A 2001 TL (not type S) recently fell into my hands, I've been seeing a lot of people modding old TL's instead of civics and I'm really digging it and wanted to get into it. Any tips or mods I should look into?
I was thinking coilovers and a fresh exhaust, any recommendations?
The front bumper also has some dings from the previous owner and I've seen a lot of talk about people saying the 02/03 TL bumper looks a lot better, I haven't look into it much, any thoughts?
Thanks :-)

 

You can't really replace the 99-01 bumper with the 02-03 ones since the shape of the headlights are different. The engines are bullet proof in these cars but you're sorta limited with what you can do with the TL-P as opposed to the TL Type S but you can do what I did with my 2000 TL and Install an AEM V2 dual chamber intake and a full header back exhaust and free flow cat, it really wakes up the car.

As for handling mods the best place to start is an Eibach front and back sway bar kit and performance tires to keep the car planted. You're gonna need some cash for these upgrades though, I spent roughly $3500 Canadian on the mods I listed and that's just getting started.

Coil-overs are always good but that's if you plan on sticking with the 16 inch wheels, I heard some people have had problems with the wheels rubbing on the fenders when they lower the car and upgrade to 17/18" wheels so they gotta roll them.
Just make sure the car is in tip top shape before spending money on these mods and the transmission shifts good, make sure all the maintenance is up to date because some repairs like a leaky fuel tank or bad transmission (which is common) are expensive.

 

This.

Also, If you want to do an 02-03 front end conversion, you will HAVE to swap out the front fender panels, hood, headlights, and front bumper. Have people done it? Yes. Is it worth it? Not really. If you want your 01 TL to look like an 02-03, just buy an 02-03. Not worth the hassle, honestly lol.