[FONT=Arial][COLOR=Navy]A gent on another thread was saying that he lived in SoCal and wished he could let his TL rip.

I am no longer living in LA. I won’t say how old I am – lemme put it this way: I used to sing “Wild Thing You Make My Heart Sing” to girl-checkers while bagging groceries at Safeway. I bought my TL in January and, now and then, late at night I just get into the TL (have soft slippers on so I can feel the gas pedal and the brakes), and run the crest of the hill area in which we live. Mulholland Drive in LA (which I drove many, many years ago) has nothing over this road here. You hit this truly twisty, rarely banked road, and move up-and-down (so you better have your brights on with these Xenons cutting off so sharply), with the radio off, so you can hear that fine, fine engine roar whenever you downshift to take that 110 degree curve at 45-50 mph, your back snapped to the seat, the car taking the curves with just the right amount of lean, you almost never have feeling that you would lose the car, yet feeling the steering wheel squirm in your hands because of that phenomenal torque (to hell with rear-wheel drive – that’s easy – try fighting a dragon) – and you, and old fart by all accounts, at least chronologically, feel like a youngster with his first Austin Cooper S (no, not the BMW variety, but the original one with a big Union Jack on the roof) and your heart beats faster, and you feel yourself grinning like you used to so many years ago. You hope your wife didn’t hear you leave, but even is she does, she doesn’t know you just averaged 60 mph over a 7-mile stretch of road on which the longest straight patch is probably no more than 200 feet long. And this old fool, can’t resist the exhilaration, although, a few years ago, he did total a 200SX hitting a deer on the same road.

My 17-year-old tells me that the car is too soft, too smooth, too easy to handle, and he prefers the ’91 Prelude he “inherited” from me. Music to my ears. Talking about music, I know he covets the ELS. :thefinger

I am not going to tell our SoCal friend here to take Mulholland Drive at an average of 60 mph – it’s probably too built up by now anyway - but until he does, or does something similar to it, he will not KNOW his TL.

Before I bought the TL, I drove the 330i, ES 330, G35, Audi S4 Quattro, & the MB C32 AMG. No contest! The BMW 530i would have also pleased me, but it was $10,000 more than comparably equipped TL. I can buy a lot of Premium gas with 10 kilobucks. The Edmund’s review guy says about the TL “Cons: Can't match the athleticism of some German rivals.” That boy must have either smoked some locoweed or somebody switched badges on him – ‘cose if the TL were any more “athletic” I probably wouldn’t have made that last hairpin-curve last Sunday at 2:00 AM. [Around here, folks go to bed at 9:00 PM.]

To my mind: TL = THE definition of luxury sports sedan.

 

You got that right

 

I know when I test drove it, I climbed out with a smile like I haven't had in a LONG time. This car can't be beat, especially for the money.

 

Sure I know my TL, I know when I floor it I get to hear rattles that seem to be designed specifically for full throttle situations, I know that in the morning the front passenger door rattles for 15 miles then goes quiet until the next morning.

I know my glove-box (after 3 repairs) does the jig when I hit bumps and that the felt on the 3rd brake light was designed to fall off. I even video taped my drive to work to make sure I wasn't going crazy, sure enough that damn box is doing the jig!

I know that the drivers door was designed to rattle when temps go over 70f, and only when it's over 70f, not 69f, 70f and that the left tweeter will be quiet for a full week but then suddenly it's rattling around in it's mount trying very hard to out do the other rattles.

I know that I set my doors to lock when I put the car in gear, now that doesn't work anymore either and the dealer forgets to fix things and when they do work on it parts are left lying around and my seat gets punctured, so it has to go back yet again.

I know that at times it seems that every single damn thing in the car rattles for what seems like forever then suddenly goes quiet and I have a short time to enjoy a blissfull quiet ride knowing full well the other shoe will fall and the symphony will start anew.

Sure I know my TL, but not the way I wanted to, that's for sure.... it would be nice if I could get to know it as it was meant to be, but this TL bucks me in everyway as if enjoyment is the very last thing it wants to give.

Please spare me the lemon law comments, I've spoken to a lawyer and the time for that process is not yet at hand.

 

AJ,


I'm in your age group "you make everything groovy"....

I'm looking forward to taking the same type of drive on the roads of western North Carolina - Blue Ridge mountains - where I will eventually be moving to. Just came back from a trip down there but unfortunaly didn't have my TL yet. Will be down there again this summer and hopefully this time will be taking my car...

 

Same "lifetime chronology experience" group here.........As for the Troggs and lyrics from their signature song - "you move me"..........

Just had a great drive from Virginia Beach to Richmond and back.....and while that certainly is no curvy mountain drive...it still felt so VERY good! Nice smooth ride....and the enjoyment of feeling the kick when you press down on the gas pedal. Just hit the 2k mark myself, no rattles or vibrations, headliner is tight, seats always where they should be. I STILL smile every climb in!

 

Great original post! But how the hell did you end up in Alabama after living in LA?

Norse, we know your TL is a disaster, and we feel bad for you, but please let the rest of us enjoy the car!!!

 

[QUOTE=jrogers345]AJ,


I'm in your age group "you make everything groovy"....

 

[QUOTE=TLGator]Great original post! But how the hell did you end up in Alabama after living in LA?

I have always driven sporty cars - 1954 MB 190SL (power disk brakes on all 4 wheels!!), 1971 Fiat 124 Spider, 1967 Fiat Dino, 1963 Austin Healy 3000 Mark II, 1989 Nissan 240SX, and finally 1991 Honda Prelude Si. You can't move the suckas in LA. By the time I've had it, morning rush hour was starting at 6:00 AM and lasted until 9:00, and evening rush hour started at 3:30 PM and went 'til 7:30. One day I tried to point out the Hollywood Mountains to a visitor, and I realized we couldn't see them...smog was too thick and opaque. That did it for me. With the money I save on property and taxes in Alabama I can take trips anywhere, including visiting my dad in LA. AND buy this absolute delight of a car.

I guess I am done with kidney-rattling machines, even if it was fun while it lasted. This year's TL is the best combination of what I always liked and what now my body asks for. The Bluetooth HandsFree, Navi, and ELS sound with XM radio cinched it for me.

 

I think it's great you would give your kid the double finger.

 

AJ, I've been on the fence about trading for a new TL, but your post made me want to go out and do it today. I just may take the plunge this weekend.

Norse, I'm really sorry to hear about your experience with rattles, but unfortunately they aren't confined to the TL. Go over to ClubLexus and do a search for "rattles" in the SC430 forum. I owned an '03 (second year of production) for a year... purchased brand new... and the roof, seat, and dash rattles came and went intermittently, not to mention the consistent door speaker buzzing when playing certain tracks. And it wasn't just mine... there were quite a few owners that had the same experience. That was in a car that cost almost twice as much as the TL.

Were the owners frustrated? Sure. Did we sue Lexus? No. We turned up our stereos.

 

Thanks, AJR. This is a great thread. Yes, I KNOW my TL. There are still plenty of great roads through the hills in northern CA where my A-Spec can get enough clear road to work her magic! This car really is a wonderful blend of performance, luxury, and style.

 

I love him dearly, he is the apple of my eyes, but he cannot have my ELS. Even a doting dad has to draw the line somewhere- it seems I am drawing all sorts of lines with the TL. Like, NOBODY is allowed to drive it.

Oh, yeah... the kid got a new 10-CD changer and a brand-new radio for his Prelude, too.

 

I rarely wax enthusiastic about cars, anymore - but this jewel truly gladdens my heart. It’s spacious (BMW’s made me claustrophobic), it’s sleek and elegant inside (no as Spartan as the G35), handles like a dream with a good road-fell (unlike the mushy ES330), love its stance (looks squatty and ready to move even when standing still – all the others in the entry luxury sports sedan group look dated and dowdy, to my eyes), the anthracite grey looks 3-dimensional it’s so deep, talking about 3-D, the LED dials do look 3-D, the hands-free phone it’s a life-saver, the Nav gets us around Atlanta (where wife works and we don’t know the city well) with impressive precision – even looks for short-cuts and the ELS sound is the best I’ve ever heard short of a live concert. Love the XM (also standard) radio – I have not listened to radio in 10 years – now we get to pick prog rock or comedy or sports news – even the traffic channel in Atlanta. The controls on the steering wheel, doors, everywhere are faintly lit at night, when your headlights are on.

The service – my kid jammed one his Death Metal CDs into the changer while it was still moving. Ten days later, I had a new CD-changer. No hassles, no muss. Dealer threw in trunk liner, mud flaps, and lock wheels. The service manager just bought a TL for himself, so he babies mine like he does his. He gave me his, while they were installing the radio in mine; then, when they were done, he drove mine to the clinic, parked in the shade away from other cars – brought up the keys, left it with reception – and took his car back. This was a 10-mile ride for him, each way. Each time they see my car, they clean the leather, vacuum the carpets, and wash the car. They treat me like a king, even though, it’s THEIR name [King Acura]. Oh, they also “tuned” the car to eliminate vibrations at 50 mph (which are, now, barely perceptible – unless you are totally OCD) and fixed the seat position memory without me saying a word about the latter. I called headquarters (I think in Torrance) and asked them about the “vibrations.” The rep there (Scott) made sure Service had the latest instructions from Honda and called me 3 times afterwards to make sure I was pleased.

Oh, yeah… that Lexus commercial about the car remembering you – our TLs do that, too. The car “recognizes” the driver by the remote used (you get 2 sets) and sets the seats, the (heated) mirrors, the light timing sequences, etc. for you, exactly as you programmed them. The keys are electronically programmed, so if you knock out the ignition to steal the car – after you defeated the alarm (good luck!), the “Immobilizer System” kicks in. You ain’t going nowhere. Drawback – keys cost a fortune to replace and if you get drunk and try the wrong key 3 times, you car will get disabled and you will have to take a cab home and call the dealer next day. J

These days, with the obvious decreasing interest in quality and service, I am totally pleased with my decision. For the first time in ages, I actually look for reasons to get in the car and drive somewhere, even if just to the supermarket for milk. I am also either going to ask for a car cover or shoot the cat, because it keeps leaving paw prints on my otherwise PERFECT car.

 

yes this sounds familiar in a lot of respects. norse: sorry your car sucks but its your car that sucks not ours. it still amazes me how people react to the way my tl looks. people I am not friendly with at work still make a point of telling me how gorgeous it is. that still pales in comparison to what really matters: the way it drives. I really like the new 5 series but there is no way its better than my tl. especially how cheaply made the interior is and how its 44,000 STRIPPED. maybe norse should trade in for a new 530i. then he would see how much better the tl is. even his.

 

I know my car and I love it. I havent' felt like this towards any car since I was 16 when I got my first Z28 (what a POS). I too get all giddy when I take it out at night, especially after a wash & wax job. I don't drive on Mulholland drive (who would with LA traffic), but there are plenty of open roads where I live and I accidently get a little too fast from time to time. This is car gives me the first date goosebumps everytime I get in it and it's been like that since December. The wife even gets a little jealous (I have my TL on my cellphone wallpaper instead of her or the kids).

Norse, sale your car so you can get the hell out of this forum. I've been on this forum since December and, frankly, I'm a little tired of your constant bitching and moaning. I don't understand why you don't just sell the thing as much as you hate it. I realize that this forum allows for discussions from both sides, but your is ALWAYS one sided - negative.

 

 

Give Norse a break. He is just being honest about the problems with his TL. If I had that many problems I would be too. And most of those on this site can agree that Norse has been useful, even I can say that I learned a lot from the conversations that go on, even if I have been "lurking" for 9-10 months until I actually bought the TL.

 

maybe he would get a break if he stopped whining and did something about it. you dont want anyone constantly raining on YOUR parade do you?