GSRockstar

The TL has had auto tranny issues from the second gen through the third gen. Supposedly they did fix it in 07-08 but im letting this person know to be lookout for a potentially dangerous issue, whether you want to admit it or not, that kind of issue is something people want to know BEFORE they buy a car. All they have to do is go check the acurazine forums and ask there and they can get the truth. I love the 3rd gen TL and i always wanted one but i bought an old RL because it didnt have these issues.

gs350lex

I'll have to completely agree with GSRockstar here as I owned a 2003 tl type-s aspec with tranny issues that never seemed to get resolved. My parents had a 2007 tl type-s and although the tranny issue seemed to be at a lesser scale for this gen there still was quite a few people who still suffered from the tranny issue. Thankfully Acura resolved our 07 tl-s tranny issue but I would personally never touch another Acura for this reason. Also from browsing the tl forums it seems that people are still experiencing tranny issues in their 14's-17's so I'm not too sure what's going on there.

ItzFilyO

What's with Honda and their tranny issues? Everywhere I go I always see and hear automatic transmission problems.

This is why all my cars have been Toyotas and yea they have little problems here and there but for power train, they're still

GSRockstar

the reason they have issues is because honda doesnt use third party trannies, theu actually designed and manufactured and built their own, it was uncharted territory for them at the time and i tuess they still havent mastered it yet.

imjohnphan

I wouldn't say that at the age of 20 it is too young for him to be driving an F-Sport car. You would also be surprised these days from appearance only it may seem one way but their story may be a bit different. I personally look like I am younger than 18 years old but have also purchased a Lamborghini with no help of anyone else through hard work and a ton of schooling as well. Also, at supercar meet-ups many of the guys there appear less than 30 years old all drive brand new Mclarens and Lamborghinis that have all purchased it for themselves through the successful business they have started up. It is easy to assume that I had a rich family purchase my car for my but that is far from that, now in a university or college setting I'd probably agree it would appear that way.

But back to the main topic. I believe if you have saved up enough and the FSport car is within your budget or lower I'd say sure you've earned it. Now whether your budget you set aside for your car is a financially smart decision is a case by case subject. But these GS' are very very reliable and I had one problem with a GS350 FSport but it was actually my own fault so no real problems even at 130K. These cars, in my opinion, are bulletproof and I don't know if I am lucky or not but have way less problems compared to friends with new Hondas and Nissans. But the way I see it is if you plan for the absolute worst say a full engine rebuild or something and the cost of that doesn't hurt you much, go for it. Because worst case scenario a timing chain for some magical reason snaps and you destroy all your valves it isn't going to hurt you too much.

charley95

I bet you follow Scotty Kilmer on YouTube! He's a big proponent of Toyota/Lexus. He's a little wacky but seems to be knowledgable on cars. He just did a recent vid. on an older GS and gave it a thumbs up.
I'll never buy another brand unless their quality/reliability falls off.

ItzFilyO

U got me there!

baconRx

Before my GS i drove a hand me down accord back when they were decent. more recently hondas have been having transmission issues. that TL type S in blue is the only acura I ever wanted because it looked great but they're all the same quality as hondas anyways. As long as you find one cheap that has its maintenance record done properly it should be completely fine. I also second the recommendation to look at the 2012 generation of camry, I thought that was a good design. The better recommendation I would have is to get yourself the new rav4 hybrid. great car and will do everything you need it to do and its cheap but it'll be at the top end of your budget if you can negotiate a good deal. If you're lucky you might be able to find a used one someone decided they didn't want. You could also go for the corolla hybrid and both are more exciting than a prius(also an option if you wanna be really economical). These are practical choices. If i were in the market and didn't have the resources for a lux car i'd go this route. also, if you're budget is 15-20k cash I'd recommend asking your parents to sign for financing and get a good 0.9% rate or 0% financing if possible and put that cash in a high yield savings account making at least 2% while you have that car on automatic payments. Having the GS I say I want a minimum of 300hp in my cars but i don't use the power that much. I prefer to either go all in no compromises on what I want or go the most practical route while i save to go all in.

jonathancl

When I was 20, the last thing I needed was a performance automobile.
I got myself into plenty of risky situations in my Camry, can only image what I would have done w 300hp.

I bought my first GS when I was 28, and even then I was still flying around. It's a wonder I didn't get more tickets.

Everyone's different obviously, but our 20s are important periods of maturation where we develop our proper sense of risk and responsibility, and having less temptation during that formidable phase can help keep you out of trouble.

jmull3r

iTrader: (1)

i was 16 when i got my IS, i’m 18 now and have had it for 2 years. i have no problem taking care of it and keeping up with maintenance and making sure everything is fine. yes i have an IS, but the engine is exactly the same so you have absolutely nothing to worry about. as long as it’s in your price range, you want it, and you can keep up with it, go for it!

bob256k

They tend to have issues with the transmissions that are a mated to a V6 vechile, especially if it is heavy, aka pilot, odyessy, etc. I think the V6 transmission design is very similar to the one used in the i-4, and the additional strain from the engine and added weight cause issues. I had a 20001 civic 4cycl that blew the tranny at 200k, but thats 200k, which isnt that bad far as mileage i guess. Kinda sucked as i just got the car worked on extensively.

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

If you can afford it without much strain, I'd say its a great car to own.

Cwang

OP I'm not sure what your situation in life is but assuming you're under 23 and don't have alot of money yet...the 350 isn't the car for you. They're very reliable but parts and insurance are very expensive. Unless your hand is in daddy's pocket I'd suggest getting a non premium vehicle to see you through until owning such a vehicle isn't a financial burden.

I've always had nice cars but my first was an old Corolla and I don't regret that

rj4510

Looking back at when I was in my early 20s, unmarried with no responsibilities, but maybe rent and utilities... I always had cheap cars I could tinker with and did. had a great time moving, breaking, doing stupid stuff no one should do, but I was young and it went with the territory. Watching our friends son's in their early 20s and those into cars are going through the same stages. Thus far, there have been two types, those who bought Honda/Scion/Subaru, etc. and those who bought or were handed Lexus/BMW/etc.

In terms of fun, the former had more fun with abundant parts. In terms of costs, the former came out way ahead there too. In terms of totally screwing up a car to the point that no one would take them off their hands, the ladder won hands down. In terms of people who will never be satisfied with anything less than a high end car they can screw up and lose fortunes on, that would still be the ladder.

Plan accordingly.