I have been reading the information on this site and must say this is the best car related site that I have seen

I am planning to purchase an '03 TL-P or TL-S (still haven't decided) within the next month. I have just a couple of questions:

1) For those of you that live in Ohio (particularly the Columbus area) what prices have you been able to buy your cars at and where have you bought them?

2) I am leaning towards Nighthawk Black Pearl and wondered how that paint has been holding up for those of you that have had your cars for awhile? Does it chip/scratch easily? I currently have a Black Integra and that paint is awesome. Of course it is from Japan and I have heard that the paint applied in Japan holds up much better that the paint applied in the U.S. Is this true from your observations?

3) Has anyone found a way to get the simulated wood trim on a black interior TL-S vs. that terrible bowling ball grey wood trim? Has anyone had success in getting the dealer to switch the trim out for them?

4) Finally, how do you like the white face gauges on the TL-S vs. the black face gauges on the TL-P?

Thanks for your input. I can't wait to buy the car and start the mods!!

 

get the type S, for the small price difference you get nicer 17" rims, nicer seats, sportier suspension, white gauges,...oh yeah, and 260 hp. Go test drive both, you'll feel the difference. The bowling ball interior actually may grow on you, I kind of like mine now, white gauges are definitely nicer than the regular ones.

good luck shopping

 

Welcome aboard!!

I'll answer the questions in the order you asked.....

1) Sorry.. can't help you there... maybe doing a search under "Ohio" will help?

2) The paint on the TL-S does chip kind of easy... and you WILL notice a difference in paint quality from your Integra to the TL-S. Black always shows all imperfections, and this is true with the TL-S too.....

3) There's no way to swap them out... the combinations are what they are. Believe it or not, the "bowling ball" trim gets a lot more compliments then the wood trim in my CL did. Everyone loves it. It's unique, and it will grow on you if you don't like it now...

4) The white gauges are awesome. I think they are a lot nicer then black.... it adds a little spice to a normally blah area of the car. At night, they look just like regular gauges which is cool too....

Hope that helps... good luck!!

 

1. Don't live there...next...

2. The Acura paint is as durable as many would probably like. We have only 2 coats of paint compared to the RL's 5. Here's something probably worth reading http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=77411.

3. Don't have a TL...don't have bowling ball trim either...next..

4. The white guages make the car look more sporty...the black has a more luxurious feel.

 

Im in Columbus and have a 02 tl types Navi. I went from a 99 tl to a 02 tls. I am gonna lean you towards the type s if you want more of a sporty suspension ,more power. If you really dont care about those 2 things then the tlp is your best bet. The tl has a much softer ride than my tls. I didnt buy mine in Ohio because of the dealerships wanted too much. This is Ohio and the Acura dealerships dont want to move on the prices since everyone in Columbus Drives them. Lindsay Acura to me is 10X better than Acura Columbus. Everytime I ever go to Acura Columbus I always feel like they dont give a damn about you.

Anyway I wish you luck with your decision on the tls or tlp. They are both NICE cars.

 

I also have have nighthawk black with ebony interior and the paint so far is looking pretty well. My 99 that was the same color didnt hold up so well. It had about 20 or 30 tiny spots from where rocks and road debris had hit the car. My previous 98 accord didnt have that cheap of paint. Only time will tell how the paint chipping goes.

Have you thought about the anthracite tls or aegan blue tls? Those are the nicest colors out right now. The black only looks nice when it has just left the carwash. Once its been on the rd for 10 or so minutes its dirty again

I happen to like the fake bowling ball trim . I had that brown in my 99 and didnt really care for it . They both look real fake so I could really careless about them . The dealer will not change your wood panels or such . That is something you will have to do on your own.