Carlmock

Trying to decide between the 6 speed and auto. Like the 6 speed but am concerned about resale since I probably will only have the car for 3 or 4 years tops. has anyone heard anything good or bad about the 6 speed resale values?

cm

ONAGER

from what i have seen they keep a higher value as there are far less off them.... i looked at 03 cl type s before i bought the tl and the manual were more expensive.... supply and demand.... i wanted one, there werent many avalable, so they cost a pretty penny

2K2SilverTL-S

They also only made 2700 CL Type S 6-speeds. There are certainly more TLs w/ 6-speeds produced.

caball88

you will be able to sell an auto much easier than a manual car in the US simply because most people can't/don't want a manual car. however the person in search of a 6MT to buy would probably pay a little higher premium for the car since they know it's a little more rare. just look at past history, the legend 6MT is a rare car and fetches a higher price than the auto.

Mike H.

From a leasing standpoint, the residual is less for a manual (at least in Socal).

KJSmitty

Given the "class" of vehicle the TL is in, their is a reason Acura and other manufacturers make less 6 sp/MT cars than the same model with AT's. Plain and simple - more people buy AT's.. Logic would be - you would have an easier time selling an AT. Does it mean you will have a hard time selling a 6sp? No. It's just that your buyer "numbers" will be less. On the other hand, if someone is looking for only a 6sp, you might collect a premium selling price.
Best advice anyone could give.... - Your planning on driving the car for 3-4 years, buy what you want. Worry about selling it when the time comes. Who knows what people will be looking for then...

quake97

It's really a toss up. It all depends on the demand when you want to sell the car. There are going to be less manuals out there, but if no one wants to buy one when you want to sell, you may get less than if it was an automatic. I wouldn't think the difference would be that big anyway, buy what you want.

Joe

jmn4667

I would think that a 6MT with Navi (esp. the 2004) could have a higher resale value. That first year there was a Navi shortage so Acura quit offering Navi with the 6MT models about halfway through the production cycle.

SouthernBoy

In my area, cars in the class of the TL with manual transmissions are in demand, so resale should present no problem.

F23A4

Opposite here in the NYC area. The vast majority of drivers around here avoid MT like it's the Ebola virus.

gochan

i'll be sure to ship mine out there when it's time to sell

SouthernBoy

I suspect it's largely due to the affluence of the area which helps to make Bimmers and similar cars quite popular. Granted, far more automatics make it into cars than do manuals, but for some cars, a manual is the expectation. And Acura's initial ads for the TL flagshipped the manual transmission as the gearbox of choice for the car.

There are a heck of a lot of TLs running around here.

KJSmitty

Actually, that was a typical marketing plan to ensure prospective buyers understood that a manual was available. Most manufacturers have done this for years. Like you said, "but for some cars, a manual is the expectation", this is true for some folks, thats why this marketing approach is used - to ensure those "expecting folks" are fully aware of the option.
For the rest, the car having an automatic is a given, no need to focus on that....

As far as "affluence",, sure the higher priced cars will be popular - but the fact remains, they will still sell more AT's.

acur8ly

iTrader: (1)

I had an 01 CL-S auto. and I looked at the resale value issue before I traded mine in. The higher 6speed value was the supply and demand to a point. The weak transmissions and all the rumors going around with that played a part in that whole resale value thing.

acugirl

Who cares about the resale value? Most important thing is that I am having fun right now (and for many years to come) with the 6sp With the current transmission trend in the US, who knows if there will be any cars sold with MT in a few years (something I am dreading dearly).

caball88

it's true that there are alot of AT cars in NYC but that's just because there are so many people driving and more than half of them can't drive for sh*t. it amazes me just how many people that are absolutely incapable of operating a vehicle safely is driving on the road. for those drivers that actually get their cars in MT, they are usually better drivers as they appreciate driving more and have the capability of operating a car that is not so "automatic". i am glad that alot of car companies are offering MT again in their cars like the TL, 3 and 5 series, G35, etc. it just shows that with the hp wars going on the buyer trend is to go for the more sporty transmission to match the hp that the car offers. Personally i think some of you might be missing out with the 5AT(i might get flamed for this) but the 6MT just offers you that extra bit of control that adds to the fun factor especially with a rev happy honda motor. just my

KJSmitty

You are correct. You probably will get flamed for a narrow minded comment like that. You are right in one area though... Their are alot of people out there that demonstrate daily that "they can't drive for $hit". I know I have had my moments, we all have. Some just never learn from them... My feeling is At vs MT would have no effect. Some people shouldn't be driving period - more politically correct,, they shouldn't be driving because they can't keep their mind on the task at hand i.e driving...

100% content with my 5AT.

TLer

It really is a subjective matter. The person that is buying the car would be more concerned about buying a manual just because he would know that the owner was a person that enjoys driving stick because they love "spirited" driving. Now this is where the concern would really become an issue because you don't want to have to change the damn clutch on this car for obvious reasons like $ and abuse (not that you guys with stick shifts abuse ) but a concern none the less. As far as the belief about the manual car fetching a higher resale value than a auto goes, I don't buy it, but as far as the auto being a better/safer buy down the road, I don't think there is any argument there. My

Shoot2Thrill

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...&category=5336

F23A4

It all depends on your take; used car pricing in NJ (particularly central and northern) can be outrageous sometimes. (DOHC VTEC Honda pricing is good example of that. ) Good find though.

Rick F.

One economic law you can always count on is supply and demand. In this case, the supply of used TLs with manual transmissions will be a lot lower than the ATs, but so will be the demand.

I'd guess that the prices of the two models might end up being similar. I would also guess that there will be a pretty strong demand for used TLs in the future because it's such a great car!

Rick

Legend2TL

That is in very nice condition!

Legend2TL

Good wisdom, buy what you want, drive and enjoy!

SouthernBoy

Like acugirl, I sometimes worry that at some point down the road, finding sedans equipped with manual transmissions could get more difficult. There will always be manuals available in cars like the Corvette, Porsche, and similar fair. But the costs of those vehicles is prohibitive for many people.

While I generally don't fret about the resale value of my cars (it never enters the picture at buy time), when the time comes to let the car go, it certainly does become a factor. As I've stated a number of times on this site, in the area in which I live, cars in the class of the TL and the 3-series BMWs and A4 Audis and over cars in the same catagory with manual transmissions sell well and tend to be the expectation. Apparently, the people who buy these cars have it in their minds that manuals are the primary transmission types identified for this class of vehicle. Just like the expectation that a Porsche should be manually equipped. I read somewhere that 3-series BMWs in this area comprised over 50% of the sales of that particular model.

In the end, as some have noted, it all comes down to supply and demand.. or rather demand and supply in this case. I wouldn't worry about it.. get what YOU want and what makes YOU happy.

JetJock

If the Acura Legend is any indication...the MT TL should be quite "rare" and bring a premium. Just look at the price of a good used Legend with the 6mt...they sell for thousands more than a run of the mill AT Legend. Several years ago, I was trying to buy a Legend Coupe, 6mt. They were asking over $27,000 for a used Legend...more than I was willing to pay. The AT version of that same car would only bring $18,000 at the time.

Hybrid

224,000 miles. No butt prints in the seats! It can be done. (From the photos, that whole car could pass for 20K miles. A close-up inspection might show a little more wear).

ONAGER

Was the legend rear wheel drive? looking at the motor alighnment it looks like it was... its front to rear instead of side to side.... im being lazy and not going to go find it... who here knows?

KJSmitty

I'm no "Legend" expert but yes the engine is configured in a rear wheel drive manner, but given the trunk and rear seat photo's it could be front wheel drive..

Interesting....

123456SPEED

Pleeze, this is an Acura forum and people are asking if the Legend was front wheel drive?? Who are you people!? j/k

Most ALL Acuras/Hondas are front wheel drive. The NSX and S2000 are the only rear drive Hondas made for US. The G2 Legend engine was placed longitudenally to supposedly improve front to rear weight distribution.

As far as resale even the automatic Legend Coupes held value well. I sold my 8 year old one for $10,000 to the dealer in 03.

jazzpicker

The resale really depends on who buys the car. Usually the automatic will bring you a few hundred more dollars at the dealership (according to my salesman) on a trade but many people are looking for 6 mts which can be hard to find. Just depends on the buyer.

The most important thing is if you want a manual tranny go ahead and buy what you want and enjoy your car.

Legend2TL

They are front wheel drive with an unusual drivetrain. The engine and transmission are longitutally mounted (nothing unsual there alot of Audi's use this method), engine in front and the transmission bolts up to it on the rear. But the differential is physically mounted under the crankcase, the output shaft of the gearbox goes forward. If you've ever seen one on a lift it's interesting.

The reason for all this complexity? It enabled the wheelbase to be long at 112" since the transaxle didn't have to have the half-shafts at the rear of th engine giving more legroom for the front.

FWIW the Lamborghini Countach has a similar arrangment with the gearbox mounted on the front side of the V12 and output shaft going to a differential under the rear part of the crankcase.