Crucifer

As some of you from the mods part of the forum might know I just finished setting up my mods list for my 2004 TL and its extensive ranging to about 8-10g worth of work.

But just before I started putting all the orders in I got to thinking a lot about the choice I was about to make. Sitting with the TL would mean soon to be issues coming my way due to the astonishing 97,000 miles now that have been racked up on my TL will be becoming present shortly.

I looked around and my eyes have always been set against the Civic Si and the Mazdaspeed 3. The serious dilemma with the Civic Si is for some reason Honda decided to not put a turbo in it stock....who knows why....bad move as most cars in its price range are turbo 4cyl (MS3 and the GTI).

But I've also been reading that the price for the civic si's has severely dropped and most people are getting fully equipped Si's for base price meaning a 21,000 Civic then drop a Greddy Turbo in it will bring you to the exact price of the MS3 but Honda also has the more reliable i-vtec and massive after market. So I kind of settled it to myself that if i could get the Civic for 21,000 I'd do it....

The problem is...I'd be leaving behind my TL at the dealership. In all seriousness were talking more MPG in the Civic, a 6speed MT vs my 5spd Sportshift Auto. And a fresh engine begging to be modded vs my tired TL engine probably closing in on its final few years before needing major engine replacements.

I'd love staying in the Honda family and trust me the Civic would also be getting a new look because in all honesty its HIDEOUS. lol I hate the front end of the 06-08 civics they look like soon to be beetles.


Anyone got some advice or views please share before I start dropping $$$ into the wrong vehicle (which i am literally so close to doing).

WRXtranceformed

I didn't read your goals from your other thread, but what are they? I've always been in the camp that putting a ton of power into a non-factory boosted, FWD platform is just silly. If you're thinking about power / performance go with a turbocharged AWD or RWD platform from the factory. Otherwise, enjoy your TL for what it is and don't turn it into a giant moneypit unless you really love it and know you're going to drive it for a long time.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Hmmm...if you care about more luxury, stay with the TL. If you just want a care that you can mod, and are prepared to drop $8-$10K on it, and performance is your top priority, go with the Civic. You can easily spend $10K + on the TL, but there are just so many more parts available for the Civic.

Mileage isn't really an issue,IMHO, because if you keep up with maintenance well, the TL will last you well over 200K miles. Your transmission will be the biggest issue.

However, a new car is always tempting!

I don't know if I actually helped at all, lol. I might lean toward the Civic just because of the fact that you get to row through 6 gears. Other than that, you'll miss everything that the TL has to offer in terms of amenities, interior room, overall luxury, and stock power. If you drop a S/C in the TL, you'll have ALOT of power...more than you'll really ever need to use.

Crucifer

I had planned before about 2 weeks ago buying an Evo but the Dentist and their absurd bills rearranged my priorities. It left me with a solid chunk of unused change which i was going to fully dump into the TL (https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/2-lighting-audio-12-s-sale-184761/)

But the issue really comes down to like the other guy said the Transmission. Its my biggest fear dumping all this power on it. I don't want to be forking over money for a new one as it is not cost effective.

I'm stopping by Honda on the way home going to sit down with a Honda Sales guy and pretty much put it bluntly. Give me a Base price deal and i'm sold.

If he can't do it then TL it is. If he can....i'm going to say i'm really doubting i'll stick with my TL it is just too good of an offer.

mbarb17

You mentioned picking up MPG in the Civic...While I can't refer to any hard numbers, you might be surprised at how little this amounts to. A friend of my went from a 2G TL to a Civic thinking he was going to pick up a bunch of mileage and found that he didn't see hardly any improvement because with the 4 cylinder engine he was constantly driving it in the upper RPMs. Just a thought to look into "real world" mileage if you haven't...Civic might be more fun to drive once it is tricked out since it is smaller and would have a 6MT.

I like the features of the TL though so I would probable stay with the TL and either have fun with some TL mods or more likely for me personally save the mod money for a down payment on a new one once you have to retire the current one.

Crucifer

2004 is the only year i'd ever consider a TL just because they keep sticking to the FWD over the AWD. There is too much competition with AWD where the Type-S sits that bothers me. (WRX STI, EVO X) I love my TL I think its an amazing car and I drive extensively like in one of my prior threads approx 100 miles a day. Its just the fear of a blown tranny and the uneeded loss of money since it is not currently on a Warrenty. Where I could be under a fresh Warrenty and tranny.

Trust me if my TL had the normal 45-55K miles on it then its a no brainer i'd be dumping it into the TL

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Car comparison threads need to be in Car Talk in the Off Topic part of the forum. Since we can't move threads there, feel free to restart it. This thread is closed.