I pulled into a parking space for an after-school activity for my son. I parked right next to 2006 6MT 3G TL, which I could tell right away from the stock TPMS rims, brembos (and dusted front rims ).
The other guy got out of his car at the same time, and we struck up a conversation about the 6MT, how rare they are, etc., and basically he didn't know there was any difference in the 6MT setup vs. the 5AT in terms of brakes, LSD (IIRC), sway bar (IIRC), etc. I was really surprised that he didn't know, especially with a 6MT I expected more of an "enthusiast", like the gang here on AZ.

 

It's a shame that only enthusiasts can appreciate that the TL has to offer, especially the 6MT.

Since I debadged my type-S, I've had 3 people ask me what brand and model my car was. They didn't even recognize the Acura symbol.

"Is that a Mazda?"

 

Holy facepalm JJH.

OP, you could have gotten worse lol. At least he knew it was a manual

 

Mine is de-badged as well and I always get "Is this a Civic?" "Is this a Camry?" and the most asked one is "Is this a TSX?" Then when I tell them it's a TL I get "It's new huh? 2010?"

 

most people view cars as transportation.

I, however, think of her as a real person with real feelings.

 

^This.

A lot of people buy cars for one reason or another. I'm willing to bet that the enthusiasts among us spent a lot of time researching our rides before and after we buy them.

 

What if he wanted to play dumb. I do that at times as if they know more than me.

 

get laid. now.

 

Some people get it, but most don't...

To me, my cars will never be "just transporation".

In a way, I almost feel sorry for those that think this way. They're really missing out!

 

lol I keep getting asked if mine's brand new.

u know it's a timeless design when people can't tell a 6 year old car from any 2012 vehicle...

 

damn.. i thought i was the only one who felt this way

 

I'm amazed at how much the masses do NOT know about cars.

I was getting my car washed one day, and this guy is getting a (clearly) 2006-2007ish 328i 4dr. You can tell because of the exhaust outlet, only one dual-outlet muffler on the left side, not the dual muffler set up like the twin turbo guy. I guess it could be a 330i but I digress...

Anyways, the guy comes up to me and the convo goes like this:

"Hey is that your black car?"
"Yeah"
"What is it?"
"Its an Acura TL Type S."
"Oh, how much hp does it have?"
"Not much, 286"
"Oh, that's not much, mine has 340."
"Oh really...."
"Yeah, its a supercharged v6."
"Interesting."
"yeah, and it gets really good mileage to the gallon too, like 38 or something like that, its because it has an 8 speed auto transmission."
"oh ok...well my car is done, good talking with you."

 

Perhaps the kid was intimidated by your age and knowledge. But some people really don't care, as long as it sounds or looks good.

 

At supercharged v6 and 38mpg...!

 

Don't expect much knowledge about TLs from other people you meet...

ESPECIALLY stock cars, 6MT or not.

As justnspace stated, most people think of their car as transportation.

 

DUDE! You just lost your 1st "BENCH RACE"..... lol

Next time tell 'em you got heated windshield wipers.

NEways... You will RARELY get respect from the BMW crowd driving a Honda. That's a whole new level of snobbery and douchbaggery.

 

^^^to be honest with you, if you ask most BMW driver why they bought the car they most likely to say "oh I like German engineering". But the truth is BMW offer 60k miles hassle free warranty and performance such as M3/M5/M6 and 1 series M. However with that being say BMW maint cost is outrageous that is the reason you see most listing with mileage around 55k or 68k miles because the warranty about to expire or just expired. When I was looking to buy a car I test drove 07 BMW 335i turbo sedan, 07 Lexus IS350, 08 Infinity G35X and 07 Acura TL-S. My choice was narrowed down between IS350 and TL-S. By far the most reliable is the IS350 however the back seat leg room is small compare to our TL, I have kid and need the back seat leg room that why I opted for TL-S and another reason because of the interior styling. Lexus IS offer most technology such as ventilated seat and 305 HP engine, G35x wasn't for my taste but it is much better than 335i. The interior in the 335i looks like from the early 90s car, Nav is consider rare on these car (existed?), boring seat and center console and not to mention they have problem with the turbo and fuel pump issue. So you pay all of money for a badge BMW but no high tech like everyone else. BMW was the first one eliminated from my choices.

 

Exactly. I did all kinds of research before my TL purchase, on all the cars I was looking at, and I knew more about TL's than the salesman did. And after the purchase all the research that is needed is right here on AZ.

 

Maybe you should have invited him to join AcuraZine.

 

Mine is also debadged and when I took to Auto-Cross (i.e. car nuts), I heard someone behind me telling someone else, "Yeah, that's an Acura TSX".

 

I dont mind the lack of knowledge most people I encounter have, if they want to think my 5 year old car is new...so be it lol. First day I brought the Type-S to work about 98% of my co-workers thought it was 2012. lol

 

I get asked on a regular basis, how I like my new car.

 

same here, I guess because I kept the car clean and wax the whole time so people think it a brand new car lol. When I owned my Accord and shopping at a high end town (everyone else drive MB,BMW, Lexus an Acura as common car). A lady approach me and ask "your car looking good is that new?" I replied "yep, it new alright. It new in 1999 that is"

 

Oh, and after the tepid response I got from the guy, I didn't even get into the whole 3rd gear and whether he was running GMSMFM topic...