wtf8269

Hello, all. I've always liked the looks of the 3G TLs since they came out. I've had a '97 Regal GS since I started driving. The car was a blast to drive and work on (contrary to what many would believe). It was set to be knocking on the door of 12's last spring, but things started going down hill from there. Got in a wreck, blew a head gasket, rust was becoming more than I could handle (189k on a 14yr old daily driven car...). The last straw was when I was diagnosing a clunk in the rear suspension and found out the unibody had almost completely rusted/rotted out around the right rear strut mount. For my next car I definitely wanted something stick shift, decently quick, with projector headlights (I had TSX retrofitted projectors on the GS), and an interior that wouldn't fall to pieces. So a bout a week and a half ago I purchased an '04 Anthracite 3G TL M6. Stick shift is a blast, and handling is incredible. I don't plan to leave the TL stock (it already has type S wheels and tinted side markers anyway), but the big point of this car was to get something that I could enjoy more or less as is, and not to have a daily driver that I'm constantly having to wrench on. The Regal was a fine case of a "fix it until it's broken" scenario. Well, thanks for reading my short essay here, haha. I look forward to reading up on all sorts of things I shouldn't be spending money on in this forum. Here are a few pics of the Regal when it was at it's prime, for the few that might appreciate it:






Plates say "Late for bingo."

And one with the TL when I picked it up:


Don't worry, the vent visors have already been removed.

RainSupreme

What kind of ideas do you have in mind your your TL? I just bought an 08 TL-S and have seen some crazy sick TL's on this site, just not sure of the route I wanna take except for a few things.

WRXtranceformed

Nice man! If your Regal was almost in the 12s it may take some getting used to with the TL's lack of power. But truthfully it has more than enough for daily driving..especially after you open up the exhaust a little. You definitely shouldn't have to worry about stuff breaking all of the time either *hopefully* The TL is like any Honda...if you treat it well it will last forever...and even if you don't treat it well it will probably still last forever.

wtf8269

RainSupreme, if I can spare the cash I am thinking different wheels (gloss black something), a ~1-1.5" drop, intake, catback, tinted tails, color matched license plate holder, blacked out grille, Accord fogs, and I'm not sure what I want to do about the headlights yet. In my Regal I had the TSX projectors with clear lenses and Morimoto 5Five ballasts with 5000K bulbs. The output on the TL is nowhere near what I had out of that TSX retrofit. At the very least I want to do another set of 5Fives and clear lenses. I'm just not sure if I want to tint my existing headlights and black out the corners, or if I want to just buy TL-S headlights with clear lenses and corners. Not sure how much of this will actually happen with having a car payment while going to school still, but we will see. I would love to have the headlights and tail lights done and be lowered by mid summer or so. We will see.

WRXtranceformed, I was never able to get the car running like it should. I had installed an aftermarket cam late spring last year and was chasing vacuum leaks all summer, then the headgasket went. So I never made anything faster than 14.0 @ 99mph. It was a shame. I do miss my low end torque (the 3800SCs always made way more torque than HP), and I'll get another Regal to build up after college, but for now I just needed something that won't need me to tear it down to fix something every other weekend haha.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Welcome and congrats!

leedogg

Welcome. You def wont have to worry about the TL rusting apart on you lol. Happy modding

shellready

Welcome, nice regal

Jesstzn

Welcome aboard

WRXtranceformed

I hear ya, I had two heavily modified Subarus in the past so it was a bit of an adjustment moving to the TL world. I sold the STi because it was becoming a money pit, and I bought a house and wanted the freed up cash. I never tracked the STi but my buddy who I sold it to went 12.1 @ 118 on the pump gas map...with some more driving practice on the 110 leaded tune it should have gone into the high 10s.

I will say though that it's nice to have a car that's fun to drive and super reliable. Read up on this forum, specifically look for Ihatecars and Innaccurate's threads. There is some good info here on maintenance and modifications.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i like the retro-fitted tsx projectors in your regal.

Aman

That's a nice looking Regal. Never seen one modded as such.

And about buying the TL for a DD you didn't have to wrench on...

You came to the wrong site for that

I hate cars

Welcome. You're going to miss your torque and bang for the buck the supercharged 3800 offered. Plus the fact that you don't have to upgrade internals until you make some serious power.

The TL is a great handling car with just a few light suspension mods. The double wishbones and geometry are great, just needs to be a little stiffer. I track mine from time to time (haven't been for a while now) and if you want any advice to make it handle, let me know. There are a few others that track the car too. I left the engine stock, just not enough power for the money spent.

I hate cars

There are many quick factory supercharged Regals out there, it takes very little to make them quick. Basically Buick went the supercharged route after the turbo RWD cars went away.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

Check out the H&R sport springs for a mild 1.4/1.3" F/R drop. It'll make the car look so much better. I've got a set of them and Koni Yellows on the way. I'm guessing your '04 has a fair amount of miles, so definitely do the shocks as well. Mine are cooked at 69k.

And as far as the power, you can make your TL quicker than your Regal with a few bolt ons. My car trapped 99-100 mph with just an intake, pulley and catback. There are also down pipes, high flow primary cats and full cat deletes available, not to mention a Megasquirt 3 tuning option about to drop. And if you're looking for 400+whp, there's a pretty serious turbo option at your disposal.

jungy4

Welcome!
I was an ex-GM guy as well.
I used to have a 2002 Grand AM GT that was silghtly modded. They are not as fast as 3800 SC's but still pretty fun to drive. I had some friends with fast Grand Prix's and I wanted one but I decided to turn to imports.

Majofo

Welcome.. great looking Regal GS and nice pickup on the 3G MT.

wtf8269

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. Anx1300c, I am at a toss up whether or not I am going to do springs or coilovers. I can't recall the brand but one of the vendors has $600 coilovers, which is what about what a good set of struts and springs runs. I've always been nervous about coilover threads corroding on a daily driver. We'll see.

LoveMyTL-S

Congrats and welcome to AZ Check out the 3G garage for tons of info. Also register your TL at www.myacura.com. Save your Navi and Radio codes there. Check for any recalls your TL may need.

nivekov

nice regal and welcome!