Hello Forum Goers,

I am in the Market for a new care in the next month or 2 and have always really digged the 3rd Gen TL look. I have always been a Mazda enthusiest however my wife is sick of not being able to drive my cars cause they are all stick and she cant drive stick and doestn want to learn.

I have seen TL's ranging from 04-08 with prices from 7500 - 15000 all in automatic and am not familure enough with them to konw what to keep an eye out for. I like to do most my own work on my cars so I konw to check for leaks, remove the engine covers, get underneath, get a good gold start, test shifting but what else should I keep an eye out for?

My budget is really in the 12K range, I would like less than 100K miles however isnt there a spendy maint at 110K? Timming and water pump? what else?

Is there a major difference in years for the 04-08? one year more troublesome than another? I know to make sure the power stearing pump lines have been replaced under recall too.

Thanks for the help and yes I did do searches and didnt find a "before you buy" thread just some random tid bits here and there to watch for.

 

07 and 08 are the ones to get if you want an AT only. They put in a new transmission that's much more durable for those years than the ones from 04-06. You also get a different steering wheel and some exterior tweaks too. I'm sure there are other things as well but those are the big ones.

t-belt/water pump/spark plugs are all at 105k, it's just a normal Honda and there shouldn't be any real surprises. The usual run of checks for a used car should be done though.

 

Great, Thanks for the advice, I dont want to go into it saying "its just a Honda" and be nieve, I want to ensure I'm smart about my purchase.

 

Totally get it. I don't mean that as a Honda it's immune to everything but if you do the normal checks for leaks, function, form, etc and it all checks out then it shouldn't be a big deal. If you can find one with maintenance records and history then bonus points for you.

IMO, it's fairly easy to tell when an owner cared for a car vs one that was abused.

 

You can probably find an 07/08 base TL at around that mileage for $12k. The Type S will run you between $17-23k.

 

So what is the main difference between the TL and TL-S? I know the TL-S has a higher HP rating, and the interior is slightly different with Lighting. what else is the advantage?

 

Differences between 04-06 and 07-08
Exterior:
-Headlights were revised and got rid of the tacky fog light in the headlight and now has a more updated DRL inside the headlight.
-Front bumper was updated with fog lights now located in the lower bumper like most cars.
-Newer mirrors with LED turn indicators.
-Redesigned 5 spoke wheels.
-Rear taillights now have clear lens in the center brake light portion.
-Rear bumper lower garnish may have been updated cant remember for sure.

Interior:
-Newer "switchblade" style keys
-Revised steering wheel
-All new gauge cluster
-Different wood accents
-Footwell LED ambient lighting (blue on base, red on Type S)
-Aux input
-Backup camera (on nav equipped vehicles)
-Slightly different nav software and interface.


Thats all I can think of for now as far as cosmetic changes.

Transmissions was improved for the 07/08 model years. Engine HP was not changed throughout the 3rd generation base models. 04-06 was listed at like 270hp, and the 07-08 was rated at 256ish I think it was. There were no actual changes, it was the way the engine HP was rated that changed. I personally recommend getting an 07/08 for obvious reasons.


Differences from base model 07/08 to 07/08 Type S:
-3.5L V6 compared to 3.2L V6 in base model. HP increased by about 30.
-Manual transmission available on Type S.
-Larger Brembo front brakes on auto and manual Type S.
-LSD on manual TL's (all years)
-blacked out headlights with less amber on the sides
-Revised front bumper with changes in the fog light area. Looks a little more aggressive.
-Dark gray painted "waffle" wheels.
-Smoked rear side marker lights (where as base model is red)
-Smoked color rear taillamp frames.
-Different rear bumper.
-Lip spoiler on rear trunk lid.
-Chrome trim on rear trunk and front bumper/hood (base model is silver painted)
-Different exhaust system (also has quad tips)
-Different suspension setup.
-Red interior lighting compared to white/blue on base
-Carbon fiber look trim on Type S compared to wood on base.
-Different interior colors available on Type S (ebony/silver, or Taupe)
-ANC (active noise canceling) on Type S.
-Type S logo on steering wheel and seat headrests.


Probably more stuff but thats all I can think of off the top of my head. Some people claim the Type S differences arent that significant but its a pretty extensive list if you really look at it. The Type S isnt worlds faster than the base, but overall its a nice package and not something you see everyday. The fastest of all 3rd generation TL's would be the 07/08 Type S manual, followed by a toss up between the 04-06 manual and 07/08 Type S automatic, then lastly all years automatic.

Hope this information helps.

james

 

Get a Type S or youll only wish you had. Especially hanging out with these A-zine guys.

 

OP it sounds like you already know exactly what to look for when purchasing a vehicle. If you are shopping for an AT, you'll definitely want an 07-08 without a doubt. That isn't to say that there are good 04-06 models out there, but the risk is higher (plus there are many other perks to the 07-08 like James showed.)

In addition to the list above, the following updates were also made in 2007:
-Suspension changes for improved ride comfort
-NAV models include a back-up camera (chicks dig this so much for some reason)
-Audio system is now MP3/WMA compatible
-Audio system offers Dolby PLII
-Audio system offers SVC (Speed Volume Compensation)

Have you taken one for a test drive yet?

What colors are you looking at?

 

Meh. I don't think they're worth the premium if you want to do things to the car anyways. Very small HP bump. The rest is easy to change. If you're going to leave it stock, that's another matter.

 

Here is my plan as I know the TL now. Mind you I am coming from a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6 AWD that I built up over 400HP (330WHP) turbo and fully modded and tuned so this is going to be tough to swallow at first.

Looking at the following to do -

White or Red in Color (White Prefered)
Clear Turns all around
Coil Overs
Tint
18's with some Lip
Intake
full exhaust
tail defuser removal
debadge
if I get white look at a Carbo Hood

as for the rest, rely on you guys to teach me!

Thoughts

 

If you're already talking about your mods, pick up a 07-08 TL-S and put Hondata Flashpro in the mix as well. Any other years will be headache.

I never touched Mazda since the time of their rotary engine era, it was like fixing a BMW!

 

Mazda DISI Motors are a pain in the Arse, but boy are they fun when you get them on the road. and having a AWD sedan Turbo, talk about a sleeper when its a Mazda! only made in 06-07 and looks just like the V6 slow model.

Sounding like I'll have to wait a little longer to get a TL then, the TL-S are in the 15-20K zone and I have 12 to spend. Total Bummer cause I have to get a new car in the next month or two and wont have that kind of cash by then.

 

Missing from the Type-S exclusive attributes list:

Aluminum pedals
Perforated leather inserts
Different grill

 

07 - 08 Type S man!! I regret not getting a Type-S but I'm still happy as hell with mine. I will be turning my car into a Type-S wanna be soon even changing the interior leather and all within the yr.

 

But with the money you'll spend in the next year turning your car into a TL-S clone, couldn't you just sell your '08 and buy a TL-S?

 

My car is still not fully paid I have about 2 yrs left for the pay off. May be then? But again i'm considering a 4th Gen TL or a 2013 MDX when i give this baby up.