I think you can get an EX-v6 right now for about $24,500. Is the TL ($33,150) worth the extra $8,500? Of course, about 8 months from now, you could probably get a TL for $2000 off MSRP, in which case the price difference would be about $6,500. Any thoughts?

 

I bought a 2003 TL just a few weeks ago for $25.4K (invoice, less $1,500 dealer cash) That's my vote. I considered buying a 2004 Accord EX v6, but it was less than 2K more than te 2003TL. The 2003 TL to me is a much better value. I am happy with my purchase. I like the 2004 TL and I wanted to buy one, but by the time you buy one without any discount, it costs 33.2K which is 8K more than I spent. The new technology means little to me. I didnt even buy the nav...which is a better bargin at 2K, than the rest of the base car at 8K difference.
'

 

Very interesting. The Acura web site allows you to compare the TL with other vehicles. Check out the Accord V6 EX vs the TL. Not a lot of difference considering the $6k price differential (even more considering the current street price of each). The TL gives you an extra year of warranty, 30 more horsepower (but that is cancelled out by the extra 200 lbs of curb weight), and it offers some nice electronic features that the Accord doesn't.

The latest Consumer Reports basically said that the TL is a nice car but you can get a high end Accord for much less and still get a lot of car and it's hard to objectively argue against that point.

That said, I don't like the look of the Accord and I want the extra features offered on the TL.

My prediction: The Accord may prove a tougher competitor for the TL than the G35 or anything from Germany and prices will come down. I still want the TL (pending a test drive and close evaluation) but I think by spring you will be ble to get one for decent amount off of sticker.

 

RM44341: The TL's extra 30 horses are DEFINITELY NOT cancelled out by 200 lb more weight. That's only 6lb. per horsepower! No way that is a "strain". There are vehicles that wish they had that hp/weight ratio.
Let's also not forget that an extra year of warranty could be very valuable in case of a nav failure or other major failure.

 

Bi-Xenon Projector Headlights
Fog Lights Standard
Cassette Played Standard
Bluetooth
DVD-A
Drive By Wire
Bigger Engine
8 In. Navigation
Sport tuned everything Vs. Family sedan (Accord)
Heated Mirrors
Memory seats, Temperature, much more
1 more year warranty
Acura Service VS. Honda Service
Better Handling



Not to mention there is far more thing standard on the TL, that cost more on the TL.

You guys are also forgetting, that you are comparing the TL at a time where no bargaining is allowed..

I think in 3-4 months there will be more bargaining, at first I thought that it would be like the TSX and MDX in which you would never get a discount, but it seems Acura has gotten smart and made 60K+ cars per year, so there should be more than enough for customers, and so after couple months demand will die..

Most people that buy the Accord over a TL, probably just looked at facts on paper and chose the Accord, because they thought it was a better deal.. They probably never even drove the TL, and noticed the world of a difference between the 2 Cars

Specifications aren't everything, little things like Bigger seats can make a difference..

If you drive the TL and than Drive the Accord, you will notice that if you can afford the difference, it is definitely worth it!

Anyways the Accord Sedan is UGLY!

And some people are after a 6-Speed Sedan

Not saying anyone that bought Accord over the TL, was not wise, everyone is wise in there own way..

But if you want that sporty side, than get the TL, if all you want is a nice reliable car with nice interior and above average technology, than get a Accord..

 

I would surely pay $8,000 to not be seen in the new Accord. That car looks like it was smacked with a butt crack ugly stick. I don't see how people can actually like the exterior styling of the new Accords.:yack:

 

I was looking at the Honda too, until I saw you couldn't get the 6er with a manual trans. That sealed the deal for the Acura for me.

 

A lot of people with family may opt for the Accord due to the extra room. Because of the downsizing of the TL, there is now a noticeable difference in room and trunk between the two cars.

 

The so called Sport Tuned suspension would hardly be noticeable to most drivers and both are family sedans one has a slight more emphasis on sport.

 

The 04 TL is head and shoulders above the 04 Accord V6 in terms of sport and interior quality and feel. The Accord is no slouch but the TL evokes a much sportier feel and cockpit like interior.
The exterior, IMO, of both are very good, but the TL is more sophisticated.

Is the TL worth the extra cash? I think so.

Heck if you want to complicate matters for a little more money
you could buy a TSX (I know no V6), but it is still a very good
car. Or how about a 323i, an excellent value, and, yes, a better handler. The Mazda 6 is good value also, and a better handler than the Accord.

Lots of choices out there.

 

Again, Acura's problem is the ACCORD is so good at everything, that people actually do cross-shop the 2. As the Maxima killed I-30/35 sales b/c they were deemed the same. The new TL does a better job of seperating itself feature wise but now people will show concern over the size, the same as an Accord.

Though on looks alone, I'd get the TL. It's ain't awesome but it's better looking than the Accord.

 

Accord has drive-by-wire. With the Accord you can add fog lights and they are where they are supposed to be. You can also add a cassette or MP3 player. It has dual A/C and the voice controlled Nav. With the transmission and rotor problems, I would buy an extended warranty on either car so the 1 year extra warranty wouldn't matter to me. I think the 200 Lb. weight difference will even out the acceleration but maybe not the total handling package. DVD-A may be great but who know if it is here to stay. It may go the way of Betamax. I think the TL is a great car and has a lot of features for the money...but is it worth 8K more than an Accord EX V6? Also ugly is in the eyes of the beholder. My wife drives a 2003 TL Type "S" and when she first saw the new TL she couldn't understand why they chopped off the back end and made it look ugly. She also was concerned about the loss of about 2 cubic feet of trunk space. Different strokes for different folks!

 

But the Maxima and I's share way more parts and have alot of the same equipment standard. Especially a GLE the Max's difference is much much less per say vs a Accord and TLS or Camry VS. ES300.

 

Hey,
Just wanted to let you guys know that after a lot of thought I went with the Accord Ex v6 sedan. I really loved the TL and I wish I had 33K to spend, but the Accord was so much less money. I got the 04' Accord Ex v6 sedan no nav in Graphite for $23,243 plus TTL. Thats 1K under invoice and about 10K less than the TL. I hope everyone here enjoys thier TL, I am very happy with my Accord. Thanks

 

Congrats on your purchase. You can not go wrong with an Accord. I would have considered an Accord if they had a 6 speed in the sedan. However, I think I still would have gone TL as it is more sporty driving and has a better interior. I keep my cars 10 to 15 years, so the difference in price is a lot smaller when you look at it that way.

 

I own an accord ex v6 with Navi in Silver (hence the moniker). By far the best car I ever owned. But . . . .

I test drove the 04 TL a month after getting the Accord. To me the difference was marked, and let me know if I'm off base here.

The interior was so much better. Infinitely quieter. Gauges easier to read. Displays are much clearer. the radio gauges were like night and day quality wise.

Accelleration was markedly better, with stiffer suspension. While the Accord doesn't have a whole lot of body roll, the TL has significantly less.

Sound system, well, thats self explanatory. The display for the Navi was markedly better.

However, the most important difference was sales staff and how they treated me. At Bariel Honda, I met with a salesman named Doug Rose. He seems a stand up guy. Won't deal, but doesn't push, he says he lets the car sell itself. He also advised me NOT to try to trade my car in, as I would lose (of course he'd make out on the deal). Honda, well, honda was like buying a used car, and I am absolutely terrified to try to get it serviced, knock on wood I won't have to (three color exchanges, 3 weeks to get a car, playing fast and lose on the numbers). Bear in mind that the Honda dealer I dealt with was not affiliated with Bariel.

In my opinion, the TL is a car you could spend the money on and not feel like you got cheated. Frankly, if I had not gotten such a good deal on my Accord ($120 over dealer invoice and 2.9 financing), I'd feel cheated. When I get married next year, and my wifes car goes, I'm going right back and getting the TL.

 

My wife and I just completed a 2 month search for the perfect all-weather family sedan that also appealed to our enthusiast mentality. We thoroughly researched and then drove ALL foreign and domestic sedans between $22k and $40k. All this culminated in a TL purchase. Honestly, the decision wasn't even close.

I have never been a fan of Honda. Even their motorcycles are lacking in my opinion, but I don't want to start a flame war over what is essentially personal preference. The Accord simply represents everything I dislike about Honda ... great specs and build quality, but bland styling, weak suspension, and a vague driving impression.

All in all, I find the Accord to deliver strong data on paper, and that somewhere between the computer and where the rubber meets the road, the joy of driving disappears. If you want transportation, then the Accord is a fine choice and will serve you well. We wanted it all, and the TL was the only choice for us.

 

My wife and I looked at the Accord as well, but since we are 8 inches apart in height, the lack of memory seats in the Accord was a deal killer. Sometimes it takes just one feature to be worth 8 grand to some folks.

Of course we greatly appreciate all the other great features of the TL as well.

 

Yeah... memory seats and VSA. Here there is snow 5 months a year; VSA is perfectly valuable.

The TL is a car that will deliver much more satisfaction to own, IMO ( I would have not said that about the previous one). Always bear in mind that a good portion of the difference will disappear at resale.

 

I really liked the TL exterior styling (my wife didn't think it was all that), We both loved the blue light gauges, and the interior. I thought the TL overall was a step above the Accord in eveything you mentioned. Because of my driving style, I did not notice a big difference in power and handling between these two cars.

As for the Accord, It has an intigrated key fob (I hate the Acura seperate key fob I have for my MDX), It has most of the features of the TL, It has a great ride and acceleration, mostly, it cost me $10,000 us green backs less and with 2.9% financing I saved even more. Not to mention ongoing costs are higher for the TL(Preium fuel, higher service rates at acura deals, etc.) For me it came down to affordability.

As for how I was treated at the dealer, The Honda dealer where I purchased treated me as good as my local Acura dealer, which was fantastic. And when looking at the TL, I talked to some Acura dealers who treated me like I was looking at a used Hyundai! All you need to do is look as some of the Acura dealer stories on this board to see how bad some dealers are.

I hope all of the TL drivers out there enjoy thier cars. I will be enjoying my Accord and looking forward to the day I can park a TL next to my MDX!

 

Interesting discussion. The reason I looked at and subsequently bought the '04 TL was because my wife had just purchased an '03 Accord Coupe, V-6. Amazing car with none of the uglies mentioned about the sedan. It's no TL, but I still enjoy driving it.

 

Rattling off a list of the extra features means little because some people might not care about those extra features. Bluetooth is a perfect example for me. I never use my cell phone in the car. In fact, my biggest pet peeve is people who do. So Bluetooth, as great as it is, is essentially useless to me and yet I'd be forced to pay for it if I got a TL. I ended up getting an Accord instead of the TL and I take exception to your claim that us Accord buyers based our decision on what's written on paper and didn't drive the TL. I drove the TL and if I don't take into account price, then there's no question it's the better car. But I felt for my needs and preferences, the extra cost wasn't worth it. I took a look at the difference, then I ignored the ones that weren't important to me, and only judged what was left. That's why this debate can't be resolved cause we all have different formulas to assess worth. If the TL were about $2000 less, I'd be trading in my Accord right now.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way... But isn't it saying something that those who opted for the accord are here on the TL thread?? mmmm...

It's making me feel better about my higher payments

 

Please don't take this the wrong way... But isn't it saying something that those who opted for the accord are here on the TL thread?? mmmm...

It's making me feel better about my higher payments

 

It is saying that most intellegent shoppers who are considering the TL vs Accord and are active on the internet would likely go enthuesest sites for both cars. I have frequented several Honda/Acura/Accord sites along with this one for the past six months before I purchased my Accord last week.

I agree with HONDAONLY that if you exclude price the TL is a superior car, but if we do that, Forget the TL, I will be driving a NSX, Lamboghini, Ferrari, etc.

We are all part of the Honda family and we chose our vehicles because it was the best decision for each person individually at the time. Merry Christmas to all.

 

Ah, if money were no object... As it for the average person, money is almost always a factor -- and depending on ones circumstances -- only a matter of degree in importance when making a purchase decision.

As for Accord V-6 EX vs. TL; the truth be told, these cars are more alike than they are different. Both are excellent choices, but clearly the TL offers several more bells and whistles -- for (nauturally) a price. How worthwhile those items are, is very much a personal decision IMO. I do respect the fact that Mr. Behrens made a choice to save some money and live without the extras that the TL would have given him. His posts serve to illustrate just how much better a *deal* one is able to negotiate buying a Honda vs. an Acura, which is a very compelling argument indeed.

Mr. Behrens, would you care to share more info on how you were able to negotiate a below invoice price on your new Accord purchase?

 

IF you can't afford a new TL buy the new accord. It is superior to the previous TL. I know I had one!

 

Spector -- yeah it says I wish I would have bought the TL, but my car died in the interim between the release of the new TL and the end of the 03 model year. (J/K)

OH well, just have to wait for g/f's car to go. ;-)

 

First, I figured out what car I wanted 04' Accord sedan ex v6 no nav. Made a list of 15 dealers within 2 hr drive. To make the list I went to the Honda website and used thier dealer locator. I also looked at inventory levels online and put a star by three dealers with the most cars in their online inventory.
Then I emailed the first dozed dealers stating "What car I want, My first two color choices, that I expected to pay Invoice or less, and the price should apply to any color car in the specified configuration they have on the lot." And to please list out all other required costs in addition to purchase price. I then waited for responses, most came within a day. NOTE: Most dealers I emailed required you to email them thru thier web site. A little akward but the copy/paste helps out greatly. I gave out my phone # as little as possible. Also, specifying price applies to any car on the lot (in that configuration) helps eliminate "Demo's, buybacks or cars loaded with DIO's."
I evaluted the offers and 2 were $500 over invoice, 7 were at invoice, 1 was $200 under and 1 was $500 under. Two dealers said they would match an deal I had in writing, Unless they were my local dealer I just ignored them. I called my 2 local dealers and one was $400 over and the other would only go to invoice. I ended up saving $1000 vs. my local dealer driving 1:45 min each way from home.
I decided what day I wanted to buy. I took my 2 best offers in writing and emailed the three dealers with the largest inventories. Each email was the same as above, except I added prices I had and what day I was going to buy.
I got a couple of offers to match $500 under and an offer from Roseville for $1,000 under invoice. At this point I am talking to Roseville on the phone to confirm, the exact car, my first choice color, # of miles on car, and price listed out was $23,243 car, 45 doc., 5 tire, $1,717 tax and $201 license and confirm that I will be applying for the low interest financing thru honda and If I dont qualify for some reason I have my own financing ready to go at 3.99%. At this point I am about $750 under where I expeted to pay based on the market so I am done looking. The dealer who was originally 500 under invoice calls me and offers to go $1,055 off invoice. I call Roseville and they offer to throw in a $75 wheel and tire exteded warranty pkg for free, I accept. Go in the next morning with printed emails and numbers in hand so they cant change anything at the last minute. Deal done.
They told me they were willing to loose a few $'s on this deal to move inventory. Inventory was the reason I went to Roseville instead of the other dealer. The other dealer had 5 ex v6's and only one in my color, if for some reason that car got "sold" or used for alot of demo's I would have waisted a lot of time. Roseville had 25 Accord ex v6's and 5 in my first color choice and 4 in my second color choice.
I know that the market for the TL and Acura dealers are different than the car I purchased, but I hope these tips help everyone get a good deal or atleast prevent getting ripped off. This did not work as well when I purchased my 03' MDX in 11/03. Best price was $500 under MSRP on 1 of 2 X's instock both not my color. I ended up paying MSRP minus doc fee. The key is supply and demand. Good luck getting your TL's.