srhewes

Well, after almost 10 months of comparing, test driving, looking again, and more visits to the Acura dealer -- I'm finally an '04 TL owner!! This is the 1st new car I've bought in 22 years (excluding the minivan we bought 7 years ago). Many of you weren't even born yet!!

I've been an active reader of a variety of threads on this site and I have to say that it has been very informative. All the free advice and counsel has been very beneficial as I have stewed over this decision for a long, long time.

I bought an SSM/5AT/Quartz/NAV. Love the interior color -- was going to go with Ebony, but there wasn't enough color contrast for me and Ebony shows every little speck of dust. The SSM is probably the easiest to keep clean (even though I get free, unlimited car washes at the dealer). Wanted the RRP/Camel, but the Camel is too orange and the Parchment would be a bear to keep clean (especially here in the winter).

Also got the full, clear bra installed by the dealer. Total cost was $600. It covers the entire front bumper (yes, even way down at the bottom), about 2' on the hood and the backs of the outside mirrors.

For all you young guys (and gals) out there, I don't know how you cough up this kind of cash at your age -- maybe you have all won the lottery or something.

The cars I compared were:
* G35 Sedan -- nice, but small interior (lot of plastic) and lackluster appeal.
* Lexus ES330 -- another Camry (blah).
* BMW 325i -- disappointing engine, too pricey, and too many on the road.

Hands down, the TL beat them all with all the goodies. Plus -- it is the coolest looking car on the road!! And -- not many out there, so that adds to the appeal.

It's finally nice to say that I'm an "official" owner/member!! I know I'll disappoint many of you but -- no pics.

rifleman-cl

srhewes,
Congrats on your purchase!!! Go to the photo gallery and see Ken's pics.
http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92471
He took excellent pics of his RRP w/Camel and that's the one I have too...
Next time, buy what you wanted... I have the samething done with the clearbra and also the entire back bumper. Either way, we all have a great car to drive

Repecat

Congrats on your new car! I went through about the same process as you before deciding on the TL. except that I added Subaru and Volvo to my list of canditates. This will be my 10th new car out of 17 owned when it gets here in 10 days. Of course, I'm a little older than you. And you are right in that this site is very informative.
Enjoy your ride.

Oswald Vater

Nice to have another Oldster (relatively speaking) on the board. Test drove the same cars as you and came to the exact same conclusions. Congrats and enjoy your new ride.

SouthernBoy

You know what's funny? Whenever I see another TL going down the road (generally in the opposite direction), I think to myself.. man that's a heck of a good looking car.. AND I HAVE ONE!!

Ain't that a hoot??

Tedanddenise

I am sure you will love this car - it is awesome - however, hope you're not as overly -protective as I am - I am half afraid to park it anywhere for fear some idiot will dent the side, bump the bumper, scratch it, etc. My wife and I are ready for a trip to the southwest in a week - I dread to think of parking it at the Hampton-Inns (our preference). As another "older" member, I, too, have to compliment the younger guys out there for their economic successes. At my age, I paid cash - but, the payments on a $35K car would be quite a burden on a young family, one would think. Of course, I was a teacher all of my life and wasn't in the "upper" payscale area - but, knew how to save. I digress - keep us posted on your experiences and thanks again for becoming a member of the board.

R11S

Hey, I am SO glad you didn't get the RRP/Camel, cause that's what I got and I live in Columbus too.

Actually the Camel interior I have is not orange at all. They changed the dye before I got mine and I can definately tell the difference.

Best,

tekageek

Have to thank this forum for all the information you all give out. Found out somebody was able to buy the TL nonNAVI for $30,300. Just a couple hundred dollars from invoice. I was looking to trade in my car at the same time and figured if I played my cards right i could get what I wanted.
Walked into the dealer test drove it and fell in love with it. We sat down and he went over the pricing. New sales guy so he had to ask his manager for any better pricing. I let the sales guy go in a couple times for better pricing before he asked me what I wanted. I told him $30,000. He came back with $30,700. I thought about it and said ok. But wait On second thought I'm going to trade in my car. So, my car (97 camry v6) for the Navi. Manager agreed and I got to pick out a silver metallic with quartz interior. Had a very good experience with the dealer. Thought I was going to have to argue a little bit more. Even better, he mentioned to me that they just sold like 25 off the lot and I went an hour before closing. So he let this one slide. I didn't even think I'd buy it the same day. Thought I'd have to let them cook a bit before getting that price. Very happy.
Now the interesting part. With the NAV unit I noticed the DVD emblem. After reading the specs I know it's supposed to play DVD-Audio but I asked the sales guy anyway. He says it also plays DVDs??? But you didn't hear that from me. Anybody else know about this/try this?