Okay, here it is: yes, the TL/TLS is the best bang for your buck, and it's acknowledged that to some small extent Acura had to cut some corners in order to either add more goodies and keep the price down. My question is: what would you consider a REASONABLE price if the car was remodeled w/real wood, full leather, and no rattles or squeaks whatsoever (assume these were the cost-cutters) ? Assume all of this was standard whether you wanted it or not. And at this new price would you start to consider other cars regardless?

 

around the 35,000-38,000 range.

 

I don't need real wood. No rattles would be nice though, I'd pay an extra 500 to get rid of them...

 

1. Better sound system - $800
2. Better brakes - $1000
3. Better wood, leather and so on - $1000
4. Luxury features (up/down/on/off/tilt/telescopic, build in phone) - $500
5. Sport suspension/tires/seats - $1500
6. No rattles (only seats rattle on my car ) - $500

So I would pay around 5 K more

 

I'll pay $1500-$2000 more if my TL-S is made in Japan.

 

I'd pay a few hundred more for a better stereo. It really needs a pair of tweeters up front; they obviously cut corners on the sound system. The fake wood is kind of cheesy... I'd pay extra for some real walnut in there. I have no issues with build quality yet (under 1000 miles), but I can see already that they should have spent a little more on the paint job. I'd also pay extra for seats with better lumbar and lateral support... I have to brace myself against the door with my knee when taking an off ramp at a medium speed. I guess I'd pay 2 or 3 thousand more above the 31.2k I paid if it had those things.

 

I am willing to pay a little extra for the car if there are no rattles or squeaks and a better suspension. Other than that, I love everything it has on it right now.

 

Interesting question. However, when buying a car I look at what I want to spend, and then look for the best value (all things considered) for my dollar. I was not even aware of the TL-S's existence before I started looking for a new car, but I found out about it because my dealers knew my price range and what I was looking for in a car.

Therefore, if the TL-S had better wood, stereo, leather etc I probably would have lumped it into the same category as the Lexus or Infinity, which were a bit out of my range.

Just my two cents.

 

Does the RL have real wood? If not, will the new one?

Also, I don't think the wood in the TL is that bad. Looks and feels real to me. Also, 999/1000 people will not be able to tell the difference. It's not like yer going to have cedar wood in there giving off a great smell or anything. But I do agree with the others about the stereo. It needs a little bit more of everything including the tweeters.

 

The thing about the "faux wood", if you get the black interior like I did, is that it's..you know, black : )
I've never seen real wood that's black, so it's pretty obvious that it's not real. Having said that, I don't think it looks all that bad or I wouldnt have got that color interior. Overall I think it's a great car that gives you a lot for the price and is a whole lot of fun to drive. Naturally there is always room for improvement in anything but you have to strike a balance somewhere between having creature comforts and having a sane price tag, and I think Acura has done a decent job of that in the TL. A friend of mine has an LS400. Ok sure its a little bit nicer inside, and quieter, and has a better quality paint job, but you could almost buy 2 TLSs (with Nav!) for what one of those cost.

 

Yes.

If the TL was in the 35 range I probably would of gone with the ultimate driving machine.

 

I could care less about real wood trim.
Plastic's fine with me - easier to maintain.

I agree with tgif on this.
I'll prolly spend another $1000 to $1500 if
she 's Made In JAPAN