I was supposed to pick up a 2001 Acura TL last night but was unable to get to the dealer. After 4 days of haggling I got them to 700 over invoice. Now that I have an extra day to make up my mind I thought I'd ask here what you guys think of the TL or if anyone has suggestions on another sedan in the 25-28 thousand range. Cars I looked at were.

Acura TL
Lexus ES300
Jetta GLX
Honda Accord
Nissan Maxima

I also thought about looking at the entry level BMW 3 series, but to add on goodies that come standard on the Acura brings the price up to 30K Our musts in the new car are leather, auto, V6, sunroof. Thanks for any input

 

Well it is hard to say. I know the Acura dealer down the road here is selling the 3.5 RLs at invoice. He wants to clear them out because they did not mae a 2001 3.5 RL and there will be a new design next year. Maybe try that it is a better deal than the TL althoug either car is excellent choice. Go for the acura over all of your choices. I would say next on the list is a new accord loaded.

 

The 3.2TL is hard to beat. It is a beautiful car IMO. I would pick it over all the others.

 

This is a bit off topic - but why not wait for the 02 TL-Type S?

 

Due to unusual circumstances we currently only have the S2000 We have two kids and I've been renting a car on and off for the past month Plus I'm getting a great deal on the TL. If this car was gonna be strictly for me I would find a way to wait on the Type S

 

[green]Never owned an Acura, although I know they are excellent cars. We do own an Accord V6 and you couldn't pry my wifes cold dead fingers off that car. She loves it. Now if I could just keep that damn cat off.[/green]

 

Rush2000,

In addition to my S2000, I own a 1999 Acura 3.2TL.

I have an early production model as I picked up mine in September 1998. I paid MSRP and was happy to get it at that price because they were in great demand when they first became available. As you probably know, the 3.2TL is built on a stretched Accord chassis. Acura put a 2-inch spacer in the frame just behind the front seats. It is a very rigid chassis which allows the engineers to incorporate a more compliant suspension for a supple ride while maintaining good handling.

The 3.2 liter VTEC engine is very smooth with excellent low end torque and power.

It comes with just about every imaginable luxury as standard equipment and at the price nothing even comes close. This car is the best value in its segment out there which has made it the best selling import nameplate car in the near luxury category.

I wouldn't touch the RL. Less power, dated chassis, not as nimble.

With the ES300 you're paying a significant premium for the Lexus nameplate--for what?

IMO the Jetta is not in the same category--you're paying lots of money so Hans can get 8 weeks of paid vacation.

You're only paying a $3k premium for the 3.2TL over the Accord V-6 EX and you're getting a bigger more luxurious car with 25 extra horsepower and Acura service.

The Nissan Maxima is a great car but if you load it up with all the options needed to make it comparable to the TL it comes out with a higher MSRP than the TL. Maybe your local Nissan dealer will aggressively discount it but since you're already getting the TL at $700 over invoice I doubt they can match it. Even if they could, I still prefer Honda/Acura engineering over Nissan engineering.

Net/Net: The Acura 3.2TL is a great car and a great value and it will give you many years of trouble-free service. You can't go wrong with the TL!

 

Wow, S2000 Driver and I could in fact be the same person. My reply mirrors his. I also purchased a 1999 3.2 TL which I paid MSRP for back in 1999 as they were selling like hot cakes. The TL is mainly for my wife.

My mother actually just purchased a 2000 RL that I had a chance to drive when we flew home to visit them this past month. It is an Acura and therefore a nice car, however, in all honesty I thought the 3.2TL was better in all areas. Until they redesign the RL, I'd stay away from it.

When we bought the TL we also test drove the ES300. In fact I was planning on buying the ES300 and only looked at the new TL when it was recommended to me. After a test drive of both, it was an easy choice. Don't get me wrong, the ES300 is a very nice car. However, I thought the ride was so sedate that it lacked character. The TL was just more fun to drive, a little less money, and had all the amenities.

I won't bother commenting about the others on your list as I think S2000 Driver said it as well as I could. If you are looking for a sedan than I definitely recommend the TL. The only thing making us look to move away from the TL is the MDX of which we'll look at purchasing a 2002 model.

Best of luck.