gavin07

I am going to look at a 2002 Acura TL with 140,000 miles on it this week. I'm pretty much sold from the ad and plan on giving the guy the money on Wednesday. It had the transmission/timing belt replaced by an Acura dealership at 123,000 miles. I'm reading that people have had Honda replace them then they still go out. Is this something to worry about? And if so what should I look out for when I inspect and test drive it?

01tl4tl

the timing belt was due at 105
how exactly did it get a replacement transmission at 123?
verify visually on trans bolts being painted blue

see other threads on purchase for concerns, and the main `tranny failure thread`,,just the last few pages not all of them since 2004 ,,and 100 pages

the TL can be a good buy or it can be a money pit
a mechanic who knows the TL specifically will be able to do a good evaluation

gavin07

Blue Bolt, got it. I'll bring my mechanic with me on Wednesday but honestly the more I read about these the more hesitant I am. I'm a broke kid in college, about to just go with this 2003 Honda Civic EX I found. Could use the extra gas mileage and piece of mind. No way in hell could I afford a new transmission.

zmwang

stay away from TL if possible.

I think the warranty is 7 years and 100k miles.

How can he get it done?

02Accordcoupe

I am sort of in the same position as you. But I am just a college kid looking in to replacing my Accord with one of these. The gas mileage is great in the Accord. I would not recommend this if you aren't able to afford a rebuild on a transmission at some point. Good luck.

01tl4tl

go for the normal HONDA over a gen2 TL at this point in your life
87 octane, cheaper to insure, cheaper to repair,,better option for younger drivers on a budget

given the choice today,,much as I love my TL--wouldnt get another one at these miles.
thankfully, got a free trans right after it came to me

sudermatt

^This^

I just bought one on Saturday and already have $150 in my "Tranny Rebuild" fund. It's going to happen. I know it's going to happen. I knew it when I bought it. I just loved the car too much to turn away. It's one of my worst sins.

Good Luck with your new civic

mr_protege

hi, i bought my 01 TL in october with 142k miles. the owner said he never had any tranny problems (obviously). during the test drives, the car performed perfectly. i did not have any problems for THREE weeks! anyways, that brought the price of the TL from $4,900 to $6,350 ($1,450 for a rebuilt tranny from our family's mechanic).

in hindsight, i would have either purchased a newer TL or made sure that the tranny had been replaced. lesson learned. good luck with your purchase though!

soria

I'd get the Civic.