A lengthy post from the Acura TL forum
03-12-2002, 02:02 PM
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A lengthy post from the Acura TL forum
Someone was asking whether to get something other than an Acura...........
We just performed the exact same comparison before buying our 2003 TLS last weekend. We owned a 1997 BMW 528i and I know exactly what everyone means when they talk about the "feel" and precision of German cars. Despite that I feel the TLS does a very good job holding it's own against BMW & Audi. All of the test results will bear out the fact that the Audi A4 with the 3.0 engine is significantly slower than the TLS but handling seems to be slightly better in extreme slalom handling in the A4 (but when would you really be driving like that?). If you are going to do a fair comparison against the TLS w/Navi, then a comparably equipped BMW or A4 with a Nav system has to be in the mix. Comparably equipped BMW 3's and Audi A4's will run about 7-10K more than the Acura TLS w/ Navi and there is generally very little negotiating on price. I just priced a comparably equipped A4 3.0 on the Audi web site which had a Base MSRP: $31,390 Price as configured: $39,480. Quattro would have been approx $2000.00 more. This worked out to be about $200.00/month more than the Acura TLS w/Navi on a 36 month lease but if youre paying cash then monthly payment doesn't apply here.
It is also true that the German Luxo-cars do have a few problems from time to time and ours was no exception. Our $45000.00 528i had an annoying little rattle that they could never seem to fix, a sometimes intermittent cruise control, and once it wouldn't crank. Generally speaking however I believe the BMW's and Audi's are superior in quality and handling to all other makes but there is a very significant up-front price to pay for that sometimes subtle difference. I do miss the free maintenance for the first 36 months we had with the BMW (nice touch) but I can also attest to the high cost of routine maintenance once the warrantly expires. We had to do our first front brake job at 37000 miles and it was $600.00! Little did I know that the braking systems of these ultra performance German cars is designed to wear the rotors at almost the same rate as the pads. This means that you almost always have to change the rotors with every pad change and that's expensive! In addition, much of the handling components are made of aluminum. As such they are easily damaged if they are towed improperly by using conventional methods for normal cars. I almost had 1st hand experience on that one were it not for a knowlegable neighbor.
In the final analysis, I felt that the TLS was the best value overall by a wide margin so I got one! Good luck with your decision but you really need to drive them so you can make the best decision for you! Based on the vehicles you are considering, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.
We just performed the exact same comparison before buying our 2003 TLS last weekend. We owned a 1997 BMW 528i and I know exactly what everyone means when they talk about the "feel" and precision of German cars. Despite that I feel the TLS does a very good job holding it's own against BMW & Audi. All of the test results will bear out the fact that the Audi A4 with the 3.0 engine is significantly slower than the TLS but handling seems to be slightly better in extreme slalom handling in the A4 (but when would you really be driving like that?). If you are going to do a fair comparison against the TLS w/Navi, then a comparably equipped BMW or A4 with a Nav system has to be in the mix. Comparably equipped BMW 3's and Audi A4's will run about 7-10K more than the Acura TLS w/ Navi and there is generally very little negotiating on price. I just priced a comparably equipped A4 3.0 on the Audi web site which had a Base MSRP: $31,390 Price as configured: $39,480. Quattro would have been approx $2000.00 more. This worked out to be about $200.00/month more than the Acura TLS w/Navi on a 36 month lease but if youre paying cash then monthly payment doesn't apply here.
It is also true that the German Luxo-cars do have a few problems from time to time and ours was no exception. Our $45000.00 528i had an annoying little rattle that they could never seem to fix, a sometimes intermittent cruise control, and once it wouldn't crank. Generally speaking however I believe the BMW's and Audi's are superior in quality and handling to all other makes but there is a very significant up-front price to pay for that sometimes subtle difference. I do miss the free maintenance for the first 36 months we had with the BMW (nice touch) but I can also attest to the high cost of routine maintenance once the warrantly expires. We had to do our first front brake job at 37000 miles and it was $600.00! Little did I know that the braking systems of these ultra performance German cars is designed to wear the rotors at almost the same rate as the pads. This means that you almost always have to change the rotors with every pad change and that's expensive! In addition, much of the handling components are made of aluminum. As such they are easily damaged if they are towed improperly by using conventional methods for normal cars. I almost had 1st hand experience on that one were it not for a knowlegable neighbor.
In the final analysis, I felt that the TLS was the best value overall by a wide margin so I got one! Good luck with your decision but you really need to drive them so you can make the best decision for you! Based on the vehicles you are considering, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.
03-12-2002, 05:01 PM
#7
haha! When I think of geezer:
<center><img src="http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/pictures/155180.jpg"></center><p>The Lincoln Town Car: realtor, "geezer", or perhaps Mary Kay rep?
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03-12-2002, 06:30 PM
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The Acura is a great car, my mother-in-law just bought one; but I wouldn't be seen..
in a Acura TL. Life is too short to make purely rational car buying decisions. Yes, if you do a cost benefit analysis, the Acura may be a better deal, but so is a V6 Accord or Camry. All are great cars if you're the rational bean counter type.
tahoebum
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tahoebum
02 1.8TQM Dolphin/Ebony