DrShaw

If you're reading this and want to just get to the reason I started this thread, skip to the last paragraph, otherwise, if you have some time you can indulge the entire quick (subjective) and dirty story:

Eight years ago I owned a 1998 BMW 528i that I bought used with 80,000 miles on it. In the 4 years that I owned that car, I ended up buying it twice with all the maintenance and repairs. In 2006 I bought my wife a brand new Honda Civic EX. Then we had kids and I bought her a brand new 2009 Honda Pilot Touring Edition. I sold my BMW to make the Pilot happen and took over the Civic for myself. The Civic has been a great car from a cost of ownership and practical standpoint, but damn I hate to drive it!! Coming from a BMW 528i to a Honda Civic has been torture. I bought the car for my wife, then bought her a better car and was stuck with the scraps. I love the Honda Pilot, especially the Touring edition. But see with the Civic, I live in Utah and I've been stuck in the snow every winter since. The car has absolutely zero guts and even though I haven't had a single problem with the car, I miss my super expensive BMW 528i!

I finally convinced myself that I've had enough of this Civic and started looking to buy a new car about a month ago. First requirement was all wheel drive. Second requirement was technology and gadgets. Again, the I love the touring Pilot and know the system really well. Third requirement was some power and style. When I started my search, I didn't even have Acura on my list. After doing all the research I could on Audi, Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes Benz, I decided that I wanted a 2012 Pearl White, Black Interior Acura TL SH-AWD Advanced Package. I really liked the Lexus GS 350, but it was $20,000 more. At first I was going to buy used, but with all the incentives going on now, and the fact that my 2006 Honda Civic is in great condition and has less than 45k miles on it (less than half of what it should have after 6+ years!), I figured I could probably sell the Civic pretty quickly and for a good price to enable me to spring for a brand new TL.

So, then came the problem of locating the exact TL that I wanted. I had the Acura dealer here looking high and low for 2 weeks, and until today, the best they could do was get me a Manager's Demo from a dealership in Texas (with 2,000 miles on it still priced as a brand new one at $40,900, then I'd also have to pay for shipping!). Of course if I didn't want white with black interior, they had 3-4 of them on the lot. But it has to be white! They told me that there are only 6 total cars at Acura dealerships in the country with my exact specs. Finally today, I made a deposit with my local dealer who found the exact car at a dealership in Louisiana, brand new, and they are shipping it up to me.

I've been wanting a new car for the better part of 4 years. I've loved how cheap it has been to maintain my Honda Civic, but now I want something kickass for me. This forum played a huge role in helping me decide on a 2012 TL SH-AWD Advanced. I also loved the test drive. I didn't wait for a 2013 and obviously I didn't wait for the rumored 2014 TLX with new and improved gadgetry, (which seems to be a common recommendation on this forum). Did I royally screw up by buying a 2012 with 2013's around the corner? I did this to save money and take advantage of the current incentives. I figure 2013 is going to cost well over $40,900... right? Help me get over my buyers anxiety that's keeping me up at night. I won't have the TL for another week and I just want to feel as good as possible about my purchase for the time being!!

Treblig

Congrats Great color choice too! I'm not sure that the 2013 TL will bring anything substantially new (if anything) to the table so I wouldn't say that you "royally screwed up" by going with the 2012. You actually probably saved yourself a few dollars.

Edward'TLS

Excellent choice.

You won't miss much skipping the 2013 TL and going for the 2012 TL, except that you'll have more $$ back in your wallet.

One thing guaranteed is that you'll find even more driving excitement and driving enjoyment now with the 2012 TL than with your old 528i.

FoxTL

Congratz on your purchase!

Limelight

Congratulations on your purchase. I'm only two weeks into my love affair with my new 2012 TL Elite (Canadian version of the Advance) so I know how you feel.

I chose not to wait for the 2013 as it's essentially the same car, and the incentives I was offered were too good to pass up. It's one thing to wait for the 2014, but there is nothing worth waiting for on the 2013 unless you want to pay more for the same car. In my case, I was having issues with my previous car, so it dictated the timing of my purchase.

You'll love it when she arrives - I actually get out of bed now and look forward to my morning commute, which is something I haven't done in a long time.

Oswald Vater

+1 - Welcome to the forum and enjoy your new ride!

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

You made the right choice! Especially seeing as you seem to be a pretty financially responsible person. I'm sure whatever additions the 2013 has (if any) will not be worth the extra $$$ you would've had to spend.

I came from a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon and the difference is night and day (as expected). I'm sure you'll notice the same. I've had the car for a year now and I still find myself making excuses to go for a drive.

012TL-GLM

Sleep easy, you'll love the car

So far the only discernible difference with the 2013 TL is Acura did some de-badging for you

a35tl

I think it was a wise move to purchase the '12 over the '13 since there's practically no difference in the vehicle. In the long run your car will return better value because you're so far ahead on the mileage curve for a '12 model. By that I mean that most '12 models, (being considered a year old now that the '13s are out), already have a year's worth of miles on them. A lot of '12 models already have 10k + miles and you're starting fresh. And since you don't seem to put a lot of miles on a car anyway, a few years down the road your car will have substantially fewer miles than the average '12 model adding value to your car. If you had purchased the '13, you theoretically lose that one year mileage advantage.

saturno_v

Congratulation, you will not miss or be jelaous of a BMW.
The TL SH-AWD is the best large midsize sport sedan for the money, bar none...

Glashub

The 2014 will probably come out in fall of 2013. The you'll want to skip the 1st year or 2 so you can gather reviews and so Honda can work out the bugs. 2015 would probably be the year to buy one but then you'll want to wait till the holidays, 2015 to get the best deal.

Just my opinion but you shoud be good to go for at least 3 years before this model starts to seem long in the tooth.

The 4g is fully optimized.

jjsC5

We bought my wife the identical car - white/black SH-AWD/Tech/Advance about 16 months ago and have been very happy with it. I paid a lot more for it because at the time they were hard to get. But you can't look back. I paid a fair price at the time and I still thought it was the best car for the money.

BTW, my car is a 2012 BMW 550. It's a hell of a car, but is $30,000 more than our Acura. Even a 535 with comparable performance and features is about $25,000 more, so you just can't compare the two cars.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Congrats Shaw-enjoy your new ride and post pictures when it arrives.

kc1953

You screwed up big time. My highly reliable inside information is that in early 2013 Acura will release a new generation TL that will blow the 4th generation away. Not only did you lose out on moving to a far better vehicle, but the value of your 2012 will take a huge hit.


.....Just kidding. You did absolutely the right thing. Congrats and enjoy your new vehicle. As a former Acura TL sh-awd owner and a current BMW owner, I know that in 4 years I'm going to miss the lower cost of maintenance of the TL.

saturno_v

Yes on price there is no comparison...on everything else yes IMHO

SV-AWD

I have multiple co-workers who won't get anything but white cars. I was set on a TL-Advance but would take silver, metallic luster (dark grey), or black. Two wks ago just firmed up my deal on a 2012 Advance metallic luster with 700 miles (owner traded back to Acura to get an M5) for $36,900. Basically brand new. Love it so far!!

kc1953

As a recent owner of a 2009 tl tech sh-awd and a current 2012 535i, while the TL is the better "value" and a fine car in an absolute sense, the 535i is in a different and higher class as far as luxury and overall driving experience, IMHO.

But again, the TL is a very very good car and I enjoyed mine while I had it.

saturno_v

I drove the F10 quite few times and I kind of agree on the higher luxury level if optioned appropriately.

I disagree instead on the driving experience from a sport sedan perspective...but again, that is subjective, I drive the 6 speed manual where the 535 xDrive is not even available with a stick and the Acura AWD is significantly superior in performance....I would say the TL SH-AWD is the better sport sedan in that size class....but I think we did already discuss this before....

weather

DrShaw...Congrats on your purchase! I too, have a 2012 WHITE with BLACK interior and love everything about the TL! Getting a 2012 over a 2013 is a good idea as you are able to take advantage of the discounts. I agree that the 2014 TLX will be a great vehicle but being a first year model, waiting a little ain't a bad idea either. I am excited to see what the TLX will offer but no doubt that a 2012 TL will bring you great enjoyment

DrShaw

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every reply, most of them two and three times. But there's good news and bad news now. Good news is my mind is at ease from a buyers remorse standpoint. Bad news is I have another week to wait until I get my car and with all the positive feedback, I'm gonna be super itchy until it's in my garage!! Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be checking in regularly....

JT4

Congrats and enjoy!

beach109

No changes for 2013 aside from Fathom Blue addition, and much higher cost without the incentives currently offered on 2012's.

Congrats and enjoy!

Mr Marco

lol, I needed a laugh today.