DriveWideOpen

I am currently looking at an 02 TL-S so I decided to break out a couple older Car and Driver Mags.

To my dismay, they say "Styling by Sears" .... pg86 Oct 2002 C/D

Any thoughts on this??

acuravtec86

don't pay attention to what they say. go with what you like b/c that is all that matters

Chet03TL-S

Well, I like the styling personally. I chose the 2nd gen over the 3rd cuz I thought it looked more elegant. The 3rd gen looks too sporty for me. I miss all that tech stuff they added but I saved $6k since I didn't pay MSRP for the 3rd gen when it came out. Even at current pricing I still saved $4k

petersoe

Does it matter what they say? You have to consider that that is simply an editorial opinion of someone who may not have favored the looks of this car. I think it likely you will find a majority of the members of an Acura-TL website to disagree with that statement; as we all love our cars, so what is it you want to know? I love the look of my TL and think it has clean lines that mix sportiness and elegance perfectly. Just my thoughts though...

yee

the car they tested didn't have OEM body kit... which I think it makes the car 10x better looking... but that's not what the TL is about, it's about a subtle looking luxury fwd performance car that seats 5.

1SICKLEX

Was that the issue it finished 6th out of 10 cars?

DriveWideOpen

Nah, it was 3rd out of 6...still got a great review though

sbuswell

The 2nd gen TL is the best looking car Acura has ever made save the NSX. It is exactly a subtle looking luxury performance car that when properly detailed makes any ES300 look average. Look at an Accord and then a 2nd gen TL there is a big difference but you don't see C&D stating that the syling on an Accord to be Sears-like. I love C&D and have been a subscriber for five plus years, but there idea of great styling is new gen Monte Carlo, which looks pathetic. Get the '02 TL-S and if you put a bodykit and chrome rims on it, it will outclass just about anything out there!!!!!!1

TLProspect

They think the Monte Carlo looks good?? That is one of the ugliest cars to come out of Detroit in some time, and that says something!

shawn744

yeah the monte carlo sucks......pussy car..... i also prefer the 02/03 TL (S) styling over the 03s......i still debate wether i'd drive an 04 or 05 A SPEC TL loaded if someone gave it to me (vs my 03 S NAV)........i think i would.....maybe....if it was free......

PenguinQX

iTrader: (1)

Do you think you could scan and post the article? I'd love to read it.

TL260power

i still look at my 02 TL-S till this day and i had it for 3 years now. well rims, body kit, and tint helps even more

Got_3.2?

iTrader: (2)

before i got the car i loved the way the TL (stock) looked. then i found this site and saw the way the cars look modded. its liek day n nite. now that i have the kit on my car i tell my self wenever i see a stock TL on the road i cant blieve i actually thought the TL looked good stock. haha but none the less i love this car!

SMF-TLS

I remember that C&D issue and the styling from Sears comment ... that's someone's opinion that only wishes they had a TL!

dark inspire

yeah they dont know what they are talkin about, the TL styling is bomb. kinda passive agressive, i like it better than the new ones.

Ken1997TL

I'd rather have Sears styling than some of the crap coming out in the past few years that just KILLS resale value and looks dated before your loan is even paid off.

bacardi151

Couldn't have said it better sbuswell.!! The TL-S looks so hot from the front, back, and sides. The styling is what really made me buy the car. I just love how it looks so different and so much better than every other luxury performance sedan. I looked at it all the time the first day I had it in 2002 and I still look at it today almost 2005. I like the styling more than the 2004+ TL, and I think it performs like a champ.

stock95accordex

To me the 2Gen TL-S w/the Kit is timeless just like the legend coupe.
I actually went to the dealer to buy one, but I was sucked into the 3rd Gen TL.
Hopefully I’ll like the way she looks in about 3 years...

AsianRage

It's the classy form that won me over, in addition to the awesome package.

samkws

at least the second gen has a better looking the the 04 TL

t0ast

The car magazines - C/D, Motor Trend, etc - are always biased towards European cars. Case in point, I remember reading a review of the G35, and the article said something like "the location of the sportshift is on the wrong side because it's on the passenger half of the center stack." Then a few months later in the same magazine, I read an article about the A4 and how the tiptronic is in a natural place - note the A4's tiptronic is also on the passenger half of the center stack. If that's not bias I don't know what is - sure it might be a different writer, but that's so contradictory. Reading that pissed me off and made me never trust their personal opinions about taste especially what they say about Japanese cars.

As for the Monte Carlo, they have to say nice things about American cars to sell the magazine. Most Americans are really loyal to their Fords, Chevys, etc, and they don't wanna lose subscribers by actually telling the truth.

WiLLs TypE S

I love the TL-S...everyday I look forward to driving that bad boy.

Ken1997TL

If we were to judge cars by most magazines evaluations.. hardly anyone would be driving Japanese cars.

Civics and Corollas would be about it.

I don't take anything those magazine writers say too seriously, I see far too many mistakes for me to give any credence to their opinions that are based on "facts".

1SICKLEX

Not really. They are biased towards sport and Germans used to OWN this market. They acknowledge this. I find Hondas/Acuras are usually loved and Lexus has always faired well. The G35 has gotten great reviews.

For the longest time, the Japanese were sending the us bullshit cars with no sport but some lame sport emblems (Infiniti T for instance) and expecting the magazines and us to be fooled.

Here is the IS 300 #1 in Road and Track
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....&page_number=1

burn-one

WTF do they know. If you like it...get it.

I have a 2002 Type S and I think it is smokin'

hemants

The TL/TLS style is probably not as interesting as an A4 or 3 series, but I wouldn't call it Sears.

And again, the vehicle you buy is just the starting point. Take a look through the galleries at what people have done.

Here is my car lowered with 18 inch Mod 7. No kit, no clear corners. Far from boring IMO

http://www.acurainspired.com/gallery...1295&pid=29089

scottosan

The only car in the price range of the TL that catches my eye is the G35.

DriveWideOpen

! I plan on lowering and rollin Rims, as I did with the Legend. Quick question from this nooobiee:

-What do I expect to pay to drop that bad boy a few inches?
-Camber Kit required? How much?
-After paint, how much would a complete body kit run me?


...Okay, make that a few questions...

DriveWideOpen

Oh yea, and I will try to get a scan of the C/D articles asap.

TL260power

whats the width on your rims?

TL260power

Personally if you want coupe car get G35 if you sedan nice car for money get TL-S

the only 3 series i would buy is the M3 which is worth it.. All other 3 series sucks... A4 wtf... I dont ever hear anybody talkin about Audi's... I hate those cars.. If you have the money GS400..

Bottom Line TL-S man.. Then just hook it up.. I got my 02 TL-S in sept 2001. Its been 3 years now and i still look at it as if i just bought.. Just take care of it clean it and hook it up nice.. I always get compliments on my car here locally.. Expense bills are not ridiculous as a BMW would be..Plus they are overcharged...
Dont pay attention to those magazines... Just keep searching and searh on here ...

hope this helps

AzNAzz

im 19 and usually people my age go for the sporty type cars or coupes, but some reason i had to have the 2nd gen TL when i saw it on the lot... then did sum research and all the signs pointed to yes on the TL = )

2K2SilverTL-S

I have both a 04 TL and a TL-S, and I have to say, the styling of the TL-S will NEVER be outdated. While I love the modern/sporty looks of my 04, but the TL-S is just a CLASSY design that will never get old in my book.