cdina36315

I have been looking for some time now and my current car is getting pretty old, so I am ready to buy hopefully an 08 Type S. I found a kbp at a dealer near me, but couldn't take it out yesterday, because they were replacing the windshield. So I am going to look at it tomorrow and take it for a ride. Also want to see it in the day light. They had it inside in the service area.
But reading some past posts about the rear struts making noise and now a thread, with some guys changing their brakes before 20k mile, I am having some doubts and then their is gas mileage.

What are some of the opinions out there? Do the base TL's have less issues?

My last 2 cars, each I kept over 10 years and had almost no maintenance. I had an 85 Supra and currently a 96 3000GT.

Any input would be appreciated.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Cdina, I've had my Type S for a little over a year now and love the car. I'm so glad I was able to get the Type S over the Base TL. The only issue you bring up that I can speak to is the gas mileage. I get 17 to 18 mpg in the city. I'm not aware of a rear strut issue though. I had my last car over 10 years too. This is a Honda, it will also last you a long time. If you buy this Type S, make sure they certify the car for you.

dj5

I had an 85 Supra as well. Loved that car and kept it for 10 years. I now have an '08 TL-S. In my opinion, it gives the best bang for the buck for any car on the road. I had and '02 TL-S but after driving the '08 and seeing the '09 the choice was clear. While the Plain TLs are nice, I would not have been happy not getting the TL-S. Get the car, you won't regret it.

cdina36315

Thanks guys, helping me feel better.
I thought the strut thing, was pretty well known.

Also, I haven't driven the type-s yet. Does it have a rougher ride than the base?
I hope the dealer lets me take it out by myself. I am psyched to try out the extra power.

shooter

Long time Acura fan, so I'm of course biased .... LOL .... but after three acura with no problems, you would be a die-hard fan 2 ....

Get the type-s as I am still loving it after almost 2 years ...

cdina36315

Thanks Shooter,

How many miles did you get out of your front brakes?

EVOLICARUS

i've owned hondas for over 16 years, never had any problems with any of my hondas

JwongTLS

If you're looking looking for a sports sedan, you definately need to get the type-s. If your looking for a TL to get around, then the base model is your ideal car.

The rear struts, im not aware of. So far im not having issues with the struts. As for changing brakes, everyones driving style is diffrent. If you drive aggressive then obviously you gotta change out your pads earlier. But hey you cant complain about the brakes on the type s!

Get the type-s if you plan on getting a TL, its much more worth it!

Audioholics

I never thought I'd get a TL Type S coming off my 05 TL Lease. I said to myself, this car is dated, I hate the rims, I hate the red interior lights, the steering is too stiff, the fuel economy is average...

Then I drove cars such as:
Hyundai Genesis 3.8
BMW 328i
BMW 528i
Infiniti G35

and realized the TL Type S was meant for me!

cdina36315

The other cool thing is. My wife has no idea, about the 280 horse power. She is just happy, that I am willing to buy an automatic, 4 door sedan.

Bearcat94

I've had 2 Type-S's. Virtually zero problems.

A few have had strut noise (there is warranty TSB for this if needed). A few have had other misc problems. However, overall, very reliable.

Brakes pad wear is Type-S or Base 6-speed. Yes, some change very early. Others have go 40k+. Driving style is a big factor here. You pay a price for improved stoppers.


BTW - surf the BMW, Lexus, Infiniti boards. Lots of complaints there too. This is where people come to share problems and fixes - you get a skewed veiw of how wide-spread or serious a problem really is.

cdina36315

I drove the Lexus IS250, and I can't believe for the price, how small it is and the serious lack of power.

subbuzz

I still get the same butterflies when I drive her as the day I picked her up. There hasn't been a day where I felt I made the wrong choice.....

MR1

My 05 Base AT is at 52k with basically zero problems so far. Brakes are still fine with mostly city driving. There was no Type S when I bought mine.

Cecilt

GEt the Type S. I had an '06 Tl 6 speed and now an '07 Type S auto and I have to say i like the Type S a lot more. I miss the manual in some situations but the auto 90% of the time is great. The Type S looks great, the red lights don't bother me in the least and in WDP the car looks awesome.

DNPhotography

same here. glad i didnt go with the base.

nmsujeff88

You won't regret the type-S. I love my '07 6 MT. Great gas mileage. Have had no problems through the first 17.5K miles, only oil changes and tire rotations.

cdina36315

I guess, based on all of your opinions...Type-S it is!
I was never too crazy about the two tone seats, but they looked pretty good in the one I had seen the other day. Going back in a couple of hours to see it in the day light and hopefully drive it. (without the dealer in the car).

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

DO IT! What color 2 tone seats, i got the ebony/silver, it looks NICE! A guy on here has the taupe, not as crazy about it, but it definitely looks good

what dealer?

cdina36315

OK, I am leaving in 5 min.
For some reason when I had seen the ebony and silver in pics on line. It always kind of looked like ebony and tan. When I saw the ebony and silver the other day, I thought it looked pretty good, but the car was inside the service area, I think all cars look good, when they are in the garage, with the lights hitting them. So before I am committed, I want to see the car outside in the daylight.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

You'll feel a sturdier ride. The Type S has bigger suspension than the Base TL's. You'll enjoy the power too.

LoveMyTL-S

The Type-S is a little stiffer as it has a sportier suspension. Also a stiffer steering wheel. The extra power is very nice. Can never have too much power. With the Type-S you get every bell and whistle there is for the TL. It's all included which sold me. Bought it and have never looked back. Hope to hear in a new post that your driving a Type-S and I'm sure I'll see the big grin through my monitor....

Bearcat94

ONLY 2-tone seat in the Type-S is Ebony/Silver. Other option is Taupe, but it's solid, not 2-tone.

Audioholics

If I may add one more comment. I am not a morning person. I typically work late in the evening since I am a small business owner. Despite the fact I get roughly 5hrs sleep/night, I get up every morning at 630am to drive my daughter to school. Ever since I got the TLS, the wake up hasn't been as grueling. I actually can't wait to get her out of the house so I can drive my car. I've never felt this way about another car before, not even in my 05 TL.

I've had this car for over 1 month now and the effect hasn't worn off. Of course I also look forward to the drive home so I can crash back into my bed for an hour

04WDPSeDaN

iTrader: (1)

The problem is yourself. Any vehicle you buy will end up needing service. Is it strange to do brakes before 20k? No, not at all. Not a single driver uses their brakes the same way. Local driving beats on your brakes unlike all highway since your rarely using the brakes. There's always going to be your basic maintance. Your air + cabin filter.. transmission services, coolant flushes. Of coarse lots of consumers don't realize what "Real life" maintance is compaired to what the dealer shit says. My wife's mother drives a 99 corolla in her eyes it needs nothing, but it's a 99 which the only service it recieved were oil changes. It being at 60k she needs about 2K worth of maintance work to bring it up to speed again.

You been driving for a while now and should realize that nothing is made like the 50's or 70's. The amount of computers and the level of advancement on today's vehicals will probably scare the shit out of you. The more advance they keep making them the more that shit keeps failing and more attention of maintance it needs. If you have any doubts and your looking for best bang for buck in all around car then this acura isn't for you. You might end up looking at a basic corolla or yaris. Great on gas and requires the least amount of maintance to do since they are simple to work on.

This is just as great as the guy who came up to me at a gas station and said "That's why I didn't get a lexus.. because it uses premium gas" I glance over to see that he owns 08 honda V6 accord. Shoving nice 87 octane and saying "The dealer said it's doesn't need anything till 100k" Go figure, lets change the air filter at 100k.. The dealer shits are saying anything because they aren't technicians. A sales man doesn't even know where the oil dipstick is, besides feeding customers with a bunch of crap. If you can afford a 40K car then I'm sure you can afford 91+ octane gas and can afford when stuff fails and it's out of warranty you gotta pay out of pocket.

Best of luck with what ever you decided. It's your money your investment buy what you don't mind fixing when it breaks.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I feel this way about my Type S too and I've had it a year and a month!

pilotman28

What kind of driving are you doing to get 17-18mpg? I get 24-25mpg around the city. The rear strut thing I am having done as we speak in fact. Didn't know it was a wide spread problem until on here. Certification and the wrap around warranty if you can swing it. $1200 is what I was charged for my wrap around warranty which makes it bumper to bumper for 100K miles.

Keep your foot out of the throttle and you'll get better mileage. I have a 05 TL Navi with the 6MT. The manual tranny makes all the difference to me but if you can't get it you can't get it.

Skywayca

I also bought an '08 type s after driving almost everything else back to back within a +10k price point. Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes and the base model TL. If you haven't already bought, I would strongly suggest test driving everything back to back the same day, as it it much easier to distinguish each models strengths and weaknesses.

I almost went with an IS350, which is also a very nice car. (IS250 was not considered due to severe lack of performance) Next behind this was the Infiniti G37 coupe.

But in the end, rear seat room, firmer suspension and overall value (8K less than a loaded IS350) won it for me.

I will say that the overall build quality/fit and finish of the TL type s is not quite up to par with the Lexus, though it's very close.

I have owned this car since July '08 and apart from some very minor warranty issues with paint and sticky dash buttons, the car has worked flawless. I've only driven in heavy rain twice and I was surprised how planted this car is at freeway speeds.

With around 7K on the odometer, 3 oil changes and a transmission fluid change later, the car is now averaging between 26-31 mpg on the instant readout thing-a-me-jig. I have been taking it easy in this car, with only the occasional throttle for passing etc.

I much prefer driving this car on the open highway as opposed to driving it around town, It's a great, comfortable long distance cruiser.

This car is used as a second vehicle.

cdina36315

Well, just got back from my test drive...I am gonna be getting real bad gas mileage in that thing. But it will be worth it. Also, you guys are right. Any additional maintenance like brakes, will be worth it. Comes with the performance.
It is quite different than what I remember of the base TL, all good.

Unfortunately I won't be buying this one. They were replacing the windshield the first time I was at the dealer. When I asked if they could verify if any body work was done. They were honest enough to say their was a dent in the hood. One sales guy says they replaced the whole hood. The other said, they just fixed it. Looks like the original hood to me. There were some pretty good scratches on the front bumper and some dirt in between the headlight and the body. To me it almost looked like it did a little face plant into a dirt mound, but not really that bad. rear bumper had a pretty good gauge in it.
Drivers side seat had what looked like a couple of cigarette burns in it.
Front tires were at least 2/3 worn, where the rears were still pretty good. Makes me wonder about burnouts.
Then there were some creeks in the dash as I drove it. Had the dealer look up the service records, and he said the nav screen was replaced.

Didn't feel good about this particular TL-S, but figured I would still see how the negotiations would go. They started at 32,800. After a little bit of talking, the salesman came back with 31,000. I told them, I have friends that paid, high 33's for the car new.
Manager came out and said if I bought it today, He could give it to me in the low 29's.
I pretty much said thanks, but I am not that interested in the car, because of some of the issues with it. I wanna see if they call me back.
Also, forgot to mention. One other thing I didn't like, was when I lifted the hood. All the plastic, and some hoses, even the big metal hose in the back I think for the AC, had a film of what seemed to be clean oil. The sales guy, said it was just armoral, and maybe it was, but when I touched it, it looked and smelled like oil to me. Not sure what to think here.
Either way, I guess I will keep looking. Definitely like the TL-S, especially with the two tone seats.

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

Definitely stay away unless they offer a sick deal. 31k is high for the damage done to the vehicle

Also about the tires, the front is going to wear ALOTTTTTTTTTTT faster than the rear because the same 2 wheels do the turning and accelerating. The RWD cars show more equal wear, but not 100% equal

Audioholics

3 oil changes with only 7k miles? Thats too much!

Audioholics

They are trying to rip you off. I wouldn't buy that TL unless you could get it for like $25k and all damages fixed.

I got a flawless 07 with 10k miles for $26.5K + TTL last month.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

cdina, you are right about this Type S...it doesn't sound like a good buy. The only way I would suggest you consider this is if the replace everything you've seen to be back and give you an extended warranty on it to cover things you can't visually see wrong with the car.

Otherwise, walk from it. Look at www.cars.com. I had good luck on that site. Sorry for the letdown....

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

Huh??!! I love my TL-S and all, but 25 MPG City??? You must be the only guy who gets better than the optimistic EPA ratings!
I'd be ecstatic if I actually got 18 MPG city.

Yeah, with the engine off & coasting downhill!

Sorry bud, there is no way that you're getting 25 MPG in city with a TL-S.

I agree that the TL-S is a fantastic car, but let's have a reality check!

hankypank

Good luck in your search.

I love my 07 TL-S 6MT WDP.

I only wish it were rear wheel drive (except when it snows), and it were a two door.

I got the taupe (took what I could find). Black and silver looks sporty, but the taupe / black is very classy looking.

Mileage in the cold weather about 24 mpg mixed driving, not pushing it.

And this comes from another former Supra guy!


Chris
07 TL-S 6MT A-spec lip

89 Supra Turbo Targa 5MT White w/ white out option (still miss her! blown head gasket)

84 Supra 5MT Red

cdina36315

Thanks for all the comments guys.

Yeah, I am holding off on this one. I may be a little too picky, but you gotta feel good about the car you are buying.

Babnik

It probably was armoral. Some of the concerns you have about that car are valid, but this one is a bit silly. It seems you are trying very hard to find reasons not to buy the car. Are you SURE you want a TL? Although based on your description I probably wouldn't buy this particular TL either. My point is that if you try hard enough you can find faults with every vehicle, new or used.

pilotman28

I don't have a TL-S but the extra 20HP doesn't make THAT much difference. I just don't stick my foot in the floorboard everytime I can. I watch my shifts and I also don't shift too early to bog the engine down. I'm no professional driver but I know enough about torque output and engine management to do pretty friggin well with my MPG.

And my claims about my MPG are actual, not computer calculated by the car because my 05 doesn't have that.

AnthraciteAspec

iTrader: (6)

My 04 calculates MPG, pretty sure your 05 does as well. Its in one of the screens in the information display.

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

There are SO MANY more differences then just HP, that is a very ignorant thing to say