Hey guys and ladies! So here is the back story. I am a lifelong Honda guy! I bought an 95’ integra gsr 4dr with MT when I was in college and had a ton of fun years with that car. Now my kids are driving and my son has expressed a lot of interest in a manual transmission car! So being the fun dad that I am I got really into looking for a good car for him. First stop, Acura TL’s 04-08 but the mileage is awful in many of those and he doesn’t have the money for a lot of heavy maintenance. Forget the 07-08 type S…too much money but would be awesome!! We made a pass at some Audi’s but just can’t swallow some of the unreliability issues and high costs of ownership. I hadn’t paid the 2009-2012 TL’s much attention but then I watched a few videos and I have a lot of respect for the 3.5 and 3.7 liter engines. Sooo…here’s the rub. Those models years with a MT seem to be running $2-3k more than the automatics. Are the MT cars really becoming that valuable or is it my imagination? Is it possible that they hold their values much better than automatics over the next 5-10 years? Is it worth it to pony up the extra dough!!?? Talk me out of it!

 

Welcome to the forums. The forum where you originally posted, the AcuraZine User Help, Support & Suggestions Area , is meant for problems, comments, and suggestions for the website itself, so I moved your thread to the car specific forum applicable to your vehicle.

This was explained in the sticky thread at the top of that forum, or click here if you can't find it, which will explain why you shouldn't have posted your thread there.

 

Welcome and congrats to you for bringing your son up right in the MT camp.

The 6MTs do generally command a premium over the AT cars, assuming similar mileage and conditions. The service guys at my dealership are constantly asking about whether I'm considering selling my car, and they all want first shot at it when/if I do get something else.

I can't talk you out of the car, because it really is special. The best AWD in the business coupled with one of the best MTs in the business makes for a great combo. The problem is they are pretty rare, and they seem to go fast when they come to market. You would need to be really diligent about snaring a good one.

Have you considered a Civic SI? They're reliable and fun to drive and return pretty decent MPG. Just a thought.

 

yes we considered the civics and even some MT accords. They just don’t have the fit and finish that I would enjoy! And let me be honest, I plan to drive it a bit as well. We also have a project 1995 Land Cruiser that he will be driving some as well so it’s almost more of a shared car! We are headed to look at a 2010 sh-awd with tech package and tons of maintenance records tomorrow!

 

Def worth the premium (and hoping the premium is more like $5k&#128556….And ur kid will be the talk of the school. My kids friends were floored when they saw 3 pedals in my car. They couldn’t comprehend it!!
For the price, not sure u could find something comparable.
Also, not sure where u live but its AWD which is fun on dry asphalt too!

 

As someone who owns both the 6MT, and 6AT models, you honestly can't go wrong either way. The 4G TL SH-AWD is the most perfect overall daily driver that I've experienced, which is why I have multiple. The 6MT is the best manual transmission that I've driven yet, as well. It's such a blissfuly and rewarding experience with every shift. It's difficult to convey into words because you need to actually feel that experience. If you can find a 6MT, I would say don't hesitate. However, the 6AT is surprisingly adept, as well. You can't make a poor decision in this scenario because both are magnificent. Keep us updated on your hunt! I personally looked multiple hours per day, for months on end, until I found my cars.