Hi,
I'm new to the site. I really have enjoyed many of the posts. I am currently a Honda crv owner. It's a 2014. We really like it a lot and planning on keeping it. The other car we have is a Prius, but the lease is coming up and it's pretty expensive to buy out. Considering buying a used, nicer car. I have always lvoed this generation Acura TL. I love the simple lines. Love the fact that it doesn't have all of the automated nonsense modern cars do. I am only concerned about maintaining a luxury vehicle like this (reliability wise) I have never owned anything as nice (when it was new) as an Acura. I guess depreciation is my friend- but not sure the mechanic is. Is this a car I have to be concerned with? I know about the 105k mile timing belt concern. I am looking at getting something with under 75k miles. I prefer the 2007-08 style of the rear taillight as well. My secondary concern is not having AWD. I know the 2009+ have the SH-AWD as an option, but those cars are still out of my price range and to be honest, like I am sure many of you feel- the 2008 is just prettier. I live in Minneapolis, so snow is an issue in the winter to put it mildly. Is there any first hand experience here in MN or the Midwest? I am not really considering putting winter/snow tires on the car. Just don't want that added expense or time constraint at a dealership if I don't have to.

Is the leather interior good quality as well like our Honda crv? I think the 2014 Honda leather is right up there with BMW.

Anyways, have always really loved Acura. I had a cousin, who I always thought was a really great man, I always looked up to him. Always had a ton of money and still does. He still drives a (I think) early 90's Acura Vigor coupe. He could drive anything he wants, but he chooses that. I think he has over 200,000 miles on it. I feel like there are a lot of people like that who drive Acura cars. It is different than lexus or bmw or benz. It's less of a status symbol- or: "look at ME" type of car. I really appreciate that.

Thanks for reading- would appreciate any responses or thoughts...

Stephen

 

Welcome to the site.

To give you a few pointers and info regarding some of the things you mentioned.

First off, the 3G TL isn't really a "luxury" vehicle. Its more or less just your run of the mill mid-sized sedan thats somewhere between sport and luxury. I like to think of it as a fancy Accord and because of that the TL does not have expensive cost of ownership or cost a lot to maintain. I cant speak for the earlier 04-06 models which have been known to sometimes have automatic tranny issues, but the refreshed 07/08 models are very well built cars and have no major problem areas. I would never hesitate buying a 07/08 as long as it has a good history. Those two years also saw many interior and exterior changes as well as additional features such as backup camera on nav equipped models.

As for timing belt service yes thats the 105K service. You are looking at slightly lower mile cars so I wouldn't worry much about that until its due. Typical cost for that service can probably range anywhere from 700-1200 range.

Like you already mentioned all 3G TL's are FWD. I manage fine here in Chicago, just get a good set of tires or if you want to go a step further get a dedicated winter set and you should be real good to go. Since you want to avoid swapping wheels, then just get a highly rated all-season tire and I think you'll do fine. I struggled a little last winter here in Chicago, but that was not a normal winter (maybe for MN it is, but not here). We had tons of snow and ridiculous temps all winter long. I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3's which are highly rated, but I think they are more geared toward high performance and things did get a little tricky in heavy snow, but that should be expected with a high performance all season. Not only that, but my car is manual which IMO complicates things.

3G leather isn't the best, but its not bad. I have seen some older 3G's that are really showing their age. Like pretty much any car, on a meticulously cared for car the seats will look great, but any car that was just used as an "appliance" they will have some creases, maybe even cracks. The leather in my 07 looks new, but thats because im OCD with my car, plus it has low miles. Find an exceptional car and the leather will look great. The rest of the interior is IMO excellent. I experience no rattles, everything fits great and still looks and feels like a new car.

I have had multiple 07/08 3G TL's and they have all been good cars and I highly recommend them. Just remember, the 3G TL is getting pretty old now, so as with any car they are used and just because its a Honda product doesn't mean that there aren't bad ones out there. Some people really beat the crap out of cars and just do your best to find the best used one possible. The least amount of owners possible, the least miles, accident free etc etc.

 

Wow. Thanks for the insight.

 

As JTS stated, the TL is more of a "sport luxury" car if you will. Has some luxury features, but you'll definitely find the same model year Lexus (just for Japanese comparison) a bit more luxurious and quiet. However, that's one of the things I love about the TL, offers just enough luxury, but it won't put you to sleep behind the wheel.

As for the leather, not the best. You'll notice probably that your 2014 CRV is much comfier compared to a 2008 TL. I'm sure your CRV seats are comfier and have a bit more cushioning, but the TL is quite a comfy car still.

I have a 2008 Base model w/ Nav and I love it. The driving feel is excellent and sporty compared to just about any other sedan within the current price range. The V6 under the hood offers a good amount of power and pretty good gas mileage. Not to mention it is still one of the best looking cars out there, in my opinion. Otherwise the car feels solid and I have not had any problems with mine in my 2mo of ownership. Bought it with about 57,700 and besides throwing on a new set of brake pads on there, no major issues at my current 62,700mi.

In terms of maintenance, should cost just about as much as your CRV, maybe a bit more if you go for Acura OEM parts. However, to my knowledge, alot of Honda and Acura parts are interchangeable and the only difference is the logo you're paying for. For example, I bought a new battery about a week ago; Acura wanted $125 and Honda wanted $109, guess which one I went with. The only problem is that my Honda battery can't be under warranty because you can't register an Acura VIN with a Honda labeled battery, but there are workarounds for it.

 

I agree with everything JTS has said, except I would recommend a dedicated winter tire for anywhere that sees snow, especially Minnesota! An all season is ok for somewhere that sees the occasional dusting of snow, but they sacrifice too much in the wintertime for the sake of tread life and smoother summer ride.


Hope you pull the trigger and pick up a 3G. If you find one with a good history you'll be glad you bought it.

 

I have been looking at some 2007-2008 models here in Minnesota. Most appear to have some major leather (mostly driver seat) wear & tear. Was the leather originally not of high, thick quality?

 

Acura honda leather isn't the greatest especially the light color one.

 

that's really too bad. i mean, if 2008 is the newest version of this design, it's already an older car. I just want longevity.

 

I saw a crack mark in a brand new tl with 1100 miles on the clock before, like I said honda leather isn't the best in the business. However lexus is another story.

 

Are you suggesting Lexus is higher or lower quality in terms of its leather interior? How about overall compared to a 2008 Lexus es 350?
I have noticed the Lexus demands a lot more $$$ for used then acura.

 

No matter the design, it's still a 6yr old vehicle. That's pretty old for a car.

The engine and just about everything will last you a long time. The seats can last just as long if you take good care of it. If anything you can get the seat reupholstered.

Lexus leather is higher quality. Lexus is considered more of a luxury brand compared to Acura, and the quality shows. Go sit in a Lexus of that year and you'll feel the difference in leather.

The ES350 compared to the TL is boring, plain and simple. To me, it's just a leathered up and more refined Camry. They're great cars, but if you want the least bit of excitement, you won't find it in an ES.

 

Personally, I don't think you can find a better vehicle for the money in an 07-08 TL. I have an 04, but I had an 05 back in 07 and am so happy to be back in one. Is it really just a nice Accord? Sure, but so what?

I love the 3G's body lines and you get Honda Accord reliability with luxury at a great price. I had an 04 G35 Sedan and that thing was a giant turd. Nothing wrong with it mechanically, it just had a terrible interior design, awful seats, it was just garbage.

The only Lexus I've really had much exposure to is the IS300 and 350s. The 300 was severely underpowered, and honestly, I didn't find it nicer interior wise than the TL.

You could probably get a 335i of the same year with a bit higher miles for the same money, but trust me - I nearly went that route but BMW maintenance is just ridiculous. Their cars need so much replaced at 100K or so it's not funny, and at high cost.

My TL has 225K miles and the interior looks immaculate, it runs like a top, and the only issue it has right now is a door lock actuator. They're 20 bucks or so.

I say go for it - I think you'll be very happy with it. I'd get a manual trans tho, but I don't drive automatics.

 

I don't know how much you are looking to spend, but when I was looking at cars recently there were only a few in my price range that had the attributes in a car that I wanted with the TL being at the top of the list. I wanted a good looking car that was "sporty", had some level of luxuriousness, and was reliable. Although RWD or AWD was preferable it seemed to me at least that the options available sacrificed one of the above listed criteria (usually reliability).

I suppose you should determine if AWD is a requirement for you or not. That would rule out the TL if it was determined to be a requirement. Good luck!

 

To be honest with you yes lexus leather is way better than Acura, I have a is300 with 168k miles on the clock as daily driving and let me tell you the leather looks better than all of the Acura seat compare at that mileage and car require less maint attention like ATF and pressure switches in the TL not to mention the 2JZ motor has good torque on bottom end unlike my tl it only getting excite after 4k rpm, the only reason I bought the tl back then because of the style, btw we owned most of lexus product coming from IS, GS and LS. Acura is now slowly dying the new tlx is an improvement but not a game changer like they did with the tl back in 04, I remember many friends gave up their BMW, MB and Audi for the 04-05 tl despite it being FWD. The way I see it honda still want to retain FWD and SOCH is a big stubborn mistake, Lexus on the other hand is widely recognize as luxury brand, have you ever sit in a GS or LS? The ride is so smooth despite the road condition. My next car will be the IS-F.

 

Best of luck with your search.

 

Even today 3G TL's look amazing.. I wish acura re-releases it again. I'm so disappointed with the 4g and 5g versions.. So underwhelming..

 

Considering the TLX just released and it basically meets the middle between the former TL and TSX, I don't know about another TL coming out.

And I like the TLX. I gotta go check it out in person though, but it's a nice looking car that has some pretty good features in it.