My son wants a TL

[Mark Reid]

He is only 14, but loves the lines of the TL and says tht should be his first car. Seems reasonable to me, but I am not that familiar with the TL other than it gets high marks for reliability. Anything else I should excited or concerned about?

[Jack FFR1846]

Concerned, no. Lucky, yes. My 11 year old keeps upping his game for his "college car". He used to want a Camaro, then a Viper then a McLaren F1 and is now onto Bugatti. I expect his "real" college car is going to be a Schwinn. :D


I have been looking at a number of cars as replacements for my daily driver. A bunch of sales people in my office have TL's and I've heard absolutely no complaints. Lots of room inside, very well done inside and outside. It's a pretty big car.....bigger than an accord. I know the lines are different, but the size/price/power of a TSX might be worth exploring when the time comes. I'm a "manual only" guy and the TL type S is the only way to get one in that model. Probably in the $40k new area. The TSX is available with a nice 6 speed and decent engine for mid to high $20k's new.


jack

[4re308]

My son's first car will be a Volvo brick sedan, that he could drive through a building and not get hurt. A TL is a great car, maybe too powerful for a new driver. My kids will get the heaviest, slowest, strongest cars available, like a Volvo 240 or a Mercedes SEL or BMW 525i.

[DanRea]

Mark,

Try a CIVIC. :D

I have a TL and find it to be a great driver. Have had a copuple of small problems.

1. Bluetooth went out and needed replacement.
2. Cruise control switch quit working.
3. My 30 year old son has a CIVIC and loves borrowing the TL.

(He also has access to my MK III FFR):rolleyes:

Take Care

Dan

[FourPointSix99]

I'm 17 years old and when I turned 16, I bought myself a 1999 Mustang GT. Most fun I've ever had in a car, except my dad's roadster. :D

I know, I'm not much help here, but if your son seems to show responsibility, I see no harm in a TL. They're pretty safe and reliable, but they're not as powerful as other cars teenagers drive.

I say make him earn some money, and pay partially for it. I believe that kids whose parents buy the car entirely for them tend to treat it with less respect than if they themselves earned some money to pay for some of it. Thats what I did with my Mustang, and I may be taking too much care of it. :)

Good Luck!

[Sergio]

Get him started with an Integra.
a TL might be too much for him to begin with.
;)

[Rob J]

Wow Mark, that's certainly a nice car for a teenager's first car. I would also say that I think it's too much car for a first car. When my son (He's only 2.5 now) is ready for a car, I will buy him something slow, safe, and cheap.

My 2 cents.

[landscaper]

I've owned both a TSX 2004 6speed and currently drive a TL 2006 automatic.
Enjoyed both for different reasons. The TL is elegance all the way. Great for long drive or stuck in traffic, excellent seats and the blue tooth is fabulous if you must be on the phone while driving. Engine has loads of power. The onboard computer is great as are the TPM sensors It took lots of getting use to when I went from the TSX to the TL. It does not look it but it is a much bigger car. It was evident the 1st time a turned around to look at my blind spot and had to keep turning further and further until I could see the end. By comparison the TSX felt tigher easier to glance at the blind spot and the power of the 6 speed was instant. I also found its size easier to get aggressive with when you wanted to have some fun driving.
I still have 3 years till my next refresh but if I had to choose today it would be a tough call. If you’re going for fun TSX, if you’re going for more Wow factor TL. My commute is usually 1 hours at crawl speeds in traffic which takes the fun out of standard., That’s where the Factory Five comes in on the weekends.
Jimmy

[AddLightness]

You know, if you start at an Acura TL as your first car you will expect it to get better and better from there. Do you then want to buy an NSX for him when he wants to move on?

If you start with a..... lets say a civic, he maybe a little disappointed but he sure will appreciate the nicer car when he gets older.

My first car was Volvo "brick sedan" and thank God it was because I did some damage to it, but it could have been damage to me.

[rsxrunit]

give him a scooter so he can wise up and start makin money on his own

[platenuts]

My first car was 79 Toyota Corolla (POS), and I loved it! Kids can hint at what they want, but you have to pay the tab.