Hi Guys, Just trying to find out how many of you guys who own maybe an 04-06 TL would consider trading in for a newer 07-08 TL or TL Type S?

I currently have an 04 with almost 100k miles. Still running strong and lovin it, just ordered the AEM V2 intake the other day just waiting for it to come in. I still have plans on keeping this car atleast another year if not longer, but even then when the time comes I am still highly considering trading in for a Type S with decent mileage. I just love this car. I work at an auto dealer and when I get to drive everything from Bmw's to Mercedes and anything in between there doesn't seem to be much that compares to our TL's for quality and drive.

Just wanted to get any opinions and how many of the older yr owners would do the same.

 

I have a 3G TLS right now but if i would trade in my TLS today i would get a C63 or ISF. That's just me

 

i'm happy with my 05. so no, i wouldn't trade it in for a used 07-08 type-s.

my 05 and i have had a long journey together...and quite frankly no used car will look as pristine or treated quite as well as my TL has over the last almost 7 yrs. plus i have one of those rare 6MT...even more reason to hang onto her for a long time (and no car payment).

 

^ same here- it's just not a compelling enough feature improvement list to risk getting an out of warranty lemon that most likely won't be as clean as my car. I'm not inspired by the tail lights or wheels of the newer TLs either- to each his own.

 

No I wouldn't. For me the cost is not worth it and plus what if the used car you do get was poorly maintained. Even if you are going for the newer look, It's still not worth it. Properly modded 04-05 I have seen look way better than some 07-08 models.

If you are scared of it breaking down, well Acuras are strong and you're saying yourself it still runs strong.

Few days ago I was driving my friends friend TSX. The car had 221,xxx miles. I did not believe it because the car was running perfect, except the warped rotors lol common issue with teenagers LOL.



My story.
I have an 07 now about a year ago i wanted to trade it in for an 08 Type S 6mt. That car had like 15k and my car had 35k. It would have cost me more than $6,000. Just because I wanted a 6 speed lol.

 

Don't do it!! Especially if yours is already paid off. Besides a Type s just isn't worth it I'm sure someone is going to chime in and tell you how fast a Type S is but in all reality the TL is just a comfortable cruiser. If you want something fast don't trade in for a Type S or you will be very disappointed.

 

 

no car payments should convince you enough to stop yourself from doing this. unless your current car has several problems to the point where it's in the shop more than in your garage, i wouldn't do it.

i mean, imagine all that extra dosh!

 

If bought it brand new 04. I would keep it.
My answer to 07-08 Base model is just NO way.
But if TL-S is 08, yeah maybe 50/50 (if yours wasn't a brand new)
I also agree with DaeHanMeenGuk and others on the "No car payments"

And if you have A-Spec on 04, 100% I would stay with it. I personally don't like the Type-S.
And you said running strong... so no problem I belive. Just stay with it and use the V2.

 

if they totaled my car, I would be in a 6MT TL-S

 

I sold my TL-S and looking to get back in a TL. The amenities are basically the same but I love the 04-06 Aspec kits! Not only does the Type S have a larger motor with more power, but I'm pretty sure it has a beefier RL transmission (automatics). Personally I'd think I would be happier with an 04-06 6MT w/ an Aspec kit than an 07-08 TL-S. Good luck on your search!

 

I've had my '04 since new and know its maintenance history. 121,000 miles later, to answer your question in a word......nope-not-gonna-happen-wouldn't-even-be-in-consideration.

 

Wow, I thought everyone would say, "upgrade to the Type S"...

 

^ Im with mr Bell! But im biased because I started with a 07 WDP Type S

 

been there, done that. i had a base and now i have an S, i justified it with the "Y.O.L.O" attitude

 

Reason Type-S pulls people is because it's like the end of the era It's the best and fastest 3G. I love my 06, especially A-Spec rims and etc. but what my mind thinks is that,
let's say if get a j-pipe, I start to think, if I had Type-S, it would have been perfect.

Type-S is perfect
But on the other side, I am like, I enjoy this 06 so much thats why I want this 3G to be perfect.

When I go back and put everything together, 04-06 seems to look better to me idk why.
Which fills the gap between 3.2 and 3.5 to me.
If It was like 330 HP or something, than I would think again but...

 

And that's my thought....of course we can't discuss it.
Everyone has different joy or favourites.

 

Im with donnieb83 I think the 04-06 A spec is the best kit.
But on the other hand if I found a KBP 6MT Type S that was a reasonable price I would jump on it. If your quest is speed look at something else, like a 335i or mazdaspeed 3 .
I know im gonna get flamed for taking the German's side on this one lol.

 

I was in the same boat several months ago. Looked at a 08 Type S and took a test drive. Didn't feel much difference from my 05 6MT and I didn't know the history of the Type-S as I did my car. So I decided to keep my 05 and never looked back. Besides, I wasn't too impressed with the red lighting in the Type-S.

I bought an A-SPEC kit, added footwell lighting, getting it tinted and cleaned her up, so I'm good!

 

You can supercharge the base TL for pretty cheap too! Can't do that with my type-s

 

I have an '08 Type S and would agree with everyone's opinions so far. If money is an issue, if maintenance is an issue etc., then no because you've got a great car already.

However if money and maintenance are non issues (you find a great deal or neither matter to you) then I would totally go for it =) It comes down to personal preference, the first time I laid eyes on the 3G Type S I knew I wanted it. At the time I ended up getting a used '03 TL base (back in 2007). But even in the '03, even though I loved it I would pass '03 Type S cars and wish I had been able to spend an extra $1500 simply cause I thought it looked better and it had more stock hp. So I pretty much predetermined that when it came time to upgrade to the 3G that I would pay a little extra and get the Type S. I test drove an '07 base and the 08' Type S back to back and did not notice a significant difference, but that was with a salesman aboard and I didn't push the cars too hard. But regardless I was sold on the looks of the '08 Type S and that coupled with the fact that it was a great package all together (power/tech) and it was a win win for me. The red interior lighting, the quad tail pipes, the steering wheel, the gauges, the tail lights, I personally loved all of it.

I may be one of the few that loves the way the Type S looks stock. I've got mine tinted and that's it.

Another option would be to swap out some of the parts but if money is an issue, it might actually be more cost effective to just switch to a Type S if you factor in labor time/research time finding Type S parts, actual cost of parts and resale of a semi converted '04. You would have to revert it all back to stock when selling.

No matter what you decide, any 3G TL is a great car =)

 

I completely agree with you. ( btw nice fbody )

Im perfectly happy with my 06 6spd. The type S doesnt offer much more to me to justify the price difference if this car was paid off.

Now if you areplanning on going from an auto to a 6spd, I'd be inclined to do the trade up. lol.

 

I have an 08 5AT, and am considering selling it to get the 6MT. My previous cars have been manuals, and I miss that aspect of driving. I thought the Sport Shift would fulfill my desire to shift, but its just not happening. If the transmission is not an issue, then I would say keep what you got.

 

i traded in my base TL for a Type S
it was auto to stick tho..
and red to white..

 

Wow, Thanks for all the input. I should of mentioned I bought it used a couple of yrs ago and I'm stilling paying on it but I owe about what the things worth on trade.

For now I think I may just keep her for awhile.

I just can't decide on what to get when I do want to go for something newer.

I know you won't want to hear this and I have trouble saying it myself but one of the few cars that are out now that I would be able to get a good deal on if I bought new is the Dodge Charger SRT8. This is one badass car. I work at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep Dealership and I am really impressed with this vehicle... Performance is amazing for its size, you get lots of space and the quality has gotten alot better on these brands over the past yr or two for me to consider getting something along those lines.


Anyone have any experiance with 08-09 bmw 550i?

 

Thanks man!! I can side with you on this one. If it was an auto base to 6MT Type S I would consider trading in but I'm not a fan of the red gauges in the S at all Maybe an auto to 6MT base

 

very interesting set of responses here.

I think this is a circumstantial decision - because you still owe basically what your trade-in value would be, I don't think I would be looking to trade it in..

Timing is very important especially where things are headed economically. I ran my '05 auto to 118k and wanted a manual so I upgraded to the type-s but the difference is I didn't have payments on my '05, and I bought the type-s private party so I lost nothing on "trade-in" - so basically I took out a 2 year loan to buy the type-s knowing that I would sell my '05 for X dollars privately and pay it down, and within a year of the remaining $800/mo payments, I own it my type-s and haven't even clicked over 60k miles yet.

I never would have considered it if I had still owed on my '05 - the car runs well and should continue to do so for you so I wouldn't take the hit if I were you.

I don't believe in borrowing more than 10-12k for a car (exception being my type-s that I borrowed 18k for but turned around and sold my '05 for 9k and cut it in half right away), so if you are already paying on your current TL, chances are you'll borrow a nice chunk of change to get that newer one.

I can't in all good conscience recommend that you upgrade.

That being said, I definitely stayed in the 3g TL family for a reason. The cars are amazing through and through. Quick but not fast, comfortable but not too luxurious, decent sound system, blah blah blah. There's really nothing else on the market that I would want to drive - I'm only willing to commit so much money to a car which limits what you can buy that's of good value. When I start looking at 40-50k for a newer car that I may want to drive, I get to thinking "yeah but I could gobble up another foreclosure with that instead". The 3g TL fits the bill perfectly in the 15k-22k range (depending on type-s or non).

To each his own, but I would not trade right now if I were you.