New car soon?

[ivirovets]

My accord is getting long in the tooth, so I want to move on to something else within the year, probably before this upcoming summer. It's a bit early to start shopping of course, but I've been mulling over a few ideas and it looked like I was pretty dead set on an 07 Acura TL Type S. Right in the 20K or so range. Basically I want something that's comfortable and quick but also reliable. It also needs to be a 6 speed manual. I pretty much promised to myself to not get anything German, because I can't afford to deal with the maintenance. But the other day I was looking at a 135i and I thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. Anyone with that powertrain have any comments about it? I'd be buying used, maybe CPO, so reliability and maintainability is a huge issue. I've heard reliability problems about that turbo 6 but maybe someone can throw some firsthand light on it. And any other suggestions of cars to look at besides the usual Infiniti/Acura stuff?

[srtga]

2nd gen CTS.

RWD, over 300hp and you can get a stick.

[DrCoke]

.

[ivirovets]

Yeah Coke the TL-S is especially attractive because I do all my work on my car right now (except the timing belt...) and going to a TL won't be much of a learning curve. I've driven one, and the FWD doesn't bother me at all because it is a pretty balanced car and the front LSD makes up for a lot of it shortcomings. The 2006 TL Manual is also on the list, it's not a type s but the power difference is negligible, it is a 6mt with an LSD and the front Brembo calipers. The beastly brake setup is a plus for me because of where and how I drive, I absolutely destroyed the inferior plain Accord rotors when I first got the car. I was looking at the IS250 too, it looks really nice but it is SO slow! (And the 350 is a bit out of my price range for the mileage that I'm looking for) I was also looking at the CTS, but how has the maintenance/reliability been on your V (srtga)? Another thing to consider is insurance, I'm 20, and the TL is pretty cheap to insure.

[Woodscolby]

Yeah Coke the TL-S is especially attractive because I do all my work on my car right now (except the timing belt...) and going to a TL won't be much of a learning curve. I've driven one, and the FWD doesn't bother me at all because it is a pretty balanced car and the front LSD makes up for a lot of it shortcomings. The 2006 TL Manual is also on the list, it's not a type s but the power difference is negligible, it is a 6mt with an LSD and the front Brembo calipers. The beastly brake setup is a plus for me because of where and how I drive, I absolutely destroyed the inferior plain Accord rotors when I first got the car. I was looking at the IS250 too, it looks really nice but it is SO slow! (And the 350 is a bit out of my price range for the mileage that I'm looking for) I was also looking at the CTS, but how has the maintenance/reliability been on your V (srtga)? Another thing to consider is insurance, I'm 20, and the TL is pretty cheap to insure.

My sister has a IS250, I was actually the first to drive it haha. It was a surprise as the first one was totaled by her ex-boyfriend and she still had a full ride to college so my parents felt it would be reasonable to buy her another as its cost is equal to a semester of school. No more boyfriends driving the car though. The 250 isn't the fastest in flat out acceleration but hers has the paddle shifters which allow you to keep it in higher RPMs and make it a heck of a lot more fun to drive than an IS without them. I got it to 90 before I realized I was doing 30 over the PSL so it isn't as slow as one would expect. The steering isn't as tight as the BMW but it isn't loose either. It takes corners pretty well and is incredibly safe. It is definitely a small car with interior room and trunk space. It probably wouldn't seem so small if I didn't drive a TL which has a ton of interior room.

[ivirovets]

I haven't driven the IS before so I'm getting my impression based on the numbers, the acceleration to 60 just seems like a really long time. I have also heard that they drive well but it just seems that taking a step down from the 240 HP of my accord would be somewhat of a disappointment. I was also considering a TSX but they have all their power available above 5000 rpm so the lack of torque would be kinda weird. A couple of my friends are suggesting that I look at the Subaru Legacy GT, anyone here tried one of those?

[AcuraTL]

Go for the TL (no bias here)

[DUI Elite]

I want a TL Type S really bad. I'd trade my civic in a heartbeat if i had the cash flow for that

[ivirovets]

Well, they can be had used with 40K miles or so for under 20,000$ for the 07 TypeS/06 6MT, I've even found some with a certified pre-owned warranty. I'm sure you could trade your civic and only increase your payments by a little bit and have a TL-S if you looked hard enough.

[Kwaz]

I have a co-worker that is an avid car enthu and he drives the Legacy GT and loves it. Not bad for N/A.