Audioholics

Just curious as to why you chose a TL Type S over other cars and what other cars were you considering?


Here was my choice list of cars:

• Infinity G35
• BMW 330i
• BMW 530i
• Hyundai Genesis

I decided against the Infinity b/c I felt the back seat wasn't as roomy as the TL and the Nav system wasn't as nice. I also felt the TL had a better interior and nicer exterior design.

The BMW 330i interior was too small for us. I felt like I was in Go Kart. The steering was way too heavy and the engine just didn't have the punch of the TL let alone the TL Type S. Interior styling was bland and my wife simply hated the car.

The BMW 530i was a much nicer ride IMO. It was quiter, smoother and more refined than the 330i. It had plenty of interior space but my wife hated the seat comfort and felt it was too difficult to get the car moving compared to the TL Type S. I personally didn't like the iDrive system.


The Hyundai Genesis interior was like a dream. The car was simply beautiful, quiet, and smooth. It had the largest interior space and the comfort was simply second to none regardless of price. I was doing a lease deal (10k miles/yr; $1400 down, $460/mo for 27 mo; superb deal I worked out!) and was going for the V6 with tech package (sticker at 36k) but it lacked two critical features for me:

• Xenon lights
• bluetooth integrated with audio system

for those options, you need to step up to their next package which brings the car up to $40k. No thanks.

The ride was nice but more lux than sports and I felt at times like I was driving a big lexus sedan instead of a nimble sports sedan.

Thus I chose the rather long in the tooth TL Type S over some of the newer competition. I didn't want to dump $40k on a car when in 5-6 years we will hopefully all be driving electric sport cars In addition, my business isn't doing that great in this economy so I set my budget to under $27k and got an 07 TL Type S with 10k miles for $500 below my budget. The rest is history.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Audioholics...congrats on your Type S. I really enjoyed reading your post and the comparison with other cars. When I got my Acura, I got lucky and fell into the Type S. Plus, I bought mine between Christmas and New Years, so not everything was open to test drive cars. And I had to act quickly, but I've never regretted my purchase either.

TLType-s12

iTrader: (2)

Dude good choice and im not just saying that cause I have one. If those there your choices a TL-S should have been the obvious choice. Other than the fact that its RWD, EVERYTHING else about his car are Top notch. From the exterior to interior. It comes FULLY loaded wether you liike it or not. When I bought my car I was between this car and the G37. I still am dyin to get the G37 but the TL-S is just too good for the $ and overalll a beautiful car. Ive had my car for over a year now and I still find myself staring and admiring the design while im smoking.

TLType-s12

iTrader: (2)

PS. If you plan keeping money in your bank account, then leave AcuraZine. lol

Blazing GT

Audioholics

thanks to the current state of the economy, I couldn't get a decent loan on this car so I bought it cash. I really didn't want to do that but I also didn't want to spend 8% interest. Thus I won't be doing any mods anytime soon except maybe changing out interior lights to LEDS Now where do I get those at???

o4Komodo

iTrader: (2)

I don't have a Type-S..
But what made me purchase the 6spd TL was that... my parents thought the BMW 335xi coupe was too flashy and would attract unwanted attention.

TLType-s12

iTrader: (2)

The search button is your friend my son

peternguyen504

iTrader: (2)

kbp paint job and the quad exhaust did it for me... didnt even test drive it

it was brand new with 13 miles on it. i was in the dealership and it was raining

after all the paper work was done the rain stopped then i went out to see the car for the firsts time and paired my phone and started adding phone numbers lol

Audioholics

LOL I have same color with light grey interior. My car came tinted and with tinted Weather Tech window and moon rooof package as well.

paliknight

actually, i prefer FWD over RWD simply because of weather. ive seen RWD cars go through hell just to get out of an inch of snow. ive also seen RWD cars drift in the streets (unwillingly) due to heavy rain or snow. i have never had an issue with weather.

so IMO, unless im racing, i would choose FWD over RWD any day. AWD is another topic.

aceman4

iTrader: (1)

Easy choice for me. I had a '06 TL and was waiting for the '09 TL release. Once I saw the '09 TL , I immediately bought a 08 TL Type S.

I also drove the G35, 330i and IS350 and the TL-S had the biggest bang for the buck. All the other choices nickel and dime you to death with options that come standand on a TL...GPS, bluetooth. xenon...etc.

Audioholics

Oh I forgot to mention, I test drove an 09 TL with tech for 2 days (loaner) before buying my 07 Type S. The 09 TL had superb steering at high speeds. The car just felt planted compared to my 05 TL lease. The acceleration was nice, but I felt at lower speeds the body wobbled a bit on turns. I hated the exterior design with the ugly beak and Camry rear end. The interior had way too many buttons on the console and steering wheel. I got so frustrated after a few hours that I decided this wasn't the car for me.

I simply love the interior design of the 3G TL. Now that I actually own the 0t Type S, I think I am in love again, especially since my wife really digs the car too.

msala524

iTrader: (3)

same as aceman...+1 for type s!

wall e

ditto

Bearcat94

Value. It's hard to get equal or more (features, performance, quality, durability, etc) for the same money.

Experience. Had an '02 Type-S that was pretty much flawless for 6 1/4 years prior to buying the '07.

dr_brains510

Quad Exhaust

marmaladedad

iTrader: (5)

I liked the engine of the G35/7. My wife liked the interior of the Type S more than the G. Guess who won?

VTnyc

Did not like the New body style of the 09' TL..Test drove the G35 and IS350...and since I had a 2001 Integra GSR & 2004 Acura TSX...I like the reputation of Acura's and the 2008 TL-Type S... I feel in love with it

TypeSDragon

I had an 2nd TLS and always wanted a 3rd Gen TLS. The Kinetic Blue did it for me. I didn't even wait for the 4th gen since I know I will never buy the first year of a new model. I also test drove it 3 times before I made the purchase. I couldn't say no to 0.9% financing.

1fsthatch

the tl and they type s are just there fcking sexii

cotmfk

New job which will have me putting tons of miles on the car. I am banking on Honda reliability here!

stuntman trav

bought an 07 CBP type-s a few months ago for $26,5 with 20k miles... couldn't be happier...

for the price, i have everything i want... and lets be honest.... the thing friggin gets after it!

MistahSleepy

I've liked the 3G TL ever since it first came out in 2004. I remember the first time I saw one on the streets and just thought how awesome it would be if I could afford a car like that.

At the time I was driving my 95 base Accord LX with only 58k miles on it. (My mom bought it new and barely drove it.)

After 4 years of college and finally joining the workforce and making decent money I decided to ditch the Accord and went straight to an Acura dealership. The redesigned 09 TL looked okay, but I was still completely in love with the styling of the 3rd Gen. The Type-S trim just made it look even better. I've only seen one Type-S before and the quad exhaust made me drool.

Since the economy is bad and the 09 TL just came out I managed to get a killer deal on a brand new 08 TL-S with a 6spd MT. Bought it December 20th of 2008 and every morning when I get up for work it puts a huge smile on my face.

People also just simply love this car! I get lots of compliments on it all the time. Seems like there aren't many Type-s around here where I live. I've only seen one when going to lunch one time and it was an auto.

greco9885

iTrader: (1)

Was in the market for a new car in August, since my old car was slowing dieing out(already replaced tranny). Went to the Acura dealership, drove a type-s demo, did alittle "spirited" driving, and fell in love. Went back told salesman I need to think about it.

Next day went back and got my KBP with 2 miles on it

Haven't regretted it since

jrobertiko

The interior did it for me. Everything I needed was integrated not like the other cars I test-drove. At first I was gonna get the 3.2 but gas prices started to drop so I was like screw it, I'm getting the Type-S. I'm glad I did, I'm still getting good mpg on it cause I don't drive it too hard.

LoveMyTL-S

Performance styling Performance styling Performance styling Performance styling Performance styling. Need I say more?

HONgDA

iTrader: (1)

i have to disagree that the g35back seat arent roomy enough. It had way more headroom and legroom than the TL. And you can recline it slightly to get more room out of it. But TL interior owns the g35.

TeknoKing

I'm regretting that I've passed on a 535i, at least in that car I don't have drive with the radio on to avoid hearing effen rattles.

cab13367

Good topic. My budget was $25k and my initial shopping list looked like this (was looking used obviously):

Acura TL
Audi A4/S4
Mercedes Benz C230 Compressor
Volkswagen Passat
Infinity G35 (coupe)
BMW M3
Lexus IS250/350

I have a unique requirement in that I play hockey so I have this big equipment bag and a couple of hockey sticks. So the trunk had to be long enough to accommodate my bag and it had to have a pass thru so I could put the sticks in the trunk. I also wanted something that got decent mileage (at least on the hwy) and was going to be reliable. I had to like the way the car looked. FWD/AWD was also a "soft" requirement as I wanted to be able to take the car skiing but I had the option to take my wife's 4x4 to go skiing so RWD was not out of the question. It had to seat 4 and preferably had 4 doors. So this is how each car stacked up to my requirements:

Audi A4/S4 - A4 was underpowered compared to the TL, not as many features compared to the TL for the same money, questionable reliability. The S4 was too expensive, got poor mileage with that big v8 and AWD, and again, questionable reliability. Love the way it looks though. A4/S4 not as roomy inside as the TL.

Mercedes Benz C230 Compressor - trunk too small and does not have a pass thru nor do the rear seatbacks fold forward. Plus, RWD. Probably very expensive to repair and maintain. Questionable reliability as well. Love the way it looks though and the little blown engine made decent power and gets great mileage.

Volkswagen Passat - I owned a Jetta before the TL so I was looking hard at the Passat, especially the 2.0T. It gets great mileage (24/31), has decent power (200 HP), has a 6 spd auto, largest (longest) trunk by far, rear seatbacks folded forward AND has a pass thru, very high quality interior materials, seat heaters have FIVE settings, has built in side and rear window shades, and very inexpensive for similar year and mileage compared to the other cars. Downside is that I was not excited about how the car looks, does not have bluetooth capability, and very few were made with Nav.

Infinity G35 (coupe) - I don't like the way the sedan looks at all but love the look of the coupe. But it only has two doors and small trunk. I have two kids and a wife so 4 door is a better option. Also, poor gas mileage.

BMW M3 - too expensive, questionable reliability, probably very expensive to repair and maintain. Love the way it looks though and I am sure the best driver's car of the bunch.

Lexus IS250/350 - too expensive compared to the TL and probably too small a trunk (never actually looked at one though). I love the way this car looks though.

Acura TL - the best value of the bunch, tons of power, the best nav system, bluetooth capable, voice recognition, touch screen, FWD, pass thru, trunk just big enough to hold hockey bag, looks good, a ton of content for the money. Plus they all came loaded so you just had to find one with the nav. All the other cars, the equipment was all over the place so it was hard to find just the right combo of features, price, mileage, color, etc. Then I found out the upgrades that the 2007 cars and the Types S in particular has over the pre-07 cars - more power, Brembo brakes, upgraded front seats, quad exhaust, back up camera, aux in for my Iphone, can upload Iphone address book directly into the car's address book, etc - and it was a slam dunk. And I was able to buy one in December - a CBP '07 Type S with 18k miles - for $26.5k.

Sorry to ramble on.

Al

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Cab,

It's ironic you said you were a hockey player. I'm a goaltender myself, so my oversized hockey bag is larger than most. And the Type S trunk held my oversized goaltender's bag and my legpads very well. But I put my goalie sticks in the front seat-too much in the trunk! In my previous car (Chrysler Sebring Convertible), my bag barely fit in the trunk. So the legpads and sticks had to go into the cabin. Just another perk for me in owning the Type S.

Nick337

iTrader: (2)

I loved the way the car looked, and all the features inside, didn't like how the 09's looked, so I jus bought my 08 tls black on black.

dj5

Same here. Just couldn't beat the price/value combination.

shooter

combination of performace, value & luxury ... type-s is the overall winner among other entries ... besides I've had two other acuras, so I'm a die-hard fan to say the least ...

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

My short list for new cars was:

Volvo S60R
TL-S
BMW 328 coupe
Audi A3 3.2 S-Line

Came close on the A3 with DSG, what a dream to drive and that 3.2 makes a heavenly sound...but alas, couldn't agree on a price, plus it was a bit tight space wise. Loved the 328 coupe, but I was looking at a minimum 3 month wait for the combo that I wanted and I couldn't wait that long without a vehicle.

LOVED the S60R...what a machine, but dealer wanted waaaay too much coin for it...wouldn't budge. They had it on the lot for 8 months after that.

TL-S had a few shortcomings (FWD being the main con) but at the end of the day it had the best combination of power, features, looks that ended up being the best bang for the buck. Also, I fit in it comfortably!

Love this car!

agmonson

I was looking for a "winter friendly" replacement for the 2007 335i I had in Florida. Although the Type-S isn't a winter car by any means, I feel better with front wheel drive. I'm sure it's a small issue with modern vehicle stability control systems though.

The TL Type-S does everything the 335i can do, and in come cases it does them better (better navigation system, better phone integration, better voice recognition). The 335 is a more powerful car, is a little more "solid" at speed, and has a better exhaust sound. That said, it also cost's almost $15k more comparably equiped.

The great price the dealer gave me, and the fact it compared so well to my old car for much less money, sold me on the Type-S.

LoveMyTL-S

With all the love for the TL-S in here, no apology is necessary.

dj5

I agree, for the snowy Chicago winters FWD is a Pro not a Con. For me, that was another major selling point.

Audioholics

Wow I never heard of a 335i owner going to a TL Type S before. I think I didn't realize until I started looking at other cars is how good the Nav and bluetooth integration is on the TL.

Our car rocks!

rc2776

I bought my 2008 TL Type-S about a month ago for the following reasons:
1) It looks rugged and sexy !
2) Big fan of Honda ... loved my Accord which served me remarkably well for almost 10 years and something from within told me to stay within the family.
3) Plenty of punch from the 286 HP engine. 20 HP short of the G35 but for some reason I have never have been a fan of the way the Nissans and Infinitis look.
4) Amazing leg room on the back seat. I am 6' tall and didn't have any issues sitting in the back. The BMW 3 series, Lexus IS350 and the Infiniti G35/37 don't even come close.
5) Biggest Bang for the buck ! Brand New 2008 TL Type-S with 2 miles on it for 34K OTD (31K+ tax) with all the bells and whistles was too good to pass up. An equivalent BMW 3.35i or an Audi A5 (really loved the look of the car and the feel) were about 20K more and 530i was 30K more, given the economy and the uncertainties looming decided to be safe than sorry.
6) Navigation and Sound System. Navigation seemed to be better than most other cars I had test driven and the 5.1 ELS DVD Audio is at least as good as the other offerings.
7) Last but not the least, I really liked the solid heavy feel of the Type-S. I occasionally drive the 2008 BMW 328 but like the feel of my car much better (could be a case of sour grapes ..who knows) but the BMW breaking is much better hands down ..but not worth and extra 20K !