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Older Acura TLs

9045 messages,  Last post on Jan 07, 2012 at 6:27 PM

You are in the Acura TL Forum.

What is this discussion about? Acura TL, Sedan

Messages Page 898 of 905

#8965 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [autoboy16] by habitat1

May 25, 2007 (5:08 pm)

Replying to: autoboy16 (May 24, 2007 9:31 pm)
"A 5AT because I can't drive MTs yet. If I did it be entirely different! Everyone knows about honda/acura's 6AT being about the best in the class!"
 
Say what? I know you are young, but you haven't grown a right arm or left leg yet??
 
There isn't much to learning, and there is no better time to do so than BEFORE you buy a car with an automatic when you might really rather have the manual. I learned on my first new car, a 1978 Datsun B210GX. Friends said they could smell me coming a mile away, suggesting my clutch was in for a short life. The car died at 99,200 miles, but it still had the original clutch.
 
For those that prefer to drive an automatic, fine. But the manual transmission in the TL is indeed one of the best in its class and it will greatly reward you for learning how to drive a stick. I never would have bought a TL in 2004 were it not for the 6-speed gearbox that felt nearly as crisp as the one in my former Honda S2000. As good as BMW is in driving dynamics, I rated the manual in the 2004 TL ahead of the 6-speed in the 330i ZHP.

#8966 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [habitat1] by bodble2

May 25, 2007 (5:26 pm)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 25, 2007 4:45 pm)
Well, to each his own I suppose, but IMO the "pleasure" of driving a stick is over-rated. I concede the situation was different back in the days when auto boxes were mostly 3sp/4sp jobs, with jerky lock-up torque converters, compared to now when 6-sp manumatic and/or other user-selectible settings are fast becoming the norm. Honda, for one, has come a long way with their automatic transmission over the past 10 - 12 years. As I said earlier, the ideal situation would be to have a "weekend" sports car for the times when you're really in the mood to shift your own gears.

#8967 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [bodble2] by scottm123

May 25, 2007 (6:28 pm)

Replying to: bodble2 (May 25, 2007 5:26 pm)
I so agree with you on this one.
Nothing compares to driving my sports car with a stick... but as my commute grew, I just wanted someone to shift for me once in awhile.
 
I'm loving the auto transmission in my G, since it does a little of both. (without traffic clutch cramp)
 
Once I convince the wife that I need yet another car just for weekends, I'll get my MT just for those weekend drives.

#8968 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [habitat1] by laurasdada

May 25, 2007 (8:49 pm)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 25, 2007 5:08 pm)
Hi, Hab1: I learned to drive in a '71 Saab 99. Four speed, if I remember. Fun, quirky car.
 
Your B210, was it a "Honey Bee!" My friend and I, as the original 240Z bloated into the not so spectacular 280ZX, derisively called it the B280ZX. No offense to your B210, of course.
 
I drove sticks (Saab 99, Renault Le Car!, VW Scirocco, Mitsu Mirage Turbo, Acura Integra, Nissan Sentra SE-R, Saab 900) for about 26 years (with 7 years of company cars, all autos mixed in). Now two autos in the garage. To be honest, I really don't miss rowin' my own. Not to say I won't go back to the future...

#8969 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [laurasdada] by bodble2

May 25, 2007 (9:11 pm)

Replying to: laurasdada (May 25, 2007 8:49 pm)
My first "stick" was my parents' '68 Ford Falcon with 3 on a tree. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say I "learned" to drive stick on that one. No, I really didn't honed my stickhandling skills until my own '75 Honda Civic with 4 on the floor. That spunky little hatchback served me right thru university. Never stranded me despite a quirky manual choke and a couple of broken synchros!

#8970 of 9045 Re: Deep green pearl [habitat1] by liferules

May 26, 2007 (10:04 am)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 25, 2007 5:08 pm)
Habitat,
 
I was SOOO much better than you... I had a 310 GX (same year)! We 310'ers look down upon you mere 210 people!
 
Yep, I remember scraping gears as I learned on the spot how to drive manual, coming home on the highway after having bought this car. I went through 2 clutches, but had fun. By the end of the car's life, it had merely a starter button as the ignition failed, the radio only worked if you turned the knob half-way, and the windows wouldn't shut unless you pushed them as you rolled them up. Those were the days...
 
All my cars since were manual until this last one. I was just fed up with bumper to bumper traffic and having to pump the clutch every few feet. It just got old.
 
I agree with some of the others that it would be fun to have a weekender sport car with manual to drive around, but for day to day driving, give me auto every day. I have absolutely no regrets in this regard.

#8971 of 9045 Manual vs. Automatic by habitat1

May 29, 2007 (8:30 am)

Seems a lot of you prefer the fun and feel of driving a stick, but have switched to automatics as your daily commute or traffic turned into a grind.
 
I don't expect to convince anybody that's made that choice to change it. But now that I've hit that magic age of half century and have survived nearly 25 years with DC traffic (not to mention ACL surgery), I don't expect to switch to an automatic unless forced to. If our MDX gets stolen, a 6-speed Cayenne will definitely be on our test drive list, even if it does only hold 5 passengers.
 
Speaking of being "stolen", our TL almost was last week. Parked it in front of our house, fully locked. Woke up at 2:30 a.m. to the sound of a radio blasting. Ran down and came out to find all of the windows rolled down in the TL, the radio playing full blast and a key in the ignition. Turned out that someone, at some point, had stolen our "valet" key and apparantly tried to make off with the car. But, they were apparently foiled by not realizing you have to have the clutch pushed in, even in neutral, when turning the ignition key for the car to engine to start.
 
We still haven't figured out why the windows were rolled down and the radio was set at full blast. Amazing how many of our neighbors commented that they can't get "Juke Box Hero" out of their head.

#8972 of 9045 Re: Manual vs. Automatic [habitat1] by british_rover

May 29, 2007 (8:32 am)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 29, 2007 8:30 am)
See having a manual transmission car is even a theft Deterrent

#8973 of 9045 Re: Manual vs. Automatic [habitat1] by bodble2

May 29, 2007 (7:06 pm)

Replying to: habitat1 (May 29, 2007 8:30 am)
"We still haven't figured out why the windows were rolled down and the radio was set at full blast.'
 
If it was a car thief, he would have to be a bit of a moron to try to attract attention while trying to steal a car.
 
Where do you keep your valet key? Inside the car? How did he managed to get in, if your car was locked?
 
(Do you have a teenaged son who needed a ride for prom? )

#8974 of 9045 Re: Manual vs. Automatic [bodble2] by habitat1

May 30, 2007 (2:02 am)

Replying to: bodble2 (May 29, 2007 7:06 pm)
Not sure from where and when the valet key was taken. Never use it myself and can't remember last time I even saw it. It's possible that I left it in the glove compartment with the owners manual and it had been taken weeks or months ago without my knowledge.
 
As far as the windows being rolled down and radio on full blast, on a well lit street, no less, that's still a mystery. Prank? Perhaps, but we don't have many high school boys living on our immediate neighborhood, let alone my house. Plus, if the cops caught him, they would have charged him with attempted car theft, a felony being prosecuted in adult court. Not much humor in that.
 
In any event, I've made sure all of the keys to our 911 are accounted for. My 9 year old daughter proclaimed the thief was pretty dumb for trying to take the TL instead of the Porsche.

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