I currently own a 94 Legned 4 door GS sedan. I am in the market for a new car at the end of summer and have narrowed my choices down. I am trying to decide between the Acura TL, TSX, and the honda Accord. The TL is at the top of the list but with all the problems people are reporting and with the trouble they have had in the past, I don't know. Those with a 3rd gen Tl is the navi unit worth the extra cost and what is the lowest price anyone here has gotten for the tl. My dealership is asking 35,000 for one with navi and anywhere from 1,000-1,500 off. Any insight board members here could provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

 

The TL is not nearly as problematic as the posts on this forum would suggest. I would not avoid the TL based on reliability. I have 35k on my 2004 and it has been largely trouble free, save an initial transmission issue (6MT) and a few CELs that resulted from bad gasoline and improperly adjusted valves. Legends are well-built cars (owned 2 myself, parents owned 3, still have 1) but the wear parts are going to start costing you $$ as it gets older.

 

You have to understand that any message board will be filled with people complaining or asking questions about certain problems. It's very hard to find a board where everyone gushes about their car. For every person on here that complains there are hundreds of people who have no problems. I for one have had my TL for 2 months now and I haven't had any problems so far. It is a great car that I would recommend to anyone who asks. IMO, the navi is must. It makes the car. With it you get the voice recognition feature that is both fun and useful. The navi is one of the best around and I use it frequently.

There were a lot of issues that were fixed with the '05s. Depending on your time table for buying you might want to wait for the 06's. Maybe some of the well-documented issues (rattles) might be fixed.

There's a thread on the main page where everyone signed in and posted what they paid for their car.

 

Problems? To my knowledge there are very few wide spread problems with the TL. Most people report a rattle or 2 somewhere but I would not consider these major issues.

Overall, I am extremely glad I purchased the TL over the G35 and BMW 540. Sometimes I see a BMW 540 on the road and I think to myself what if.......... but after seeing the inside of the BMW and thinking of the extra monthly payment, I quickly convince myself I made the right decision.

Navi is a must in my opinion, it intergrates the voice activation with almost every electical component in the car. This adds an extreme cool factor that never seems to get old. (Just my opinion!)
You also have to look at the resale value of a car with Navi. In a few years every car in this price range will have navigation of some sort and I think you will have a harder time selling the car when navi becomes a standard feature.

Hope this helps!

 

Agree with what the other said... when looking at forums your going to see people posting problems because it is a great place to get help or just vent as some do. But mind you that out of all the people in this forum only few have trouble and of that the rest make up a small percent of actual owners.

Most people here have passion about owning a car, thus you have passion about issues that may arise. I think you would find that in almost any forum.

I'm very happy with my 04 TL. Almost a year old now and still going well.

 

When is the last time you called any company just to say "Hey I love this <whatever it is>!"? Point is >8 out of 10 unhappy people complain while maybe <=1 in 10 post about their happieness. In a "prior life" I worked in a customer technical support position. After 8 years I thought everything the company made sucked. Truth is it didn't. I just heard people complin all day. Never one call to say "I love your products"
So,
When you have a particular question about the car or have a problem you would like to try and fix these forums are absolutely invaluable. But, if you browse too much you could get fooled into thinking the car is a POS.... which is is definitely not. The car represents a great value in performance, technology and styling.

Alas, it is (just) a car. People make it. Things that people make are not always perfect.

"I love my TL". (I probably should call Acura to tell them, huh ?)

 

The only thing I would say is that if you are very sensitive to rattles and think they would irritate you, I would seriously reconsider the purchase of a TL. I am sensitive to rattles in cars and I thought before I purchased my TL that all the people complaining here were just whiners, etc. However after 10k miles in my 2004, the rattles are driving me absolutely nuts. I barely drive the car and am thinking about what to do next (sell/trade-in). Until then I will drive my 10-year old Prelude. At least that car has a reason to rattle and a better sound system.

Oh yeah, if you decide to buy a TL, definitely get the NAV!

 

I don't know about "all of the problems" with a TL. I bought my '04 in March new, and have had nothing but a great experience with it. I had to fire Radley Acura in Falls Church, VA and go to Rady Acura of Woodbridge in VA and have had no issues. Stay away from Radley Acura in Falls Chuch, VA, they don't have a clue about customer service.


The car is fast, virtually maintenance free, and is a rocket. My buddy just bought an '05 G35, and you couldn't pay me to buy the G35.

The bluetooth in the TL is awesome, and I'm really considerin a '05 RL. Sweet ride the TL is.......

 

Overall TL is a nice car: nice interior, nice features, however if you are sensitive to rattles and vibrations, better think twice before consider it.
These were the two main resons I traded in my 2005 TL a few days ago.
There are numerous complains about these 2 problems and while not every TL will develop them I strongly recommend to use "search" feature and do some research on your own.
Another thing: if you hate torque steer keep in mind that TL has it! 270Hp is a bit more for FWD.
Nonetheless TL is a nice car and offers a lot of bang for the buck!
Good luck!

 

Just my experience.

I've bought 2 '04 TL's with full A-Spec pkge. One was 5AT, and the other 6MT. Between the two, I've driven 28K+ miles. Neither has had a problem, an issue, a rattle, a hiccup, or a burp for me.

The only issue that I've had was caused by me, not the car. The service I've gotten has been exemplary (considering my last vehicles were GM or Ford). I couldn't recommend these cars higher. Since 2004 was the first year of a complete redesign, the fact that I've had no problems is a testament to Honda/Acura for knowing what they're doing. Remember Ford's exploding Pinto?

I'd recommend them to anyone. Good luck with you decision.

 

Yeah as people have implied before, people are much more likely to get on and ask questions about problems than they are to get on and write every day how they didn't have a problem that day. My 04 TL has had a few minor problems, but nothing which my local dealership hasn't been extremely cooperative in resolving. Any problems with mine have been fit and finish issues, and not performance, and I have an earlier 04 TL. Common problems such as mine are often resolved in later production runs.

 

Seeing as how most of the replies dealt with the problems of the TL, I'll touch on the other topics. Prices will be differ geographically and the better deals have been out east. Cost for a 05, check out this thread and there are numerous other threads dealing with the same subject. Do a search. If possible, you might want to wait for the 06 TL, you could probably get it for about the same. As far as Navi, again another talked about topic - IMO, get it.

 

I would not buy Acura If I knew how much rattles this car will have

TL has too much rattles and very cheap plastic sound when it goes over bumps.
May be some people do not pay attention to this or just listen to music.

 

I agree with oppnyc here. If rattles really annoy you, I would recommend staying away from this car. I've stopped trying to fix them on my own because there are so many now and whenever I take it into the dealer they say they couldn't fix it. I just bought my girlfriend an '04 Accord and that thing rattles a lot as well. Not nearly as much as the TL but it has a decent amount of rattles for a car with 1500 miles on it. But just like everyone else has said, I have had no major mechanical problems at all with the car, other than all of these rattles, the car is great. But, I can't stand rattles and I don't even enjoy driving my TL anymore because of them. I know I'm going to take a hit but I'm going to trade my TL in, probably going back to Lexus.

 

Few questions:
What Lexus? GS...
Have you tried M35X?

 

I too have been disapointed with the rattles in my car. (05Navi) But I have been working hard to get them resolved and I will. (this is my only complaint) For the money this car is an excellent value. I went out and drove the M35 the other day, and it is a very fine car. It also stickers about 10K more for an AWD with Navi. It is larger too, and personally I like the size of the TL.
If you like the G35, the interior design isn't up to the TL's, though I did consider this car as I love the exterior styling. You'll find the Lexus GS will cost you 45K+. If you have time, wait to see what Acura does to the TL for 06. Also, Lexus will have the new 06 IS out in the fall that might be worth a look.

 

How???

 

I love my TL and would recommend it to my best friend (if I had one ).

Remember, people come to the forums trying to find fixes to their problems, therefore, so many complaints about the cars here. Check out other car forums and you will find the same.

I would stay with the TL or Accord, but it all depends on your needs. I would go with an Accord over TSX (similar money).

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Mark.

 

oppnyc. How will I get rid of the rattles?? I keep taking it back to the dealer, so far they fixed all but one. No, that doesn't make me happy to take my car in, but my dealer is very accomodating and at least I get is washed everytime.

 

Good for you.
My dealer is ~25 miles away and they will not provide a loaner.
Plus it is Acura in Brooklyn which provides very bad service to its customer.
Second dealer does not find a problem. He said no rattles I say there are.
So I even do not bother him anymore.

 

I searched NHTSA database for my old car (00 mustang) and there are tons and tons more complains than TL. It's sure it's old and sold over ten times more than TL but every car does have problem.

 

the TL is a great value, i dont know if there is a car for that price with as much style and performance. its a serious head turner, and it feels like the fastest car on the road. driving it always makes me smile. it has a ton of power, i love using it

i have one minor rattle, which i'm sure can be remedied. but i'm a very picky person.. overall, its amazing definitely drive one