Hi friends
I've looking for a new sedan for my wife, infant daughter and I. I was looking at 06+ Honda Civics at a budget around $5000 (Canada).
For that price I can find some good looking 04+ TL's.

Like this one: http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Acura/TL...howcpo=ShowCPO
And this one: http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Acura/TL...howcpo=ShowCPO

The Civics I've been looking at also has close to 200.000 km (125k miles) so the only difference is that the TLs I'm looking at is a couple of years older.

Would it be wrong to buy one of these TLs if I'm looking for a cheap (ish) reliable car that is also fun and comfortable to drive? I live out in the sticks and getting to a bigger city is a 100 miles drive each way so we do a lot of highway miles. Therefore I'd like something comfortable (TL: 1 Civic: 0)
I'm staying away from the previous gen TL because of the transmission problem. Was that fixed in 2004?

 

Slightly better, but still has some failures here and there

 

Well TL's still have some tranny problems but if you get later year 3rd gens its rare. Frankly Civics and TL's arent comparable, different engine, chassis, suspension, everything really. A accord is the TL's "brother" you can say not necessarily the Civic, in that case you should look at the TSX more

 

If I had to say, the civic is the younger brother of both the accord and civic. Civic is smaller, more eco, smaller engine, less power, and a little more compact. Accord(and then going upwards the TL) is going to be bigger and comfier, more useful tech, more power at the cost of a few mpg. Still has plenty of space especially for multiple passengers, and all the parts are relatively easy to find despite being 10 years old.


As for the transmission, take care of it, don't race the car every weekend, and it should be fine to hit the 200k mark.
If I could find a 04 tl for the same price within 1000 of a 06civic, I would take the 04. More luxury, more comfy, more power. More customizable too.

 

also, the TL is going to be a lot more in money to maintain than a civic.

if you were looking at a civic, are you sure you have the budget for a TL?

 

No, I'm not quite sure. Main reason I started this thread. If the price of The TL will be much more than a Civic I'll just stick to my initial plan of getting a civic. I'm on a pretty tight budget.

 

The TL is a great car and if maintained correctly will give you a lot of good years. A high mileage TL isn't a bad thing but if you're trying to stay in a budget there are some items to be on the lookout for. These are a few things I've picked up working at a dealership and from my own personal experience, by no means a complete list though. Check to see if the major services have been done recently (timing belt/water pump/drive belt/how much life do the brakes and rotors have left/suspension components). For the most part the transmissions were pretty solid but there still were some issues in the 04-05 models, these repairs can add up quickly. The headlights/igniters/ballasts can be expensive to repair if this isn't something you're able to do yourself. Look for discoloration in the bulbs(turning purple/pink).

Not trying to discourage you from a TL, every car has things to be on the lookout for. Just my 2 cents on saving yourself some repair bills. I love my 3rd gen TL and plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. Good luck hunting!

 

Gas alone will be significantly more in the TL. Insurance will be a bit more. Overall its a more expensive car to own. But its a much nicer freeway driver and is safer

 

while it is a honda, it just generally cost more to maintain.
when purchasing a car, that is a main requirement.
are you able to maintain her? (rhetorical question)

 

I would rather get a lower mileage civic than a maxed out TL mileage wise plus not to mention the 04's were notrorious for transmission problems. The transmission problems were never really fixed they were improved on to reduce failures but the entire 3rd gen line up is plagued with them.

Since you are asking only reliability... CIVIC > TL.

 

Thanks. I am on a tight budget so going with the civic might be the best idea.

 

^ if you want a powerful car that isn't going to break the bank get a 2K8 Accord V6.

 

I wouldn't say "notorious" for transmission problems. What's the percentage of failures and how does that compare to the Civic. I was looking at the April Consumer Reports and the 04 TL was recommended as a high reliability car. It's Consumer Reports, so take that for what it's worth. But they go by ACTUAL data from shops around the country that report on repairs. Looking at a "Problems and Fixes" section of a car enthusiast website isn't exactly going to produce accurate figures.

If you google any type of car followed by "transmission issues" (assuming the car is over a few years old" you're going to see a large number of people claiming they have transmission issues. This isn't representative of the population. Not many (if any) car models have a website with tens of thousands of owners who report on issues that their cars have.

I shouldn't have to post this all of the time. Has anyone ever taken a Statistics class, or read up on how statistics and percentages actual work?

Statistics can be very deceiving!! For example: even data on transmission replacements themselves don't necessarily indicate a problem with the transmission. How many times does a dealer tell somebody they need a new transmission when in fact it could be a very simple fix?

 

Buying used is a crap shoot, buy something that offers a warranty if your concerned
with reliability. There both Honda products so it should give a good indicator there
built good. But like I said your buying used.

 

You are right if we base our results based on the forums the numbers will be skewed since most people who will post up here will be the ones that are disgruntled and upset rather the ones that have no problems.. so I concur.

With that being said, it is a known fact that there is decent number with tranny problems on the 3rd gen TL .. vs a Civic. Since the OP was asking about reliability I still maintain my opinion.