Brainstorming used car ideas... again.

[Rilas]

Just some food for thought.

The '99-'03 TL's get 18-20 city and 28-30 highway. So even with the V6 the fuel economy isn't nearly as bad as one might think it is. Obviously this might have gone down in the time since it was new. But nice driving and a little TLC, could have you up there in MPG's even with the V6. I think most of your drive is highway, so you have to remember that an uncomfortable econo box might just suck in all reality to drive for an hour or two. Honestly I have no idea as I tend not to drive much of anything that is newer.

Some of the guys with the 3rd gen TL's are reporting up to 32-33 MPG's on the highway. I don't know if the 2nd gen TL's require premium fuel or not, but my 3rd gen does. Even so the mileage is pretty good. In town it's not as great but it also doesn't help that I have a heavy foot. When babying it and trying to keep the MPG's up I can get around 20. That is all town driving mind you. I don't have to go on the highway to get to work.

Also considering that these car's were usually purchased by couple's farther along in life than kids, they are usually better taken care of. Lexus is in that boat as well though, being a luxury brand, but something as new at 2012 is going to cost a small fortune.

Also when working on the TL's, I have a 3rd gen and a good friend of our's has a 2nd gen. I purchase all my parts at Honda. They cross reference the part numbers over to Honda parts and sell it at Honda prices. Everything on the V6 is in the Accord's, also almost the entire suspension has matching parts to Accord's. Falling again into the buying an Acura and paying Honda prices for repairs. I haven't run across a single Acura specific part rebuilding the entire engine and replacing the transmission in my 3rd gen, or rebuilding the suspension on the 2nd gen (including wheel bearings and such). I'm not trying to sway your decision, just giving you some information on the Acura side of things.

[cp[mike]]

found something that meets all of your "beater" requirements:

https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ct...294783380.html


dooooo iiitttttttt

[sonikaccord]

I don't know why he keeps avoiding his destiny.

[Rilas]

We all know Mike just needs a CB7, but he's just being so resistant to it! Come on Mike we all know as well as you do, that you want a CB7!

[Bunta]

The other key component that depends on Mike himself is what's available in his area and how far is he willing to go to get whatever he has his fancy on.

[deevergote]

Indeed. That’s about 100 miles. Not going to find a good cb7 in that radius, sadly!
And I think I’m leaning toward option 2 at the moment. Storing and insuring 4 cars isn’t appealing.

[gloryaccordy]

OK, another idea:

Last gen Maxima.

I rented a current gen one and was pretty blown away by it. Contrary to popular belief, the CVT is amazing with that engine, and dynamically it's not too shabby. Interior quality, at least on the current one, was about on the level of my G (or maybe better)... I'd imagine the last one would be too. And they are dirt cheap. You can get an 09-10 in your price range no problem. I've heard some grumblings about CVT reliability but nothing that would break the deal. Best part is it will get good gas mileage... on the same commute my G struggles to break 18-19 MPG on it will easily do 22-24. And truthfully it doesn't feel any slower or less responsive thanks to the instant and prescient response of the CVT.

Only real issue is its.... unfortunate looks. But for $10K something has to give. And the interior is not that bad.

[verothacamaro]

2006+ Acura RL

300ish HP, SH-AWD, every option imaginable, comfortable as a Cadillac, reliable as an Acura, and gets decent MPG.

I owned one for a few years and had no complaints. Consistently got 30+mpg on the highway and used regular gas:



Loved this car and they can be had for cheap.

[Rilas]

I was thinking about suggesting the RL as well, but if your going to look at the SH-AWD options you might as well look at the 4th generation TL's as well. Although the RL's really do have a lot more of the fancy options. Automatic rear window sunblind, yes please! The RL's are truly the loaded Acura's, I was looking at either buying an RL or TL, ended up with a 3rd gen TL, although the RL was seriously tempting.

[verothacamaro]

I was thinking about suggesting the RL as well, but if your going to look at the SH-AWD options you might as well look at the 4th generation TL's as well. Although the RL's really do have a lot more of the fancy options. Automatic rear window sunblind, yes please! The RL's are truly the loaded Acura's, I was looking at either buying an RL or TL, ended up with a 3rd gen TL, although the RL was seriously tempting.

Very true. If you search hard enough, you can find the rarest of them all: Acura TL SH-AWD w/ 6 speed manual!

[deevergote]

I love the RL, but I'm scared of the repair costs on one!
I don't love the TL as much as I want to (my stepfather has one, and he thinks the ride is flinty.) I couldn't afford the last generation anyway, so I'd have to go with the one before it. I love the styling, but it's also a VERY popular car among the ghetto-fabulous folks these days. 18-22 year old kids with flat brimmed hats and hardcore vaping habits buy those TLs like crazy... slam them to the ground, camber out their XXRs... they don't strike me as "adult" cars anymore, given the average TL owner around here! It's sad, because I know they're nice cars overall.

I think the ES350 is probably going to be it. Absolutely boring, I know... but it'll be a peaceful oasis in the horrible traffic I deal with every day. And the 2010+ models are practically problem-free from what I've been able to tell. Went to look at a 2011 today, but the dealership had just sent it to auction.


Step 1 is selling the CTS-V, which I think I've decided is the best option. I'm not using the car for its intended purpose. All I'm doing by commuting in it is destroying whatever resale value it might have left.
In the meantime, I'm buying a cheap beater. That way I can sell the CTS-V and sit on the money until I find the right ES350.

This is for sale a few miles from me. I think I'm going to call on Monday. Looked at it on the side of the road today, and it's ROUGH on the outside... but not rusty, and no major damage on non-replaceable panels. Might even be worth fixing up a little.

[owequitit]

I love the RL, but I'm scared of the repair costs on one!
I don't love the TL as much as I want to (my stepfather has one, and he thinks the ride is flinty.) I couldn't afford the last generation anyway, so I'd have to go with the one before it. I love the styling, but it's also a VERY popular car among the ghetto-fabulous folks these days. 18-22 year old kids with flat brimmed hats and hardcore vaping habits buy those TLs like crazy... slam them to the ground, camber out their XXRs... they don't strike me as "adult" cars anymore, given the average TL owner around here! It's sad, because I know they're nice cars overall.

I think the ES350 is probably going to be it. Absolutely boring, I know... but it'll be a peaceful oasis in the horrible traffic I deal with every day. And the 2010+ models are practically problem-free from what I've been able to tell. Went to look at a 2011 today, but the dealership had just sent it to auction.


Step 1 is selling the CTS-V, which I think I've decided is the best option. I'm not using the car for its intended purpose. All I'm doing by commuting in it is destroying whatever resale value it might have left.
In the meantime, I'm buying a cheap beater. That way I can sell the CTS-V and sit on the money until I find the right ES350.

This is for sale a few miles from me. I think I'm going to call on Monday. Looked at it on the side of the road today, and it's ROUGH on the outside... but not rusty, and no major damage on non-replaceable panels. Might even be worth fixing up a little.

I'm pretty sure the running costs of an RL wouldn't be much higher than a normal Honda. The J series has been around forever, the transmission was the same basic unit that has been in Hondas since the early 2000's and the SH-AWD system really only has a few additional fluid changes.

And it would be a HELL of a lot better drive than an ES...



Still one of the sexiest Acura's of all time... It predates "ugly" Acura, one of the best interiors of the era, good performance, outstanding all weather capability, tons of refinement and comfort, a kicking sound system and it will look good parked next to your Boss' Corvette or whatever.

[deevergote]

The RL never really inspired me. I don't disagree that it's a nice car, but I actually like the ES better.
Plus, of the handful of RLs for sale in my search radius right now, they're all 5-6 years older than the ES350s I've been looking at, with comparable miles, and a comparable price. $10,000 will get me a 2008 RL, or a 2011 ES, both with 130,000 miles on the odometer.

I think I've pretty much settled on the ES350. Fuel economy is acceptable, the 2010+ models can use 87 octane, and any major repairs carry a Camry price tag (along with Camry reliability.) FWD is perfectly fine for the weather we get here (better than RWD in ice and snow, better than AWD for fuel economy purposes, though the RL is only rated about 1mpg lower than the ES.)


I do find it amusing that I've never owned a Toyota product in my life, and here I am looking to buy two in rapid succession. Calling on that Camry coupe in about an hour.

[sonikaccord]

The RL never really inspired me.

I see what you did there.

I've been wanting to swap a manual trans from the 4th gen TL into that RL and have a 5-Series killer. That car is probably my favorite Acura, not including the NSX.

Well speaking of Acura, how about an old Legend or even a Vigor if you can find one?

[deevergote]

I’d love an old legend or vigor, but they’re just that now... old. I don’t think I’d find a good one for a reasonable price, and one at a reasonable price would probably need work. I feel like they’re too uncommon for beater status, and too old for “nice car” status outside of an infrequently driven restoration project.

I checked out that Camry coupe today. Needed too much suspension work to be worth my while. Even at the $800 offered price. The seller was more than fair, but it was a bad choice for my needs, sadly.
Whatever I get has to soak up 300+ miles per week.