Hey Guys... I need some help. I am selling my prius and going to get a TL. I am debating whether to get the 2007 TL-S for somewhere in the ballpark of 33,000 or if i should just swallow my pride and get a 2005 or 2006 for $24,000. If I get the 05 or 06 I will not have any payments but If i get the 07 then I will. Please help me. I can't decide. I think the 05/06 is the technically smarter choice but TL-S is just sooo tempting.

 

TREE KILLER!.... jokin

That's a tough one; if you were looking at an 07 TL vs 07 TL-S and knew you would have payments either way it might be an easier choice to make; however 24k vs 33k is a huge difference and you're looking at no monthly payments at all vs a new car loan and payments, gap insurance, etc.

I only bought one new car and I regret it - I drive too much to put that kind of mileage on something brand new, kills the value (2006 Scion tC had almost 25k in about a year!).

So used for me makes since, and it's easier on the wallet. If you don't have a monthly payment you can buy more mods -_-

If it were me and I had the cash i'd just go for an 05 or 06 TL and get it exactly how I want it with 15 - 25k miles; side note - 6 speeds are only available on the TL-S now.. so if you want a stick but no payment go for an 05 or 06

Nav is a must.

 

After getting burned in the past, I will only buy new cars or disposable cars.

All my first cars were basically disposable. 6+ years old and very cheap. Drive them till they drop cars. Then I got a little extra money and I decided to buy an "Almost New" car. Biggest mistake I ever made. (Granted it was a Ford and not and Acura) The point is that I always feel you are buying someone else's problem.

Ultimately you will have to weigh the benefts versus the costs and see which works better for you. If you have to stretch to meet the car payments or stay home Friday night because of your budget, then go for the used car.

Enjoy whichever you choose

 

33k for a TL-S is a damn good price IMHO.

Then again, not having any car payments is a good thing as well.

You need to assess your financial position and see if having that car payment is going to impact your lifestyle negatively. If it's only a slight inconvenience then I say go for the TL-S. Good luck.

 

Not having a car payment is far better than going with a newer model. I would without a doubt go with the older model. That's what I did 2 months ago I went wiht a 2006 TL (MT) instead of the 2007 TL-S

 

yea the TLs and TL-S prices will hit the ground when u start finding them used plus the redesigned model is coming out and then they'll drop even further waaay further. Id wait or get the used one especially if its in great condition.... either way theres nothing to lose... good luck.

 

no car pmt imo.

 

"Smarter" choice is relative.

No matter what, a car is a bad investment, new cars lose money at a higer rate than used cars so this makes them a worse investment right?

Well, that depends. In the short term, a used car will "save" money. It costs less, period. However, on a new car you are under warantee longer and will have less downtime, theoretically anyway. What does it cost you to miss a day of work? How much for a rental? What is the stress factor worth?

The biggest factor in investment terms is how long you are going to keep a car. If you buy an '06 its basically 2 years old already, and probably has in the realm of 30k miles (assuming the person drives the national average 15k miles per year). If you keep the car 3 more years and put on another 45k miles, the car is 5 years old with 75K miles, it is still worth it as a trade in. If your like me, your looking to keep the car at least 5 years and another 75k miles, that means if I buy new, it will still be worth something at trade-in time, if I buy used and I am looking at a 7 year old 105k mile car, not something a dealer is going to be too interested in, so its going to go straight to auction, so the dealer is not going to give me much for it. Or I have to sell it myself which is a PITA.

The answer is up to you, only you know your driving needs and length of time you want to keep the car. Just keep in mind that buying a car is always a bad investment (with some exceptions) so it's more about how much you can afford than how much your going to lose.

 

get the TL - S ... you will regret it every time u c it on the road and ur rolling in an 05 or 06 ... no regrets is the way to live imho ... juss my 2 cents

 

I second that.

 

I regreted getting my '02 TLp instead of the TL-S (although I REALLY loved my TLp).......that's why I didn't make the same mistake twice and got the TL-S this time around.

 

After reading some of the responses, it all comes down to what you can reasonably afford:
Pro's of new:
-It's new, and if you're putting all the miles on it from day 1, you know how it's been driven
-Longer warranty coverage (on the 06+ cars) in terms of powertrain warranty
-You have the color choice and option choice (in the case of the TL-S, you get everything, and only have to decide AT/ 6 MT)
-Usually, lower interest rates with a new car vs. pre-owned

Con's of new:
-obviously more expensive, payments, etc.
-plenty of pre-owned cars out there to choose from (but you might still wind up with a car with prior damage or one that was abused)


The decision should be based on what you can reasonably afford (if you have a decent paying job, and the payment won't break you or make you have to work extra- working extra to support owning a car is never a good idea).

IMO, I always buy new (I want to be the person to break in the car, and I know it hasn't been in a prior accident/ flood/ etc.). I know it may be a losing argument, but at least I know who's taking care of the car.

I had one prior used car (my first many years ago, and spent a lot more repairing it)- I guess I'm once bitten, twice shy.

 

Well it turns out that my wife is trying to convince me that I should get a new car. the 07 TL-s is such a good buy. I just might have to do it.

Oh yeah, we can afford either one so that isn't really that huge a deal. but no payments would have been pretty cool. thanks for all you input.

 

Get a 05-06 and pocket the 9-10k you'd be making in payments...a year from now the 4G 2009 TL's will be rolling out and you'll be able to look back and see that you have a really reliable car and have no payments

 

I'm perfectly happy with my 06 and have absolutely no desire for an S

 

I also thought about this a lot... and having no payments is good, but the payments on $9K would not be huge. The Type S has a lot of added value over the TL and is a lot more fun to drive. Power and handling difference is significant, and it comes with Navi. I guess it is a personal choice, but I have no regrets going with the Type S. Pick what you really like… second choices always cost more in the long run.

 

Well Ironically, my wife is pushing for the new car and i am not opposed to agreeing with her. we are going to test drive the type S tomorrow, both the manual and the auto. I think i'll end up getting the auto cause my wife can't drive the manual. We test drove the BMW 328 today and really were not impressed with the feel of the car. so TL-S it is. cross my fingers i won't have to walk out of the dealership. I should be getting it for 33,000

 

I just got a 06 ssm 5/at w/ nav and now i'm wishing i held out for a 07 tl type s with navi... for me, having to pay a note off to have what i really want is better, seeing as now i'm trying to get every after market add on to make my 06 preform better

oh yea, btw i could not find any 07 type-s close to me... seems no one with them wanted to sell/trade them in

 

I went through the same decision process.

I started looking at used 04/05's, but ended up getting a new TL. After reading this forum for some time, I concluded that a lot of people buy these cars and drive them hard, knowing they are going to trade them in or lease-return them in a few years. So I figured I'd be buying a 'hard driven' car with the potential for problems down the road.

I kept my last car 14 years - Acura Legend - and never had a problem with it (other than usual wear and tear) until this year (classic BHG). I plan to keep the TL for a long time also, so paying extra for new was kinda like insurance.

My first two cars were used - $3.5k for an Accord with 77k miles, and then $5k for another Accord with 50k miles. Both served me amazingly well, so I'm not opposed to used cars.

If you plan to keep the car just a few years, then I'd go used. If you plan to keep it a long time, I'd go new.

 

I gave in and got a 2007 TL-S. It is awsome!!!! I got it for $32,775.00 and that was a no brainer for me. Thanks guys.

 

This is a no-brainer for at least 2 reasons:

Practical (read smart) - NO CAR NOTE!! My car is an 06 and I love her, so does everyone else she passes! If she was paid for, I wouldn't even be considering the 4G, let along a 3G TL-S!!!

Ride Thrill - The TL-S has more ponies, but not 9K worth of ponies! If it were dusting 350 Z's, IS-350's, and 335's - then yeah, get it. But it AIN'T!! Save your money and get the one that might (4G).

 

Congratulations and Great Price....

What Color? AT or MT?

Post pictures after you pick it up....

 

That is by far the lowest price I have seen on a S. Good job.

 

I got mine from Acura of Serramonte for $33,800 about 3 weeks ago. Glad you were able to get the color you wanted. So CA always has the lowest prices...

 

wow.. thats such a good deal... NOW LET THE MODDING BEGIN =)

 

I got my 07 TL Type S one month ago from Orlando Best Deals for $31,000.00 with 8k on the clock (impecible condition). See attached link.
http://www.obdcars.com/detail-2007-a...s-1970720.html

 

I saw you got the car! Congrats - you'll love it. I picked up my new TL almost 3 weeks ago now. I got Carbon Gray Pearl with Black Leather. But I really like the Silver as well.

I'm just kinda curious...what made you go from a Prius to a TL (good choice)? They're just such different cars in so many ways, I'm kind of curious! Congrats again.