Faults:

Car had minor overheating problems around 155k, it just need the system bled and to add fluid.

Also around 171k it started to over heat again, and I replaced the thermostat and it had a air bubble in the system, and that was resolved after one hour of messing with it. That is the only real true problem I had with this vehicle.

General Comments:

Overall this a really good performance mid luxury sedan. Acura may not be considered to be up there with Lexus or Infiniti by some American's standards, but I think there are there.

Interior is in good shape. Leather shows normal wear and tear; just stress cracks, that is it. The rear seat is flawless, probably because no one sits back there.

Audio wise the speakers are alright, but blew over time, probably because I pushed them too hard. I ended up replacing them and putting in Pioneers and a Pioneer AVH-P6000 touch screen, which works beautifully. (back to the car)

Performance and motor wise it is good, has the power when you need it, and if you let go of the gas it decreases really nice. (Good for the cops, no brake lights or use or E-brake)

Accessories and Electronics: the cruise control works great. Power everything and heated seat, good. May have problems with it popping fuses, mine has this past month, do not know why yet.

Overall: 9, Would for sure buy this car again and my next car more than likely be a newer 04-07 TL.

Hope this review helped!

Jimmy.

Also, for those of you who may not know, 1998 is the last year that Acura produced the TL in Sayama, Japan. Japanese version rocks, then after that they moved production over to the States. Also called the Honda Inspire over in Japan. Model is UA3. After that it was redesigned for production in the United States.

Faults:

We have owned many a car in our 62 years. The Acura Tl is by light years the worst experience we have ever had in a car.

We have had countless repair costs trying to keep the EGR sensor warning from reappearing. New valves... valve and portal cleanouts, and on.

Boots over the grease fittings around the front axles, failing repeatedly.

Trunk door operator switch under the armrest; doesn't work; hasn't worked for thousands of miles.

Traction Control System warning light. No one in Acura, nothing in the owner's manual, no one at our Acura dealer can explain what it means and countless attempts by our service center have not caused it to go away.

The sound level inside the car is worse than in my old pickup. One cannot possibly enjoy the Bose radio and CD palyer because the road noise and inside-the-car-noise is louder than the radio (or else you have to set the radio volume to an extreme).

But... But... The disaster of this car is the transmission. It blew out earlier this year. Cost us nearly $3,000. We drove it 18,000 miles. Acura called it in for a national recall campaign (transmission recall). They put this phony gizmo on it (they called it a "Oil Jet Kit"). Two weeks later the transmission blew out again. Another $4,000. We were stranded 500 miles from home and Acura would not take any responsibility or sympathy.

I could go on and on about this transmission recall fraud. One thing for sure: We will never, never (nor will any member of our family, ever) buy another Honda\Acura product.

There has got to be a sustained effort to bring about a class-action suit against Honda (Acura) America for this massive transmission disaster and their fraudulent plan and procedure for getting away with phony remedies.

Faults:

The check engine light went on twice. The second time the light went out by itself. The first time the dealer diagnosed the problem as related to the transmission position shift sensor (which did not need to be replaced). Overall, the dealership has kept the vehicle in excellent working condition through routine maintenance.

General Comments:

I have driven this car to 130 mph and it drives like a dream even at high speeds.

The sound system and interior finish are noteworthy.

I enjoy driving this car on a day to day basis.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car.

The transmission shifts funny and may make one think there is something wrong, however a little research will reveal that is the way they are and are one of the most rock solid transmissions Acura ever produced.

General Comments:

After my previous vehicle left me stranded 3 times within 1 year, it is great to finally have a dependable car. The build quality and refinement of the 96-98 Acura TL is awesome to say the least. When you get in this car, you can "feel" that it is pure quality. At 200 hp they are not the fastest car around, but they ride like a Cadillac and come standard with every option you can think of.

The service at the Acura dealership has been the best I've ever recieved.

I will buy Acuras from now on.