jst17

First of all, I’d like to say that I have search tsxclub and acurzine threads for this topic. But I am still quite a bit confused. Ive had the 04 TSX(100k miles now, corolla before the tsx) for about a year now, it was quite a bad investment as the engine was burning 1L of oil/1000km, and the dreaded timing chain check engine light came on(temporarily fixed for now with new sensors fro $500, did not replace the chains which i fear I will need to do if I continue to drive it). I do not feel like spending money on the engine to fix the burning oil issue is worth it as I got the car for only $7k. 04 TSX was a pretty bad year in terms of reliability, thus I am selling the car in the spring, and buying a TL or 06-08 TSX in the fall as spring is the car selling season.

I have heard that 04-05 TL have transmission issues, so im trying to stay away from those unless they are MT.

My maximum budget is about $12000. And of course, the less the better. Right now the current prices in Toronto for a 06 TL is around $11000, and an 07 TL is about $14000, and 06 TSX is about 11000. And those prices are for cars around 75k miles or 120k km.

I feel like the 06 TL suits my budget the best; however, the 07+ TL just look more updated, and if I were to do a bumper to bumper conversion it would be at least 2.5k not including any electronics or the interior updates. I am concerned with the fact that the transmission with the 06 might fail, and costing me thousands of dollars to replace, and its is very rare to see a MT TL for sale. Should I get the 06 TL in the fall or just get an later model TSX, or wait till next year till I have enough for the 07 TL. Any advice would be appreciated. I am currently 19 going 20, in second year university studying mechanical engineering. I do have internship every year so I have the money to do regular maintenance on the car, and from what Ive been hearing the TL’s maintenance isn't much more than the TSX.


TBH i feel really under powered while driving the TSX especially at highway speed..and my mechanic suggested that Honda's 2.4L are not very good as their V6s. I drive about 10k km a year, so buying a switching from a 160k km tsx to a 120k tl will last me at least a few years.

Wing Nut

I'm not sure you've seen my thread over on TSXclub or not, but I'm in the market for a TSX or (preferably) a TL. If you want to do some reading about the comparison of the two, you can read here:

http://www.tsxclub.com/forums/member...tl-vs-tsx.html (original post on TSXclub)

http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=905957 (same type post on Acurazine TL forum)

http://tsx.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=905958 (similar post on Acurazine TSX forum)

Good luck with the search. I've been searching for over a month now, and haven't really found any good deals in my area. I've been told to be patient though. If I were in your position with your budget (Ideally i'm looking at spending no more than $12,000 also), I'd try to find a TL-S (6 speed) with just over 100,000 miles or a 04-06 base TL (6 speed) with about 65,000 miles. Those should be right about the same price if from a private seller.

The interior updates don't mean too much to me, I just really want an Aux input. But I can always add that later for about $100 I think.

EnjoyTheRideDC2

iTrader: (1)

From what I've heard, the transmission issues can be found in any year of the third gen TL's, not just the 04-05. Regular maintenance of the fluid/filter and replacing the pressure switches as preventative maintenance seem to be key for overall longevity.

Good luck with the search for you guys... If you're only looking to spend 12k, the options are slim and I doubt its going to be anywhere near perfect in condition. I just picked up an 06 with 64K miles for $12,400. Granted it came with new tires and a clean exterior, but the front seats show wear (mild cracking/wrinkles) on the leather, the bluetooth module was dead, and the center cup holder slide cover was busted.

I'm not saying you cant find a TL within your budget, but if you can bump up your budget a little bit, I think you'll find something with less headache after the sale. Save up for the 07 TL if you can afford the increased cost of ownership. The difference in cost isn't extreme compared to a TSX, but its still significantly more across the boards. Gas, replacement parts, tires, and upgrades...a few bucks more here and there do add up.

PrettyMuchBoned

All of the v6 automatic transmissions are unreliable, and they have been since Honda introduced the v6 in the 90s. The design itself is just bad, coupled with Honda/Acura's failure to include the transmission filter in the regular maintenance schedule, its generally a sad mess.

Any engine is gonna burn oil if you dont change your oil every 3,000 miles. I know the maintenance schedule calls for something way past that, but if you're not using amsoil or another super premium oil, 3,000, maybe 4,000 should be the limit.

if you find a TL manual transmission, there's a popular upgrade to stroke it out and make the 3.2 into a 3.6, so screw the oil burning if you pick one up and it does that, upgrade the block so it makes better power and better curves.

jst17

Hey guys, thanks you all for the responses. Some good news about budgets.

Over the last 2 months, I have increased my budget to $18,000, and I have decided to purchase a 06-08 Lexus is 350 with 90-110k km instead.