If I hadn't bought the TL-S, I would have bought a Lexus IS300. It rides great, but it had too many similarities to a riced Civic for $33,000.

In the same price range, what car would you have got instead of the TL-S?

 

There is no car out there that can beat a TL-S (overall) in the same price range!

Definitely TL-S all the way.

 

The TL-S is def. the best value. Another value orientated car that is pretty good is the Vovlo S60 T5. It performs almost on the level of the TL-S and has different options. Motor Trend gave it a very good review in a 6 car comparo (A6, 330i, TL-S, C320, S60 T5, 9^3). It was tested at 35k and you should be able to get it for around 33k also. IMO, not as good as a value but its a good car and a good alternative to the TL-S.

 

Other than the TLS? For the same money similarly equipped?
NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i was thinking of getting a used 540i... but it wasnt worth the troubles of a used car.. besides that.. nothing NEW comes close to the value.

 

I briefly thought of a 540 used, but I really wanted to look at the a Navi. The 540 or M5 is an awesome car, but not for the money.

 

didn't go through, I would have bought a IS300.

 

Nothing compares to the TL-S Navi for under $40,000. I think I'm just so tuned into the feel of Acuras (I'm on my fifth), and the 540 Bimmer felt like it was more work to drive around in every day city driving. This, coupled with the reliability factor and overall cost differences made it easy for me to choose the TL-S.

I toyed with waiting for the new ES300, but I felt certain that Lexus would leave the fun factor out of the ES once again, and evidentally I was right.

Pre-owned certified vehicles used to be the smartest choice for me, but all the technology in the TL-S was too tempting. Just look at the difference in the Navi in a 99 GS400...not as interesting as a pre-owned car at this point.

 

I looked at:

Volvo S60
BMW 330i
Audi A4
Preowned Audi A6
Nissan Maxima
Pre-owned Volvo S80
Pre-owned Lexus GS300
Chrylser 300M
Volkswagen Passat V6 4Motion


Before opting for the TLS. It really wasn't that difficult, most of the Euro cars quickly exceeded my $35K cap when I added options. The Maxima was high on the list, but once I did an apples to apples with a maxed out SE, it came out more than the TLS with lesser features. I loved the Passat 4Motion, but like the Audi, it was on the smallish size and a bit too pricey (hit $32K.)
Forget the BMW and Volvos, way too expensive with options.

 

If I didn't get the TL-S, I would probably get a manual IS300 or went to the Manheim auction for a BMW 540.

 

Looked at:

Pre owned Infiniti Q45 (1997-98)
Pre owned Acura 3.2 TL (1997-98) actually preferred that body style over the 02
Pre owned Lexus GS300 (1995-96)
Pre owned Lexus LS400 (1997)
New 01 Maxima SE, 20th Anniversary Edition (POS)
New 02 Nissan Altima (couldn't wait until Nov/Dec) to buy
Pre owned Toyo Avalon
New Toyo Avalon (Fugly)
New VW Passat (bad previous experiences with VW though)

Did alot of research only to find that for the price/value, the Acura TL Type S was the best choice.

I am a little annoyed with the imperfections but am not totally assured that these would not have popped up with any of the cars listed above either.

 

for the money, i don't think there is an equivalent car. for the same amount of money i would probably get a used maxima and the new cooper when it comes out...:p

 

My wife and I considered the following:

Considered 1998+ GS300/400 (too expensive for used car)
Accord (generic & ugly interior)
Camry (generic & nickel/dime options)
Avalon (nice & big but that dash - ugly!, not ready to retire yet)
Passat (wife did not like, reliability concerns)
IS300 (Too small, interior might get dated quickly)
Maxima (No headroom and I'm not a Nissan fan)
Intrigue (cheap interior & no more Olds)
MDX (just out of reach)
Used RL 97/98 (Nice but not my style)
1995 Legend GS (No warranty anymore & too many miles for $20K+ car)
Volvo (Bad experiences of friends with new ones)

That's about it. It came down to bang for the buck, although I say that the Accord and Camrys are generic, in our area Bimmers and TLs are at every intersection with the them.

In other words: There is no other car in this price range that I would rather have. If there was, I would have bought it!

 

If I wait until now to get a a new car. I would to look at:

2002 Maxima

2002 ES300

But the TL-S beats them all in terms of value and performance.

 

I don't know what it will look like in person. But I was going to wait and see what the New Jaguar x-type was like. Nice pictures on the web. Tl-s is faster though, and Ford owns Jaguar. I love my TL-S

 

Audi A6 2.7T -- not as good a value as the TLS but I think it's a nicer car (and should be) and has the advantage of AWD. I put a lot of miles on cars so the Audi didn't seem like a smart buy.

 

I considered two other cars when I was preparing to buy the Acura TL Type S. I test drove an IS300 which was nice but too small for my liking, and although I'm young (18) I wasn't and am still not a big fan of the styling. To me, it looks like a riced Corolla on the outside. I also knew that for a tiny bit more I could get behind the wheel of an Acura TL Type S and while it might not be noticed as much as the IS300, I'd feel more comfortable in it and the people who knew anything about cars would appreciate it.

I also considered the 2001 Maxima 20th Anniversery edition, but decided I couldn't handle the rear end styling and it was too bland. The TL Type S was a good combination of everything I wanted in a car.

 

We looked seriously at an I-30T and a used GS400.

The GS400 was really sweet, but they wanted $35K for a 3 yr old car with 30,000 miles and a few squeeks/rattles - I just couldn't justify it.

The I-30 was actually less expensive than the TL-S because of dealer discounts and an owner loyalty special from the factory, but it didn't have 260 hp, a 5 spd sportshift auto, indash 6 disc, or VSC.

The ideal car would have been an S-4, but it was $8K more than the TL-S and was way too small for our needs. Besides, the wife wanted an auto, and I just couldn't buy an S-4 with an auto.

The A-6 is really nice, but out of our price range, and the wife doesn't like the looks of the rear-end.

So the TL-S it is - we're very happy with the choice. Maybe I'll replace the Max with an S-4 when it's paid off in 2003.......

 

18!! At your age I could barely afford a bike! Congrats!

 

Thanks. Starting to work young has its advantages, especially when its a real job rather than retail. Living at home and being relatively thrifty (for a teenager) helped me save up for the Type S. Now I am just trying to decide if I want to put a few grand of Comptech parts on my Type S before I go to school. Hmmmmm....

 

I've said this in other posts and it appears it hurts feelings, but I wouldn't do a thing to the stock TL-S. I think it looks awesome as is.

nickchop disclaimer: The preceding statement does not mean I think your car is stupid, ugly, riced, waste of money, etc. It is only one man's opinion.

 

here's the other cars I looked at and my OPINIONS on each..

IS-300.. backseat too small, cheap interior, didn't like the exterior looks

ES-300.. nothing sporty about it

Volvo S60... nice but not worth the price

BMW 330i... too expensive

VW Passat.. Not worth the money.. might as well get A4...

Audi A4... tight backseat, low HP.

Jaguar S.. too expensive, questionable reliability

As far as I'm concerned, the only comparable car under 38K will be the 2002 A4 V-6. They've increased the room and upped the HP to 225... get the Quattro and WOW... I would have bought it but couldn't wait till November to get it.