Turlock

I am in the market for a new car. I currently have a garage queen Honda S2000 and while its a kick in the pants to drive, I am averaging less than 9k a year, and drive a Ford Ranger in any hint of rain. I want to consolidate into one nice car that I drive all of the time.

I have always been drawn to the TLS because of its power/features/value + I like the navigation option (I am a gismo nut). I drove one last night from at the dealership, it was brand new >100 miles on the ODO. It seemed nice, but not as fast as I would have thought.

Now for my concerns, this car now has a lot of very worthy competitors in its category. Does any one stand out? I am also concerned about the resale & service quality from reading these boards. I can tell you that the build quality of my Honda was a let down from previous Honda's, moreover the service department treats you like crap, often arguing whether any repairs are from abuse thus not providing warranty service (this observation is shared by almost all S2k owners) the last experience for me was a bad brake master cylinder that they tried to get me to pay for half of the repair??? Is this also the way Acura dealerships are? And am I going to drop $33k only to have a new model come out in a few months, thus burying me in the car?

I know this is a lot of questions, but I am having a hard time wading through the new car game. Thanks in advance for any advice/information.

this is me

have you driven any of the competitors??
the only car that really stands out is the G.

the 04 will come out this fall(?) but who knows what it gonna looks like or what problems will it has.
Honda have to lower the quality in order to cut the price. Just like the G; good engine but crappy interior and materials.

since you already have plentry of cars to drive around, i would definitely wait for the 04 tl.

vandy786

I don't think Honda / Acura went quite as far as Infiniti did in terms of cutting the interior quality and materials

luu2k3

hey the tls is a great car but it might be even greater next year for the new model sorry guys about ours :-( but u should defintly wait for the new model to spend that kind of cash, im sure the new tls will be much better then the g35, so i know ur anxious to buy a car but u should wait and buy the new tls its less then a year away and in the mean time enjoy ur s2000.!!!!!!!!

Alexxx

The G sure does stand out, the thing is ugly. For the features you have in the TL-S, you'll spend another $4-5K on the G. The resale value of Acura is very good. As far as the next model, I don't remember Honda/Acura officially mentioning anything regarding remodeling the TL and if they did, there is no set date. Now also remember that the Type-S will come out a few months later after the original release of the TL to keep the sales up (I might be wrong on this.....but you never know, maybe they won't even have a Type-S).

Bottom line, if your selection of the competition is G35 and the TL-S you might as well save some money and get a BMW 330ci for everyday driving if you plan to get a G35 with all the features. I'd go with the TL-S. What else are you looking into?

PS the G35 coup is ok, it's a two door, then again so is the 330ci

TooSlick

I just went throught the tough decision of buying a new car recently and ended up choosing the 2003 TL-S for a few reasons. 1, I have a family now so I wanted a fairly big sedan. The TL-S is one of the most spacious in its class, both seating and cargo. 2, I wanted some good power, something sporty, handles well and fun to drive. 3, I wanted something comfortable, as I commute 70 miles a day in fairly heavy traffic. I also wanted an automatic, xenon headlights, and a sunroof.

After weighing all my options, the TL-S was on top of my list. What I liked most about the TL-S is I didn't have to mess around with options. Pick your color and whether you want NAV or not. That's it--it comes fully loaded stock. No bull****ing on price either--I paid under 30 grand for mine. All in all it was a hard choice between it and the BMW 330i but the 330i was 10 grand more and a smaller car.

I guess I could have waited for the new TL 2004 model to come out but why when it has all the options and features I want currently? There are also a nice amount of mods available for the TL so when I do feel like adding some more power/customization it wont be a problem. The 2004 will probably be over priced and it will take a while for the aftermarket to catch up. Just some things to consider but I recommend test driving a 2003 --if it suites your needs or tastes now, than why waite?

TopGum

I still love the TL-S. The G35 has great internals but it is just ugly, IMO. The G35 coupe is another story but 2 doors. I think also with the right suspension mods, a properly equipped TL-S will hang with a G35. There are lots (albiet expensive) aftermarket parts for the TL-S. Not sure what Stillen has come out with for the G35. Bottom line: I'd personally buy the TL-S again without hesitation.

SK2003TypeS

"It seemed nice, but not as fast as I would have thought."

yeah, I agree. I was more impressed with the handling on my test drive. I think because you're comparing it to your S2000. I haven't been in one personally, but it sounds like a quick ride.
Maybe I'm just driving my TLS "incorrectly". I'm still "learning" my car as it's only a few months old. I have to remember that it's not my old 280zx turbo with mods (intake, exhaust, evc, intercooler, super blow off valve, no back seats, no a/c).

So, the TLS is a sedan and kinda heavy. It's all relative for performance. I never really looked at the G35. BMW was to pricey for a smaller car, plus I figure BMW maintenance would cost more than the Acura. Lexus IS300, that gauge panel needs work. I thought about the S2000, but it's too small for practical reasons.
TLS = best bang for the buck.

Dealership/warrant issues. I think all manufactuers will have dealers that are good and bad depending on locations, owners, luck, etc. I'm sure a lot of others can share their nightmares and good fortunes with you.

Turlock

Wow! Thanks for everyones replies and idea's. I went to the Portland Auto Show last night and think that I am still drawn towards the TL-S more than anything else out there. It's hard to believe how expensive cars have gotten. The only ither car in this class I thought was a decent value was an S-Type Jag, that was pretty heavily optioned and still came in at $34k--that being said I don't want to drive a Taurus with fake wood trim.

They did have the new Acura TSX? It looked pretty good, I want a smooth power not another spiked power band from a 4 cylinder again. I am going to take a small break, maybe 2 months or so, and see if there is any more info on a 2004 model, plus the S2000 raises in value as summer approaches. I am going to keep on this board and watch closely for any new info.

Thanks again....As a side note, its amazing how I can spend 2 hours on this board and learn everything there is to know; more (2-3 times) than the two sales people I have encountered. One of Acura's own sales guys even argued that the type S had 290 hp (Sorry buddy that's the NSX) and runs 11.9-12.5 in the 1/4 mile, then he had the nerve to tell me my S2000 had 160 hp (Civic Si) and ran 16's in the 1/4. After arguing with him for a minute or so, I finally had to point him to the window sticker on the TLS that showed the HP. He was still insistant about the S2000.....

VTEC Animal

Goes to show you how important the dealership is to Acura's image..... A great dealership goes a long ways. We've got a great dealership in my town, if they weren't I probably wouldn't be driving an Acura. Customer service is always a priority. If you don't get the service that you feel is right, you do have an option of calling Acura Care / Acura Client Services.

phatratpak

My only recommendation for waiting would be that the 2004 will def. have voice-activated navigation, which I think is incredible. But of course the price will go up too.

BLEXV6

I have found my Acura dealership very accomodating, way better than the bastards at the Honda dealer.