Greetings,

Nice community you got here. I'm a transplant from maxima.org aka "The Org" as I've set my sights on a 3G TL to replace my beloved '96 Maxima (rear-ended by an a-ho..., I mean aggressive driver at the 187k mile-strong mark). Yes, I'm still in mourning. Anyway, two 05 TLs have caught my fancy. Contender #1 is a CPO w/ nav, maroon, auto with only 41k miles at $17k. Contender #2 also has nav, is not CPO, dk gray, 6-spd, w/ 52k miles at $17.6k. Both seem to be in line with Edmunds pricing, so they're probably not great deals but they're also not rip-offs. Contender #1 appears to be priced that low because it stipulates a dealer finance so they'll make it back on that. For me it's a dead heat because I prefer driving a manual (the Max was), but the first one represents a better value up front and peace of mind of the CPO/extended warranty.

So what sayeth AZ?

TIA

 

i would grab the one with the navi , one thing that i wished i grabbed, and #1 has lower miles too.

 

^ they both have navi lol


6MT all the way. Test drive both and you will see the difference for yourself, especially if your previous car was manual.

 

oh lol nvm, totally misread it. sorry op

 

Actually, almost 2 diametrically opposed vehicles. Auto, Nav, lower mileage, lower price and CPO, compared to a 6 spd, higher mileage, higher price, and not a CPO.

If they are the TL’s at Davis and Peruzzi, I’d definitely go with the A/T from Davis. Virtually no warranty from Peruzzi, just a 90 day 3,000 mile warranty, and remember, the clutch components aren’t covered by any warranty, even if it were a CPO car, so that would be your nickel if it failed. Davis has been around for a long time, but still go over the car with a fine toothed comb.

You can even stop at the Olive Garden for lunch......It's right next door.

Good Luck.

 

Ha! Spot on, TN. You're not gonna go buy them out from under me are ya? The consumer in me can see there's a clear choice and agrees with what you're saying, but the driver in me also sees a clear choice and agrees with aSU.

Good feedback/advice so far...keep it comin'.

 

You do have a point. The auto is a much better choice, or should I say a wiser choice. If you really want a 6MT I would look around some more.

 

Hard to make a recommendation without actually seeing the cars and driving them.
#1 seems like the better deal on the surface, but you better look into the terms and rates on the dealer financing - you may end up paying more in the long run. You can always get an extended warranty on #2, or I think you can take it to an Acura dealer and pay for them to inspect it and make it a CPO. The clutch is a wear item, and like others have said won't be covered by any warranty, but you're probably OK at 52k miles unless the previous owner abused it.
In the end I think it boils down to your personal preference and gut feel when you inspect and drive the cars.
Good Luck!

 

Welcome aboard. BTW, it's nickname was always .orgy.

Either is a good choice. But I would not let others here make that decision for you. You should drive both and see which one you like more. Also you will like this site much better than .orgy due to everyone being more mature and grown up here.

Enjoy your stay and take pictures once you get the car.

Good luck!

 

Overlooked the fact that they both have Nav, but still the other facts prevail.

 

This would drive me nuts. Like you said, the logical choice is the 5AT, but I have a 6MT and love it.

 

+1

 

What about if you searched for a different 6MT TL? I'm sure they're around.

 

They're rare, but around. My ceiling is around $17k and there are even fewer of those. My 'safety' TL is an '04 auto w. 70k miles, but for $14k and change. I would take on another year of payments for the right '05 at the right price and these two fit that bill.

 

+100

I figured it'd be a tough one to call. Both are full of win in their own right.

 

x 2.

My wife chose for me.

 

i would try to get an o6 tl versus an o4 or o5. those at are shitastic.......you will be lucky if that at last 100K

 

^ yea listen to the guy that uses o's for zero's... he seems to know his stuff

 

lol it was to make it stand out but if you prefer proper terms '04 and '05.

They basically lifted the drive train straight from the '03 CLS\TLS and used it with some minor modifications for '04 up to about mid '05 when the trans casing was changed.

yeah if you want to be having a high proabability of replacing your trans before 100K get the '05TL AT.

BTW I had one of those new case transmissions installed in my 02CLS at 71K and here we are at 18K on new trans and it is totally f'd up....

 

You know I am starting to get ticked off at all your negative posts lately on this forum. We don't need to hear your crap anymore here dude. Seriously just end it.

 

IMO i would go with the 6spd only because i have an auto and i'd like a change. but it really depends on your driving conditions, having a 6spd in NY would be a PITA to drive because of the traffic here, which is y i dont regret getting an auto, but then again, a 6spd is fun to drive. CPO with a better waranty though is a better way to go though unless you know your stuff about car and can afford to fix things that go wrong on your own.

 

go with the 6 spd ... i wish i had, and now that is my biggest regret

 

#1 sounds like my exact car, so I can heartily recommend that setup
...but seriously, we traded in a stick on this car, main reason being after just one year it got REAL old dealing with stop n go rush hour traffic with a stick. I know some people don't seem to be bothered by that, but my wife and I got sick of it (we usually drive to work together). These cars don't seem to be notably quicker with a stick, and you have the "manual shift" option if you really want it, so this car with an auto doesn't seem like such a bad compromise. That said, I wouldn't look twice at a Miata with an auto, but it's an apples/oranges kinda thing and a Miata has never been a daily driver for me anyway.
As for the Nav, I used to say "waste of money", but after living with the TL system for awhile, it's extremely user friendly and handy to have around, so I guess I'm a convert.

PS - I come from Maximas as well, had a Majestic Blue '02 and a Titanium '03, also great cars

 

Huh? The shop that has serviced mine since Day One is a Honda/Acura only shop and they tell me they have seen hardly any problems with '04-up TL auto trannies?? ....now, the 99-03 are a different story....

 

What VIN or build month did the '05 models get the new casing?

 

pimpin-tl,

I am sure you are a big boy and can accept people's opinions that are differnet than yours, but if you are getting mad, maybe you should go sit in the corner for a time out?

To sit here and tell the dude that the car has no major issues is just plain stupid.....that transmission is totally messed up and it is in that guys' best intrest to avoid it... Go ahead, tell him how great the car is and when he comes back saying his trans is toast are you gonna pay for it?

MiataNut,

Supposidly mid 05 production run but who knows the exact VIN....

Just do a search on THIS section of the forum....you will find plenty of people with 3rd gen TL transmission problems....while they are not as bad as the previous cars, they are still above what one would expect from an Acura and that alone would keep ME from buying anymore pre '06 V6 Acuras outside of the RL.....

IMHO other than the AT the TL is a fantastic car and is great to drive gets good fuel economy

 

consumer reports showed that 05 was mostly fine...in fact 05/06 are the best years reliability wise IIRC...that's why i got my 05 wdp...if you end up going to the Pre-owned Davis, ask for Fran. He was definitely the nicest there.

 

Welcome, I use to be on maxima.org and still active on nycmaximas.org. I as well had a 95 supercharged maxima and sold her for 9k between the car and parting it out. I would get the 6MT, it's def a thrill to drive. Either way you won't go wrong with your choice.

 

Well, it was decided for me. The CPO AT was gone when I went to look today. Now if it was just sold, I don't think the salesman would've concocted this story and just said, 'sorry it was sold'. But he says they bought it off the web and got it on the lot and whoever had it before, tuned and modded it, including smoking out the front headlights. According to him, it caused the headlamp to heat up, burn out and catch the front corner on fire, so no, we can't sell that car. They knew my budget so they didn't try to push me into spending more on another car on the lot, so I'm inclined to believe him. The only thing that didn't make sense was that the ad had it as a CPO, when it shouldn't have been. So now the mystery is, who is the AZ'er that owned it before?

A silver '05 AT/NAV for $17k popped up near Lancaster, but the 6MT want was strong enough for me to 'live with' the dark gray. The deal on the '05 6MT was reasonable (not great, but still under edmunds/kbb/nada), so I pulled the trigger. Pickin' it up tomorrow.

 

^Congrats man! Be sure to post pictures

 

congrats! welcome to the world of A-Zine.

 

Sweeeet.

 

Nice.. Great choice.

 

lower clicks always the way to go. all depends if they've been maintained properly. 6MT prob. is driven harder(but that's just a logical guess)