viet2100

Hi guys. I am new to TLs, but have a lot of general information on Hondas. I have owned a 2007 Tacoma for the past 4 yrs, but now I need something that is better on gas and a little comfier since there's no more boat. What are some things that these cars are known to have that may be severe? I am looking at an '07 TL Type-S with ~55k miles. Thanks in advance!

Best,
Viet

VQPower37

most of the issues with the 3g's have been resolved by the time the type s was released which was in 07. there are just small issues now like a message keeps coming up saying your gas cap is loose, however that is an emissions issue and you are warrantied til 80k. other than that you shouldnt be having many issues unless the car was neglected before you picked it up

btw, welcome to azine

Illuminati

I'm also in the market for a TL, this car has everything i want, perfect combo of luxury and sport if you ask me.

viet2100

OK awesome. I guess I'll just look for generic problems like looks and feel. Thanks!

gungrave

I would get manual if you can.

viet2100

Now here is the dilemma... Type-S auto or reg TL manual? Any of you guys getting an auto and regretting?

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

heres an idea

mb1976

I have no regrets on an auto TL and that's the 06 TL I just bought last month

viet2100

Thanks for your help.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

^lol...

i got the AT 07 type-s...
would i want a manual?
yes!
could i find one?
no!

there were a couple 6speeds floating around, but prices were higher, and vehicle condition wasn't to my liking.

i got a immaculate AT type-s with everything i wanted for a fair price.

keep searching tho, when you find the one you really want/need/gotta have, you'll know it!

DuRtYwUrKs

Exactly my case. I couldn't for the life of me find a manual within 250 miles of me for a price i could afford. I ended up having to go with an automatic and i've driven manual my entire life. i don't regret it one bit...

viet2100

Same here guys. I have only found one MT... but it's $5k more than the AT I am looking at... and it's black. I cannot stand black cars.

If you had a choice, would you pick a non Type-S MT or a Type-S AT? I mean I do like the ground effects, tail lights, rims, etc of the Type-S. Am I missing out that much? Because I have found non Type-S MT for about $18k vs a Type-S AT for $24k.

Turbocoop

iTrader: (3)

I just bought mine and had some problems with it right off the bat. I guess the previous owner decided changing the tranny fluid wasnt necessary so it looked like thinned out motor oil when I changed it. So look at the fluid and make sure its not black, if it is avoid that car. Mine overheated on the highway, the trans not the engine.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

even tho the type-s has a bigger motor, the 04-06 MT TL's can keep up with the type-s AUTOMATICS

with the 04-06 MT, you can buy the aspec kit and customize the car to your liking, including type-s or custom tails. I dont regret getting the base model over the type-s.

HondaOnWORKS

For the money I rather get the Automatic. You can still use the M Mode on the Automatic if you feel like you want to shift, but the only difference is it won't feel the same and your TL-S will weigh more.

If I was in your situation being offered a TL 6speed or Type-S Auto. I would go for the TL 6speed. I personally believe the TL-S has too much power going to the front, which might damage handling. (I never drove a TL-S before though, so I can't really give experience or proof). From what I know. Too much power to the front can result in torque steer if the company doesn't do a good job of dealing with it, but Honda does do a good job.

My main reasons though for choosing the TL 6 speed over the TL-S auto is that you save some money for mods, and its a manual.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

If the Type-S was available in 05, I would have got it. To answer one of your follow up questions, I regret getting an AT in my 05 but I was in a time crunch (worst time to buy a car) and the one I bought was everything I wanted less the MT.

If you have the time and resources, try and find a MT Type-S.

viet2100

I appreciate the responses, guys. I have been able to find only 1 Type-S with a MT, but it's black and way over my price range.

jungy4

I had been driving only auto's before looking for a TL so I wanted a 6MT. I came across some but it took me a few months to find the perfect one I want, with the right paint, right interior color. It was CPO and amazingly a lot cheaper than automatics.

BobbyG99

I recently picked up an 08 Type S. Nothing compare to the luxury and sportiness of the car. You can relax in the comfy heated seats while cornering like a beast

ParaSurfer1979

What would keep you from doing say a 06 6speed? Still decently quick 14.4-14.5 1/4 mile.

fabrikated

Don't rest until you get a 6MT Type-S - I didn't! I looked for months and months and finally found one (in one of the rarest colors as well).

uptownarty

Hey Guys. Im sort of new, as I have been reading in the background for a while now. My question is this.....When buying a used Tl, how many miles are "too" many miles? Better said, What are the maximum number of miles you all would not exceed when considering the purchase of a used TL? Im looking to purchase an '05, this being, the 05 was produced with 270hp as opposed to 258 that the 04 and 06 have. Can any one help? Thanks for any and all help.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

miles are subjective to a lot of different things, so you'll get a lot of different answers on that question.

me personally, i wanted a 07-08 type s with under 40k miles. i found a 07 NBP type-s AT w/ 35k on the odo.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to the site. The HP is the EXACT same for all base TL's 04-08. The way it was measured changed that's all. Obviously, the TL-S has 286 HP while all base models have 258hp. If you want further clarification on this topic please do a search on this site or you can look in the 3G Service Department. It is a "sticky" on the main 3GTL page.

uptownarty

Thanks for the clarification on the HP misunderstanding. I figure with the right mods 286isnt impossible to reach. Its all about balance.

duffduffxx

Just get the car, trust me. You won't have any regrets.

Just make sure you get a 6-speed.

pkarandi

I bought my certified pre-owned 2007 Type-S 6MT in December 2007. I absolutely HAD TO HAVE:
1) 6MT
2) color Kinetic Blue Pearl

I also desired the single-tone gray interior (over the two-tone black-silver one), but that wasn't a deal breaker.

I live in Virginia, and found one in Chicago after a few months of searching. It was exactly what I wanted, so I negotiated the deal over the phone. Then a week later I flew out to Chicago on the cheapest flight I could find ($150 I think). Spent 12 hours driving it home and have been happy as a clam ever since. I love my TL-S!

They're out there, if you're willing to travel a little bit. After all, if you're going to keep the car for a few years:
1) what's one weekend over a few years?
2) regretting a big purchase like a car after only a few months is the SUCKIEST feeling!

JackSampson

iTrader: (2)

Yes and No.

In traffic deffinately glad I got the auto but sometimes you just want to drive it like you stole it and a 6 speed helps.

duffduffxx

I would say that with anything in life, you get used to it. I don't even think about having to shift or disengage the clutch anymore- it's automatic.

Furthermore with all of the issues with AT in general (not specific to this TL, but just all auto trannys), I would get a stick.

Plus people think it is cool- no one ever drives a stick anymore, and you want to be cool, right?

space_bound

viet2100

This is what I am looking for! My truck does the same after off-roading. It gets a light shudder in lower gears at low speeds. And HFL?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

HFL=Hands Free Link.

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

Don't worry about the 270hp vs. 258hp thing. 04-06 are all the same. Acura rated it too high and had to back it off or something like that.

As SharksBreath said, this is very subjective so you'll get a lot of different answers. Probably the biggest factor is going to be your budget.

Really the biggest factor in how a used car will hold up is how well the previous owner took care of it and did the proper preventative maintenance.

For me personally, I have purchased most of my cars used and it seems that most every time I ended up getting something with roughly 30k miles. For me I want a car that is close to new, but a good enough discount over new to be worth buying used. At the same time, I figure that there's not too much maintenance that could have been missed by a previous owner in just the first 30k miles. Also, there's usually a bit of factory warranty left to add a little bit of comfort. All of that is why 30k usually ends up being my target mileage. Your thought process could be completely different.

Now that said, I think the TL is definitely a car that you could buy with very high miles and have a good reliable car as long as it was taken care of properly. I know that mine is coming up on 130k and I see myself keeping it a lot longer. Aside from annoying little things, I have no major issues with the car and it still drives great! There's a guy on here with over 200k on his 05 (mmade23 or something like that) and I'm guessing his is in even better shape than mine based on how well he takes care of it.

h4qq

iTrader: (1)

Hands Free is a pretty nice feature. Having it on my '04 TL seems so awesome, especially when I ride in any of these new cars nowadays with all their gadgetry, I never feel that the TL is lacking anything.

VQPower37

more than u can imagine ... the only reason i havent traded is because i bought my tl brand new, and i dont want to get into a used car. if this was 2008 and they still had new ones on the lot, i would be in a 6mt right now

VQPower37

non type s 6mt > 5at type s IMO

acrite04

Looking to get an 04 TL soon, got my eye on a silver one 62k miles navi. I test drove it a couple weeks ago & I have to have it

viet2100

So I have narrowed it down to these 2....

TL Type-S AT

TL MT

viet2100

OK, I almost forgot this. And I know that it can be searched but it is much easier if someone puts it all into one amazing post. I made this mistake not looking at ALL of the different details between the packages for my current vehicle when I got it. For instance, I got the "X-SP" package for my Tacoma. I wanted the rims, exhaust, and side steps. But what I missed out on was that the "TRD Sport" package has the color-matched grille, bumper, handles, mirrors, and LSD. Are there certain packages for TLs? Like I stated above, besides the exhaust tips, increase in HP, ground effects kit. And are the headlights the same? It seams as if the Type-S' headlights are euro style.

viet2100

Bump.