I am about to get an Acura TL base model for a daily driver but I want to confirm this would be wise. I am a student and hope to not being sinking money into fixing it. I found this car based on a search on carcomplaints.com which rated the 2007 and 2008 TL's as really reliable.

Would y'all say this is a reliable vehicle? Is it cheap to get it fixed if stuff does break as long as I don't go to an Acura stealership?

I am kinda scared getting this car might be too good to be true because I am seeing Acuras with 100,000 on them going for $4k and they have really nice interiors, features like bluetooth etc etc whereas a ford mustang of the same age with more miles like 140k might go for the same price but has a way crappier interior and less features, etc. Are Acura's cheaper the same reason old BMWs are, because they cost so much to fix?

I guess I am just wondering:
1. Is the 2006 - 2008 Acura TL a reliable car in your opinion as a driver of one?
2. Will I end up not saving money because I can't get it fixed for cheap or can I maintain and repair stuff affordably as long as I am not worried about getting OEM stuff?

I know some of ya'll are probably cringing at that last one but as a broke student Im more concerned about saving money than having an OEM car :-P

 

at the very basic core; the TL is a honda product.
it's also a very basic car in the raw sense of the word.


which means; if you do the work yourself or have an indie mechanic work on the car, maintenance and broken items will be fairly cheap to replace.

 

If you're looking at cars with a manual transmission (unlikely given the $4,000 asking price you mentioned), then any year of 3G TL is a good choice for a daily driver. If you want/need an automatic, limit your search to the 2007 and 2008 model years; the earlier cars had significant transmission issues which, when they fail, can cost a pretty penny to fix.

 

Wow so important to know lol, thank you so much sir, 2007 or 08 it is then.

 

Okay excellent, that is what I was figuring but I wasn't sure.

So what accounts for the fact that a similar year mustang can go for the same price with more miles on it? Especially considering the interior on a mustang base model is not leather seats, doesn't have electric mirrors, sunroof, bluetooth, backup camera, etc etc.

 

Fanbois.

 

I guess so haha ok cool

 

You need to remember it takes premium fuel.

If you're not able to budget for that, you might as well get an Accord V6 from 2006/07 as it'll be similar to the 07/08 TL.

 

I'm a cheapskate so I went the 7G Accord route this time around to save $$$ in fuel since I drive almost 50K miles a year. The TLis just a fancier Accord. The TL is just a little more of a pima donna than the Accord but it shouldn't be an issue.

Basically this.

Takes 91 octane or higher.
Transmission problems are common on 2004-06 automatics.
HFL bluetooth battery drain is common but no big deal.
Dash has a tendency to crack.
Perforated seats tear easily if they haven't been maintained.
Paint quality can be questionable on certain colors (mainly 04-06 model years) so wax/seal it fairly often.
Mirror actuators go bad easily.
Engine/Tranny mounts aren't the best.
Sonetimes the purge valve goes bad and issues a "Tighten Fuel Cap" message on MID.

Overall, it's a fairly cheap car to own/operate. I just preferred the Accord due to a higher ride height, slightly better interior space, cheaper gas and more durable interior. You can't go wrong with either though.

 

FWIW. My Accord gets about 20-25 mpg. 50/50 city/hwy with a heavy foot. Highest I've seen was 27 mpg on a tank, and 33 mpg on the trip computer while cruising. I can usually go 350 miles on $30 worth of gas. I do have high rolling resistance tires, the low rolling resistance tires got about 10-15% better mpg over all. It's not the cheapest car, but for what it is, it does everything super well.

 

On the premium fuel thing; while technically the 3G TL is recommended to use premium fuel, I've run both in my car with no apparent change in performance or fuel economy. In fact, while on long trips, I almost always use regular fuel and have gotten over 500 miles per tank and over 36 mpg several times while running on regular.

 

I was planning to run it on regular regardless but this is really good to know, it expands my market hahah. I am buying a car the first week of August so still looking around. If I can get a deal on a nice 2007 accord I will then.

I'm also not driving too far, probably only 50 or so miles a week.

 

Dope that was my plan good to know

 

Yeah I heard about the cracked dash and bluetooth drain, that's unfortunate. I am definitely gonna look into 2007 accords now as well. Sounds like either car would suit me atm

 

Good to know.

 

I know some will disagree, but you're definitely not going to miss much picking an Accord over a TL. If you want better handling you can always swap in TL sway bars, but stock, the Accord hadles very well. It is slightly softer than the TL but it feels lighter and smaller on the road. It's hard to describe. The Accord also has better visibility too and the power differences are negligible between the base TL and V6 Accord auto models.


My Accord^

 

@acurateacura, keep in mind, @Midnight Mystery is a total fanboi of the 7G Accord and nothing else on the road measures up. That said, the Accord is larger in every dimension except width, it is nearly as heavy and has less power, and has skinnier tires; that and while it looked marginally okay when it was new, its looks haven't aged well, especially in comparison to the 3G TL. So, the TL is a better driver in virtually every metric, it is better looking, and, IMHO, has much more panache. One final comment, the Accord has been in the top five stolen cars in the U.S. for a couple of decades now, holding the #2 spot in 2020.

 

The 7th gen accord is dope, especially the coupe with full HFP kit (accord Aspec equivalent) way back in 2009 I was dreaming about a 03 AV6 EX MT in Blue and black but end up buying a TL-S instead. Are they the same as TL? yes and no.


The TL chassis is based on the NA Accord, they share most part that help keeping the price down. however there are some major difference in term of feels an power, Its happens that I grew up and we always has Honda and Acura counter part.

1999 and 2000 Accord EX V6 vs 2000 Acura 3.2 TL
2006 Accord V6 EX vs 2006 Acura TL (both purchased new)


Practicality the accord hand down has an edge over the TL like easier to get in and out, ride much softer. But the differences is night and day (stock vs stock form) toss the AV6 in corner and handling on the accord is a joke compare to the TL. Power difference is not much on paper but if you drive a TL the throttle response is sharper. I found this out during my purchase of the Red TL and they happens to have a 2012 AV6 sedan that I took for a test drive as well, I though to myself J35 vs J35 the performance should be the same and boy I was completely wrong.

There are some option offer in the TL about 1-1.5 generation ahead of the Accord, road noise is definitely more in the Accord. Premium fuel vs regular not a problem or deal breaker for me as I grew up in a family where luxury car is a standard for us. The only two car we had that has regular was a 1991 Nissan Maxima SE Twin Cams (lol) and the 6th gen Accord. The rest of our car runs on 93 anyway.

 

As an owner of both a 3G TL and 7G Accord, I do like the Accord much better. It works in my world. The TL was a nice car that I liked, but compared to the Accord, was very difficult to live with due to it being very low to the ground, the seats inside of the car were low despite adjusting them all of the way up. I'm 5'5", and I couldn't see over the instrument cluster and would have to pull myself up to see over the steering wheel. There are only two useable cupholders in the TL, the rear ones are a joke, and they're are no cupholders in the doors. The TL trunk capacity is less, 12.5 cubic ft vs 14.0 cubic ft.

Handling in the TL was slightly better, but the car has a heavier feel. I still have no idea why, but it's obvious while driving. This is a good and bad depending on the situation.

The TL's engine did have a tendency to "rev out" a little better, but the Accord J30 has better low end torque. My TL was dead between 1,500-3,500 RPM. 0-60 For a base auto TL is pretty much the same as the V6 Accord.

Keep in mind, my TL, which I owned from June 2017 to May 2018 was a 2008 TL Base automatic with 103K miles, and my 2006 Accord V6 is a tech automatic with 124K miles (now at 145K) so I feel considering the variables (age/trim package/milage) they were pretty evenly matched for me to compare them like this.

I personally find the Accord is just as capable as a base auto TL from 2007-2008.

Now let's start comparing to a TL TypeS or Aspec or 2004-2006 then I assume the TL will out perform. The 2007-2008 TL does have a softer spring rate, I believe, but the anti-sway bars are the same from the pre refreshed years.

 

@Midnight Mystery, many of us here have read numerous reviews you've made on your TL, and quite honestly, they don't square with the experience most of us have had here. We can only come to the conclusion there was something fundamentally wrong with your TL or you were being deliberately and willfully biased against the car.

As for your review above, I'm only 5' 8" and yet I see over the steering wheel by an easy 10", once again, your review on that subject is suspect. As for cup holders, speaking as a former BMW owner, anybody who rates a car by cup holders has no business reviewing a car except from the perspective of being a passenger in your own car.

Regarding torque; as I wrote above, something V-E-R-Y wrong with your car; yes, all J-Series engines come alive once VTEC comes online, but to suggest a J30 has more low end torque compared to a J32 is rougly akin to Trump's proclamations COVID-19 isn't a problem.

 

I feel like the accord would be a better care free choice. Might be better on insurance and you dont have to use premium gas. Plus getting parts is cheaper from Honda than Acura. You can always just go through Honda and say you have an Odyssey or Accord, but nobody likes a liar.

 

Cheaper insurance? I rather doubt it; when I switched from an Accord to my TL, my insurance went down. Why? My insurance agent told me it was because the Accords are such a high risk of being stolen.

 

Insurance is more about location. I went from paying $60/mo in Mississippi to $170/mo in Louisiana, then it jumped up to like $300/mo for full coverage. Insurance can be very weird like that. Also, our RDX keeps going up each year, go figure.

 

Ummm, no. Insurance for any one individual for any one location for any given coverage, is purely about the vehicle.

 

Ok. So we're saying one driver, same zip code, different type of vehicle. Comparing the insurance cost vehicle vs vehicle with the same driver and in the same zip? I think I understand now, the arrangement of words confused me!