I know, this is a topic that has been argued to death but its now 2015, do all the points still hold true?

So im in the market for a 04-08 tl/tl-s. I have read forum after forum about this arguement. Everyone points to the tl-s. everyone mentions the rims, quad exhaust and extra hp, cool interior.
But what if all that didnt matter?
If my plan is to add new rims, new exhaust and basically build from the ground up, is the extra $$$ for a tl-s still worth it in the end? i mean if you change everything is the red interior light, 2 tone interior, back up camera and the bigger engine/brakes worth it?
my dilema, picking one of these cars:
a 07 tl with 42,585 miles is going for 14.9k
a tl-s with 42,168 miles is going for 21.8k

the 7 grand i could save on a tl, would pay for rims,tires, a variety of performance parts (which would make a tl as fast as a tl-s, if not faster. a supercharer is 4k) and still have money left over to take my girl out on a nice date.
This would be a garage car, drove on weekends.
Want the low miles so less chance of damage, wear and problems.
Thanks!

 

I would say save your money and get the base model. I have a base but I've driven a type s and I don't really think the 20hp is enough difference to be worth so much extra cash.

If you' plan on doing custom wheels, exhaust, coilovers, supercharger, etc, then yeah I would recommend the base model because otherwise all that factory design and performance that Acura has put into the type S will just be wasted lol. And converting to a type s can be done fairly reasonably if you really wanted to.

 

Thank you, see and thats my problem, spending all the money for a type s and it going to waste when i install all new aftermarket parts...

 

I was in the market for either a base or Type S. Type S around here were/are fetching a premium price that I don't think was worth it. The base I ended up with was a deal too good to pass up too. I knew I was getting an automatic and that was even more reason to get a base, didn't want the "performance" version being held back by an automatic. For sure I would've gotten the 6spd if I went with the Type S, but considering I'm not the only one driving the car, a 6spd was out of the question.

Considering you plan on modding it in that way too, it wouldn't be worth the extra money for a Type S. You could easily save that money and throw it into your mods for either more or nicer spec'd ones.

 

My thought is that the Base model is a blank canvas with which you can design your own work of art, whereas the type s is a masterpiece already made for you so you don't have to do any of the work.

No matter which car you choose, you're ending up with a great car.

 

That's a really good way of putting it.

No doubt I would've preferred the Type S, but again, only in 6spd, which wasn't an option

 

thanks guys. guess im sold. the tl is in white too. so a white and black build, end up doing intake, exhaust, cats, pully, then work my way to a supercharger.

 

If you're looking for something that's quick for 20k, there are better cars than a TL.

 

of course there are better/faster cars, i can think of several. there is just something about a tl, i know a couple people who own them. its just always been a favorite.

 

except that MOST of the 04/05/06s are going to be beat to shit in 2015.

if I were in the market today; it would only an 07/08, as they are the newer cars.


dafuq you want a beat up old 04 for?

 

he's talking about 07+ specifiacally

I chose a base too. i couldn't resist the low mileage/price.
i hate the 2-tone(silver) type S interior anyways...looks dingy after a while to me

 

oh, i only read first sentence, where he referenced 04-08s.

my B. my B.

 

Does the tls have better tranny than base or the same auto ?

 

I think this is a question only you can answer dude. Will you be happy with a base auto? If yes go for it.

You can always shop around for something with a little more mileage to get a higher model at the same price points too. These cars don't die at 100k miles if properly maintained. You can look for something with ~60k miles and save on the mileage. But it sounds like a type s doesn't really appeal to you so looks like you already know what you're going to do.

 

They have a revised AT tranny starting from 07.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a TL-S AT. If you want AT, go with the base. Getting a TL-S AT is just nonsensical the way I see it.
Cheap: Base AT
Faster: Base MT
Fastest: TL-S MT

The slow cousin with gold teeth: TL-S AT

 

LOL.

Yeah if you're going to get an auto, make sure you look for an 07-08 model.

100k miles on this car really isn't much, as long as the previous owner took care of the basic maintenance. I bought my 08 base auto at 101k, it has 135k on it now and it runs just as well as TL's I've driven with only 40k.

 

probunny hater lol. Honestly Type S isn't the performer car it still get out accelerate by infinity G35 sedan, lexus IS350 and BMW 335 sedan all with a AT gear box still can out run the TL-S with MT. I just wanted the Type S but wifey can't drive stick do to medical condition so I end up with a AT, kinda happy when stuck in Houston traffic tho.

 

Agreed - if you had a rough daily commute to work like I do, 45-min of stop and go, a 6-speed sucks lol.

But the OP says this is just a weekend car so that won't be an issue.

 

I'm not saying it doesn't have its use, and in the end I'm just nitpicking, but it seems like the AT TL-S is a car of many compromises.

 

The type s was never geared right, and although slower in a straight line, it still beat the g35 and is350 around a track driven by professionals years ago in Asia.

 

yes its corrected and I had put that sport tune suspension to put V8 5.0 mustang into shame during cornering however the question here is how many people out there have the skill to push the car into nearly breaking the limit. Another factor is how many corner you really have in real life? My only question is why Honda still keep the FWD? 3g TL is a good platform and yet it could put the IS350 and G35 to shame if Honda put DOCH and RWD the TL. The 6 MT def has better gear ratio than IS350 and G35 AT.

OP if you don't mind the sport tune suspension which can be rough on some surface such as concrete or choppy pavement then go with the AT TL-S. If you looking for a nice conform car to cruise then go with the base TL. I told my wife if she gona buy a TL get the base since Houston road is rough.

 

When you get down to it, the TL was originally designed with an older audience in mind. The car was meant to be comfortable and luxurious with a fair amount of pep to be comparable to (not faster than) other cars of it's type. It was not designed to be a racecar.

That's why even the type s is a little underpowered. It's also why there were so few MT models produced and why most Type S models were automatic. The car was designed for older folks - why else would there be a cassette tape player and not a USB or iPod hookup? Lol

 

Yeah it's a shame more cars these days don't come with cassette player . Us Old folks are then relegated to listen to AM radio

 

Punctuation and capitalization is your friend.....

 

AM radio...? Is that thing still around?? I thought you could only listen to AM radio in museums!


Just kidding!

 

Well given that the Nav and Back up camera in my TSX are from 1983, I feel like I AM in a museum most of the time

 

$22K for a 07 (8 year old) TL-S is too much. I will admit the TL-S is a beautiful car and I still stare at it every time I see one, but when it comes to interior tech and refinement it is very dated. It does not have that many features and pretty much the same as a 2004 TL besides a larger 3.5L motor, sport tuned suspension, wheels, and old looking navigation user interface.

I just picked up a 26k miles 2011 G37S fully loaded for $24k. It has nearly $8,000 in additional options alone.

1-Owner clean CarFax and AutoCheck

Technology Package - $1,200
Adaptive cruise control;
Front pre-crash seat belts;
Brake assist with preview;
Collision warning system features:
Rain-sensing windshield wipers;
Advanced Climate Control System (ACCS); (ACCS) w/ Plasmacluster technology;

Premium Package - $2,150
Electric glass sunroof;
Rear cam & proximity parking distance sensors;
10 Bose speakers audio system;
Internal HD : 2.00 GB music storage (turns into 10GB w/ navigation package);
Power Tilt/ telescoping steering wheel;
Steer wheel & outside mirror sync w/ seat;
Smart card/smart key; includes memory seat and memory steering wheel

Sport Package - $2,150
Alloy wheels: 18"x 7.5";
Transmission: with paddle shifters;
Front driver seat : sports with 12-way power ; details: manual thigh support,
front passenger seat: : sports with 8-way power; details: manual thigh support;
Unique sport headlights;
Sports pedals;
Front summer 225/50 tires, rear summer 245/45 tires;
Sport brakes with larger rotors (Big Brake Kit);
4 Piston front calipers, 2 piston rear calipers
Rear viscous limited-slip differential;
Sport suspension;
Sport-tuned steering gear;

Navigation Package - $1,850
Navigation system with 3D and voice;
Compass;
XM NavTrafffic and NavWeather;
MP3 player;
Internal HD : 9.30 GB storage;
Voice activating system for radio and navigation system;
Multi-function display screen;
DVD/VCD; Entertainment display screen located in front;

Interior Accent Package - $600
Luxury trim: High-Gloss maple accent on doors and on dashboard;

Illuminated Kick Plates - $360

Built-in bluetooth audio streaming

328HP, RWD, LSD, 7-Speed Auto, Push-Button Entry/Start

If anyone is still willing to pay $22k for a TL-S vs $24k for a G37S fully loaded like the one I got than I got 3 words for you. You are crazy.

Well there is one thing my TL has that my G doesn't. The mirror in my G doesn't tilt when in reverse. Kind of a big deal for me because I have become so used to it in the TL but all the extra goodies in the G outweighs the bad.

 

Such as a used Mustang GT or Accord V6? A fast car is not hard to come by, but a car both good and fast car is more so.

 

... not sure you can compare fwd, rwd, and awd.

Just like all things in life, '... she may not be s*** to you/but she the s*** to me.'

 

You forgot another thing that your G doesn't have!!!!! .....a tape player which actually works pretty well lol I picked up some old tape from the thrift shop just to use the thing (AC/DC , Guns N' Roses, Top Gun Soundtrack)


Out of the two choices I would get the 07 TL base, if it was Navi... something about the stock navi that just completes the look of the center stack,even if it's old and outdated.

My parents own an 07 TL and it's a fantastic cruiser car that is extremely comfortable in stock form. It was so nice that I ended up buying my 6MT TL since the TL-S 6MT's were a little more than I wanted to pay and hard to come by. It was a nice step up from my 1997 saturn station wagon with an SOHC cranking out 100hp (at the crank) with 224k on the clock lol. The TL-S is nice, but not ~22k nice. I also would not consider the TL a garage/weekend car, it's a workhorse A to B everyday car with class. Even if the TL isn't the fast, it just looks plain old good in my book, I had a guy about a year ago ask me if my TL was the new TL, they've aged well.

 

Lol I'm currently using my 08 TL as my work car and the G37S is for weekends. In the process of returning the TL back to stock than I'm going to post it for sale

 

I didn't realize the g37's depreciated that much that fast. That sucks even more than rain sensing windshield wipers. Nothing drove me more crazy than rain sensing wipers in my old s60r. I hope the infinity ones work better.

 

Yeah I don't like rain-sensing wipers. I do like my TL's wiper control logic, where if I have wipers on and come to a stop, the wipers stop/slow down and start again when I release the brake pedal

Also I really like the side mirror tilt in reverse, backing into parking spots is a breeze!

 

Well it was a good ride! I love the sound of the VQ Enjoy the G

 

Never noticed that about the wipers on the TL

Yea the side mirror tilt in reverse is a great feature. I'm surprised other cars don't do it?

The VQ does have great sound. That and the stock short throw shifter are what I miss in my old 350z.

 

My tsx has the wiper wipe when you get off brake thing
It's great for the 5 days of rain a year

Added bonus of wagon, if you put it in reverse, mirror tilts down and rear wiper wipes on its own

But it got no vq sound track

 

I actually got pretty lucky. Most base G37 (not S model) with almost no options go for about $20-$23 depending on year and mileage.

G37S is about $23-$26k

Fully loaded G37S is $26-$29k.

It's hard to find a Sport package G37S with the technology package (collision warning, adaptive cruise control, brake assist, auto sensing wipers, advanced climate control system w/ Plasmacluster tech)

I've seen G37S fully loaded like mine but twice the mileage (mine is 26k miles) going for $25-28k

As for the auto sensing wipers, it is only auto if you put it in auto mode. To activate auto mode you pull down the wiper blade stalk one click. You can adjust the sensitivity of it while it's in auto mode.

In the TL it goes like this

Default - off
Down 1 - intermittent mode, driver selects wiper speed by flipping the button forward or backwards for slower or faster.
Down 2 - fast wiper mode
Down 3 - super fast

In the G it's very similar

Default - off
Down 1 - auto mode. Adjust the sensitivity if you like.
Down 2 - fast mode
Down 3 - super fast

Also the G and TL both have wiper control logic where if you come to a complete stop the wiper blades in the G will slow down until you start driving (even if the wipers are in auto mode)

 

Cool. Yea the wipers in my old s60r were like that too. The rain sensing was only active in intermittent mode, and instead of selecting the timer or speed of the intermittent, you select the sensitivity of the rain. Still sucked balls and never worked right in the Volvo.

Had my wipers in intermittent today in the TL and didn't notice any slow down in the timing of the wipe while at a stop with the brakes on...?

I have to admit I'm surprised at how much value the 3G TL still holds today. Part of it is probably thx to the 4G ugly duckling?

 

The wipers in the TL definitely slow down to snail pace when you stop at a red light on my side of the border.

 

This feature only work in intermittent mode I'm guessing?