I found a 04 tl 6 speed with around 110k miles and its a second owner with all the maintenance records. The first owner even had the dates the car was waxed. Has a new dash and just had the 105k mile service done. New master and slave cylinder. Drove it today and it felt almost as good as some newer cars I have driven. Is there any problems with the white paint fading at all? or anything I should be worried about, looks like most is taken care of with the manual transmission and the dash being replaced?

 

There's not much that can go wrong with the 6 speed, especially if they've taken good care of it. I have 104K on my '06 and have had 0 problems. I'd say go for it if the price is right.

There aren't any wide reported problems with the white paint that I'm aware of.

 

Thanks I am goingto get it tomorrow as long as everything works out. I'll post pics when I get it

 

^welcome to the darkside!!!

 

excellent choice!

 

Made a offer well see what he comes back with

 

Good buy. Only issues are the rear view mirrors that rust over time. Weird color issue.

Had an issue with my steering rack that developed a leak. Clutch slave cylinder failed at 174K. Bullet proof besides that. Killer car to drive and race. Been running it on cruises through canyons, keeps up with everything without any issues but comfier. Also you're in a rare group. Not a lot of 6spds running around!

Spray some 303 on the dash and you'll be fine. Regular transmission fluid flushes if you drive hard and the car's a dream! Love the TL in your avatar btw!

 

Thanks guys somebody got it before I could because they were willing to pay more

 

well that sucks.. but keep looking!!

 

good luck on your search. A 6MT TL either 04-06 or TL-S is definitely a good car to get.

inexpensive to maintain, reliable, looks good, relatively good mpg for its size and power, and is fairly comfortable.

as much as i want a newer car, i cant deny that this car costs me very little to drive.

 

Keep looking, you'll find one. When you find one that's been taken care of, it's definitely worth the wait.

 

Best of luck finding one A 6MT w/Navi are hard to find, but 120% worth the wait!

 

Navi that's a decade old in design at this point. The 6MT is awesome though.

 

This is true. Get a navi 6-speed if you can. But if you find a 6-speed in good shape, I'd pick it up rather than pass it by because it didn't have navi.

 

navi brings a few other electronic goodies like voice control of the HVAC, right? i dont use the navi unless the place i know was around in 2004. Living OC, it's nearly useless as they're constantly developing. Heck, i live in a place that doesnt exist according to my navi.

 

the car just looks more complete with the navi.

I would try to get one with navi, but if not, then non-navi is okay as you're buying it for the six speed experience anyway.

 

It actually doesn't look *that* much different that the 2012 MDX I drove in a while back. I was expecting more of an updated look to it, but it looked close to the 3G navi, IMO. But a 10 yr old design with a new DVD still gets ya there

And I agree with Justin - the integrated navi completes the look of the center stack. Plus the AC and radio display up top is nice as well.

 

Here's one in Jax http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...56902080&Log=0

 

Thanks guys navi isnt a deal breaker for me I have it in my car now and really never use it. I'm mostly looking to get one for the six speed I enjoy driving my second gen and it feels faster than third gen 6 speeds I have been driving but they are all stock. Its a lot more fun having the third pedal and being able to shift the car.

Going to check out the one here in Jax this week but I saw it had a wreck on the carfax so it depends on how well the body work work was done.

 

Even if you dont use the nav much its a feature thats there incase you do. Even just the mapping can help you out if your looking for an alternate way or what not or how to get around backed up traffic ahead through some neighborhoods. But besides that, the nav equipped TL interiors look significantly better and even more so at night with everything lit up. Then last but not least, consider resale. I for one wouldnt even consider a TL without nav, but I cant say I have heard of someone passing on a car because it DID have that feature.
The 6mt's are more difficult to find, but they are out there so make sure you get exactly what you want.

James

 

Haha yup, I'm always using my nav map to look for alternative routes around traffic.

 

I saw one in Colorado (far for you, but 43,000 miles and with Navi- looks like a really nice car):

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=3

Maybe a little pricey, but I'd rather pay a little more for something like this

 

Glad that deal didn't go through. I went to north Carolina yesterday and purchased a 04 SSM 6 speed with navi and only 77k miles. All the service is up to date including waterpump and timing belt job completed the end of 2012. It drives like a brand new car

 

Pics, Stephen!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ill try to post some later, it is at the shop getting tinted right now

 

Sweeeet! congrats! If you have any notchiness or slight grind going into 3rd gear dont be afraid. That is a very common thing and the problem is basically cured by switching to the GM synchromesh tranny fluid. Its a very easy job (easier than doing motor oil), and the results are amazing!

 

Oh, I wish I had your experience. =)

Let me offer my experience.

I bought a used 06MT with 77k miles. I'm at 122k miles now. In the last 2 years I've spent over $11,000 in repairs and maintenance NOT including the price of two sets of tires (My Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grids last about 20k miles, and I'm about to spend $800+ on a set of Goodyear Comfortreds in the next month or so) or brake pads and rotors all around, and other small stuff like the battery.

My list (doesn't include everything, just big stuff or things someone might not expect):
-Both front axles replaced (one snapped on me while I was making a slow left turn).
-clutch replaced (this isn't cheap because the flywheel has to be replaced as well because it can't be machined - ~$2040 job)
-power steering pump rebuilt
-$2800 for headwork. If you overrev the engine (by accidentally downshifting into 1st instead of upshifting into 3rd) be prepared to have at least one head off to replace all the exhaust valves because the pistons will hit them and bend them. Yes, I know it's my fault but it's not uncommon. Just search for engine misfire and you'll find plenty of people trying to figure out what the misfire codes are trying to tell them. More often than not, their valves are bent. I had the exhaust valve springs replaced with stronger springs so that they will not float anymore. So far so good.
-$4425 transmission work, new front engine mount, rear main oil seal (they didn't charge me labor to do this), new clutch/flywheel (might as well since it's out). Check my posts if you're curious about the transmission repair. I'll be posting more details and pictures eventually. I do not race my car or do anything unusual with it. It is my daily driver (the cost of the gears and synchronizers is $1146). The labor for the job was ~$1400. Everything else is hard parts (and tax). I had it done at an independent shop.

Yeah, I feel some sort of way about someone telling my past self that not much can go wrong. =)

 

Thanks and transmission is smooth. It was driven by an older guy who did all the services on Time or before they were supposed to

 

There is a 6M type s 101k miles near me and the thought of a clutch replace is scaring me away. 2k is steep.

 

^not only that but you also have the timing belt change coming soon if it hasnt already.

My suggestion when seeing used TL 6MTs is having the owner drive. Then you can see if he or she has bad habits and expect a clutch replacement in the future.

There are a lot of people that have terrible habits and the sad thing is that they have no idea..

 

Sorry to here about your experience. That doesn't worry me to much because you can swap the engine if something goes wrong. I'm pretty carful about gear changes probably too careful especially since im still trying to master driving a manual. Don't know what happened to your tranny but they are pretty reliable other than the grinding which is a simple fix

 

took a couple shots after picking it up from getting tinted. ill clean it up this weekend and get some more shots.

 

Swap the engine? That's all I have to do? =)

The synchronizers wore out in my tranny, and I'm not sure if you can replace them without buying the entire gear set but even if you didn't replace the gears, it would only bring the cost down about $1000. The shaft bearings cost about $100 each, and there are 4 of them. It all adds up. Any kind of work on the MT will cost you thousands, so don't be surprised by the bill especially if you buy a used one.

 

Engine swap is easy I pulled the transmission out of my car and swapped in a new one within 8 hours. My friend pulled his engine and transmission out when he had to swap out his transmission. sounds like you got it all worked out though so hopefully you will enjoy it from this point forward.

 

That's cool that you have the ability to do that yourself. That should come in handy. Congrats on your purchase!

 

Congrats on the new ride, enjoy!

 

let the modding begin

 

I will in the spring after I recover some money for paying for the car. I already have an 09 tl intake manifold and piping to make a 4" intake which I'll put on once I get a zdx throttle body and ported and polished runners. This week I'm going to order aspec kit and floor mats before they are discontinued.