bryan_h

Hey guys,

Been lurking around a while as I've recently been in the market for a car, My first car that I got at 17 and drove the last 4.5 years was hand me down 07 VW Jetta GLI that my mom bought and drove the crap out of and then decided to give to me free of charge and she upgraded to a CC VR6, The GLI had 161k miles as of last month and the expenses were becoming a headache (german cars) and then I was rear ended and the car has been totaled and I already received my check from the insurance company, plus I've spent the last 4 years constantly saving money so I can buy my next car in cash, so below I'll detail what I've found and maybe you guys can help me on wether I should pull the trigger or not.

2003 Acura TL-P not Type S, Anthracite basically a unicorn, Carfax 1 owner car with 101k miles, timing belt already done, maintenance records are very extensive, it's apparent this was someones baby the last 14 years, so here are my questions.

I've saved 10k over the years just by being smart and not going out a lot and doing dumb stuff, and the car is being sold for $6k, a few bucks short of $7k after dmv fees, tax, title and all that which I plan on paying all cash for obviously.

My questions are this.

1.) I know about the tranny issues on the TL, the $3k I'm continuing to save plus the money I received from the totaled GLI will be in the tranny fund just in case lol, now fill me in was the transmission failure more common on Type S models, or were the base models just as much affected? I see tons of posts about transmission failures on type S models but not quite as much on base models, maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part but I'm curious

2.) Besides the tranny anything else I should look out for? Would you guys consider the price good for what it is? The paint and the interior look brand new, tires are new, when looking under the hood it was apparent the owner took pride in this car even the underbody looked great when it was on the lift for a car its age.

3.) The one thing I see a lot on 2g TL's in my area are badly clouded headlight lenses, but this one had absolutely clear lenses and the HID bulbs showed no signs of fade, nice white/off blue no hint of yellow or pink.

4.) My last question is more simplistic but still pretty curious, they let me test drive the car all day so I haven't driven it at night yet, but coming from a car with projector HID's with a wide beam and sharp cutoff what can I expect from the TL's older reflector based HID's? Ultimately it doesn't matter because Im just happy to have HID's regardless, but how do they compare with projector? a mechanic friend said that the 2g TL has great forward light projection but lacks the wide side illumination and clean cut off line. Like I said this is no biggie, its just something I'm curious about.

Let me know if I should pull the trigger on this guys, I really love this car despite the known trans issues and I am prepared financially and have a great mechanic should it happen, should I pull the trigger? Ultimately I'm looking to drive a nice luxury car for the next 2-2.5 years then change up to a 3g TL, I don't like car payments and prefer well maintained older model luxury cars.

thoiboi

For 10K you can find a good quality 3G TL , I wouldn't invest that much into a 2G

Roblee23

in my opinion 6k is too much for that car, and search, the 3g tl has its fare share of problems and also suffer from tranny issues! i would find an 02 for around 3k, that way u will have money for an av6 tranny swap when it goes out, its better than paying 6k for one and have the tranny shit on u within a year. Other than that, they are truly great cars. Mines is a 99, low key slick styling, smooth ride, and not too bad on gas, very peppy highway performance! I say go for it, you will like the 2G

MarcDavidoff

I'd agree that even though it sounds like a very nice clean example, there really are not any special or collectible 2G TLs. Maybe a super clean unique color like a blue types may be worth a bit more. With the age of an 03 making it 14 yes old now, the 2Gs with their Trans issues are really only going to fetch a few thousand in nice cond. Only say the 6MT 2003 CLS is worth more due to it being a unique one year offer

RDX10

I have been almost in your same exact position except I ended up buying a 2007 VW touareg an kept 3K on the side because I knew it had a couple common failures...well one of the commin failures showed up followed by a bunch of uncommon ones...4k later I dumped it with an 8k repair on the way for the rear differential.

So IMHO you should avoid the TL and go look at other more reliable options. Yes you may have a few K saved up, but trust me shit tends to hit the fan all at once and at your age (not too far from mine) it isn't something you want to be stuck with. In all honesty I even suggest you look at other brands because the early Honda/Acura 5 AT cannot be trusted.

Roblee23

This! Before i bought my 99, i was looking at a 02 TLS a dealer had for 2,500, did some research on the car, and decided to go with a 99 instead, although i sometimes regret my decision. If ur really set on the TL, buy an 2002 that already has an bad tranny for dirt cheap and swap in an oddy tranny or and accord tranny, if i was in the position to start a project right away i would of did that, the car will be bullet proof once thats done. A quick search on craigslist turned up 4 2002 TL's with a bad tranny for $700 And under! But im from chicago.

bryan_h

Thanks for all the advice guys,

I know everyone on this board is a TL fan, but instead of looking at other brands would I fare well with a 1G TSX? did the AT's in 2.4 have a lot of problems?

thoiboi

4cylinder so no

Roblee23

yep, the tsx is one Acura I have never liked! Everytime i see one i just think...ughhhh, the 2009 model with 3.5 v6 is quite nice though, but its still a tsx, whats a tsx to a tl?? Get a tl man, 2nd gen, 3rd gen or even that ugly 4th gen, but dont get a tsx👎👎.

therealjgall

I would also say that $6-7k is too much for this car, even with low-ish miles. For reference I spent $2500 on my 03 with 130k miles on it. That being said, this could be a really great purchase if you can get them to come down a little bit on the price.

RDX10

Can I ask why you are set on getting an Acura? Not saying that it is a bad idea or anything, just that for 10K you can get a really nice car from a different make that would be nice as well while being more reliable.

thoiboi

what i meant by my 4cylinder post is that, "No, they do not have the same AT issues as the J-series V6 engine/transmissions.

James Kahn

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this but in N.H. land of rust. I bought my car last year, car looked was in okay condition 150k miles 99 tl, need rims and brakeds, I spent $650. Only problem I came across was the subframe had the AC line drip on it causing rust on one sole spot. Everything was rust free except that one spot. Check that spot if you can or it may be costly. I got lucky found the frame for $150 and installed myself but it's probably a $2k+ job. The spot is passenger side behind the front wheel, top left if your looking in. Just check to be safe and good luck the tl is a fun car. Great community on here also

Roblee23

The TL is very fun car! I was just under my car last night, its very clean underneath! Very little rust, and im from chicago. Im gonna spray some rust prohibiter underneath the car as soon as im able to. Help protect against rust.

tripleguy

No guarantee but the 4 speed isn't as prone to failure. I paid $2500 for mine with 98K miles. Added TSX rims and tires and did drain and fill. Car runs and drives great with no shifting issues and now at 118K. If you look at other cars, a Toyota Camry with the 2.2 four banger will rack up really impressive miles = cheap to keep. I have one of those too, a 1998 with 55K miles on it now.

Roblee23

My 99 will be at 118k in 7 miles lol, i got it at 106k. I did a 3X2 with castrol tranny fluid last summer. I checked the fluid last week and its starting to get a little brown. Im gonna do a 3X3 with honda fluid starting this weekend. One drain and fill per week. Btw, im curious to see how ur TL looks with the TSX wheels, i have the 02 TLS wheels that painted gloss black, looks great on my car.

Tosh

A 2003 could have been on the road since 2002, so almost 15 years of accumulated rust and drying leather and plastic. It should not cost almost $7k, unless it's been sitting in a climate controlled garage. And you should not be falling in love with ANY used car. Get something later without a V6 and AT and that has lived somewhere warm and dry (west coast or inland FL, GA, SC, NC). How about a 2008 TSX?

tripleguy

Wheels are on the car in this post. Made a big diff. in how the car looks and it allows for bigger tires with little to no speedo inaccuracy. Get that Castrol out of there - only mothership fluid.

08KBP_VA

Sorry but how can you not fall in love with an Aston Martin DB5 or F40 or 275GTB? Granted not anywhere close to same caliber but in fact they are used cars. While love may be a strong word I have found folks that have an "attachment" to their cars treat them as what they are, an asset.

My 2003 has travelled ~ 87k miles and looks and drives as fresh as most newer used cars. The undercarriage is clean with nothing out of the ordinary for a 15yo car and the leather is as supple as it was when new. Car was a 1 owner, garage kept, tons of records even put plastic on the carpets to keep them clean. But as suggested buy from particular states not in rust belts.

Good luck in your quest OP. Im not saying to buy it or not but just offering my experience. I purchased my 03 this past Sept.

Tosh

"Do as I say, not as I do!"
I have an unhealthy attachment to my more than 16 year old CL-S and would be mortified should anything happen to it. It's like a pet, but don't call it love, or I'll get in trouble. Trade-in value on it is below $4k, and who knows what replacement value is, so I must force myself to accept it likely being totalled for any road incident.

SuperGreg

I love my '02 TL-S and really haven't been excited enough about anything else out there to get something newer. I feel the same, if something were to happen to it I'd be pretty disappointed. But I have to say, this comes from owning the car for 10 years now, working on it myself and learning about it, maintaining it, and knowing exactly what shape it's in and any potential upcoming maintenance items. If I were buying a used one with 200K already on it, I might not feel the same.

jpelizza

my 2000 TL has 330K on it: still drives pretty darn good. I use 91 octane no ethanol in it since 270K.

tranny failed at 140k had used one put in no problem with it still.

had timing belt done at 120K and 240K.
radiator
just had AC clutch done
front bearings replaced (left twice)
rear bearing left side
both front axles
power steering pump
both radiator fan and condensor fan
rotors

otherwise just brakes , oil and tires

i been test driving 1G and 2G Rdx and when I get back in my tl it still has such a smooth v6 feel .

29.5mpg highway stiil
24 mpg city

great car, enjoy!