Shouldn't she keep her 2010 TL if she loves it?!?

What about upgrading to a later model 4G TL like a 2013 or 2014. She could upgrade to the Adv model and have probably 1/2 the mileage. If you are willing to travel, you can probably get a pretty good deal on TL. She can sell her current TL locally or with Carmax to help with the down payment.

Another option is check out the +14 RLX. The 14 RLX and 14 TL are around the same price range depending on trim level and mileage. The RLX is harder to find because of limited production. It might be worth the test drive. I ended up going with a 18 RLX Sport Hybrid after test driving a 18 TLX ASpec back in 2019. The RLX as been flawless the last 4 years and always fun to drive.

Seems like the TLs, 10-13 MDXs, ZDXs, and RLs with the 3.7L engines have a bad oil consumption issue. It could be as bad as 1qt per 1000 miles. I would stick with Acura's with the 3.5L port or DI engines.

I'm thinking:
t/b: timing belt
w/p: water pump

It was around $1520 at my Acura dealership in 2018 to do the timing belt service on my 11 MDX (timing belt kit, serpentine belt kit, water pump, coolant, spark plugs, valve adjustment, oil change, and new gaskets for cylinder covers). I imagine prices have really gone up since then to over $2000 depending on the dealership. Honda or a local shop are usually cheaper for doing the exact same service.

I had an 06 TSX, 08 RDX, along with my 11 MDX. Those models seemed to have common maintenance schedules and similar issues like:

• alternator replacements: $800 Acura, +/- $300 Local shop
• P/S rack and/or P/S pump: +$2000 Acura, +/- $500 Local shop+Ebay motors or Amazon for new/used/refurbished parts
• A/C compressor: $1500 Acura, $700 Local shop
• struts/shock replacement: $1200 Acura, $600 Local shop and lifetime alignment with Firestone

Acura dealerships can be very expensive out of warranty if the 2010 TL is having any of those issues. Shopping around for local mechanic along with purchasing the parts yourself will save you a lot of money. The good thing about the issues I've had was they were "one and done". I fixed them and drove the vehicles another 50,000-100,000 additional miles before selling of handing down to a family member.

The kit for the water pump/pulleys and timing belt is under $200 and a few hours of work. Since the water pump sits behind the timing belt and is driven off of it, they are both in the kit. But it's not a repair for the inexperienced. I have done several on many different vehicles, so for me, it was not problem on my '07 TL. But if you don't know what you are doing, the Acura TL 3.2L and 3.5L are interference engines and the damage can be real bad if the timing belt fails or the work is done wrong. Bent valves at a minimum, damaged piston is the worst-case scenario. Either way, a poor repair will require a valve job and if the mileage is high, then it's really not worth doing a valve job only to make the engine "top-heavy" without doing a complete rebuild. These are pretty amazing vehicles, and well maintained, they will give a long and fun service life. The timing belt should be replaced at a minimum of every 100K miles. Sooner if the car has less miles like mine at 95K since it's a 2007 and it is 16 years old. The belt see's extreme heat, oils which can soften and degrade the rubber of the belt and of course torque. The repair is cheap insurance, just like frequent and regular oil and filter changes.
Take care of your TL and it will take care of you...