So after heading to my local Honda dealer to see if they would do recall work on my Acura TL (they wouldn't) I ended up driving off with a 2009 Toyota Avalon. I will miss my TL but unfortunately it was starting to become a money pit for me and imo was bad luck. I had gotten hit on all four sides, two of which I wasn't even in the car for . My suspension was shot and transmission was starting to feel like it was on its way out. But the biggest factor was that my daughter was able to kick my seat and she is only 2 1/2 years old so I literally and figuratively had outgrown the TL and was already planning on trading in for something else later on this year anyways. I know most people will flame me for getting an Avalon but really with the suspension the way it was on the TL the handling and ride is not that much different but everything is so much smoother on the Avalon and best of all when driving around everyone in the car has so much space. Hopefully in time I will come back to an Acura if they ever get their heads right with the new models. I will miss Azine especially after trolling around the Avalon forums (woww are they crap compared to Azine). Thanks for all who have helped me with my questions and problems with my TL, I always checked this site daily first thing in the morning at work.

 

An Avalon?

Good luck with it! You don't have to leave Acurazine just because you don't own an Acura anymore.

 

The new Avalons are pretty bad ass. I drove one that had all of the options and I was very impressed with ride quality. Plus the car's features that the 3G TL (regardless of year) cannot match. Good for you, man. Enjoy the car!

 

Haha I was waiting for the Grandpa comments, honestly with my TL being the way it was I had to drive it very carefully anyways so it doesn't seem to be as much of a trade off as I had originally thought. And I will still come back on the site but it won't be as much as before.

 

yes he does.

take care of yourself, MOS!

 

Yea I love the features on the Avalon, well except the keyless entry that sucks imo but I'll get used to it. I love the heated AND cooled seats something I wish the TL had and since it was elderly owned (go figure) it was super nicely kept and looks pretty much new the rears have no wear on the leather and front has very little and had all the service records from the dealer, something my TL did not have at all.

 

Haha thanks, I will try to..

 

Wow! Sorry to hear about your TL. I don't have an Acura (anymore) either. Hope to get into another some day. I've never been in an Avalon but I think they look nice. Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do for the fam. Don't be a stranger. Cheers.

 

Yeah, I loved the heated AND cooled seat feature. Does yours have the reclining rear seats? Also, this was the first car I had driven where I could play music through the Bluetooth. I thought that was pretty cool LOL Plus the sound system was surprisingly good.

 

Yep reclining rear seat, makes me want to let people drive me around lol. I didn't know about the bluetooth music streaming good to know though thanks. Sound system is decent I started upgrading my TL so compared to that I find it lacking but that is an easily fixable change down the road. Only thing I miss on the TL is the ZKWs omg they lit up the road, Avalon's HIDs are a little wierd with the self adjustability and definitely don't compare to the TL at all.

 

Sounds like the bait and switch, eh? haha.


Avalons are pretty nice, grandpa-ish or not. Goodluck

 

Gotta take care of the family first. Good luck with the Avalon, it's a good car. Take care man.

 

I didn't get a coupe and got a TL thinking about the future. Is the TL not a good "family" car?

 

I've been in quite a few Avalons in the past. The new generation is a beast and isn't as "elderly friendly" as the previous generations. Toyota makes a great car, but even with our Lexus, TOYOTA'S FORUMS ARE A WASTELAND FOR INACTIVE MEMBERS! AZ puts every other forum to shame!

 

I think the TL is an excellent family car. Has 4 doors and plenty of leg room. I only wish the back seat would fold down.....

 

Yes, my thoughts EXACTLY! I wish I could fold down the back seat so I can easily store my snowboard and gear without worrying about damaging the interior!

I had a choice between a 335i coupe and the Type-S. No regrets at all!

 

Personally I think the TL's are possessed by the devil, I've never seen a certain model vehicle that's been Tboned, backed into, scratched, dented, wheels stolen, vandalized as much as the TL. This is how I drive my TLS:

 

Best of luck with your new ride!

 

stick around.. many you'll end up with a 2014 tl-s in the future and return back to AZ :P

gl on the new ride

 

MOS, sorry to hear the TL was becoming an endless money pit. Hate to see you go to Toyota, but I understand your logic.

Best of luck.

 

Hmmm, this might the first I hear about space/leg room being an issue for the TL. I drove a TSX for a week and definitely got complaints from my friends riding in back as soon as they go in the car that it was too tiny. I figured the RL would have the most room of the 3 acura sedans and the TL would be a close compromise.

 

From my experience thus far the TL has plenty of room for two over-sized 5 year olds in their car seats. I am 6'2" and have no problem with space.

 

Congrats on the new car, hopefully you'll stick around here. Make sure to run a very good oil and change it often in that car.

 

Seems like you had a defective TL or the previous owner really demolished it for you to feel that the handling was the same. Hopefully you will have a better experience next time. One of the negatives of buying used. Never know what you get.

 

If you needed more room why didn't you buy an SUV?

 

Wow the forums suck I signed up for Toyota Nation damn I miss Acurazine whenever I posted there were so many responses and the support is awesome. I think its even worse since I have an Avalon and I doubt even a small percentage of the owners would look on a forum or even use the internet at all.

It was and is, but the Avalon is just a better family car. Especially with the fact that I might have another child in the near future the bigger backseat will be better for 2 carseats and a bigger trunk for the stollers. It served me well for my daughters first 3 years.

I wouldnt doubt it I mean it always seemed like something was up on the Acura, it seems like every paycheck I was buying something or other, and the ones when I didnt buy things I needed for the Acura I was buying mods.

Thanks, and I honestly did want a AWD newer TL even with the looks, but price range was out of the option for now hopefully in the future I will return.

The TL had enough space but to me it was barely cutting it, while the TL was good enough the Avalon has more than enough, which to me seems better.


That is what I plan to do, after seeing the maintenence on the Avalon compared to the TL I was amaized there is so much less that they suggest you do, not sure if that is a good thing or not yet, also the timing chain is a plus compared to the TL's timing belt. Funny, I was even planning on going all the way to the Bakersfield area later this month to look at cars until I got the Avalon too. I do plan on coming back from time to time, this forum is so awesome especially compared to the crappy Toyota forums.

Ok not the same but I mean the Acura never felt completely planted. I used to drive a 525i and wow that thing was stuck to the road. Comparing how my TL felt it is a lot closer to how the Avalon feels than the 525 so to me I don't feel like I am missing out that much going with the Avalon. It does bottom out alot quicker though..

I actually wanted a truck, I have been anticipating the new Silverados since they are supposed to have retro cues (I love the old c10s), but with since I wasn't sure how long the wait was going to be either a year or possibly two I figured now is a good time to get a better car and maybe if I want a truck I can trade in a couple of years from now or try and convince the baby momma to get one or take over the Avalon later.

 

I am in a similar sad situation. I have a 2008 TL-S in red (my favorite color and rare to boot). It is leased and in a month I have to make a final decision on whether I keep it or sell it. The residual I would have to pay is 17k versus the kbb of at least 20k so I can buy it and then sell it for a profit. Or just keep it or of course return it. I am really torn because i have other things I need to concentrate on so car is at the bottom of my list but I love this car...it was my dream car I worked so hard to get it. Decisions decisions

 

KEEP IT and get your money's worth.

The TL is still one of the best looking cars on the road as well.

 

Now that you mention it, the back seat is pretty small, according to edmunds, the Avalon has close to 8 inches more leg room.

Anyways, Congrats on your new car, It's pretty nice and the interior is gorgeous.

 

speaking of suv why not the rdx?

 

I loled