I see so many autos and I'd actually prefer an auto in socal traffic but I'm not sure I want to chance it with a used auto trans. for the 2004-2005 cars. I've got a 1993 prelude 5spd and it's just rock solid still after 200k. So I think I'm leaning towards the MT unless you guys tell me the 04-05 auto issues have been fixed. Besides craigslist, autotrader, cars.com.

 

Have you looked in our Black Market section in the Off Topic part of the community? There might be some in there.

 

I have one of each. Mine is an '04 manual and my wife's is an '05 automatic. The manual is the one you want if you enjoy the act of driving a nice machine. If you're looking for only transportation and something to take you from point A to point B in a measure of style, the automatic will do just fine. But if you're like me and must have your personal driving machine entertain you each and every time you enter the cabin, by all means, you want a manual in your TL. Nice short through shifter that looks super on the console, perfectly matched to the car. A smooth and short travel clutch pedal with a positive engagement of the clutch well suited to the transmission and engine. All of this makes the driving experience something to look forward to after a day of work or on a nice weekend morning.

 

Piggydog, I was just reading another thread here in the 3G forum and ran across www.acuratrader.com. Give that a try.

 

http://http://philadelphia.craigslis...008871040.html

 

Yes manuals are harder to find, I'm thinking about trading in my 04 auto for an 04 manual and it seems like at least 9/10 of 3rd gen TLs for sale around here (ontario) are automatic.

One thing that concerns me is that manuals might not be as well maintained because while automatic TLs are usually owned by middleaged businessmen, manual TLs are more likely to be owned by boy racers who would beat on them hard, do you guys think this is a valid concern or am I just being paranoid?

 

Thanks for all the info guys I hope to be a contributing member to the 3rd gen TL forum sooner than later. As you've said I think 9/10 tl's F/S are autos in my local classifieds. I guess all the 6MT owners never want to sell their cars. LOL good and bad news for me.

 

I'm not so sure you will find a lot of 6MT TL's that boy racers have bought to beat on. An expensive car to many in that category I would think. However, I do not think you're being paranoid regarding another matter with the manual: the clutch. Frankly, most people do not know how to properly operate a manual transmission with the result being greater wear to clutch components and synchronizers. So keep that in mind when searching for a used manual.

 

I have a 6spd 06 TL! But I'm not selling it!

 

Is there any way to tell how bad the clutch or syncronisers are during a test drive? I'm new to manuals myself so I'm not sure I'd be able to tell teh difference between a good manual and a manual that was somewhat worn out, unless it was REALLY bad.

 

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true


you can thank me later.lol if i hadnt already made so many payments i would have traded by now.lol

 

good luck on the search im looking for the same thing but also with black interior.... very hard to find

 

nice car, unfortunately it's about the furthest possible location from me.

 

There are a few things you can look for, yes.

Check the clutch pedal rubber foot pad itself. Does it have a lot of wear on the lower left side.. even to the point of metal showing? This would be indicative of someone resting their foot on the pedal as they drive.

Does the clutch begin engagement relatively close to the firewall stop pad or high in the pedal travel? Can point to extensive wear, though this may not be very evident with TLs since they have self adjusting clutches.

Is engagement sharp and precise or rather sluggish with sufficient engagement to move the car not occurring until late in the pedal travel (takeup)?

Does the clutch slip? A quick test is to get going and once in say third gear, take the engine up to around 3000 RPM, them go full throttle while at the same time holding the brakes to keep the car from accelerating. If the engine does not increase RPMs, or suddenly wind up quickly, your clutch is not slipping. Try this is fourth gear as well. WARNING: Do not do this long.. only for a couple of seconds.

As for the transmission, can you upshift and downshift without effort and does the transmission go into gear smoothly without grinding or abnormal resistance?

Does the transmission pop out of gear unexpectedly?

Are that times when you cannot shift into a selected gear at all due to resistance to your shift?


If I think of more I'll write them but these should get you started.

 

There is a couple used 3G TL's w/ 6MT on ebay but they are not in socal. Both of them had the ASPEC (lip kit & wheels) package on it. One of them had the ASPEC steering wheel and suspension.

 

An easier way to see if the clutch is slipping is do about 40 mph put the car in 6th gear and floor it. The car should slowly accelerate. There is enough of a load on th clutch at that point and if it is slipping, the engine will rev and you will know right away.

6MT for the win

 

Great info guys.

 

You can buy the one at the Acura dealer for $47k...

Or mine for "only" $35k.

The 6 speeds are rare and hard to find.

 

I wish u luck dude. When i got the car at first the dealer was like keep in mind how rare this car is and will be throughout the rest of its existance even when the newer models drop this will be a very hard car to find.....another reason im keeping mine