so it's hard to tell if the 04s are in fact problematic or if it's just a matter of the 04s being a year older and having more miles, etc. i totally agree that the newer acuras are horrid, but i think the 05 model looks pretty nice for the money. can anyone attest to how they drive, since they are FWD? do they feel pretty nose-heavy around corners?

 

My parents have a 08TL which is basically the same as the 04 and ups and it drives very well and handles very well. It is definitely more sport oriented then most entry level lux sedans and makes my GS430 steering/handles/driver feel seem like a 70's cadillac. It did not feel nose heavy to me, Honda/Acura does a superb job with making that fwd platform and car handle very well and be competitive. Steering is pretty weighty and tight. The ride is crisp but tolerable. Still it is nowhere near what the M5 is acceleration/performance wise but it is still a very competent sporty sedan. The 04's had a redesigned transmission that did not have the issues of the previous ones, you may just read reports here and there an occasional person blowing the transmission and then it spreads around all over that the 04's had issues too.

The transmissions in the pre 03's were warrantied to 100K miles and all issued a recall to check for the defect as well as add a new fluid tube/jet for improved lubrication. If they don't go bad by over 50K and up to 100K then they pretty much don't have the defect but there are a few exceptions. My parents have/had a 99TL and 03 CL and the transmissions are fine and never gave them a problem, the TL had around 100K miles and the CL has over 70K. Many of the issues seemed to happen most to type S models that had more hp and were most likely driven more aggressively by younger drivers or modified for performance. The 6 speed manual transmissions on the pre 04s were solid to with no major issues.

 

I can remember driving an 06 TL, and I did a full review on the 08 Type S. The 06 was a fairly nice FWD sedan on the road, and handled well, for a front-driver, though, of course, not as well as a BMW 3-series. Torque steer is also well-controlled in TLs (partly because Honda/Acura engines don't produce a lot of torque themselves at lower speeds). Even though the TL was not totally redesigned until this year, there was a big difference in interior quality between the 06 and 08 model, which was still in the same generation.

 

Problem was the replacement units never got around to addressing the core design deficiency that would kill the transmission in the first place. The transmissions continue to fail over and over and really only have an expected lifespan of about 70K. 99TL has major transmission problems, friend has been through 3 in that car, before 140K. TL and TL- Type S were both included, the Type S was no more prone.

 

KBB stated that VW owners were likely to be enthusiastic about the brand, even when buying used. They further stated that buying a VW was like joining a club. Also, the preceptions of German quality consistantly keeps the brand at the top of residual values, in light of cost of ownership.

 

2003 540i Sport 6MT! It's a sub $20K sedan that will give IS-F owners a run for their money.