Howdy fellow Acura owners-

Two weeks ago I purchased 'Jackie' an '08 Acura TL w/ Nav package with just over 90k miles, she was one of very few TL's where the dash is not cracked, and I paid a premium for it (RIP my bank acct)
I am located in Ventura County & in my free time I like to do DIY projects ranging from automotive to also things around the house. Grew up riding motorcycles in the CA desert & got out of it when I started going to college.
Thus far I've done quite a bit of maintenance, including: Oil + Filter, P/S fluid, ATF d/f & replaced the radiator!

This is my first Acura product, however I have owned numerous other Honda products & other Japanese brands over the years:
1999 Accord EX 'Pat' (long gone sold at 217k miles, found in a junkyard 6yrs after I sold it)
2005 Infiniti G35 'Devil' (my high-mile queen, sold after oil burning became extreme at 256k miles)
2004 Infiniti G35 'Gloria' (First car that I heavily modified, blew the head gasket at 167k mile & subsequently sold after)
2001 Accord EX-L 'Betsy' (purchased for cheap off of a friend, and used as an 'extra' car used for around town & 'hooning', sold after I purchased my Pilot)
2014 Accord Sport 'Frank' (sold about 3 months ago to Carvana with 81k miles, had a mysterious slow A/C leak that I couldn't ever solve)
2005 Pilot EX-L 'Berta' (my camping/adventure rig; just did a 1,300 mile roadtrip up north to Tahoe/El Dorado Natl forest) Just replaced the alternator this week with a Denso reman unit!

I am active on several other forums, all of which under the same username!

Looking forward to learning more about my newly acquired TL & everything else the forums have to offer!

 

Lmao love the names, any pics of the whip?

 

 

Welcome and congratulations! Looks like a very well-kept example.

 

Welcome to Acurazine. How does the TL compare to the other Japanese vehicles that you've owned previously? Which motorcycle models have you owned, and do you currently own one now?

 

Honestly, I don't think its a fair comparison, as most of my other Japanese cars were much higher mileage, save for my 9G Accord that I sold. I loved my 9g Accord, I put over 53k miles in 3.5 years of ownership. But honestly, I wanted more power & main thing was I didn't want another CVT. I tried to find a 9g Accord with a 6mt, and I found they are very hard to find in SoCal. I looked at multiple 2015-20 TLX's, but I couldn't find one that was worth getting a car note on. On that, APR's are quite high lately, and I am not willing to throw money at banks that I don't need to.
What brought me to look at the 3g TL's was mainly the style. I've always loved the way the 3G TL's look, especially the lines that lead across the doors between the side markers. Another perk I found is that they share many many parts with the 03-08 Pilots: the power steering pump, alternator, belt tensioner, belt, front brake rotors, as well as the timing belt & related components are shared between the platforms. Plus, now I ONLY need to buy one spec oil (5w-20) and atf (Honda DW-1 or Valvoline MaxLife) atf for both cars. I always stock up when Walmart puts oils/atf on rollback.

The closest in 'build' spec that my TL would compare to is my '05 G35. That G35 was fully loaded, every option including the navigation, whereas my '04 was a bare-bones with cloth interior. I will say, TL's handling isn't as good as a G35, but those cars set the bar remarkably high. As I recall, they beat out BMW for mid-size sport sedan comparisons back in their prime. However, my TL just does everything very well. Its quiet, responsive, powerful, smooth and the sound system is second to very few. Truthfully, the 99% of owners aren't taking a mid-size sedan to a skidpad or slalom, so the handling discrepancy is in no way a dealbreaker if you ask me. Plus, for being a FWD sedan, I am happy with how my TL handles.
4 key take-aways:
1. I hated my G35's gas mileage. It was terrible. I got about 17mpg around town, and even if I tried to drive like a grandpa it would get maybe 18mpg. I got a little above 21 on the freeways. In similar driving I get 23 in the city with my TL, and highway above 26.
2. G35's are not easy to work on. For example, it would take literally several hours to bleed air from the cooling system after replacing the radiator, where my TL (as most Honda's) takes less than an hour, if half that.
3. The OEM parts for Nissan/Infiniti are more expensive than Honda/Acura. Like most cars, the OEM parts are usually better quality than aftermarket, thus I try to stick to OEM. Lots of parts on the G35's are aluminum, including most all the control arms, so they are much more expensive.
4. The overall quality of interior materials. Nissan/Infiniti really skimped on some areas, the stereo being the biggest. The Bose sound system in the G35's was good, but the TL's ELS seems to have quite an edge on it in my opinion.
Everything else I would say is on par between cars
I've had 3 KTM's in recent years: a '07 250xc-f, an '08 450exc-r and my last bike a '15 500exc. I got out of dirt bikes/dual sports when I started going back to school. Haven't had time/space/money for a bike since. Maybe next year I will get back on 2 wheels