So I am in the market for a TL as of today.

Wanted to get owners opinions on some questions here. I'm thinking of trading in my daily beater (2000 honda Accord V-6) which I had the 100k service done on 30k ago. Not pressed to get rid of it considering it will probably go another 70k with no problems. That being said, my daily roundtrip commute is close to 3 hours and I figure it might be easier on my if I am in a car I enjoy, enter a TL. I've narrowed it down to a 2nd generation 03 TL-type S 4 door (blue, silver or grey) or a 3rd generation 05 TL (silver or grey). I'd like to keep the price under $15,000 and under 50,000 miles for each choice. In a perfect world, if I could find both with a a-spec kit (and rims on the 3rd generation) with auto transmisson and navigation I just may jump all over one or the other. I expect to keep this car for at least 3-5 years until I move into a house with a garage where I intend on upgrading to a 3rd generation type S which is why I am considering the 2nd generation because why get a 3rd generation only to get another one even if you upgrade to a type S. I guess my only reluctance is that there are TONS of 2nd and 3rd generation TL's in the area I live (northern virginia).

Questions.

1. Will I get by with 89 octane when filling up?
2. Anything besides the transmission problem on the 2nd generations that I should be concerned about?
3. Should I consider a 04 when looking at 3rd generatons? I've heard mixed things about the leather quality in the drivers seat and the tires.

Anything else I might be missing would be appreciated.

 

1. Yes, but you'll probably get worse mileage, which will balance out the lower gas cost. Just stick with the 91/93 (highest in your area).
2. Best to check the 2G TL forum for info on the 2002-2003 TLs if you haven't already. The manual transmission will help avoid the auto tranny woes, if you can find one.
3. I wouldn't rule out an '04 in good shape-- probably not an early build, though. However, an '04 is more likely to have 50K+ miles, and the '05+ front seats have an additional row of seat bottom stitching.
The non-Navi cars-- all 3G years-- came with Bridgestone Turanza EL-42s that were pretty horrible tires, but they only tended to last about 20K miles. The Michelin MXM4s on the Navi cars were much better than the EL-42s and tend to last much longer, albeit not at full grip when more than half-worn. You're likely not going to have the original tires with an '04 or '05 TL that has more than 40K miles.

G/L.

 

1. Good point on the gas. If I HAD to put 93 in I was going to consider a TSX.
2. The sedans didn't come in manual for the 2g years did they? The first question I would ask is if they had the tranny replaced under the recall.
3. Most owners tend to go with the same tires they got from the factory so I'll make sure I pay attention to that.

 

1. If your going to be doing a 3 hour roundtrip commute- put at least 91 octane so your gas mileage will be optimized. If you require further clarification on this issue and what can/can't happen when putting <91 octane in the 3GTL, do a search. There are hundreds of threads on this topic.

2. Don't know. Feel free to visit the 2GTL forums.

3. Keep in mind that the 2GTL all the way up to early build 05 TL's shared the same tranny. If that is of concern to you, get a late build 05.

 

Thanks for the responses.

 

Hello, I have an 04 and LOVE it!

1. I have to use premium, i tried to use 89 and my CEL came on
2. since I have a 3rd gen I dunno
3. I wouldn't worry about the tires, that is something you can replace easily. If you are buying from a dealership and the tires are not to your liking make them throw on some new ones for you The leather in my car is fine but I do clean and condition it. I think if you get the leather in good condition and take proper care of it it'll be ok.

On a side note - your accord only has 100k on it? I have a 97 with over 230k on it and that thing runs like it is new, I swear. I don't know your financial situation but if you can afford to keep it I would, there is a lot of life left in that thing. I would still buy the TL though
Oh and I forgot to mention I have no transmission problems w/ my 04 at all.