KJW73

First of all, sorry if this is posted in wrong category...

I'm getting tired of my TL after 1 year and 4-months, and I've tried preventing myself from feeling this way, because it really is a great machine.

When that "euphoric feeling" wears off I want to immediately trade up (always want the newer, better); and when I bought the TL in Nov. '05, I swore [to myself, family, friends] that I would keep this car until it's paid off - because I was so excited about it. But damn - that's a long time away!!

PA has had ice/snow/slush for a week, my car is filthy - I'm not even sure if it's white any more. This is partially the fault of Penn DOT doing SUCH a fabulous job on PA roads; I'm sure my alignment is just dandy these days. The interior is also disgusting (cuz it's been too cold to be doodling around in it). And generally, I'm really particular about my car's appearance.

Any suggestions besides cleaning it (haha)? Can anyone relate??

Converted

I've felt that way with certain cars I've owned in the past... ESPECIALLY when they're dirty!

I give it a good detail inside and out, and I swear... it makes you love it again.

You could always trade up to the TL-S!! :p

jupitersolo

You need to do some upgrades!!

Bodykit, Aspec suspension and rims, rear sway bar. It will be like a whole new car. I was happy with my TL, very PLEASED after the upgardes.

Mike 06 TL

WDP/Ebony/6MT here, also in PA. Still love the car after 8 months.

I don't get crazy over keeping my cars spotless anymore. I've owned nicer cars than the TL in the past and went crazy keeping them clean. I keep 2 good coats of Zaino on it, wash it once a week and don't worry about how dirty it gets. My experience with Zaino over the past 8 years tells me that the paint will remain just about flawless even with harsh PA winters and lots of road salt.

In the end, its just a car. I'll keep it as nice as I can without being anal and in 4-5 years I'll get rid of it.

KJW73

You're going to make me cry! LOL.

Really, the Type S is one reason I'm so sad about my TL. The Type S rocks and I WANT IT badly! hahaha. I sat in one at the Motor Trend Auto Show earlier this month and fell in love.

Unfortunately, I'm not at the point in my loan that I can trade up with equity - or I wouldn't hesitate.

Definitely looking forward to cleaning my baby up a bit this week; hopefully that'll help.

Converted

Well, the TL-S is the first TL I've owned, and coming from an STI, it was a nice change.

The balls-out speed surely is missing, but it's still very respectable, and MUCH MUCH nicer than the STI overall.

chill_dog

Around the 2 year point, I went from definitely keeping the car to being on the fence...this was probably due to putting mods on hold. That said, I will keep the car for at least a couple of years after it's paid off...just the way it goes due to other goals. I'm sure during this time I will drool over lots of new cars...no big deal...I do that even when I just buy a car...I just love cars.

Maybe in the future you should lease since you like to get a new car more often. As for keeping it clean, move south...I've never understood how people can live in a place that has crappy weather that is miserable to be in and makes your car an absolute mess.

KJW73

I've contemplated leasing as well, but I hate to pay for something that I can't really "call my own". Although, logically it makes sense.

I can relate to drooling over cars too; I was raised to be a car lover!

As for living south...
I lived in Virginia Beach (went to HS there), Venice FL, and Pompano Beach FL, but some how found my way back home to PA where most of my family is. I used to hate PA, but realized as I get older that it's a fabulous place to live - at least in the Capital area (I appreciate the fact we're only 80-miles from Baltimore, 90-miles from Philly, 3-hours from NYC...how can you beat that?).

Generally the Harrisburg-area doesn't get hit too hard with winter (most of the time); we've only had ONE snow fall this year (and that was last week) - hell, my family in VA Beach has had more snow/mix/ice than we've had this year. heehee. So, hopefully the weather continues to warm up and I can love my TL again! Keep 'er clean and all...

TheAcAvenger

Virginia Beach is not the SOUTH. It's the MID-Atlantic!

But I always go through car blues phases during the winter. It's just a blah kind of season. Hopefully spring will get you back in the TL mood

datmrman

After a year of waiting, my car looks like a different machine: '06 WDP TL with A-Spec Body Kit and Type-S Spoiler

Sorry KJW73, we're no longer twins.

KJW73

datmrman - CONGRATS on the mods!
Although, I'm feeling a little lonely without my twin!!!

I need to stop shopping and save up for A-spec!

Well - I'm about to head home now, so I'll embrace my TL with lots of lovin' (since I trash-talked it all day - LOL)........

mn2trance

You can still get a Type S at a fraction of the cost! Just upgrade your current ride with some performance mods and the exterior mods such as the Type S tails, side markers, fogs, etc. See . . . new car and you won't have to get into another car payment.

I've owned my car for a year and eight months now and I still have not grown tired of it. I love new cars as well, but I just can't justify buying new ones just to get back into making another car payment after one has been paid off.

drdug27

agreed on the upgrading...

datmrman

Thanks. When you pick up the A-Spec kit, save some money and install it yourself. I bought mine from Hondacuraworld and installed it myself. It's very doable.

The weather may be horrible outside, but you you can still treat yourself to a clean and polished interior.

ecliptics

haha, you feel like you dont love your TL anymore because shes dirty... whenever my mom takes my TL out she leaves hella shit in my console and black marks from her shoes by the door still and the lower part of the door most liking from kicking the door out :[ AND she parks under dirty trees or something because it gets hela dirty after she takes it out one day.. hahahah i always think she looks ugly and then i put the effort in to give her a wash and clean her up and i love her more again hahahah

leedogg

Little things to change the appearance of the car make me giddy. I swapped out the red alarm with a blue one, upgraded the auto stick to the 07 cf shifter (looks really nice!), just got the 07 tails and rear side markers and I cant wait to put those in I also just got ordered the new 24mm progress rear sway bar, which I think will make a HUGE difference in the feel of the car (up from the comptech's 22 and especially the oem's 18!!!). Basically if you want to hug the road like a bimmer, this is what you want.

Look at it this way, there is no other car out there thats worth upgrading to without sacrificing something. (Even the TL-S) Pretty much any other higher performing vehicle you will def take a big hit in fuel mileage. Besides, I'd rather be able to pick and choose the pieces of the TL-S that I want on my 06.

drdamian

hey Kelly, You bought your car around the same time that i bought mine. i am still not tired of it. but it also helps that i have done some modifications to the car which make it feel special to me, not just another TL on the road.. but yes, with this horrible weather and the beating that you put on the car with the salt and snow it does make the car look not so good. please don't get rid of it.. i would say at least hold onto it for 1 more year.. give it a good detail.. im going to have mine done next week. im sure you will love it again. damian

evolpe

If you're tired of your TL wait until the end of the year and try to get your hands on the new G Coupe. It should be unveiled at the New York Auto Show in April and it's supposed to be one hell of a car. Possibly a turbo variant to compete with the ISF and the M3. In April we'll find out.

triton3k

dont feel bad, I had the blues a few days after I purchased my Non-Navi 06 when I realized how difficult it was gonna be to install a navi system. Besides that the car is great. when its clean its a georgeous car to look at.

Converted

It would take more than that. First, you have to consider the 3.5 engine, and the already impressive power. It would take A LOT to even get to the same numbers, with basic bolt-ons.

Then you have the Brembo brakes, the sport suspension, the interior trim, the tails, quad-exhaust (which looks sick), side markers, wheels, etc.

Not saying the regular TL isn't nice, but it takes more than just cosmetic bolt ons and an intake for it to be even close to the same experience.

dan.....k

iTrader: (1)

Sure I 'd love a Type S, but I wouldn't trade up for it personally. With the mods that I've done on my 04, I'll blow the doors off of any Type S. Plus I have gotten to enjoy the car for longer than any Type S owner. BTW Converted, all 04 - 06 MT had the brembos.

Converted

Oh, I didn't know that... the manuals did, but the auto's didn't? Wierd...

Converted

But imagine putting the mods you did, on the TL-S!

I can't wait for comptech to release the S/C for the TL-S... I'm gonn be ALL OVER that...

trancemission

mods will make you love the car....

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Bah... I'm not sure I'd pay the inflated TL-S costs of the "limited" upgrades. I have a 2006, and have test driven a 2007S. The "experience" just isn't that much different.
It takes a supercharger to get that HP + a lot more... and the price difference between the base and S almost pays for that.

The other aestetic things you mention are just that, aestetic.
- Both cars need the body kit to look sharp
- Both cars need a sportier suspension, (the S may be stiffer, but it's TALL)... Tein SS or Aspec. A drop is required...
- Quad look good, but a good exhaust shop could make some for $200. $900 gets you a power gaining Comptech
- Both cars need wheels...

If dan...k had done all those mod to a TL-S, he'd have 45K+ into his car... and that's pimped RL money. Not only that, 1/2 the mods aren't available for the S.

My money sits with my 2006... at least until 09

violarx

Seems you're a candidate for Prozac.

Or it sounds like you have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, not a bad acronym for the wintery blues).

One man's opinion: Hold off doing anything drastic till the weather warms up and you've cleaned your car. Your mood and feelings for your car might be cherrier by then.

Good luck!

Will Y.

Take a fast drive (weather, traffic and roads permitting); that clears up the blahs for me as a general rule. I still really, really like driving the TL every day and think a fast, fun drive will help you realize why you chose the TL instead of other cars.
Otherwise, take a slow cruise with the music playing to a leisurely dinner/drinks after work with friends who drive BMWs and Mercedes so you can make them jealous with your touchscreen Navi and non-spartan interior.
Oh, and clean up the interior only, at least until the weather clears. It's nice to drive a neat, fast, comfy car.

ballinfizzle89

iTrader: (6)

Yeah I know that feeling..I used to have a 2003 BMW 530i and after 4 months with that car, I really just got tired it..Ive had the TL since Feb. 15 2006 and I've felt that I'm over it maybe twice but I have to say i LOVE it
Mods will def make you love the car but after the winter season simmers down..go get a nice full detail..something i need to get right now.

TL23

here's an interesting story for those of you tired of your TL:

just turned in my 3yr lease on an '04 TL SSM w/navi 5AT on monday and picked up my new ride today: '07 335i 6AT w/navi i-drive, the works. driving the new BMW around made me miss my TL. no doubt i love the bmw, it is faster and handles much better than the TL but i realized i am a gadget guy with my cars and the TL interior, form, and function outshines the 335 by a mile. i-drive is so counterintuitive, the krauts should let the japanese design it. very spartan interior compared to the TL but i guess you pay just to drive a car with BMW on it. it is an upgrade compared with the TL, but is it worth $10k, i don't know. i'll check back in a month when i get used to the idrive. you would think the owner's manual packet would fit into the glove box, wouldn't you?

enjoy your TL while you have it, you'll miss it when it is gone.

cbbutlercm

2007 TL 5-Speed Automatic with Navigation System1 Starts at $36,125
2007 TL Type-S 5-Speed Automatic Starts at $38,125
2007 TL Type-S 6-Speed Manual Starts at $38,125

This is what an extra $2000 gets you...

If anyone who owns a Base TL w/Nav was given the chance to upgrade their car to a Type S for $2000 They would jump at the chance. How much would the engine machine work alone cost to upgrade a stock TL??

[Supercharger Kit (04-06 TL)
$4,995.00] this is a great mod and one day when it comes out for the 3.5L type s I will have one but, this is a lot of money for 32-37HP more than a stock TL-S.
you could start with a stock TL-S get the UR pulley,CAI,E-shift pro cats, and computer reprogram for around the same as a TL w/Nav and a comptech supercharger. The TL-S would be just as fast or faster and be worth more in the long run. what I’m trying to say is don’t knock the TL-S as being over priced when its the most luxury and bang for the buck out there. I’m not being a smart a$$ but I love my TL-S, I believe I made a smart buy and it will pay off at trade-in time on 09'.

KJW73

Prozac...nah.....

...I do believe it could be partially due to "winter blues"....

BUT...A clean car, no stress, no idiot drivers + a really well prepared espresso martini... would do the trick!

KJW73

Ooohhh... if only I had that type of skill [or for that matter anyone that I know]! LMAO.

Now - if you want skill.... I can apply make-up very well, do hair, cook, do some cleaning (although, I hate it)... then we'd be talking about my skills.


I could only wish.........

KJW73

Okay - you got me there; you are correct in saying that Virginia is a Mid-Atlantic state. Although VB is south to me (not VA, but VB).

KJW73

Okay - you got me there; you are correct in saying that Virginia is a Mid-Atlantic state. Although VB is south to me (not VA, but VB).

...I plan on making a road trip there in spring/early summer to visit my grandparents and family; looking forward to taking the TL on a long ride.

KJW73

Hey Damian!!

Hope the roads in Philly are better than here in Hbg!

My car definitely was beat up over the past two weeks (and now they're calling for more ice on Sunday; lovely!). In fact, something about the driving of it just hasn't seemed quite right, although I can't pin point what it is. Could be that I messed up the alignment; but - you never know cuz our roads are so f-ed up, it could just be the road. I plan on having it checked when I take it in for inspection in March.

I'll definitely be keeping it and hope to get up early tomorrow morning and take it to the car wash (since it's inevitable that our hose at home will be frozen); clean her up inside and out - make it feel special again.

chill_dog

Hey, I'd trade "woman's work" for "man's work" any day...in fact, if all I had to do was "man's work" (even though I loathe yard work), I'd be much happier...the joys of being single...you get to do it all!!

And I'm still looking for that idiot-free road...

Frozen hose? It was 73 and sunny here yesterday, and it will be in the 60's and sunny tomorrow...too bad my car washing plans got scraped to take out a tree...maybe if I wake up REALLY early...

MR1

Now you got your head screwed on straight again. Hecka cheaper and faster and easier too.

Trading cars every few years cost way too much. The problems you identified can't be solved with a new car anyway. You will get more snow!

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Let's compare real selling prices though, not MSRPs...
Base TL's are selling for $32K
TL-S are selling for $37K

Let's not digress this thread into yet another "hater" thread.

cbbutlercm

MY TL-S cost me $35,493 sale price, it was $37,500 out the door. notice i said standard TL w/Nav, thats the only way you can compare it to a Type-S, now check those figures and you'll see im right.

Here is where i got my number from.

These are the true prices not the inflated dealer prices, my car was listed for $39,983 sale price which would have been over $43,000 and I don't have that kind of money to throw away. So the site above is a good negotiating tool not to get robbed and own a car that you want for a reasonable price. How many people out there paid around $37,000 for their non Type-S?? If you walk in the door knowing the invoice price on any car they have to negotiate from there if they want your business.


Blessed

cbbutlercm

MY TL-S cost me $35,493 sale price, it was $37,500 out the door. notice i said standard TL w/Nav, thats the only way you can compare it to a Type-S, now check those figures and you'll see im right.

Here is where i got my number from.

These are the true prices not the inflated dealer prices, my car was listed for $39,983 sale price which would have been over $43,000 and I don't have that kind of money to throw away. So the site above is a good negotiating tool not to get robbed and own a car that you want for a reasonable price. How many people out there paid around $37,000 for their non Type-S?? If you walk in the door knowing the invoice price on any car they have to negotiate from there if they want your business.


This is not an aggressive discussion is it? I thought we were just conversing about TL's...
I've been blessed and just want to share the info I’ve acquired during my research, that’s all. That’s why I’m providing all the references and not just making things up just to say them, so those who read this and are doing there own research can use them…