Owners' Reviews

We bought our 2003 TL in early 2002 and it has operated trouble free (with the exception of rotors) for 150,000 miles. The transmission had the recommended recall work performed. What experience have others had with high mileage TLs? Is transmission replacement expected at 200,000 miles? Thank you.

Horrible car. Replaced the replaced the transmition at 50,000 and the drive chain at 72. This does not include steering issues , cv joints and standard checkups. Will sell and get a work horse-subaru, toyota or ford.

replaced transmission 2 times

Bought this car in March of 2009 with 115,000 miles on it. I have to say the car is great, the stereo is awesome (anyone that tells you the stereo doesn't "bump" enough is looking to rattle the screws loose, not actually listen to music. There is no AUX jack, but I'll live with the 6-disc changer and this is an '03. Leather interior is perfect, it's stretched and shows it's age but some leather conditioner really makes a difference. I've seen people complain that the car makes noise, but really the only noise is from the leather squeaking against itself as far as I can tell, and again if you listen to the stereo you probably won't even notice. I've also seen many people complain about the transmission being badly designed, and I believe it was recalled twice, but to tell you the truth if you buy this car chances are it has enough miles on it for you to notice any shift-delays or discrepancies on the test drive. Mine has plennnnty of miles on it and it shifts like a brand new car, whether I'm gunning it or just cruising. There is plenty of torque-steer if you let it know you're in a hurry so make sure you got both hands on the wheel when you punch it. My right front shock is leaking and needs to be replaced but it doesn't seem to be endemic of the car model. Automatic climate control works great and definitely warms up the car faster that I'd expect, and the seat warmers are a nice touch, although by the time the leather heats up in the winter you'll probably already be warm from the A/C. Auto-dimming mirror is a must-have in my opinion and this one works great, hell even the side-view mirror tilts down when in reverse to see the curb. The mirrors even have automatic heaters to get the snow off during winter. Plenty of space int he back seat, power front seats with 2 memory presets on the driver side. All in all I'd say it's a great car, well worth the money ($7200 after taxes for me) and still looks mighty nice for a 2003, put a Type-S OEM lip kit on this sucker and whatever other mods you like (nicer rims, headlights) and I still get nods when driving down the road. Can't recommend the car enough, just do your research. Oh, 2 down sides, car takes premium gas and if you punch the gas you will be filling up your tank probably twice a week. I do about 17miles to work and 17 more back and if I keep it at 70mph or below I'll fill up once every 5-6 days. Some people think that's great mileage but I come from driving a civic :) Cheers.