I'm 16 and I'll be off my permit in a month. I'm thinking of either getting a 2004 or 2005 tl. Preferably black and get the windows tinted out and just put money into it. I have around 9-10g to spend. Im tryna get one with navigation/leather/sunroof with it tho. Any suggestions? Post your opinion of your tl

 

If you want it buy it. I regret not buying a type s. I have an 04 TL which i paid over 20k back then. It will be hard to find a tl with navi all tl have leather and sunroof. I would expect 2004-2005 to be around 10-12k so shop around

 

remember to include insurance costs, maintenance and gas cost when you figure out how much you want to spend.

 

You'll probably be looking at higher mileage TL's, which isn't a bad thing. Just make sure you have someone trustworthy check it out. Make sure that all the maintenance has been done. One big one is the timing belt at 105k miles. I would definitely wait for one with Navi. I regret saying some $ and going with a non-Navi. Just be patient and take your time. One will pop up. Good luck.

 

^^^ agreed. Stick with the Navi, but it will cost you $500~1000 more than without. You'll likely find a car with 100-150k miles, and black exterior isn't as hard as some other colors to find. You likely won't get anything with a warranty. Just make sure previous history is good, and hopefully the 105k maintenance is already done or you're talking about a $400-$1200 service bill, depending where you get it done.

As far as my opinion of the car - I got a new '05 Navi 6-speed in '05, drove it till a year and a half ago when a lake overflowed and totaled it in the middle of the night. Insurance coverage gave me something more than reasonable which could have been a sweet down payment on something new. Unless I wanted AWD, fold-down seats, or a Type-S, I saw no other car currently on the market for under $50,000 that had so many things I liked with the TL. 3 weeks ago I purchased an '04 clone of my '05, great condition, from original owner with overly complete records, 81k miles, for $12.5 - been conditioning the leather and giving it baths ever since.

Good luck!

What about this?"2004 ACURA TL,NAVIGATION,BLUETOOTH,BLACK LEATHER,SUNROOF,115K MILES"
it looks pretty sick http://southjersey.craigslist.org/cto/2890546532.html

Reconstructed title....

 

this^
make sure you got something extra on the side, for those just in case things. and figure out your insurance first to see if you can afford it. no point in buying a car you cant insure.
My insurance on the type s was abit over $3400 a year, so $285 a month pretty much! plus gas was $80 every week. I was pretty much paying $600 just to drive the car every month. luckily for me my insurance is dropping to $2500 a year next month since I'm turning 21 in a few weeks.

make sure to check out the car properly and don't just jump on one because it looks "sick"

 

Also, is the Acura Tl the right car for me? Whats the gas mileage like? I'm really hoping I can run into a Tl with under 100k miles and with all those features

 

you should quote your self a insurance first since that's going to have alot of your monthly payments in.

 

yep. Liability insurance on my 93 integra was under 100 bucks a month and comprehensive + uninsured motorist coverage is just about double that for the TL.

You do not want to get liability only on a nice(er) car, but it's up to you. I personally would do full on anything 10k and above.

Gas mileage is low 20s for averaging 30mph/city. high 20s to low 30s for steady 65-75 mph cruising.

 

The acura is getting quoted in my dads name im going to be a 2nd driver..

 

start with a low mileage newer accord or civic...cheaper to buy, cheaper to insure, cheaper to feed (fuel, maintenance)...seems like most of the young driver's who end up with a TL end up...crashing it. just making an observation is all with a lot of the accident threads i've seen.

who's paying for the car, the insurance and the maintenance???

 

...but of course to each their own...

 

just got my 2004 tl today 64 k miles i love it

 

Welcome to AZ!

I'm 15, turning 16 in April and I am grateful enough to get my mom's 2006 TL w/ Navi with 54k miles. The deal with my parents is that I pay for gas and half of the insurance costs per month. Not a bad deal, but insurance on the TL is killer at 16. Damn gas prices, too.

It's probably going to be hard to find a TL with Navi (Leather & Sunroof are standard on all models) under $10k. It's not impossible, but you may be searching awhile. That's okay, because you shouldn't buy the car unless it's right for you. My mom wanted a silver TL but they only had a blue one on the lot. She didn't want to wait a week for shipment of a silver so she took the blue... shame, but I'm not complaining as it's a beautiful car nevertheless.

Your in the same boat as me, but be careful with mods. Acurazine will suck your savings dry. Keep us updated on your search, and check the Black Market regularly for AZ members who are selling their cars. Cool to know another 16 year old on the site!

 

yeah i kinda regret not looking into the type-s, especially after i saw the KBP on the road one day...(damn sick even @bonestock)

but at ur age i would probably start with a newer and lower mileage civic/accord (i somehow really like the 06/07 accord coupe) than high mileage TL then come back few years later for an used and low mileage type-s,
the insurance and gas of the TL might kill you unless ur parents are paying for it

 

Got it for $12k try a civic or even rsx

 

Same here. In my personal opinion, a new driver should get a naturally aspirated inline-4 car. FWD/RWD/AWD or AT/MT/SST don't really matter, because you can learn. However, beginning with a car having too much horsepower and torque is a risky thing.

The problems with most new drivers are controlling the emotions and always driving at a reasonable speed. A high horsepower/torque vehicle will amplify these problems and you will pay the price, which is not what we want to see.

If you like sports cars, get something like a S2000. As weak as they appear, S2000s are actually very safe cars (http://www.carfax.com/safety/honda/s...fetyReport.cfx). If you want to mix it with some luxury, consider cars like RSX, or at most IS250 (2.5L V6). So your so loved car will always stay with you instead of ending up in the junk yard.

 

My advice... Don't

 

It's not that you shouldn't, but maybe buying a car that is already 8 years old with 100k+ miles isn't a good, reliable choice. I love the RSX and Accord/Civic Coupe and those are much cheaper options.

 

I just had a realization reading this thread ... when I bought my '04 TL in October 2003, some of you guys were in 1st or 2nd grade. WTH? LOL.

 

Just bought a 59K mile 05 TL for 14K today didn'y have navi but it does have 3 pedals:-)

 

Definitely agree with this. Since it is your first car, you should try and get something reliable with fairly low miles.(Accord/Civic) That being said, I'm not in anyway saying the TL isn't reliable, because it is. But for your price range you will probably have to get a high mileage one in order to get one + navi. On top of that, you don't know how well it was maintained. Even though that's pretty much true with most used cars, the higher the mileage, the higher the possibility that something could go wrong.

 

Definitely take in consideration the gas prices...when i first bought my very first car...i wanted to drive everyone and their mommas around. When my friends and i went out, i drove them around and just having that freedom when you own your vehicle and not have to share it with your parents was awesome. Having said that, you'll prolly be in the gas stations quite a bit...and the TL's require "premium" gas.

You're on the right track Mwoody cause you chose a well built car...now ask yourself, can you afford the "other" things...and i'm not being a d*ck when i ask this...just don't want you regretting things later (geez, i sound like my pops)...imma stop now.

Welcome to AZine by the way!!!

 

I'm 24 and enjoy my 05 TL very much.

With that being said why do you want a TL ?

I got mine because I looking to have a family soon and wanted the back seat room. Wanted a safe car for my gf to drive and FWD was good for the snow around here.

When I was 16 I think I would have gotten bored of a TL. No idea where you are at in life but if you don't need the space why not look at saving some money picking up a RSX or something along those lines ?

 

One big mistake I made on my first car was to buy very used so that I could pay cash. I ended up paying a lot for repairs over the next months.

Then I made the mistake of buying a new car which was great in terms of reliability but restricted my budget for other things such as saving up for a cash down for a future house.

Now I mostly buy only cars that are 3-4 years old and from brands that are known to be reliable.

If you can afford it the TL is a great car. Once you get a 6cyl engine you don't want to go back to 4cyl even with turbos.

You are 16. Your car will be an important part of your life and the freedom it brings. Just make sure it's not restricting your budget for other things you want to do. And if you are going to mod it; do it with taste

 

If I were you, I'd save some of your money and look elsewhere. Either an RSX (as many have mentioned) or if I were you, I'd go for something that takes regular gas, a newer Civic or older Accord would fit the bill for reliability, 87 gas & a cheaper all around cost.

Seems like a TL is just slightly out of your budget. No worries though, I was there just 8 years ago. I'm 24 and had a '99 TL my Dad gave me when I was 16. Now that I have a full-time job, I upgraded to an '06 Anthracite Metallic TL. I <3 my TL!

 

my parents bought my sister a brand new civic back in 02. in the following 7 or so years it would be involved in a few accidents with my sister and me at the wheel.

I will not be buying my child a new car, or one worth over 10k.

I would go used, RSX or civic or Fit for first car. Once you get more experience behind the wheel, pick up a car you can keep away from other drivers or obstacles.

 

Hey man, I'm 18 and just recently got my 3G TL, you can find one with pretty high mileage for the price you're looking for, be careful thought, high mileage cars (although acura is really reliable) will tend to give you some trouble along the way, throwing all your money away and being left with nothing is not a smart move. Gas on the TL is also pretty expensive depending on how much you drive

 

FYI : Engine mounts are a common problem with higher-mileage 3G TL's, too. They aren't too cheap to replace, either. My TL has about 194,500 miles on it now and I had to get 2 engine mounts replaced around 120,000 miles.

 

why everyone suggests RSX-S? for the same money I suggest you go out and look for 03-07 Accord V6 6spd MT it has decent power (240 HP ish) the only option are Navi and yet on the good side it use regular gas. RSX-S and TSX are slow and way over price IMO.

 

i got a 2005 acura TL

pearl white

54,000 miles

clean title

tein springs

19" axis wheels new tires

engine stock

A-spec lip kit

navigation/dvd

tinted windows all around

interior 9.5/10

exterior 9.5/10

u can email me at r_wang02@yahoo.com ill send u pics through email

 

I totally agree with you that the OP will be better off getting an RSX (especially an RSX), Civic, or Accord. However, an 8 years old, 100k+ miles TL is not necessarily unreliable. If the car goes through a thorough third party inspection and everything is sound (which is often the case), there is no reason to doubt its reliability.

Back then, I got mine TL 96k miles used, and the car has been running strong with zero new problems occur, not mentioning I drive 12k+ miles a year. A broken outer door handle spring and missing of a couple of clips come with the car, but nothing serious. I propose that inspection report is a vastly better indicator than mileage.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, a high mileage TL can have much more issues than engine mounts. Just to mention a few: bad struts, warped brake rotors, broken lower arm bushings, broken sway bar mounts, bad 2nd/3rd gears (AT), bad window electric motors, chipped paint, etc, etc.

On the other hand, a high mileage 3G Acura TL is still one of the lowest maintenance cars, comparing to cars manufactured across the world. A brand new Audi or Land Rover can have a lot higher maintenance cost than such a TL.

Maybe many of you are comparing the TL among Japanese cars, since all alternatives suggested are Japanese cars so far. If so, yeah, a high mileage TL is a bit high maintenance, but only Lexus and low mileages Toyotas, Hondas could have significant lower maintenance than the TL.

 

I'm 17 and just got my 2005 Acura TL 2 months ago has 65k miles on it and was in like-new condition. Very rare to find on a used car. My first car was an 03 Jetta with over 200k miles and I gotta say the Acura kills it by a thousand times. My parents pay the insurance and gas while I make the car payments at 200 a month. (I put a lot of money down) In fact I probably overpaid a bit for a stock TL but the condition was damn near perfect. At the end of the day, I'd definitely reccomend an 05 TL, really strive to get one with under 100k miles. Then again Acura is generally a very reliable car. Good luck.