eilaina

I am considering buying a 2007 TSX that was a loaner with the Acura service dept. It has 6,000 miles on it and it is listed for about $3,000 below MSRP (no navi.) and I will try to knock couple thousand off when I go in. Before I do that, I was hoping for some input. It will be certified pre-owned, 5yrs/62K miles warranty, 7yrs/100,000 miles powertrain warranty.

I realize it has been driven by hundreds of people, and didn't get a proper break-in, but I will probably drive the car for 4-5 years, so I'm thinking the warranty will cover the possible issues that may arise from the car being an ex-loaner.

Any thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

mrgold35

I would make sure to add the extra warranty with the loaner vehicle just to cover your investment at 100,000 miles. I’ve heard if you don’t do a proper break-in the first 600 miles it can sometimes cause high oil consumption at +70,000 miles (more than a quart of oil between changes and sometimes smoke from the exhaust). I think this is very rare for most TSX owners, like 1% of 1%.

The only other problem with a loan vehicle is drivers putting in crappy gas because it is a loaner (86 or 87 octane from u-pump-it convenient stores).

LuvMyTSX

I have a CPO TSX (2004) that I bought with 16,600 miles on it back in May 2005. So far, I've not had any problems outside a couple known issues discussed on this forum, so all is well. It now has just under 43k on it and will be 4 years old this February.

I say go for it for the right price, especially since it's only got 6k on it. That isn't a big deal at all. It's just like buying any other used car - you never know how it was treated.

jwood_06TSX

IMO i would personally would never buy a demo/loaner car ever! Think about how most people drive those cars when they get them? Its not their property and they aren't responsible for anything that happens to them (well, not accidents but you know what i mean). I mean i get it and just use to go to the train station and such so i don't abuse it at all but if when i got the TL i played with a little bit.

If you get it with the extended warranty then that might be different if you get a good price for it.

my though, i wouldn't get it! Just wait a few more months if you can until the new TSX comes out and they will be GIVING them away!!!

hunterk1

I have this impression too and as a result would be wary buying a loaner.

On the other hand - and this is OT, I admit - how many of us really do flog the piss out of loaners when we get them? I got a TL and a TSX from Flatirons Acura (Boulder, CO) while my car was being painted, and to be honest, I was so appreciative that they would do something like this that I babied their cars. The TSX only had like 300 miles on it at the time so I was especially easy on it.

KtBruin

I bought my 2007 with navi for about $25800 (about $28000 OTD) last month and it was brand new. Since your car is a loaner with 6000 miles on it already, it should be cheaper than that. If you can get the car for about $24000, it should be a decent price.

CGTSX07

^^^that is a pretty incredible deal. Isn't that about 2k off invoice? How did you manage to do that?

LuvMyTSX

I fill my loaners with 93, wash the windows, and apply leather cleaner sometimes if they're dirty....I just can't stand being in a dirty car. And no, I don't drive the piss out of them, either. I treat them with respect, just like my own car. Most people don't do that....but I have car OCD.

Cars can take some abuse, they aren't made of porcelain. 6000 miles is nothing, IMO.

LuvMyTSX

He lives in SoCal for starters....they always get the best deals out there.

miner

I treat my loaners just like my own car - take care of it and it will take care of you.

KtBruin

i just asked for a price quote online and tried throwing the quotes back and forth to the dealer. but the quote i received was from a fleet dealer so maybe that was why I was able to get it that low. but i heard that dealers were getting at least a $1000 rebate from the factory for getting rid of the 2007s so that's why they're able to go low.

i brought my car in yesterday to get rid of the check TPMS light. i think my aftermarket alarm set off the light because there's nothing wrong with my tire pressure. they're still diagnosing whether it's the wiring from the alarm or i just need a new sensor. in the meanwhile, they loaned me a 2008 to drive ^_^ not much difference tho, just the navigation disc.

jwood_06TSX

^ that is a good price, pretty close to what they offered me for a 06 with navi baack in Feb. I got mine for $24,450 + TTL and they offered me one with navi for $25,890 +TTL but it was red and i don't like red cars. It cost me $25,950 or so OTD!

You just need to hit them at the right time when they are planning on getting rid of them. I got a offer on a TL-S leftover for $32,980 + TTL which was unreal, i almost moved on it!!

Sock

I bought a 2006 loaner with 13k miles on it and it has been fantastic.
No problems, no rattles, perfect condition, and a very good price.
I was wary too about buying a loaner, but I found a few recommendations from service techs that indicated they would have no problem buying a loaner and that the loaners always get proper maintenance. Reviewing the ridiculous detail on Acura's website about their CPO "review" is what sold me.
I also have to admit that I used to flog loaners I got from other manufacturers, but I drive the Acura loaners like my own.

KtBruin

I'm a she

LuvMyTSX

So am I

jlukja

How you doin'?

LuvMyTSX

Lol....always the gentleman, eh Jan?

wackura

When I got a loaner prior to getting my own TSX I tested the limits of the suspension, cornering, acceleration, breaking, everything that seemed remotely interesting or just fun. I would not buy a loaner car. That would be like marrying a veteran prostitute.

jlukja

That was in my best Joey Tribiani voice.

club_euro2

I would get a new one, i would buy a loaner, regardless of the warranty. I was going to get a loaner, but was advised by my service adviser to stay away from loaners.

1OneLove

For whatever it's worth, I had a TSX loaner a week ago. I put in 83 octane and burnt everyone at the red light...except of course of the folks that had bigger and faster engines. Also tried a burnout, but I figure I would probably get in trouble for that.

CGTSX07

^^excellent first post. reason enough not to buy a loaner

LuvMyTSX

Seriously....that's not cool. Just because it isn't technically yours, doesn't mean you should abuse it. The dealer is doing a nice thing by providing you with a loaner while your car is in the shop. You should respect it.

1OneLove

The technicians at the dealerships drive our cars the exact same way when they are "test driving" them...do you think they baby our cars?

LuvMyTSX

That doesn't make it right, though. Someone is going to end up buying the loaner, so treating it with some respect would be a good thing.

TS_eXpeed

GO FOR IT!!!!
My TSX IS or at least was a dealer 'customer pick up' car. Although I live in Southeast Texas, I flew up to Kansas City, MO to get my TSX. It was 6 months old, had 6,900 miles on it, and was offered to me at $22,900 before t/t. I was blown out of the water, I jumped on it right away. My car has performed flawlessly to be honest. The only thing that put a question in my head was a couple months ago, everything cut out while driving down a two-lane road. Engine, electronics, everything...but my radio was still playing (aux jack/ipod) through the speakers.




I know I just went off on a tangent there, but yes. I think it was WELL worth it...and the 700+ mile drive home was really fun too.

davidspalding

I would get a used car report on it, and even though it's CPO, pay 90% of average price for a pre-owned. I've read that CPO vehicles are usually 7%-9% above average pre-owned prices, since they've been certified (checked thoroughly, anything below tolerance replaced), but in this case this was treated worse than a fleet vehicle. Witness the post who treated a loaner like shit. Even if you get the "wrap" warranty (covers everything for 6 or 7 years, and up to 100,000 miles) do you want to find out later on that this car is having problems because it was treated rough?

Why? The 2007 TL loaner I got from my dealer was a mess inside. Just trashed. I was embarrassed for them.
That just isn't right. Whatever the reason for this anomaly,... it just isn't right.

wackura

So as long as the music keeps playing everything is A-OK I see. I'm the opposite way, I'd prefer the music stop but the rest of the car to keep working.

rx280

I had an ‘07 loaner for part of a day this summer while my ’04 was in the dealer’s shop having the headlights replaced (under warranty, for the condensation problem). I think there were about 5,000 miles on the loaner’s odometer. I was surprised by how much cosmetic abuse the car had taken, inside and out -- scuffs and scratches here there and just about everywhere. I go to extremes in pampering my own car, so it really pained me to see a TSX in this condition, especially such a new one. And who the hell knows what abuse the powertrain had suffered??
As you can guess, I’d never even consider buying a loaner.

KtBruin

I had an '08 as a loaner for monday and tuesday. I was the first one who loaned it since the dealer barely made the switch over from loaning '07s this week. I didn't abuse it since it's brand new (it only had 4 miles on it). My brother however had fun trying out the tectonic and accelerating the car since he couldn't do it on my car yet since it's still in the break in period. But we only put 40 miles on the car so I doubt we did anything bad to the car (I hope). But yeah, I think I returned the car in good condition =)

We filled it with 3 gallons of gas tho coz they loaned it to us at full tank. 3 gallons for 40 miles, I hope the TSX gets better gas mileage after the break in period >_<

LORStsxNCSU

coming from someone who has only driven acuras, and then sold acuras for a year (a few demo tsx's were in there), i would say you're getting a good car...mechanically that is. most customers take care of the loaners very well while they have them. as for the cosmetics, that just depends on the car.
but when you buy one you know where it has been serviced and all of its records, compared to just a random used car. it is CPO so you get the extra warranty as well, but you really shouldnt expect to have any issues.
having been on the inside, personally, i would buy a demo before a used tsx. also, with it only having 6k miles on it is a definite plus...and there is no "proper break-in" for acuras actually. before the engines are ever installed in the frames, they are run for up to 5k miles to test their durability and to break them in before they are driven. this is part of the reason for their high reliability ratings.
as for the price...most demos are priced to sell. it depends on how badly they want to get rid of it, but most dealerships wont haggle that much (at least not a couple grand) on a used vehicle. they've got a certain amount of money invested in that car and they wont lose money on a used one, unless of course they are desperate to get rid of it bc its been there too long. a new car is different. most will negotiate then! so i wouldnt go in there expecting to get thousands off.

jlukja

This is news to me. So, you're saying every single TSX engine has been run for the equivelant of 5,000 miles before its installed? I'm very skeptical about this.

CGTSX07

^^so all of our engines were run for 5k miles at the factory?? If that is true, why does Honda recommend everyone to "break-in" their engine for 600 miles?

Also, how can you tell that your customers take care of the loaners? Sure, I might not peel out of the dealership with it, but when I get home, how do you know i'm not redlining every gear on the way?

mrgold35

I'm willing to bet they pull a random sample of engines to test for problems. It would cost the company Millions of bucks to do this world wide for every engine they produce.

davidspalding

I might've been exaggerating in suggesting 90% price for a CPO loaner car. But I would still discount it a bit having been any kind of "fleet" vehicle. And my NC neighbor makes a good point, if the loaner was at THAT dealership, all the repair records and work are known and can be provided upon request(?).

CGTSX07

5000 miles seems a little drastic though, don't you think?

hunterk1

That is a totally excellent quote. I salute you sir.

Good Karma! Treat all things with respect and (hopefully) it will serve you well in your life.

Now I need to work on treating things other than cars respectfully... Like other drivers on the road, mostly...

hyunk24a2

i beat the shit out of every loaner/rental car i get lol.. so yeah i would personally never get one.

rmjames007

My 06 is a loaner and I have not had any problems with it either. I actually felt betteer about having a loaner because its a dealer cared for car so that means to me that the work on it is quality. In my case the dealer bought the car new as a fleet car and then after 10 the sold it to me. I did get the 100k extra warrenty just in case. I have been happy the the car thus far.

dom

The 2 for 1 special.