last august i purchase a 06 tl with navi with 40k and now currently i have 85.5k on the car. i still owe 11g and im debating on keeping the car or trading in the car for something either that will lower my payment, clear my payment, or stay in the same range. i pay 260 a month for the tl. i really want a 2006 subaru sti but i dont know if it worth it and how reliable they are. please help me. i need a car that is practical in all weather season and perfer 4 door cause i alway haul people in my car. ehh sports vs luxury.

 

Because of your age, insurance on an STI is probably going to be higher than a TL, so that is something to consider.

If you haven't had any major problems with the TL, I would say keep it. If it starts costing you a lot of money in repairs, then I'd consider dumping it. There is nothing more shitty than paying huge repair bills + a car payment on top of it.

 

Do you travel alot? You racked up 45k miles in less than a year. The TL is quite reliable but if you are looking to lessen/eliminate your payments you may have to settle for a non-luxury car such as a civic, corolla etc. Have you had any major probs with the TL?

 

my car is mostly highway miles. the only thing i did to my car since i got it was changed oil when needed, tranny fluid, and spark plugs. my car still drive like brand new. it just the fact i still owe 11g and i already have 85kmiles on my 06 tl and i only had it since august. the car is under my mom name and insurance and im just added under her insurance so i dont think that would be a problem if i got a sti.

 

The TL is a great car but if you can get a STI with less miles and for lower payments go for it. The TL does hold its value better though.

 

yessss i travel alot to visit different colleges, when i got my car i drove to the beach everyday so total in 1 day would be 4 hour drive. im planning to drive heck alot this summer to the beach since i got a whole summer of vacation time.

 

If you are going to be driving that many miles a year, I would just keep the TL and run it for as long as you can. I'm not sure how practical an STI is going to be driving 45k miles a year.

For that type of stuff you'd probably be better off getting a 4 door Civic.

 

ehhhh it so hard to say yes to a civic over a acura TL lol

 

when i first got the tl i was like to myself im keeping this car till the day it died and never start again lol.

 

IMHO, why not get a summer job instead of goofing off going to the beach and pay off the TL. That would make more financial sense.

STI's aren't all that reliable for the amount of miles you plan to drive.

 

The problem is, you are going to run into the same issue no matter what car you have, since you drive so many miles a year. If you get an STI with the same payment, in a year you are going to be in the same position again.

 

For that many miles no WAY the STi will be as comfortable as the TL; you'll be giving up a lot of creature comfort.

mmade22 does a lot of miles, like you, he's got an '05 with something like 130kor 150k miles on it. Looks and runs like it's a couple years old. Doubt you'd say that about an STi at 150k.

Last thing: if you can't fully pay off the TL in trade or sale, don't do it.

 

 

your are correct i been thinking about everything else that getting another job didnt cross my mind. i was just thinking eh 260 a month. my nursing home job is payin me the whole summer vacation time. i get to go out this summer. i hope i can find a 2nd job cause i live in Reading, PA and we were rank poorest in the country lol

 

this is why i love acura zine cause you guys make more sense than my friends so i think imma keep my tl and just keep paying it off. i love my heated leather navi and space i have in my car.

 

i guess ill just bust my ass off this summer for a job and when i have time i can go to the beach instead of blowing my money.

 

i feel so much better thank you guys.

 

Good for you.


I don't do as many miles as you, but for the past 10+ years, I average over 30,000 miles per year - mostly highway; some looooong trips too.

I've come to the conclusion that for that kind of driving, the two most important things are 1) Comfort and 2) Reliability.

If you can get Style too, well that's just a bonus.

 

My opinion:
-You owe 11K on the car, and if you trade it in with that mileage, you won't get much more than that (on trade in), so your equity in the car is essentially zero, or close to it.

-If you go to get another car (the STi), you're going to have to put some kind of down payment on it, and make payments anyway.

-You will be getting into another used car when you don't know the history of the car (how it was driven and maintained).

-You have a well maintained car that you know well- you should keep it, maintain it, and use it til it doesn't run anymore- it should be a 200K car without too many issues.

Don't financially harm yourself by getting the other car.

 

It doesn't make sense economically to incur more debt to replace a depreciating asset with a quicker-depreciating asset.

 

plus i just forgot and realize my one friend corey works for honda acura fixing cars and he was the one that did my spark plugs and tranny fluid on the side cause my cousin peter has his own garage and a lift. he said when it time for my water pump and timing belt he willing to help me. something that i wouldnt have if i get a sti. i am anal when it comes to maintaining my car just cause it my car. so far no tranny issue or any major problem yet.

 

the only problem with my car is i keep getting pulllled over for my tinted window just cause my car that hot lol. i have 20 percent tinted window, yelllow hid foglights, 36 6K led lights for my interior from v-led, hid reverse, led license plate. just keeping it simple.

 

keep the tl!!!

 

keep your TL.

take your illegal tint off.

 

At your age, you're putting a lot of your income towards a car that could otherwise be saved or spent more judiciously. You can get a nice luxury sport car after college. Right now, you want a beater that can haul you from point a to point b, uses cheap gas, and doesnt matter if it gets messed up or not. Plus you dont have to be the car bitch, driving everybody around because you have the nice car with lots of room.

For example, if you were to get a small civic instead, and put all the extra money you would have spent on the TL into a 401k every month, you would likely have enough to buy several TL's when it comes time to pull it out.

Thats just an example...personally I feel a more worthy cause would be to put it towards the prevention of any possible debt (college debt, mortgage debt, etc)

Debt and loans keep people in a perpetual state of near poverty or lower middle class, never able to amass significant wealth because they're paying shit off for most of their life. If they're lucky, they're eventually able to do so, if not, they spiral into deeper and deeper debt.

Sorry for the lecture, but the shit you do when you're young can play a significant role in the rest of your life.

With all that said, if you DO want to make the most of your TL, take good care of it, and hold onto it for as long as possible.

 

Couldn't have said it any better

 

^ I agree with Leedog- keep your car. You would save more by mellowing out on the miles than buying another car- 45K/year for a student is excessive- that's like what a traveling sales guy does a year.

I have on 06 and it just broke 30K and it's a daily driver. At .55/mile (IRS mileage cost estimate), an extra 20K miles (45k .vs. 25k) a year is costing you over $10,000 a year extra. At that rate, you could pay cash for you next 30K car in 3 years.

 

keep the TL

 

Keep the TL and then start looking for a new college. Hopefully you use better punctuation and grammar in your studies.

 

If it is any consolation, I bought an 06 TL in August with 89k miles and I'm already at 101K. I owe a lot more than 11K on it...but I'm not even thinking of trading her in because I got a LOT of car for my money. I agree with most people here...keep it, TL > STi.

 

Once you start modding STI, you can't stop. I kept my Evo stock for 3 years. Once I started modding it, I can't stop no matter how hard I try not to. Now, my Evo's loud and uncomfortable to drive daily, I had to get another car, which is my TL. My disease of modding the car started with TL but it's much cheaper cuz I just want to do the cosmetic stuff to TL. You can't beat crusing in a nice comfortable car. Don't go into the trap

 

If it's not giving you any problems... I think you're better off keep it. Also $260 is a relatively low car payment nowadays. I think it would be close to impossible to get your payment much lower than what it is now.