ulangca

I got bored during the week and went to an Acura dealer that I haven't been to and test drove the 6-speed. I test drove it before, but this time the salesman made me ran through a twisty road.... That was pure fun. He even encourage me to catch up to the car in front of us, which was a BMW 325 convertible....

Now, I hate myself of thinking about trading my car in...

Bought my TL during thanksgiving and I have 12,000+ miles...

Let me asked you guys something... It is going to be impossible to trade in my auto for a manual and get the same monthly payment without any down payment, isn't it?

04TLmayB

for the same car with a stick. Best move I ever made. I got to the point that my desire to own the car in a stick totally prevented me from enjoying the new car. That brought the equation down to enjoying my new car vs a financial hit. Since I bought the car to treat myself, it became a no brainer and I traded it in. If you find yourself in a similar situation trade it in regardless of the cost.

Moodie

I buy the TL for the luxury and comfort. I also have a 350Z which I modded with 19" rims and coilover suspension. I test drove the 6MT as well, and no offense, it felt too floaty when pushed around twisties. FWD didn't help the driving experience either. Don't get me wrong, the stick and the auto are both great cars.....but I do believe a stick belongs in a sporty car.

With that said, get what fits your lifestyle best. If you use the car for commutes, get the auto. You can always rent and go to test drives if you fel like spirited driving.

Vffr1

This isn't meant to sound bad...

Did you two consider the stick prior to taking the auto? That is an expensive fauxpa

Somewhere the ball got dropped! How unfortunate.

Mike Smeezy,

PetesTL

As soon as you drive a car out the lot, the car starts depreciating like crazy. It's your call, but if you're gonna take a major "whippin" to get a little more "fun", it ultimately may not be worth it.

rets

I remember there was a guy living in Maryland, who traded his 5AT for 6MT last year... I believe he probably lost $4-6k in swapping...

gabedabomb

Excuse me but if you could let me know where I could rent a stick (I'm soon to be 22) that would be great. I have yet to find a place that'll rent me a stick and I don't want to trade in my 4 yr old Accord (auto) so...thanks! (BTW if you name a place in Fremont I'd be happy to know too)

Stewie

The only way would be to extend the term of the loan and if you're already at 4 years or more that's probably a bad idea.

Also, you normally can't rent nicer cars until you're 25 and its unlikely that any major car rental agency is going to rent a manual transmission car anyway.

cM3go

I have a 6MT TL, I got a Auto loaner and was surprised at the amount of power loss I could feel, the car certainly has more pull on the 6MT

Moodie

Most people don't know these, but there are dealers that rent out their cars. I have rented a Mazda Miata (stick) before. Just call and ask. Some car rental companies also have stick shifts for rent.

Sorry that I don't have any names off the top of my head.....I own 6 speed and an auto.... :toothless

pgray007

If you ever travel to Europe, you can rent stick all over the place. It's usually cheaper than a slushbox too! I perfected my technique with an E-Class Benz tearing down the autobahns in Germany!

Sherlock

I bought the auto cuz my other car is a stick, I wanted something to ease Atlanta traffic on my knees.

To be said, I love stick, I bought my Accord stick on purpose cuz it IS truely great fun, you control the power and the sweet sounding revs.

I just wanted a break from the daily grind.

Anthratitis

I just got the TL (auto) and I love that car. Three weeks ago, my wife got a 330 convertible. No offense to anyone, but as a sporty car, the beamer kicks the TL's ass. That said, I love my TL.

vtechbrain

No, you wont be able to trade unless you get a demonstrator or some other car with "mileage" from the dealer.

roadman

Keep the TL Auto and get a second car that is a pure sports car. The 350Z is a great one, also the C-5 Vette's are being discounted like crazy now that a C-6 is due out.

Cesci

It may be an expensive fauxpa but don't forget you'll also get the upgraded brakes and suspension if you decide to convert to the Dynamic Package.

Cesci

That it does !!

acuraddict

[QUOTE=Vffr1]This isn't meant to sound bad...

Did you two consider the stick prior to taking the auto? That is an expensive fauxpa QUOTE]


FYI, faux pas = social blunder, you just made a fuax pas by using that expression in the wrong context.

PoochaKannInc

I always knew there was a reason I subscribed to a-tl.com. Where else can you learn about the TL and about the meaning of faux pas? Truly impressive...oh yeah, back to the topic...

If you think you can afford the hit financially (and I'm 95% sure there will be some sort of a hit, unless you are friends with Mr. Honda himself)...go for it. I have a stick, and I love it. But looking at it logically, I personally don't suggest it...my 1 and a half cents...

BrandHdriver

I would have bought an auto except for my commute - it is brutal where I live.

When I'm in a 3-mile backup, I'm glad I have my auto. It's quick enough for me.

Vffr1

[QUOTE=acuraddict]I still think it's a social bluder, if not worse!

Sorry about the spelling (I guessed on that one) I wished I was perfect, my Wife just informed me I wasn't!.

Mike Smeezy,

NOX 3.2

the problem with the beamer is the high cost to do anything... have you tried to add BMW Serius integrated to your Navi (it's over $700), if you are lucky they make it for your model, my friend went to the dealer today and they made him wait over 2 hours, he was sad to learn that his car was not compatible with the current Serius Satellite model. Another friend's 740il dashboard went black (electrical problem), warranty was out, and he ended up paying $12,500 (ouch!) just to get back to normal... (posted at BMW dealer... "labor cost is $99 per hour")

my friends 330ci convertible with Sports package + NAV and it cost him $54,000! and he still likes my TL -NAV-6MT a LOT BETTER (& faster too)
(but I don't let him drive it... ) we carpool everyday - his 330ci is a pain in the back seat, nobody fits there, and we are not very tall people (5.10)

NOX 3.2

I paid $4000 to trade my 4 month old 99TL for a 00TL w/NAVI - never regreted it because it was what I wanted.

Normally people who give little down are upside down the first 2-3 years...

Now I got a 6MT + NAV and I love it.
it's just what I wanted - & I don't mind traffic at all, it's a fun workout.

Danoli

well look at it this way your asking a dealership to take your car and sell it as used (less valuable than a new one) and you want to buy a new one (which involves paying the sales guy a comission, proccessing paper work for the tags, etc.) Yeah Id say its safe to say your going to have to shell out some coin to make the swap.

Brettg

Whenever we think about a car, or I think about a car, I always:

Do web research,
Look at Edmonds,
Look at consumer reports,

Test drive many cars, on longer drives including round town traffic jams and
longer high speed hiway runs.
I go to different dealers to see how they are, and test drive various cars, the
brand new ones, the ones the sales people beat, auto, manual, etc.

I loved the 2003 Passat GLX with the manual transmission, but found I could not get comfortable with the clutch pedal, something in its placement was off, so I got
the automatic.

When I test drove the TL 6Mt, it was fine, and very nice indeed on the hiway.
I have fun every time I drive the thing, just going to the local store is a blast.

When the wife is not along, I can REALLY have fun.

It wont hurt to talk with a few dealers to see what they can do for you.

Brett

KJSmitty

Thread was almost 2 years old...

Talk about being raised from the dead....??

Brettg

I did not even notice....
You would think things that old would die and stay dead!

Brett