.

 

I don't really like coupes but if I were to ever get one it would be the G35. Sports cars don't offer the luxury aspect that I was looking for. I like my luxury/sports sedan and like pure said, I will probably never own a coupe. And the TL definitely turns heads. I've gotten compliments from a huge range of people from a teenager saying my car was "tight yo" to a guy in his 60's or so rolling down the window of his F250 saying that he liked my car a lot and it was very classy. Works for me.

 

I am a little older than most on here and I can tell you that it is just the change in the times and the $$$. When I was 16 and got my fisrt car (1987) I got a 84 Celica GT-S for $4500. That car was soooo hot for back then. I have owned A LOT of cars in my time...in this order

1984 Celica GT-s
1988 Mustang GT
1990 Eagle Talon Tsi turbo
1988 Pontiac Fiero
1991 Eclipse GS turbo
1991 MR2
1995 Civic EX
1995 Accord EX
1999 Pathfinder SE
2000 Accord EX
2000 Q45t
2003 TL-S

My point (besides showing off how proud I was to own all those different cars) is that back in the 80s and early 90s having a 2 door sports car was the trend. The sports car market killed it self when they stated making them much less affordable. I remember when the 3000GT, 300ZX, and the Supra turbo all were all in the high $40K even low $50K loaded. The MR-2 and the Celica were in the mid $30K. It just got out of control and eveyone stopped buying sports cars and started buying sedans and SUVs. All of a sudden the sedans got as fast or faster than those "sports cars" of the late 80s early 90s. (we can all thank the Maxima starting this trend) My Mustang had 225hp stock which was very impressive back then. My Talon and Eclipse had 195hp. Not very good by todays standards. Anyway it just became more acceptable by these new younger drivers to have a sports sedan because that's what is available to them when they go out and buy their first couple of cars. Unlike when I was a kid and everything was BRIGHT SCREAMING RED and had two doors. Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to share my thoughts.

 

^^yeah price of the car is probably definitely a factor...also price of insurance. For most of the younger kids, driving a car like a TL is not as expensive as driving a 'sports car'

 

Almost forgot about the insurance factor! Well stated.

 

insurence is a big issue, unless mommy and daddy pay your whole way. But when your paying for your car, gas, insurance, etc your not going to be able to go out and buy a sports car, pay for the gas that it will suck up, and pay the 3k+ a year on insurance for it at 16. Until you hit that magic number of 25 that insurance companies use, prices are just too high for sports cars.

I've had 3 cars in my day, all sedans 89 ciera, 94 lesabre and now an 02 tl-s. I've always liked larger cars that can carry 5 people comfortably, and adding the performance factor in, the tl was a no brainer. The only other car that i drove that gave me the same, wow feeling was the new audi 2.0t, but that was out of my price range for being out of college for just 2 years.

Way i figure it, i will get myself a nice 2 door sports car, when i can afford to own more than 2 cars, which is why you see the grey hair flapping in the wind when u pass a vette on the highway.

 

The TL was the first car I got out of college. I bought it because of the incredible value for the reliability and power. I was looking at CLs but the prices were too high on second gens. I really, really wanted a V6 first gen, but couldn't find one in good shape. There were plenty of TLs on the lot and I thought the prices were great.

It's the perfect car for me. Its unique while being non-descript at the same time. It's large and practical while being nimble and sporty at the same time. The engineering that went into everything is incredible. It's understated elegance. Driving it makes me feel like I accomplished something.

While it's true a lot of younger people go for sporty cars or something more "economical," I think Acura and the TL in particular attact a more mature and educated buyer.

 

Bang for buck, It comes fully loaded with features that cost alot more on other cars(at teh time) To me i wanted something sporty but yet was a great hwy cruiser. The TL fit the bill! Still want a CTS-V though

 

Always loved the design and power of and the class of it. I've always loved coupes and had a CL before this one but with the addition in the family I bought a TL

 

Hey I'm a proud new owner of a 2000 TL. I'm loving every aspect of this car so far and plan to keep it for a long while. I owned two cars before this, My first car was a 1993 2d Acura Integra, I loved everything about it. It turned heads no matter where I went. Sadly it was done for after I graduated High School of "2004" Then I bought a 98 Honda Passport. Which was fun while it lasted but I missed the whole excitement of "fixing it up" and the "oHs and Aws" I got from my sporty Integra, but the whole reason I got a suv was cause I could fit more friends in my car, plus gas + suv = $$$$, so I was looking around the dealership I got my suv from and saw the TL and basically fell in love with it, took it for a test drive and loved it even more. Seeing all the Cars on this forum made me love it even more then I thought I did (did I mention I love this car?).
So far I have done nothing to it and I get compliments. This car just fits my style right now and I'm loving it!

 

Insurance is cheaper on a sedan, I was originally going to get a Z but, since I was flat broke. The only way my parents would lend me $ for a down payment was if it was automatic and a 4 -door so since the IS300 was only sporting 220hp the TL was the best option.

 

i had an audi a4 before this...


i have always liked 4 doors, don't liek how big coupe doors are and how people getting in the back seat is a pita.

the tl has leather, hids, 17's. and abp which i liked.

when i was shoping around i was looking for either a tl / cl, accord, wrx, audi s4.

so although they are 4 doors they arn't all that slow.

 

I have to agree with Kris. You can not get a better bang for your buck in my opinion. All the items which are considered "extras" on other cars are standard for the tl. Hell of a good looking car as well. Cant forget the fact that I can drive the car to the ground, good quality car, 112k miles no major problems yet. The trany is holding up fine. I had an explorer before the TL, when the explorer hit 115k miles everything starting going on it, thing was a money pit.

 

what no sts-v, isnt that supposed to be the real monster... definitely get the best bang for the buck with the TL

 

Um no. THIS is the REAL monster.

 

that the M5? I actually seen 2 around here by stony brook university, theyre sexier in person

 

i love the extra 50ft-lbs of torque in teh sts-v tho if that is the m5, and when it comes down to it, im really liking the looks of the sts-v better, but either way you cant go wrong

 

hahaha actually.. a lowered tl type s with oem kit is.. "pretty gangster" well, at least here in san jose. the car itself looks hellla clean with the kit, on top of being sporty. i'm 16, and its my first car (:

 

basically everyone summed it up already. honda reliability, acura luxury, the subtle elegance in the design (especially with the OEM kit!!), power, fully loaded features. Cant beat everything it has for the money, plus who can afford german cars repair bills

 

The TL has always been one of those cars that i liked when i was in high school but i couldn't afford one so waited a couple years when got cheaper to get one and its a Honda which is the only type of car i've owned. I've 2 gsr's and a eg which gave me enough experience to work on the TL myself if anything went wrong with it aside from the trannies...

 

some of us have a second car for them spirited driving sessions

 

not to hijack the threadd but clear you pm box i'm tryin to get a hold of u forever to get the iac so let me know asap thanks