CubanLynx84

iTrader: (2)

Hey everyone I'm new here but not new to the honda/acura scene. I currently drive a 1995 gs-r that I was in the process of supercharging it but I decided to upgrade my status to a '08 TL-S. I am doing my homework so to speak on the TL. I been reading through as much of the threads as possible. I am hoping to own a TL-S real soon as in the next few weeks as I still need to sell the teg and all my parts for it. Ever since the 3rd gen tl came out I wanted one but never pursued buying one til now so hopefully it'll be a great year for me next year.

I was just wondering how the TL owners with the 6MT like it, and how do the 5AT owners like theirs. I am kinda stumped on what tranny I should get. I mean my gsr is 5spd of course but sometimes it gets tiring driving in NYC so that leans me towards the 5AT. But if I get a 6MT then I can keep it safe from the wife cause she won't drive it.

Sorry to ramble on guys. Any input whould be helpful.

Bearcat94

If you want max performance, get the 6MT. If you're willing to give up a little on the 0-60 in order to get the convienience the 5AT is a good compromise.

Either way, you get the TL-S and I think you'll be please with the overall performance.

VTEChump

I drove both the AT and MT before buying my MT. In my opinion, they are two completely different vehicles, the manual is much more of a drivers vehicle.

VQPower37

but if u drive in a lot of traffic its good to have an AT ... ezier on the left leg

Privdog

I remember the '95 GSR... fun little car.. a good buddy of mine parent's bought him one in '95 we drove the shit out of that thing. anyway, I may be a little biased towards any TL as most here, but I say you can't go wrong AT or MT, I also seriously considered the MT but the wife and traffic factor sent me to the AT. I don't mind the wife driving my car, I've taught her well over the years, she just has never been able to fully grasp an MT for some reason. She can drive our '66 Chevy C-10 MT 3 on the tree like a champ though.. I dunno.. crazy.. that thing doesn't have power anything. rambling, I have driven most the spectrum, I love driving the 6 MT by far the best for enjoyment, but for practicality I went with the AT, and I occasionally use the sport shift. I grew up driving manual my first 4 cars/trucks were stick, but these days and with all the buttons the TL has to push I like the auto. So there's my drunk after saturday football post. I absolutely love my car and it's an '04 Base AT.. loved the shit out of my previous gen TL too..

edit: oh and i'm getting to be an old SOB and drving a stick in almost 2 hours of traffic a day doesn't play well with the 'ol bum knees.. I really wanted an MT though.. if I would've found that one car I could've easily bought it.

04accordcpe

iTrader: (3)

^^ thats huge! lol,... and your still contemplating getting an auto??

you will regret getting an auto sooner or later... trust me, just get the 6MT and call it a day. i dont know why people complain so much about manuals in traffic, its not that big of a deal. la traffic is no joke either and i have yet to own a car thats auto, i simply refuse.

CubanLynx84

iTrader: (2)

My wife can drive stick that's not the problem it's just she doens't take care of cars period. I bought her a 02 mazda protege 5 when that came out and she trahsed it and I got rid of that to put her back in a brand new 04 Accord and she doesn't take care of that either. Now she wants a benz and I told until she learns how to take care of a car she's not getting one. I know that if I get the 6MT she won't want to drive it.

KJSmitty

Once she rides in the TL, neither transmission will keep her from wanting to drive it. :-)

There is nothing worse than getting one and (really) wishing you had the other. I love the six speeds as much as anyone but they are overrated. Do you plan to really drive the TL (the majority of the time) like a boy racer - or as a typical daily commuter? Sounds more like the commuter variety. If not you wouldn't be asking the question. I would definitely test drive both however.

I was somewhat the opposite when I purchased my last two vehicles/TL. I wanted my wife to enjoy driving it "if" she needed to. Her last car when she was single was a stick and she enjoyed it, but not now as a busy mother/soccer mom etc..

Besides, if keeping your wife from driving it is of concern, choosing a stick over auto for that is ridiculous. Be honest and put your foot down - just tell her no. I can completely relate to your "does not take care of the car" issue. You just need to convey to her (in a loving matter..) that you like your car treated differently and until she does, yours is off limits (same as "the new Benz" issue). Many of us have done so.
My wife is not perfect with the vehicles but she respects my "enthusiasm" about cars and is completely different than when we were first married. Most of the time she doesn't like taking my car because she understands how picky/anal I am about it - but she is just that more careful because of her respect for that etc..

Best of luck with your decision and future TL - you will like whatever you decide on.

korrupted

I was thinking about getting the 6mt, but i drive 20K/yr, I don't need "lock-knee".
I'll give up the 1/2 second to 60.
But if you don't drive as much and don't want the wife to drive it, then get the 6mt

Hapa DC5

I could go either way. My TL is an automatic and it's a commuter. My girl has a Mazdaspeed 3 and that is a 6MT. Her car before that was 5 speed base Prelude. I came from an RSX-S, Integra GS-R, and a civic hatch all of which were manuals.

One thing I noticed about having an automatic is that we take my car a lot so she can "hold my hand."

I'm indifferent to traffic, driving a manual through it wasn't a huge issue. My big thing would be if I wanted to spend money on modifying my car I would get the 6MT hands down. That is why I went the automatic route, so I wouldn't be tempted to modify the car.

I'm perfectly fine driving an auto.

camporealer

I drive 30mi each way daily in NY traffic.

I used to drive a Mustang GT with a manual. It was a lot of fun sometimes, but the daily commute got to me eventually. (100,000+ mi in 5 years)

I got an auto in my TL-S and I don't regret it. Yeah, there are a few days on certain roads that I wish I got the Manual, but overall I am very happy with the way the car drives. If I could do it over again, I would still get the automatic.

It comes down to a matter of personal taste.

Good luck, whatever your decison.

rodneyc77

iTrader: (1)

get the 6MT.... believe me... you wouldn't regret it... 'cuase I regret getting the 5AT... after I sold my 5MT Teg...

fish008

Get the MT. TL's with ATs have had problems in the past, not saying that is going to happen to you but you never know. Its not terrible in traffic because you can put it in first gear with no gas and it will just roll at a couple of miles per hour. Here is another idea, you could also try to find an 07 TL-S that some dealer still has on their lot and save $7K or more. Or you could wait and get the 09 TL with the redesign. Just a couple ideas.

love2cul8r

First of all, welcome to the forum! Like you, I perused this forum for several months before taking the dive and purchasing my TL-S. Everyone here is super friendly and knowledgeable!! There's a wealth of information and I'm so glad to be a part of this community.

I went for the TL-S mainly because MT was a choice. I tend to think that MT's in general will fade out the next time I buy a new car - so I looked at it as my last chance to buy a new TL MT car. I also agree with VTEChump that MT and AT drive completely differently. The AT just seemed more "sticky" to me and every dealership I went to tried to convince me to buy an AT just b/c they had a bunch on their lot. MT's were a hard find but I was patient and worked on my bargaining skillz! I live in LA so I can relate to your hesitation in buying a MT w/ all the traffic but IMHO, I really don't even think twice about it... using that left leg on the clutch and right hand on the shift nob is just second nature.

Oh and one last thing about keeping it safe from the wife? My hubby doesn't even know how to drive stick so I don't have your problem - but I do whine a little and gently remind him to be careful if he gets too close to the car w/ the lawn mower and gardening tools.

Good luck on your decision-making! Either way, I'm sure you'll love your new TLS!