I decided to finally part ways with my '05 Acura TL. I still have it for the time being, but will be selling it soon. Today I picked up my new car, a 2012 Honda Accord Coupe, with the 6 speed manual and 3.5L V6.

My search for the accord started a few weeks ago, and wasn't going too well. After missing a 2011 6spd with the V6 that was 200 miles away from me and priced fairly the next closest one that was priced fairly was 800 miles away.

I was considering flying up to 1300 miles one-way to pick up an 8th gen accord coupe with the V6 and 6 speed manual, when today one popped up close by that had a fair price in CA. All the others, and I could only find 2, that were for sale in the state the dealers wanted $21k for, the one I picked up a polished metal metallic 2012 CPO with nav and 67k miles on the clock for $17.4k, it was $18.9k out the door after taxes and title.

I had actually been hoping to buy one without the Nav and do a tablet integration, but the 8th gen accords I was looking at flying to pick up were all priced around $17k with-out nav and without warranty and saving myself from having to figure out a way to do the mod was a plus, albeit now I have to deal with the proprietary nature of a Honda navigation system instead just using an in-dash tablet like I have in the TL.

Immediately driving it the car feels more powerful than my 05 AT, that has every bolt-on there is for the car and the accord is bone stock.

I don't miss the extra two doors on the TL or the power passenger's seat, I never had any passengers in the car anyhow nor did I ever bother to ride in my passenger seat.

The only think I'm missing a little so far is the center armrest from the TL that extends out, but I can manage.

This one will stay stock, at least until the TL is sold.

Here's a few pictures of the car, I'll have to get some better ones another day.

I will probably miss the HID headlights, my TL has ZKW-Rs in them and osram 66240 CBIs.

Very few of my modded parts will transfer over, I think just some LED bulbs and my outlaw IM thermoblock spacer.

 

Congratulations on your new purchase

 

Glad you stayed with Honda and a J series! You aren't technically 'leaving' since it's essentially the same platform.

 

Congrats on the purchase! Hope it gives you as much joy as the TL!

 

congrats
it's a nice looking color...

 

Congrats on the new ride! I've always liked the Accords. The new Accord Sport is really nice as well. My coupe days are over - at least for the next 20 years but good luck with it bro

In for more pics in daylight

 

Congrats on the new Accord, they're great cars. We got one in the family, a 4cyl one, and even that has a good amount of power to it, it's really surprising. It feels so lightweight and it drives really nice. Standard equipment is definitely a nice change to what Honda used to offer and I was very surprised at how quiet the ride is.

 

Congrats I drove one when I was looking for a tl. It's a nice car and the manual makes it a lot more fun to drive.

 

Nice trade. You pretty much got the 6-spd type-s.
I actually wonder if this tranny can be swapped in our TLs

 

Dude.....sorry to hear. Nice that you stayed "in the family" though.

 

Very nice pickup, Iv been considering the same car when I move on from the TL.

 

congrats on your purchase! nice pick up

 

Thanks everyone, I'm really happy with the purchase.

Already have a little work to do on the car, first thing is to remove the Karr alarm system that the dealer had installed on the car. I didn't pay for the 'activation' of the alarm so they just removed a chip to disable the karr alarm leaving the factory system in-tact. They also, unfortunately, left the karr alarm control unit, sensors and starter cut wiring in the car though so I'm going to have to undo their installation eventually. I just looked under the dash and noted a wire cut, saw some wires T-tapped into on the OEM harness and saw some of the karr wires in there.

Read a little online too, seems the karr systems are garbage and some dealers here in So-Cal install them in a lot of their cars.

One of the guys at the dealership that was trying to get me to buy the alarm 'activation', I don't even know for how much stated that a thief could 'hot-wire' the accord without it. I told him the cars have immobilizers on them that prevent that from being possible.

The headlights look like my switchbacks can go in without removing anything, the turn signal is actually inboard on the headlight and has a clear lens. The amber reflector on the side has a bulb behind it, but it doesn't blink with the turn signal.

LED upgrades, ultimate pedals and a karr alarm system delete will be among the first mods eventually.

Here's some better photos of the car.

 

Nice! Congrats

 

Congrats on your purchase man

 

Congrats man! I came from an 08 I4 auto coupe. I've always thought the 8.5 gen accord coupes were slicker looking while the 8th gen was more aggressive. I absolutely miss mine but I definitely wish it was a v6 like yours. But happy safe driving and good luck to the life of it!

 

I would like to ask what would make you step out of an acura, the luxury line and move into a honda a mass market economy brand? I am not knocking your purchase decision, I am just curious as to know why you would sell your TL for a honda as opposed to moving into another acura or any other luxury brand?

 

^^

I know you're addressing the OP, but every car Acura makes these days just misses the mark on many levels. The Accord (especially the 9G IMO) is a truly good looking car in both coupe and sedan form. I want to get away from FWD, but I'd take an Accord over any Acura. Wish they made the 9G sedan in a 6MT.

Congrats OP.

 

But what about the a TLX? Would you say that car is in some way interesting or exciting?

 

Haven't seen one in person, so not sure how "exciting" they are...
But I do know the V6 starts at $35k... Big price diff from an '12 Accord I'd say

 

The features on the accord are just as good as they were, in many ways better, than my TL.

The accord with the 6-6 has the EX-L trim inside, leather interior and all and is actually a lot nicer inside than my TL. The cluster is much nicer, the leather is also just as nice. The only thing I'm missing from the TL on the cluster is the trip computer that calculates my MPG, but everything else is there.

That was a big reason for doing so, the Acuras are so expensive to pick a new one up, especially going after the V6.

I looked at a few other cars, there was a 2008 infiniti G37S nearby that was going for $19k and I considered the 370Z as a few were priced near me under $20k.

Both of the other platforms are more powerful than the 8G accord, but the 370Z has no rear seats.

The thing that did it for me with the Honda is the reliability and I know the V6 inside and out. I already own Honda specific tools (HIM) and there is overwhelming parts support for me to buy OEM Honda parts online at a discount.

The interior in the 8G coupe has plenty of room in the back seats in the event that I do have passengers in the car as well, which means I should have this car for a long time.

Biggest plus is the 6 speed manual more power to the wheels vs. the AT and no more worrying about a Honda AT failing.


I was actually looking at the 3.5L in this one a bit and comparing it to that of the 3G Acuras. The Type-S actually makes about 15 more HP as compared to the J35Z3, likely from the 1.0 more compression that it runs, the J35A8 is 11.0:1 and the J35Z3 is 10.0:1.

If anyone else considers the 3.5L accord stay away from the automatics with VCM. Honda is having oil consumption issues and lost a class action lawsuit over them already. I read a TSB on them for major engine overhaul, replacing piston rings and the like. The 3.5L in the 6MT isn't effected though, since it doesn't have VCM it's a VTEC 3.5L just like in the 3G TL albeit the rocker arrangement in the heads is a bit different being only 4 rocker arms per cylinder and 4 lobes on the camshaft per cylinder vice in the J35A8 and J32A3 we have 5 rocker arms per cylinder and 5 lobes on the camshaft per cylinder.

 

Looks great man! Have fun with the MT...I do miss driving one

 

[QUOTE=mzilvar;15150745]The features on the accord are just as good as they were, in many ways better, than my TL.

The accord with the 6-6 has the EX-L trim inside, leather interior and all and is actually a lot nicer inside than my TL. The cluster is much nicer, the leather is also just as nice. The only thing I'm missing from the TL on the cluster is the trip computer that calculates my MPG, but everything else is there.
I think I heard somewhere the the build quality and materials of the interiors of even the older acuras are higher quality than the newer Hondas, although I am not too sure. Well Congrats on your purchase.

 

congrats!!! I still love the TL's tho but maybe is because I just got mine lol

 

Exciting? No. Interesting? Well, the 4G was described as interesting by people who didn't wish to offend. Honestly, I don't care for it. Don't like jewel eye headlights either. The issue here is that when you start getting into TLX mid/upper level pricing, there are a bunch of other options that are much more appealing. The Q50 immediately comes to mind, as well as the ATS and 328. And once you're at that level, might as well say screw it and just buy a new 335.

 

If it has the OEM Nav, there is an option in the big screen which gives live displays of MPG

at OP. Very nice pick up sir. I am a fan of 4 doors honestly, and I wouldnt hesitate to trade my 05 TL for my Moms 08 Accord EX Nav.

 

nice pick up i was gonna get one of these before i picked up the TL

 

The build quality of the interior is great, very much comparable to my TL I'd say it's right on par with my 3G TL.

One big difference is the dashboard material. You can tell the dashboard in this one is a hard urethane or something, the one in the TL that was prone to cracking is a lot softer. However I don't think that the dash in the honda is ever going to crack given the way the material is, it's almost like what you'd expect to see a dash cap made out of, but there's no cap on the dash.

I also noted the other day my center console arm rest actually does slide forward lol .. I still got spoiled from the alcantara redline leather goods armrest with the super thick padding that I put in my TL though. But checking redline goods they make them for the accords as well, so that may be more of an 'upgrade' for me to do to the car later rather than waiting for the armrest to fall apart to re-do the padding.

The OEM padding on the arm rest is just pitiful, just like it is in the TL.

Thanks I'll have to check it out, mine is the OEM Nav. I again got spoiled by my in-console tablet. The UI on my tablet tethered to my phone is SOOOO much more intuitive than the honda OEM navigation.

Even with the voice recognition in the Accord for the Nav, I'd rather have a tablet there without voice recognition than the way you interface and search for POIs. The voice recognition isn't the best either. Many times when I say 'Navigate' it says "Turn AC to 80 degrees" and my AC goes to 80.

Having the HVAC on voice controls is a plus though, not a feature I ever had in the TL. I'm still learning my way around the car and getting the hang of driving a stick again, I've pretty much got it down now though. I hadn't driven a manual since I was about 23, never owned a manual car before in my life and never drove manuals extensively.

 

I fully agree. I thought about the TLX. I even considered getting a TLX and a 335. Instead I have a '14 328i which takes the place of the TLX and since BMW treated me so well and offered a huge incentive if I buy a 335 or M3 from them soon I can't pass it up. I'm probably going to get the 335 in a year. Not selling the TL though.

I feel like I'm in car limbo now. I thought by the time the TL was 9 years old with over 125,000 miles it would be a POS that I could use as a beater. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it's still in excellent shape with not a single dent or major scratch and it's perfect mechanically. I plan to drive the TL as my daily still but it's in such good shape that I still park it too far away and still stress about leaving it in parking lots unattended. I guess it's a testament to their build quality and maybe a one owner car whose owner is a bit too obsessive. This damn car is making me feel guilty for buying a couple new ones because there's no good reason to replace it other than boredom right now. Sorry to the OP for rambling again.

I'm assuming the OP is going to stick around here?

 

^^

Lol, I know. I'm just getting ready to crack 100k (99xxx) and no dents or scratches. Just some swirls under the halogens. Most people think my car is only a couple years old. I can't force myself to get rid of it for at least another four years.

Congrats on the 328i! Any plans for a Juice Box? IIRC, they're running close to 13 flat with just the JB and maybe an intake/DP?

 

No worries

I'll probably stick around some now and then, I took a look at the 8G forums for the Accord and there isn't much going on over there.

Acurazine has so much more information and DIYs on the car as compared to what I've found so far in the forums for the Accord.

 

Congra!! the Accord drive really good!!!

 

Looks good man, congrats!