CB900Fer

Hey guys, I'm new to Acurazine, but I've been hanging out over at TSXclub.com because I've been looking at upgrading my 98 Prelude to a TSX. However, they seem to be pretty hard to come by (I'm looking specifically for an 06-08 TSX 6 speed, preferably black interior, with under 100,000 miles - yeah, so I'm picky).

Since the TSXs seem hard to come by, I'm thinking about broadening my search a bit to include 04-08 TLs with the same qualifications (6 speed, etc.) Anyway, I posted the same thread over at TSXclub to get their perspective on the differences between the TSX and the TL, but now I want to do the same thing here to get the TL owner's perspective. Let me know what you think...

By the way, I'm in Pensacola, FL.

I was able to drive an auto version of the TSX and the TL, and I like the TL I drove much more. Overall it felt more solid and quality. I loved the slight growl/vibration that the V6 had just idling...it felt good coming from my 4cyl Prelude. It seemed to handle pretty flat, although I didn't get to push it hard - just normal driving around town. And I really enjoyed having some extra torque on tap. But overall it just felt really big.

The TSX I drove, just to be fair, had been in at least one accident, and it had some other mechanical issues, so it may not have been a fair comparison. But Like I said, it was all I could find in the area to test drive. The car definitely fit me better, and it felt lighter, but it seemed to have a lot of body roll. I've been told that the 6 speed has stiffer suspension than the automatic, so that may be fixed if I could just find a manual to drive. It wasn't real gutsy, but I'm not expecting that in the TSX. I know it'll be a little slower than my Prelude. And the interior just seemed a little more chintzy, but still well thought out.

Anyway, I don't mean to drag this on.

TL: I like the power, the solid feel that it has, and it has plenty of room to grow with me/my family.

TSX: I like it's weight and size, gas mileage, and it's aftermarket (also, there seem to be more forums on the TSX), and it's simplicity (I4 is easier to work on than V6, and I do all of my own work on cars).

Let me know what your opinions are on the two cars!

-Seth

DiamondJoeQuimby

iTrader: (2)

I have both. 05 TSX (wife's) and 07 TL-S (mine). Both autos. Both cars have been really good to us. We've put 105k on the TSX (bought w/ 9500 on it) and about 78k on the TL (bought w/ 59k on it).

Power is nice in the TL and so is the room, but in terms of actual driving feel I prefer the TSX. To me it just feels more connected to the road. A lot of that comes from the size. I enjoy how nimble and responsive it is. Granted, if you are drag racing or even just making an aggressive pass on the highway the big V6 is miles better.

I honestly don't feel like there is much difference in interior quality between the 2 cars.

I'm not small, 6'1"/285, so the TL is quite a bit more comfortable for me especially for daily driving duties which is why I bought one instead of a 6 spd TSX, but we have done several road trips in the wife's car and it was fine for the 3 of us.

I've done most of the maintenance on both cars myself (105k service on the TL excluded) and I don't find either car particularly difficult to work on.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

awesome response DiamondJoe

CB900Fer

Yes, thank you. Especially regarding doing all of your own maintenance.

Fosters

I was in the same boat - looking for '04-06 TSX 6M. I test drove a TSX with 82k miles, and I liked the car; but I did not like that specific car (overall dirty which made me question how it was treated earlier in life). The TSX feels lighter when driving and the K24 is obviously a solid engine.

I stumbled upon a 6M TL with a couple more miles on it that I wanted (126k); but I loved how it drove. Brembos and helical LSD were a very nice surprise. The TL should be a good fit for my family's trips (wife & 2 kids).

Like you, I do my own wrenching and I've been told the timing belt & water pump is pretty simple on the TL. That will be on my list in the next week or 2.

I daily drive a mildly-modded '99 SI, so the TL feels big & torquing when I drive it.

I don't think you can go wrong with either vehicle.

Josh

Pghpizzaman

i was also looking for a tsx 6speed w/black interior and navi. good luck!! i loved my tl for comfort and luxury but still some day would like a tsx if i could find a quality one. they are both going to be a huge upgrade for you and i think you would be happy with either

CB900Fer

Wow, you guys seem a lot less partial than on the TSX side of things. Some guys at the TSXclub preferred the TL equally to the TSX, but most said the TSX was more fun to drive than the TL. And most if not all were critical about the TL's handling.

I really appreciate hearing about the maintenance side of things. It's good to know that the TL isn't much harder to work on than the TSX. Since I'm looking at getting one under 100,000 miles I know that 100,000 mile service is inevitable. Timing belts and water pumps aren't that daunting to me, it's just not one of my favorite jobs to do. Although I've heard the TL has some sort of weird self-adjusting clutch or something. I always thought that's what the hydraulic system was for.

One thing I seem to be getting some confusion on: do all manual TLs have Brembo brakes? I thought I read that somewhere, but I wanted to double check.

Kaiii

iTrader: (1)

^the 6-speeds all have Brembos (04-06 MT and 07-08 Type S). The 07-08 base models (non-Type-S) don't come in 6MT at all, and therefore don't have the Brembos. All Type-S's (both 5AT and 6MT), however, do.

CB900Fer

Oh, that's good to know. I guess I've done a lot more research on TSXs than TLs because I didn't know that 07-08 TLs were only automatics (other than the type S). Thanks for the input!

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

A friend of mine went from a Type S to a TSX and can't wait to get back out of it and back to a TL.

YeuEmMaiMai

From a comfort point of view, I'd call them a tie, from the drivability point of view the TSX has a slight lead. from the power point of view the TL is by FAR the hands down winner. From a fuel economy POV the TSX provided me with a about a 2 MPG better average on my driving route... never had the chance to long haul one to get a real good indication of HWY fuel economy but the short 20 mile trips showed an average of 34mpg

LaCostaRacer

The performance, better back seat room, and creature comforts were what swayed me to the TL. I came to the dealer thinking TSX on first visit but I started checking out the subtle but nice improvements and saw the TL as a compelling value.

The TL has a lot more power and still gets very comparable MPG at highway speeds. I routinely get 32MPG going at speeds of 70+ MPH. I attribute this to the higher gearing the TL has in 5th gear compared to a TSX and equivalent aerodynamics.

The list of important features to me are:
- more intuitive sunroof switch
-nicer console design with some nice cubbies and a cupholder that you can use to hold a cup and cell phone flat with cover just partially open- I do that all the time.
- front door map pockets that retract open along with nice map pockets behind the seats
- DVD-A audio (nice in its time anyway)
- hood struts (no prop rod)
- nicer seats
- nicer stock wheels

The fold-down seat of the TSX was the only feature I thought I would miss but it has been a non-issue for 8 years. I have actually needed the pass-through a number of times when I had 4 people in the car. You can't carry some lumber.PVC pipe, or shovel with 4 people in a TSX, but you can with a TL. It turns out I have done this a number of times over the year.

Mugen.Justice

Welcome to AZine! Prelude -> TL-S driver here. You've already hit on the points I'm about to make:


-You'll definitely appreciate the new HP and torque, coming from the 200hp/156tq H22. I feel like down the line, you'll be left wanting more out of the TSX if you pick it.

-Where the Prelude is nimble, the TL like you said is flat, solid, and composed. That doesn't mean the TL is a slouch, of course.

-I didn't feel like the TL was big by any means. As I drove it, I felt it sorta shrank around me. Yet, the interior spaciousness is obviously in another class. Simply a comfortable/pleasant place to be.


I think you'll be happier with the TL.


New meets old - my babies below:

CB900Fer

Mugen, it's amazing how the Prelude and the TL appear to be almost the same size. I've even parked next to a TL before and the overall size and the wheelbase really are not that far apart! It's incredible how much more space they got out of the interior of the TL compared to the Prelude. I think it's the long nose on the Prelude.

I appreciate the opinion of a fellow Prelude owner. How would you consider the power in comparison? It seems to me the TL would be a little quicker than the Prelude.

If I were to get a TL I think I would really enjoy the ability to move briskly without screaming it...but still being able to scream it and have some fun. The torque would be enjoyable

CB900Fer

Also, if I were to get a TSX one of my first mods would be a Hondata reflash. So that would help out the lack of power a good bit.

Btw, Mugen, what part of NY are you from? I used to live just outside of Rochester.

Mugen.Justice

Going from the Prelude into the TL-S, you definitely feel the power bump. And the power delivery is rather effortless, compared to the Prelude. There isn't as much of a need to really wring the engine to get some speed. Of course, if you need/want to bring it up to the higher revs, the TL will happily comply.


Indeed, parked side-by-side, the TL doesn't look much bigger than the Prelude. It's why I don't think you'll have an issue with the size. Here's a better side profile photo of mine.









I'm actually a California native, but I'm living in the Albany area right now. Funny, I was just out in Rochester a few weeks ago. Had my first garbage plate - it was everything I had hoped and dreamed it would be.

tb330

This is why I went TL to the T. I really hate the fact that I don't have fold down seats, but the extra room and power were big in swaying my decision. Coming from a 400hp V8 and a 290hp V6, I just didnt think Id be happy with the lower power of the TSX.

CB900Fer

Those are both a couple of nice looking (and I'm sure nice driving) cars. I sure wish my driveway could look like that

Unfortunately my Prelude is pretty rough compared to yours.

I literally almost busted out laughing in class when I read that. I forgot that we were known for those...what an accomplishment. The first and only garbage plate that I had was when I was about 9-10 years old.

Mugen.Justice

Thanks. Eh, the Prelude may look like she's in good shape, but it's not all butterflies and rainbows. The transmission (which was an auto-to-manual swap) finally started showing some pretty serious issues. It was out of commission for 2-3 weeks, which left me without transportation to get to and from work.


It was the primary reason why I began looking for a new-to-me car, which ended up being the TL-S. I had originally intended to sell the 'Lude, but with all of its issues I wouldn't have fetched a decent price anyway. Since it's no longer my daily driver, I could take time to tinker with it - and now it'll see some track time.

06nhtsx

I recently made the switch from an 06 tsx 5at w/nav to an 08 tl-s 5at. I couldn't be happier with the switch to be honest. But I made the switch for the because I needed the bigger car and wanted more power. The interiors are basically the same fit and finish. The tsx has all the same toys and I actually liked the instrument cluster a little better. I average 27mpg mixed driving in the tsx and would see 32-34 on straight highway trips. Now with the tl-s I'm averaging about 21-22 mixed and get 28-30 on straight highway driving. As far as driving I really prefer the tl-s the better braking more power and paddle shifters make the car more fun to drive to me. I bought the tsx brand new and traded it in with 71k on it. I never had one single problem and that car never let me down it was a fantastic little car. The only reason I went to the tl was because with a growing family the tsx got small quickly. The trunk is noticeably smaller and so is the backseat room.The tl-s I bought with 69k and now has 87k on it and again not one single problem. I will say maintenance on the tl-s is quite a bit more and more frequent with the brembo brakes and having a timing belt. To me they are both great cars it's all in what you are looking for. If I were to get into another tsx I would get a 6mt though they are real dogs with the 5at.

CB900Fer

Yeah, I'm actually leaning harder toward the TL right now. I would absolutely LOVE a TL-S, but they're so pricey! I've discovered that if I could find an 07 type S with about 100,000 miles I could probably afford it. Anything else is running $17-22,000, which is out of my price range. I could probably afford it, but I don't want to go back into debt.

06nhtsx

I was originally looking for an 07-08 tl. Then I happened to stumble across my tl-s at an Acura dealer the price was way to good to pass up. The car was a one woman owner always serviced by that Acura dealer. I think I stole it for 17k with 69k on it. I did test drive some regular tl's and to be honest there wasn't a big difference in feel or power. Had I not found my current tl-s I'd be in a base tl.

Kaiii

iTrader: (1)

^that's a great deal. op find a good deal on a tl-s and go!

CB900Fer

That's what I'm trying to do!!

i_love_cars

iTrader: (1)

CB, your pm box is full. i tried to reply to you...the lip on my car is the type-s A-spec. Both the Base TL and the Type-S have their own versions of the a-spec lip. It's a 4 piece body kit with rear, front and side skirts.

CB900Fer

Sorry about that, I'm still only limited to two messages in my inbox :p But that's really interesting...I'm still learning alot about the TLs. Car looks nice though...good luck w/selling it!

StealthTL-S

Hey man, I was ready to go from my Civic Si last year to a 6 speed tsx 07-08. I never considered the TL , due to the price. Unbelievably, I found a TL-type S 6 speed in the local paper. The owner had to sell it due to finances. I felt bad for him actually and told him this. My Si was a 6 speed, so this is a blessing having a 6 speed in the TL-S. I recommend you looking at the A-spec kit for sport suspension, 18" wheels, and the body kit comes with it. It is Acura sport kit for the TL. I have it, and my TL handles wonderfully. This may help you to match the handling of the TSX. You would then have the power of the TL (especially if you find a manual type S) and the handling of the TSX. Good luck.

djdonte

You should check out a 2nd gen TSX if its in your budget. I had one as a loaner, and it blew me away. I thought it was going to be like a toy car or something, but it felt quicker, more nimble than my TL. Also I drove it like I stole it and it still got better gas mileage than my TL. Also I noticed it said "premium gas recommended" not "required" like our cars on the fuel door. So I put regular lol. Anyways, I like the size of the TL, so the TSX is a bit small for me. To each his own.

Mugen.Justice

It's all about patience, IMHO. If your Prelude is still in decent condition and you're in no hurry to pick up a car, take your time. You'll find a TL-S within your budget (or you'll save up enough).


I also had a loaner 2nd gen TSX for a bit. I really wanted to like it, but I felt it was way underpowered. Sure it was still nimble. The 2.4L might work very nicely for a Civic Si, but I kept thinking that the TSX deserves a more refined engine than that. If you were to go the 2nd gen TSX route, I'd look for ones with the V6.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

^tsx only had the v6 option for 2010+ and is quite rare. When the TSX finally came out with a v6, the price came out to be almost the same as a base TL. To most people, if you can get a TL for the same price, why not get the TL? it'll have the v6 anyways.

that's why the v6's are quite rare.

Not to mention a 2010 tsx v6 isn't really in the OP's price range

Mugen.Justice

True. OP also stated in the first post that he was looking at an I4 TSX. Just following up on djdonte's about a 2nd gen TSX. I agree though, might as well take a TL / TL-S over a V6 TSX.

CB900Fer

Yeah, that's a good way to put it. I'm thoroughly convinced that I'd reeeeaaallly like a TL right now. I go down the street almost every night now just to look at that Type S at the dealership

The Prelude is in pretty good working order (sure should be after all I've done to it. It's ridiculous...never thought I would have to do so much to a Honda. Seems to be my lot in life. I did the same thing with my old Thunderbird...nickle and diming me to death). I don't have a pressing need for a new car now, but I have a trip to NY this summer in May/June and I really don't want to take the Prelude again. I took it up there this past January and that's what really made me want to move on to something more comfortable/quality/relaxed. Cruising along at 4000rpm for 20 hours is enough to make anyone have a psychotic breakdown

Ideally, I'd like to try to keep the cost below $12,000. Obviously it would have to be a miracle (or something too good to be true) to find a TL-s at that price, but I think I would be quite happy with a base. I can always add A-spec suspension later. I don't think I would be too power hungry with a TL (TSX may be a different story).

So yes, a 2nd gen TSX would be out of my price range. If I had that kind of money I'd jump on this TL-S 3 miles up the street

IIDXholic

iTrader: (5)

In south central Texas there was a TL-2 2007 CBP with over 100K for 12,999. So its a possibility you can find one for that cheap if you are really interested in one. I went from a 96 GSR sedan to a 2006 Auto TL after the GSR was stolen, so I guess you can say I got quite the upgrade. Funny thing as well, as I also drive a Honda Prelude Type SH for my work car, have an 07 RDX SH-AWD for the wife, and the 2006 AM Auto TL for the weekend and I love them all.

I've driven my aunts 04 TSX and it felt underwhelming. Something about it I didn't like. Maybe because it was a little noisy, underpowered, stock, I don't know, but would happily take a TL over the TSX. You said you wouldn't be power hungry, but once you start putting bolt on parts, you want more! I have the A-SPEC package (yes even with the steering wheel) and upgraded the motor mounts, rear sway bar, V2 intake, High Flow cats, stock lightweight crank pully, and J-pipe. The car feels completely different than when I first got it, stock it kinda like a small boat on an anchor driving.

CB900Fer

IIDXholic,

Did your TL come with the A-spec package, or did you add it on later? I don't care about the exterior bits too much, but I would like the suspension and I'm wondering how hard it is to come by and how much it costs.

Sounds like you've done a nice job with your TL. I'd love to do most of those mods also, but I can't justify spending the money on it (except maybe really slowly adding on an intake, A-spec suspension, etc.)

rideexileex

My experience was having an 05 TSX 6spd, and recently acquired an 08 TL-S AT.

Yes, the TL-S is more classy, powerful, roomier in the back, etc, but I still miss the nimble smaller feel of the TSX. Maybe it's the 6spd part I miss the most, but my TSX was rear ended and I was in a rush to find a replacement car. I'm still debating if I will keep the TL or switch back to the manual TSX. The price difference is still quite surprising to me, because I still find the TSX to be a very quality car and on par with the TL. Interior feel in the front seats are near identical, and I actually prefer the interfaces of the TSX over the TL. My purpose of the car is as a commuter, rather than having to use the truck, and I miss my 27mpg average compared to the 21-22.

I've still yet to understand why my car from 08 still has a cassette player...

newkatbie

iTrader: (1)

My friend has a mt TSX. I drove his car, and it feels lighter. It is heavily modified, so it is not stock weight. It has thousands in engine upgrades, suspension, wheels, tires, seats, body work, etc. It comes down to what you are looking for. A TL is more luxurous. It is quieter, faster, more comfortable, and gets great gas mileage. I get 30MPG on average, but it is mostly highway. A TSX won't do much better. A TL will cost more if all other variables are the same. A TSX is cheaper to modify. You can get any turbo and have only 10.5 compression to give you more boost with pump gas safely. Both cars have a hard time with tuning because only the newer ecus can be used with piggybacks. If you like to drive hard, get a manual trans in either one. If you don't plan on modding, get a TL. A TSX with cams, intake manifold, tb, full exhuast, and custom tune will be slower than a TL 6 speed. A TSX with 75 shot nitrous and bolt ons will be just as fast, or slightly faster, than a TL. A TSX turbo will be much faster than a TL. With 11:1 compression, turbo, superharger, or nitrous is dangerous on pump gas on a TL. You will need to spend big money to make a TL fast. Supercharger is $5k for parts and will not get you much power. A turbo is $8k in parts and gets 400+whp. Both need reduced compression or race gas or you will eventually damage your engine. All of this is big money! Boltons on a TL are worth 30whp or so. That is a few thousand $ to get it. I love my TL. I like the TSX, too. To sum it up, to keep stock: 6mt TL. To modify: 6mt TSX. Drive them both. TL auto and TSX auto are very slow compared to 6mt. base TL 6mt is faster than TL type s auto. Says alot.

CB900Fer

So right now I've got the option for a 2006 TL base 6spd with only 43,000 miles for $13,800 which is 3 hours away, or a 2008 TSX 6spd with only 55,000 miles for about $12,000 which is 8 hours away.

I'm waiting on more information on both, but I'm so torn for a couple reasons:

TL: 1) TL has lower miles 2) Has a heftier feel (partially a good thing) 3) It's closer to me 4) BUT, it's stretching my budget

TSX: 1) Cheaper 2) Nimbler handling 3) BUT, I've never driven a 6spd TSX

I'm having a tough time deciding. Both are great values from what I've been researching, and both have great miles. I would be able to decide a lot quicker if only I would be to drive a 6spd TSX without going all the way out there. Both are in great shape, although the TL does have a scratched door that I might be able to buff out a little bit.

I'll keep y'all posted on what I find out. Feel free to leave your input

P.S. I'm leaning toward the TL...

Scottwax

A good compromise, if you can find one, is a 6MT V6 06/07 Accord sedan. Interiors aren't as nice as either Acura but it weighs less than the TL and a bit more than the TSX. Add the TL Type S anti-roll bars and you'd be good to go.

CB900Fer

Well, the TSX that I was looking into fell through. He sold it to a dealer for a better price than I could have paid. It would have been a really nice buy, but it was a little further than I would have preferred to go.

So I went with the TL!

I drove to New Orleans to get it, which is only about 3 hours away. It has it's share of little dings, but an '06 6spd with 45,000 miles for $13,800 sounded like a pretty good deal to me. I'm very glad for the low mileage, and that was the main selling point. Everything else can be touched up -- besides, I'm looking for a daily driver and not a show car. It cleaned up pretty nice, but these pictures are before I started the long process of washing, claying, waxing, interior detailing, removing all the door panels to lubricate window tracks, and now I'm in the process of taking apart the side mirrors to fix the chattering mirror movement. (Which, btw, has proven to be annoying because as I was putting the driver mirror back together it stopped working up and left. It will only work down and right. I've read from the forum that it's usually due to the fuse being blown, but the windshield washers still work. I'll have to do some more troubleshooting when I get home from work. And of course the memory settings won't work now either. They worked perfectly before. Hopefully it's not a bad regulator - then again a regulator wouldn't make sense because the passenger mirror stopped going up and left also. So I'm still thinking there may be an issue with the fuse. Any other ideas?)

Anyway, here are the pictures.







I don't have the title yet, so it's not registered. But I should be getting it within a week or so. In the meantime I want to fix this mirror issue, I need to buy tires, and while the tires are off I think I'm going to strip the wheels and polish them since they have some curb rash on them and the paint is already chipping.

I recently polished the wheels on my Prelude and they turned out pretty nice. They were a bear though because they had machining on the face of the wheel that had to be sanded smooth, and then the inner spokes were porous. The TL's 5 spoke wheels should be nice and easy to do in comparison.


Tag: polished wheels Acura TL 3rd gen

ducati748R

Congratulations on your purchase! Wish I would have seen your post earlier. Been thinking about selling my '04 TL/ 6spd Navi with 59k on the clock. Anyway, you made the right call the TL is so much better than the TSX.

As far as your mirrors go try removing the negative battery terminal to reset. Maybe a bad switch?