We used to drive BMW's until the repair bills became a problem, always right after the factory warranty expired. We now have kids and "needed" better reliability so I decided to stick to a more reliable brand, and we have been driving Hondas now for about 3 years. Needless to say, they have been super reliable. My wife currently drives a 2010 Accord EX (lease) and I drive a 2011 Civic Si (own), both sedans.

My wife's Accord lease is ending in a few months, so I am starting to look around at V-6 options to buy (instead of lease) and replace the Accord with - either another Accord (2010-2011 EX-L V6), or an Acura TL (2007 or newer).

My wife and I have the Accord now and have test driven the V6, so we know that one well. We also have tested the 3rd gen Acura (last year for that gen was 2008 if my research is accurate), but have not tried yet the newer (current) style TL. We can of course just try to buy an EX-L V6 Accord, but we liked the higher comfort and quieter interior of the Acura TL - the TL is just a significantly nicer car, so I am considering an older TL as an option instead of just getting another Accord.

I do my own basic maintenance in cars we owe, so changing fluids, filters, tranny fluid, brake/rotors, even suspension bushings is part of what I would call "normal" for a car one wants to keep. BUT, I don't have to deal with major ($$$) repairs such as having to replace motor/tranny/other expensive parts/components that would be significantly hard to replace by me in my house. Worst scenario (which happened with our last BMW) would be for my wife to be stranded with the kids with a non functioning car - I don't that happening again!.

So, here is the advice I am seeking:
1) In terms of long term reliability, is the Acura TL (3rd gen) a better choice than the newer 4th gen? Or given both the 3rd gen would be a better long term car to own?
2) What are common problems with the 3rd/4rd gen Acura TL? At what mileage points should I expect to see problems?
3) Are these cars problematic enough that it warrants getting the CPO warranty, or if buying from an individual a 3rd party extended warranty?
4) Given a similar price for a newer Accord vs. an older TL, am I "nuts" for even considering the older TL?
5) We have found a reasonably good deal on a high mileage (almost 70K) 2010 TL (the newer/current style), which appears to be a CPO warrantied car. But for that price I can find several older (3rd gen) TL's with even lower mileage. I know it is not an apples to apples comparison, but given a similar price, is the lower mileage TL a better choice?

Any other advice/comments would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Will

 

I am also done with the BMW repair bills. Any post would be great also interested in the 3rd generation Acura TL but wondering some of the same questions.

 

I ended up buying a CPO 65K mile, 2010 Acura TL (base package) 2-3 weeks ago, and we love it. This "used" car, with twice the miles than our 2010 Honda Accord EX feels new compared to the Accord. Much, much nicer, quieter, etc..

Will

 

I'm happy with your purchase..as long as your Happy.

 

Thanks. My car really likes her car. It has now been almost two months, and the car feels solid. Hopefully it will remain reliable for a long while

In fact I am very tempted to trade my '11 Civic Si for another used/CPO Acura!

 

I'm happy with your purchase..as long as your Happy.