cybernonno

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty sure the TL-S is the right car for me, though what other cars did you conisder in the TL-S price range / class (i.e., entry level sports sedan and *not* cars like Audi S4 or BMW 330).

I'm in my mid-twenties and want to purchase something that will last but will not empty my bank account (especially when it is time to buy a house).

Any suggestions / comments? Thanks in advance.

fahoumh

I had a TL, and we needed another car to replace my mom's totalled Civic. My mom ended up with the TL and I got the new TL-S. A TL-S w/ Nav is just over $33 K...it's very hard to offer everything available on the TL-S and stay within the same price range.

chrism7855

when i was considering cars.... i didn't really think money first... i knew i didn't want to spend more than 40k. so i considered the GS300, I35, IS300, A4, bmw 330 and the TLs. after driving all of them.. my opinions varied on each. the gs300... too much money for what it offered.. if it was priced closer to the TL-S.. i may of been willing to pay close to the same for a little slower car. the I35, thats a tank.. didn't really like the feel of the interior... seemed too much like an old person's car. the IS300, pretty impressive... but its too small. way too small. the A4, i liked it.. the Quatro made it a tough choice.. i just remember my friends who have it were having headaches trying to get things fixed.. which seemed to happen a lot more with the audi's. the 330, very nice.. its a bmw, but!!!!!.. for the money.. and the extra insurance that it would cost me.. not worth it right now. the TL-S, well.. i drove a buddy's TL and i like it... then i drove the TL-s.. probably cause of the test drive and the price.. it was the winner. the guy who let me test drive it.. let me go buck wild on the test drive. im in the same boat as you, im 23, starting a new job.. need a decent ride but buying a house is more important than sporting a car i can't really afford right now. Go with the TL-S. out of all the cars i was considering.. it was teh cheapest.. and ranked pretty high in performance.. ill give the 330 a little better, but not worth the extra 6-7k, (not including the extra insurance cost)

gruzyxl

My previous car, '96 Sentra GXE, was ruined by a local mechanic (another story). I'd had a nissan prior to that, so we looked at the '02 Maximas. I liked it - it looked better than previous years' models. But it had a bit of a stiffer ride, though, and my wife wanted something different than a Nissan for a change.

We considered the Subaru WRX. Our other car is a '00 Outback, and we love it, and would not hesitate to buy another Subaru. But the WRX in my opinion just doesn't have the looks that I think a sportier car should have. Nor did it have a lot of the luxury items that some other cars had.

We went to an Audi dealership to check out some of the new Audis. I have to admit that the S4 was a damned nice performer. The A4 3.0 didn't have the looks - too rounded on the corners. We had some concerns about reliability as well. Plus the salespeople were pricks. So we passed those up.

We had heard great things about Acura/Honda reliability, so we checked out the Acura dealership. They had an Aegean blue in the showroom with spoiler, ground effects, black leather interior, etc. I was immediately impressed by the looks, and in my opinion it was the nicest looking car of all of the ones we looked at. I was hesitant about the automatic - I really wanted a standard. But for what you get on that car for the price, you just can't beat it.

We considered looking at BMWs too, but we didn't drive any. By the time one was loaded up with the options available on the TLS, we'd have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it! :p

So the TLS won, and we're extremely happy with it. It fit our priorities - reliability (from what we've heard about Acura/Hondas in general), power, luxury options. Second place was close between the A4 and the Maxima.

Good luck in your new car search!

-Steve

tls988

The only other car that I considered was buying an used GS400. I finally decided to get a 'new' car instead. I have owned two Maixmas and both have problems with fuel injectors (one recall replaced all injectors for free on my 87 SE and two injectors went bad around 60K on my 91 GXE). The automatic transmission on both Maximas also refused to shift into overdrive until 3-5 miles on the highway during the winter here in MN (no such problem with Acura, Honda, Lexus, and Toyota). With the above experience, I didn't consider the Maxima this time. I have owned my Type-S for a few months now and very happy with it.

sixspdbrd

For me it was 330i (too small and not worth 40k) and the Volvo S60 T5 with the manual. I liked the volvo alot but their front wheel drive system must be the worst in the world. Torque steer was unbelievable. My dad had an S80 T6 and it was the same way. I loved the manual but for an overall package the Type-S is nearly impossible to beat. Although now I hear of an S60 R. 300 hp AWD. If this were out I would have gotten that ovet the Type-S. Awd eliminates the torque steer problem.

nameeri

cybernonno,

Im 24 and I have a TL-S. Love the car and think its was the best choice i made when i drove it home. However, there is a new revised model of the TL coming out. As im sure you have read on this board, the type S probably wont come out for atleast a year after the new model is released. So I would suggest you wait for two reasons. One, Infinity is coming out with the G35. I saw this car at the LA autoshow. This thing is pretty bad ass. Looks and specs alike. Its a sweet car. Reason two, the new TL-S may have some more improvements than the current 2002 model. However, if you dont want to wait, then i say the hell with it and go for the 2002 TL-S. And get the NAV, its money well spent.

evolaerok

I was really close to buying either a IS300, BMW 330i, or a used 540i. I chose the TL-S because it is enough luxury and sport for me. I can drive it in the snow with no worries. Price was great for what I get. If I opted for the IS I would have paid 3-4k more. BMW w/ all the options would have cost me 10k more. The used 540i was going for 34k, but it had 80k miles on it and it was auto, no steptronic, just auto. I love to mod and the market for the TL and IS is much better than BMW. I can work on the mods myself and the price for the mods are decent. I to have a house payment and I am 20. My job was going good so I can pay for the BMW, but for just in case sake I went more budget minded and went with the TL-S. I'm happy and it's a great car. More character than alot of cars out there and a whole lot easier on my wallet come the 12th of every month.

typeSmaximum

looked into is300 and used gs400. Also looked into 330I and 330ci, but also though it was a poor value.

vperkins2

The TL-S had:
- The right amount of HP for me
- The right gizmos for me (especially the Navi)
- The right looks for me
- The right amount of room for me
- The right price for me

Took me two years to decide which car to buy (I wasn't in a hurry at all). Every time I climb into my TL-S I have a smile on my face. I know I made the right choice!

Outlook

I was considering the Audi A4, but for 30 grand, yeah, u got the 17 inch wheels/sport package (very smooth suspension I might add), xenon headlamps, and a luxury package (oh wow: homelink system:p) with leatherette (very good looking fake leather), but it was a raunchy 4 cylinder in a very small package.

Another thing that thru me was the dealership, kinda creepy, old and one of the salesguys was a slimeball.

tea elle

I looked at the same cars as everyone else on here. I have virtually the same opinions they all do, and the TL-S was just undeniably the right choice. If the I35 had a five speed and sport shift...I might have struggled with the choice but the Acura is the right one.

mawaru

I looked at the Maxima, the Accord, the I35, and a ES300. The TL-S was the best mix of luxury and sport while keeping the budget in check. The 2 things that still really scare me are the tranny and HID theft problems with the car. The HID theft really freaks me out when I park anywhere. The blown trannies are scary too. I'm not sure what the stats are, but I got the car thinking it was reliable (and hopefully it will be). If I wanted a car with tranny problems, I would have gotten a Ford or Chrysler. Other than that I really love the car.

hemants

I already have an A4 and needed something larger.

I considered:

Outback - only liked the wagon, wife didn't
Maxima SE - nice but 2002 almost as much as tls
I35 - very nice but more than a tls
A6 - very very nice but way more expensive

If you're in you're twenties and you don't need the size, you should definately look at :

WRX
RSX-S
A4

There is nothing like AWD and a smaller car will almost always handle better than a larger one.

Put it this way, one day you WON'T have the choice of a smaller car, why not enjoy one now while you still can!!?!?!?!!!!