I really wanted to replace my Acura RSX Type-S with an Acura TL, but I did not want to pay $34,000 for one. I figured a TSX would be a nice upgrade from the RSX Type-S at a reasonable price. The day after test driving a Lexus IS 250 I went to an Acura dealer on Cobb Parkway to drive a TL and a TSX.

Of course the dealership did not have a black on black 6MT non-navi TL. This did not stop the salesman from dragging me around the fucking freezing lot looking for one. Eventually, I agreed to test drive one with a beige interior, even though nothing screams AARP like beige leather. After finally going back inside, the salesman made me wait while he checked with his sales manager, in case someone was hiding a car matching my specifications up their ass.

The salesman returned and asked me what I thought of pre-owned. Being frozen and irritated, I was not feeling accommodating or cooperative, so I responded, “not much.” However, a black on black TL with a manual transmission had come in off a lease the day before, so I agreed to test drive it.

On the test drive, I noted the TL has possibly the slickest shifting manual gearbox on the planet, ass loads of power, more rattles than an eight year old Pontiac Sunfire, some torque steer, and decent handling. The suspension was a little soft, but some after market parts will fix that. Typical of Acura products, sight lines were excellent and I hade no trouble finding a comfortable driving position.

Once back inside, the salesman was extremely pushy and a general pain in the ass. He pissed me off to the point where I called the Lexus dealer while he was off “talking to his manager” and started walking out to drive down the street and buy the IS 250. After arguing over the price, the dealership finally agreed to what I offered. I got a decent deal, but not much better than what I could have done by just going to CarMax. However, CarMax had no third generation TLs with a manual transmission available in Atlanta.