After 8 months, i decided to trade in my 2004 TL. I took a major hit on the trade, but I was tired of not getting that "luxury feeling" from a car that I paid a "luxury price."

Reason for buying: Out of this world styling. Great value. Acura reputation for quality. Gadgets! Best nav out there.

Reason for trading: Constant problem with the evaporator growing mold and the inside of my cabin smelling like gym socks-got tired of dealerships spraying lysol in my vents. Cracking seats-leather looked great for about 2000mi-but now it looks like a 6 year old car.

Just wanted to thank everyone for all the great info on this site!

 

sorry to hear that you had all those problems. i hope you enjoy your new car and have better luck with it. btw what car did you trade the TL in for?

 

Good luck with your new car. What car did you get?

 

Here's some history (I think this is necessary before I get flamed.)

Here are the cars I've owned:
1997 Honda Civic EX 4dr (still have it)
1999 BMW 740iL (sold in 2004)
2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD (traded it for TL)
2001 BMW 525i (still have it)
2004 Acura TL (traded for....)

2005 BMW 525i (yes I said the "B" word)

This car actually was my first choice before the TL, but I felt that I needed a more "bang for the buck" type of car. I felt that while there was lots of "bang," acura forgot to take care of basic things like climate control and seats.

Future suggestions to Acura: When you set climate control to auto, make sure the computer doesnt control the recirculation. I had to press Auto, Recirc, then Recirc again to get automatic climate control without recirculation (ugh!) Change your leather - didn't anyone test this leather before approving it for these cars? These are issues that have never been a problem in "lower class" cars. Why should it be in the TL?

 

My experience is that high-quality leather wrinkles (or appears worn) faster than the low-end stuff. The better the leather, the softer it will be and the quicker it will wrinkle.

 

Exactly right, the higher in quality you go, the softer and easier to show wear you get. I always laugh when people talk like they want industrial strength leather in one breath, and quality in the next. I hear BMW's p-leather is very durable.

 

I understand that "better" leather will wrinkle faster. I never questioned the quality of the leather. I'm sure it's great quality. Once it starts cracking/wrinkling, however, it doesn't look like it belongs in this type of car. (Clean lines, high-tech) It looks like it belongs in my buddy's Saab. I would have sacrificed a bit of the "quality" for less wrinkles. Just my opinion tho.

 

two 525is in a one household? ummmm....okay....

why a 525i? went from 270 to 184 hp and alot less amenities huh...big move, good luck

 

If you're looking for best bang for your buck, I don't think the TL can be beat. BMW is certainly doesn't offer a better bang for your buck, IMO.

 

The older 525 is my wife's...the new one is mine. My 2004 TL was supposed to be better than her 2001 525...but I found I was more willing to driver her car than mine.

HP was never an issue - I didn't buy the TL initially for HP. While it was great to have 270 (japanese rwd horses,) try driving 184 (european rwd horses.) 270 japanese fwd horses are like 200-210 european rwd horses. This, of course, can be debated all day long - but it was not an initial purchase issue. Besides, so what if a TL could pull? So can a camaro, mustang, and so on...Again, not an issue - I don't race--and if I do wanna race, I'd buy a MBZ C55

Again, my reason for giving it up was because I wasn't getting the luxury feeling for the luxury price I paid. (not because of horsepower)

C'mon, 38k OTD for a car that smelled like gym socks and looked worn out inside? I was too embarassed to even have people come along for the ride.

Yes, the BMW is more expensive, has less horsepower....that's a no-brainer, but at least I can honestly say I am getting more overall satisfaction. And I hope everyone respects that. I respect that everyone here may love their TL...and that's great that they are enjoying it. I wish I was part of that crowd, believe me.

 

I sure as hell won't flame you for getting a 5 series. At least you didn't get the 3 series which I think is too small to compare to. I like the 5 series but unfortunately I'd probably need a 545 to be happy and with Nav and a few goodies you're north of 60k. Can't say that's a good way to spend money. Value? Nope. Nice car? You bet.

One thing about BMWs...you get SIRIUS! God, what I'd pay to switch out this XM shit!

I truly wish you the best of luck and I'm sure you'll enjoy your new ride, I think you did well.

 

Did you ever consider the new GS ???

 

I drove a GS330 AWD on Friday. It felt like a nutless boat to me.

 

Good luck with the new car. Glad you are happy with the new purchase.

 

Rexwui,

I would have bitched to Acura big time about the mold and had them replace all my ducts as your situation seems isolated compared to everyone else. As for the seat wrinkles, I'm not sure if I agree with those who say faster wrinkling means better quality leather, but that still remains to be seen.

Hope you look back in the coming months believing you made the right decision.

Good Luck !!

 

Thanks for all the well wishes...I'm not going anywhere...I'll still be trolling the board - I like to keep up with the latest "stuff" and this is probably the best place to do so! Maybe I'll be game for the next gen...who knows!

 

how much of a hit was it, im thinkin of trading my self

 

Bought it for $38K OTD (this is typical in CA Bay Area.) I put 8000+ miles on it and it was in pristine condition- no chips dents or dings. I got $30k for it (KBB trade-in: 29K; private party: $31K.) IMO, the loss was about $3-$4K with the retail resale price being $34K.

$3-$4K for the long haul was well worth it IMO. I did get better than typical trade in value, but that was because I was spending so much more in the BMW which ended up well over $50K OTD when all was said and done.

 

$3-$4k trade in loss is about the norm.

As long as you are very happy with your car, buy anything you want!

when I buy a Bimmer I will get the 545 or M5, or Z4, but I'm still saving for it...
so if you can do it now, enjoy it!

 

I was gonna get a 530 bmw with Sport package, Premium sound, Premium package and Navi but the cost was 59k. My TL was $35000 with all the options the 530 had. Dont get me wrong. I love the 5 series bmw. I think its the best looking sedan out there. The car screams Class and money, plus its much easier to pick up on chicks with the beamer as opposed to our TL. If i had the money I would have bought the 5series, but i had to settle for a TL which is an awesome car for the price. Hopefully in the Future ill have a fully loaded 5 series. Good luck with the 5 series and congrats on the purchase.
You might want to also check out www.e60.net they are a great community forum on 5 series.

 

LOL and do you have that much cake left over after buying the 530 to get the chicks...LOL

I had a 560SL in 86 and it was terrifying how many looks I got while driving. I took it to a wedding and some woman just wanted to be seen in it and go for a ride .. It almost did not make a difference to her if I was a nice guy or not..LOL...

 

rexwui,
Good luck with your 525i, I'm sorry that the TL did not work for you. I love BMW in cherry red, it's so sexy! I would have gotten a Red TL if Acura made the TL same color as the RED TSX... unfortunately they didn't.

Hope you have fun with your new BMW!!

 

Hum... It may be the norm for some, not me. I have traded in several cars and have never lost more that $1500 off the private party selling price. Of course the dealers are going to jack up the resale price so that it appears you're losing more, but they'll never sell it at that price. Let it be said though that I've never traded in a car with only 8k miles on it either.

 

Well, I hope this does not happen to you but...

Many folks I have known that switch from Acura/Honda to BMW because of "Quality" problems are pretty unhappy with their decision in a few months. BMW has its strengths, but Quality is not one of them.

Good luck...

 

Yep. I can't speak for all Bimmers--and I love Bimmers--but my best friend traded in his 2001 730i last year for an LS430. He was having several issues with the BMW, like dead batteries, electrical problems and a couple of leaks. I really liked that car...but the LS is waaaay better, IMO.

 

Regarding your ducts, It sounds like you either had recycle on all the time,
or the recycle was stuck on. Thus the car wasn't getting fresh dry air from the outside to dry and kill the bacteria in the system. Lysol wouldn't do any good in a situation like this.

I experienced this first hand with a 2000 Land Rover Discovery, that was stuck in recycle mode. Soon as they fixed it the smell went away almost immediately.

 

So you actually LIKED the plastic crap interiors of those 5-series these days?

 

I wouldn't say that leather that wrinkles fast is good quality. There can be shitty leather that wrinkles fast, I don't know. Flip that around and you have it the right way.

Good quality leather shows wear(wrinkles) faster. Especially if it is not taken care of properly.

 

Sheesh...harsh. To each his own.

 

All of you need to shut up with the rude comments. I mean seriously are you all jealous that he got a BMW because you all sure are acting like it. That car is in another HIGHER league over the TL. I would own one over a TL any day. So be nice and quit making stupid rude comments about the BMW that aren't true.

Oh and btw, congrats on the new car! Good choice and I am sure it will be a better car overall.

 

My car is 1 year old this month and still has the new car smell. Gym socks???....you better clean out your trunk.

 

It smelled like gym socks because of the evaporator mold problem - not because I left anything in my trunk.

Man, people refuse to read!

 

I am curious if you parked your TL on an incline?? I ask because my 2003 Suburban has a foul smell when I parked in the driveway at home. When I parked on the flat street..smell gone.

 

Evenings in the garage - flat. Daytime outdoors - flat as well.

 

OH MY GOD - you went for a new 525i vs. the TL? That is one I drove before getting my TL and I absolutely hated that thing - it feels like it has about 90hp and weighs 5,000 pounds. I couldn't even hold back on the sales guy and finally after returning to the parking lot I had to tell him how horrible that car is. Of course, in typical BMW fashion, his snooty self gave me the snob look and scurried off.

Outside all that, of course, YOU have to love it.

 

Why do people have to idiots about this. I simply pointed out that friends had bad experiences with Bimmers.

I could also point out BMWs performance in JD Power, Maritz, and other "Quality" studies that measure both short and long term problems experienced by real customers.

These surveys all, basically, agree. BMW has some issues with reliability and component durability, but driving a BMW is more about the way it feels, drives, and makes you feel when you drive it.

If that is what you like, then you should certainly have it, as long as you understand the extra hassles that MAY come with it.

 

A former colleague bought a 2004 530i after test driving the TL, Saab 93 and the 530i. His wife had issues with the torque steer of the TL (6MT), the new Saab's are too much like GM products (he and his wife have had 4 Saab's), but both loved the 530i. They took a cross country trip in it and loved driving it, they've had it a year with only a couple minor problems (low tire pressure warning system and check engine light). Good luck with your's.

 

I can understand the original poster. I was set to buy an Acura. BMW clearance sales (E46) convinced me to try something else. So I got a 325i for higher than a TL 6 sp. (but not in the lease payment).

Teutonic feel just can not be substitued for somebody who appreciates it. There are a few annoyances but I love it. The car is less an highway cruiser than an Accord. Less pratical than an Accord (try to pack 2 weeks of grocery in the trunk!). The automatic climate control is not doing a good job. The interior of high quality, but stark. Yet for pure driving excitement and cachet, this is it; the BMW is one $tep beyond.

I would probably be happy with the Acura, but I am sure that I would miss that Teutonic touch.