TVL65

I bought my TLS new in 07', then with only 16 miles I was hit the next day by an old lady in the quarter causing $8,000 in damage. It was repaired & looks fine. 2 years later I slid into a curb damaging front end suspension parts, the damage was another $7,000 to repair. 2 months ago a hit & run got me on the driver side causing another $6,000 in repairs. Everything has been repaired & the paint looks good, but this last repair involved re-finishing & plastic (body filler). The same bodyshop did the body work & the dealer did front end repairs.
The car currently has 78,000 miles & I'll admit my love for this car has dimished, I feel it is cursed & bad luck. It now has 2 carfax accidents reported. I'm going to a dealer monday to look at a 2009 G8 GT which has 33,000 miles & see what they will offer on trade-in for the acura, honestly I think their offer will be very low. I'm caught on the fence here & I know the G8 is not a luxury car, just motor. I just would like to get some thoughts here from the collective. My concern is the body filler on the TLS will start cracking in 2 years or paint peeling etc. But I know a G8 will never outlive an Acura as far as high mileage is concerned. I'm guessing 150,000 miles and thats it.

Franchise1124

Tough decision. The accidents won't be favorable in terms of trade-in value, but then again you know the history of the TL since you lived it. The issue with used cars is you'll have very little clue on how it was really treated by the previous owner(s).

Either way good luck with your decision, OP

McCollins23

I would keep the TL. Something about buying a car from a manufacturer that doesnt exist anymore just scares me. Also you could buy the G8 tomm, and wreck it and then you are in the same boat. Do some mods to the TL to get that good feeling back and you will start to love her again.

I was in the same boat a few months ago with wanting to trade in my TL, I did some mods to it and I LOVE this car again. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Depending on the article, the Pontiac GT is only a few hundredths quicker to 60 and also the 1/4, so I'd opt for a GXP if I were thinking G8. They are difficult to come by and costly, but worth the difference. If the TLS is in excellent condition and no tell-tale signs of body work, they should offer a decent amount, but if shoddy workmanship; better sit down when they give you the numbers.

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

http://media.caranddriver.com/files/...tiac-g8-gt.pdf

I always liked the look of the G8....

quanaman

iTrader: (4)

+111111111111111111


Almost any body shop will guarantee their body work for as long as you own the car. I wouldn't worry about it.

Buying american?

NIGHTEHAWK

I would get a GXP or sell the TL-S and get another one with no accidents.

chardness

iTrader: (2)

I'm more worried about the rust that will form over the body filler once the car is exposed to the elements. But thats later down the road. IMHO, i'd say sell it while fresh off the body shop and get another type s with a clean carfax.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

TVL, I understand your concern about the Type S, but I'm not sure if I would buy a car that's no longer made either.

guitarplayer16

iTrader: (8)

Sell your TL for another one if you feel like it's cursed =)

07BLKTL

The only issue with the G8 would be specific parts mostly trim and body panels. Lets not forget that this car is a LSX and you can get motor parts/drivetrain stuff all over the place. Not to mention the car is a born again Holden.

Again the hard things to come by would be the body panels and trim and such, but i'm sure there's enough of that to go around for a while anyway.

1black_seven

iTrader: (2)

Well I'm going to say no to the pontiac simply because every single experience I've had with Pontiac has been negative. IMHO pontiac has delivered pos quality, and I swore to myself I would never buy such a terrible and grief strickening product so long as I live.

I was actually happy when Megatron ripped Jazz (Solstice) in half during the Transformers movie, simply because I hated the car brand that much.

My last time dealing with a Pontiac personally was in '05 and I was not at all impressed.. So maybe Pontiac has improved since then.

I would buy a different type-s.

If you want just "motor" buy an S2K and boost it.

jungy4

If you are the only owner of that car, I would just keep it. You know exactly who did the repairs and know what to do when something is wrong. Who knows what problems that G8 may have? Plus going from Acura to a cheap GM brand that doesn't even exist would be a major downgrade.

Not all Pontiacs are POS. My previous car was a 02 Grand AM GT that I drove from 4 miles to 170k on the odometer. It was solid as tank and clean when I traded it in for my TL and I wasn't really gentle with it either.

alexSU

iTrader: (3)

My parents had absolutely no problems with a 2000 Pontiac Bonneville, very reliable.

In your case, I'd ride the TL out for a while longer. 78k is baby steps for this car. Put some mods on it, change it up a little bit. That'll help that newer car itch.

Good luck

Costco

You're telling him to keep, and continue to mod - in essence - a totaled vehicle?

As for GM, as much as I dislike some of their business ethics, they stand by the factory warranty, as it is a GM warranty, not a Pontiac warranty. Hypothetically, if Acura was shut down as a business do you seriously think they wouldn't even honor the warranty at a Honda dealership? That would be publicity-induced suicide.

http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/c...ands-1.3207266

I know right, who would buy American?

NIGHTEHAWK

I don't care that its a pontiac, I love that G8.

serbj

iTrader: (1)

I would say that a manual transmission is a lot more important than GXP instead of GT for enthusiasts.

G8 has always been my favorite sleeper sports sedans, along with TL and Galant VR-4 (not available in the US). Not just the appearance, but the driving dynamics. Although G8 is a little bit oversized, it truly drives like a muscle car, vastly different from those mushy, sports car wannabe pantydropper large cars like CTS-V or Maxima.

Costco

^wow those are the new Camaro wheels on the G8, right? Looks perfect.

Have to admit, I seriously lusted after a G8 GXP after hearing about it. And it crushed me to find out that Pontiac was going down, only for the fact that the G8 was going away. I also desperately wanted a 3G TL-S at one point as well.

But that pushrod V8 torque is intoxicating. And every review points out that the G8 drives great.

Deerole

bro get rid of that car...if i had to go tru all that id part w it...time for a new ride

nj2pa2nc

after going to the dealer, getting prices, etc. then decide.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Not quite certain as to what you're saying as the GXP does come with AT or MT, but GT AT only, however a lower ratio comes with the 6MT 3.70/3.27. Regardless of being an ethusiast, I would also take an AT GXP over a manual GT, just because of the increased HP and other added performance parts from the factory.

The GXP isn't in the same class as the CTS-V, and if money were no object, a 2009+ CTS-V would be sitting in our garage in a heartbeat and with the same 5/100k warranty, what's not to like.

The GXP, certainly not a small car, weighs in at about 4100 lbs compared to the Caddy's 4300 lb, but is far short on the HP number 402/556.

As usual

quanaman

iTrader: (4)

I know the 3g TL is assembled in the US and pretty much only available here. I meant the brand. The TL is a Honda at heart.

TVL65

Thank You for the replies. I've changed the oil on my TLS every 5,000 miles with synthetic, air filter every 15,000 miles & Trans fluid every 20,000 miles. Brakes were recently done again for 2nd time & 8,000 miles ago replaced the spark plugs. Mine even has the A-spec kit. I've taken very good care of it. I know a honda product will easily go 200,000 miles because I have a 98' accord V6 with 268,000 miles. I'm going to stop at the dealer monday & see what they'll offer me on a trade. If it's ridicuously low I'm walking away & keeping the TL. With a accident on carfax report & 78,000 miles they'll send it to auction anyway. My brother has a 2009 G8 & I've driven it, for sure it is quick but does not have luxury items like the TL, the leather seats aren't even as nice. I guess I'll find out monday. My TL is mine & paid off 2 years ago, I like this!

TVL65

I just did carfax report, one accident back in July 2007. The incident with curb not reported because I drove it to a gas station, this last incident hasn't shown up yet but it will eventually. Carfax goes by accident being reported to police. I'll post what dealer offers but I don't think it will be fair.

truonghthe

OP I think they will offer you trade in about $14k due to the accident history with that mileage but good luck on the trip you are gona make, I always love that G8 GT especially it in red color.

TVL65

$14,000 I'd take, but they have to come down on the price of the G8. They want $2,000 too much. It's in red. NJ sales tax is 7% plus dealer charges too. This alone is $2,000. I'll get trade in offer first then sit down & see how much they come down on price. Anything less then $14,000 and I walk. My brother got his 09' with 43,000 miles for $18,500 this one has 33,000 miles and they want nearly $23,000.

truonghthe

god dam $23k? they must be crazy.

TVL65

I'm thinking more like $19,500 or $20,000 TOPS. I'm sure dealers price them up knowing a customer will chew them down. Kelly Blue book says $25,000!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

negotiate the price of the car FIRST.
then hit 'em with your trade in.

maharajamd

iTrader: (1)

I think the G8 are one of the sexiest domestics that's been made in the past decade. I'd say go for it.

TVL65

I was thinking trade in value first, so if they offer me $12,000 I walk out rather than negotiate the G8 first & waste an hour of my time. Offer me $14,000 for the TL and reduce cost of car to $19,500/$20,000. They could knock the G8 down but then only offer me $12,000 for the TL. It could go either way.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Just remember, you will only pay sales tax on the difference between the selling price of the G8 and the trade in value of the TLS. If the difference is $6,000, sales tax $420.

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

I find it odd that the Type-S window sticker pictured above shows the trans was built in the US, but my 2008 base model says its from Japan..




I wonder why that is?

TVL65

Thanks Turbo I didn't know that, I thought I had to pay tax on the entire sale, I guess that makes sense.

TheBumbino

I haven't heard too much good about any of the new pontiacs. I had a teacher in college who had one. He had to get warranty replacements about 5 different times and traded it for an SS camaro as soon as the warranty expired. On top of that parts for a g8 are probably alot more pricey then a TL especially the GXP.

TVL65

Yup, I hear ya on that. It's definitely a concern of mine. I'm flip flopping on it. Looks? Quality? Reliability? ACURA TLS Performance? G8 for sure. I'm pretty good friends with the body shop owner & he told me if I ever have any issues with the body work he did I can just bring it back & he'll take care of it. Worst case scenario is I keep the TL & drive it another 200,000 miles EASY.

splew

I'm assuming they source transmissions from multiple plants.

truonghthe

well let negotiate first then hit them with your trade, if you ask for the trade price first and they agree to give you a good deal on the car they will make money by giving an out standing interest remember that as well.

Texass683

My dads got a G8 and before getting my TL I've had nothing but gm muscle. First, like a previous poster alluded to, the only downside to gm is the interior. The biggest difference between the TL and the G8 is the interior craftsmanship. GM for some reason will put $12,000 under the hood and $2000 in the cockpit. They know what sells their cars is that roar from the gas pedal and the smile it puts on the drivers face during WOT.

That being said the G8 is the 2nd best sedan from GM, the CTS-V being the best. You will not be disappointed performance wise ... It'll blow your socks off again and again with the power and surprising finesse for a vehicle that big. You will be sorely disappointed though going from the TL to the G8 interiorwise ... They just don't match up in that area.

TVL65

Yea, dealers give you a great price on the vehicle but then nail you on the interest rate. My credit is perfect, my rating is very high. It will be one step at a time, 1st the trade in value, 2nd price of the G8 & 3rd the interest rate. I honestly don't think we'll get past trade in value, they're gonna use the "accident" excuse to their advantage & say it's a BIG problem.