hank1105

I have been leasing cars for almost 9 years now. My current car is a Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, which is alright, but I think it is time to move up. I have been eyeing the Acura TL for some time now. I would like to get out of the whole leasing plan and actually get a car that has good resale value and that can hold up for a number of years. Just have some questions before I take the pludge. First off, please understand that I haven't test driven the car yet, that will most likely happen this weekend.

(1) How reliable has your Acura TL been (could be < 2004 TL's as well)?

(2) Is there a torque steer problem since the Acura is front wheel drive?

(3) Is the car more prone to dings on the doors since there is not protective strip or whatever you want to call it?

(4) I have heard of varying 0-60 times, can anyone tell me what the actual 0-60 time is of the automatic version of the TL?

(5) I am thinking of this car as an investment, thus if I should sell it in the future how is the resale value of Acura's in general?

I think that is about it, I really appreciate any replies and any other information you might want to share with me. Thank you again.

Hank

Tripp11

1) Had mine since January 2004 and not a single issue with mine.
2) Torque steer? What torque steer? I'm coming from a Saab SE Vert FWD turbo - want torque steer, drive THAT car. Seriously, I notice very little torque steer with this car and I've got a 6MT.....although, it's all in the hand of the driver and the perception of that driver.
3) I don't have a single door ding on my car; although, I'm "smart" when it comes to parking lots and where I park my ride. I would say you would be safer with the BSM on the car than without but I personally think it takes away from the look of the car. To each their own I guess.
4) 6MT here friend.....but my car is pretty darn quick though.....quick enough that is.
5) Anything affiliated with Honda is going to have one of the best resale values going IMO - so you can't go wrong. However, you do know that resale/residual is factored into your lease as well, right?

Hope this helps, friend.

Prolanman

1 - 2005, 6800 miles. Very reliable.

2 - Not really that bad. All FWD cars with some power have torgue steer.

3 - Have Body side moldings and do not park near other vehicles in shopping centers.

4 - 0-60 somewhere around 6.7 on the 5AT.

5 - Resale value - Excellent. Residual value expected to be around 52% after 4 years.

DarkWraith33

1. About 2700 miles and no issues... If you poke around in here for an hour or so, you'll find what the common issues are with the new TLs. The tranny problems of the past seem to be gone. Rattles here and there people complain about, although I have very few. Bad stock tires is another one.
2. I think the torque steer is more than the 3 Accords I've owned. Again, as Tripp said, I think it's relative. That being said, me thinking it is more does not mean that I think it is bad or unmanageable.
3. Another safe parker here, although you can get door edge guards and well as door side moldings if that interests you. I am sure there are pics on Acura's site as well as in the gallery here. (Both are body colored...)
4. Uh... DUNNO!
5. I just read the other day here, that Acura's have some of the best resale value of any car out there! Now that being said, the TL is a popular car and in a few years there will be many leases up. I wouldn't say the market would be flooded, but you know what I mean. Bottom line, if you take good care of your car, when you go to sell it, you won't have a problem getting rid of a well maintained Acura and getting a good price for it from somone.

Join us! JOIN OUR RANKS! LOL...

Good luck man...

rets

Welcome to the forum


(1) How reliable has your Acura TL been (could be < 2004 TL's as well)?

So far so good, I have the early build 04TL, besides some annoying rattles, nothing major. And, I believe the later build TLs would get better treatment to deal with those rattles.



(2) Is there a torque steer problem since the Acura is front wheel drive?

Powerful FWD may come with this fate. You may feel it if you have a spirited run or you try not to drive straightforward while kicking your gas pedal. In 99% of your drive time, you won't feel the thing.



(3) Is the car more prone to dings on the doors since there is not protective strip or whatever you want to call it?

Acura declares the rigidity of 3GTL is improved and better than 2GTL. I haven't got any dings, except on the hood (but this is more paint-related). Where I live is famous to have dings on your cars...



(4) I have heard of varying 0-60 times, can anyone tell me what the actual 0-60 time is of the automatic version of the TL?

As others said above...



(5) I am thinking of this car as an investment, thus if I should sell it in the future how is the resale value of Acura's in general?

Resale seems pretty good so far... Even lease companies love to have this car on their lists...

Treblig

(1) How reliable has your Acura TL been (could be < 2004 TL's as well)?

Had mine since September '04 and no problems to speak of.

(2) Is there a torque steer problem since the Acura is front wheel drive?

Torque steer is present under certain circumstances but that is to be expected from a FWD car. Hasn't been problematic for me.

(3) Is the car more prone to dings on the doors since there is not protective strip or whatever you want to call it?

I don't have the BSM's but I park out in the boonies to avoid the those careless "door swingers". Don't imagine that the BSM's will prevent all door dings anyway.

(4) I have heard of varying 0-60 times, can anyone tell me what the actual 0-60 time is of the automatic version of the TL?

Never really attempted to measure it.

(5) I am thinking of this car as an investment, thus if I should sell it in the future how is the resale value of Acura's in general?

This is my first Acura so I can't really say, but some here on the Forums and places like Kelly Blue Book and Consumers Report seem to indicate that Acuras hold their value quite well.

hank1105

Thank you all for the replies, extremely helpful. Exactly what I was looking for.

Hank

onalake

Just a note on the body side moldings. I agree with others that it takes away from the look but even with them on you have to assume that the door on the other car that might ding you meets at your molding level. I found that most doors do not so it's waste of money. If the molding gets dinged, then what? Do you replace the molding, fix the molding, etc? Just seems like an inevitable thing about dings. Park in the boonies as much as you can. Just my 2 cents.