Hello one and all..

I am considering the purchase of a specific used TSX, and I'm struggling with what would be a sensible purchase price. Valuations (and private sale figures I've seen) seem to be all over the map, and I'm having a difficult time assessing what would be fair, and also, what I can live with. So I'm looking for your feedback, as you guys know this car well and are at least somewhat familiar with what is going on in the real world in terms of trades, private sales, etc.

Details: This is a 2 1/2 year old TSX, with Navigation and MT. 65,000 miles (approx.- perhaps a few more K by now), majority highway. Maybe a few minor scratches/dings, so it's in "good" condition. Regular maintenance schedule kept, I think, and as far as I know, the owner has had very few problems, certainly no major ones, anyway. The only modifications are fog lights, and new high performance all-season tires (don't remember the brand/model), which I'm guesstimating have 10-20K miles on them. Greater Chicago area is the region.

So based on this info and either your knowledge of the TSX marketplace, or perhaps more importantly.. your opinion as to what YOU would be willing to pay if in the same situation, please respond to the poll above.

and a sincere thanks for your time!

 

These cars do hold their value, so depends on the mileage as well. www.kbb.com

 

Mine is worth $25k according to KBB but that doesn't include the OEM kit and SilverStar wheels that I got from the dealer when I purchased my car. I'm asking $25k for it anyway, and I've had it up for a couple weeks with a few offers so far, but not exactly offers I'd be willing to take. So just because you're car is worth a certain amount according to KBB, doesn't necessarily mean you will get that much. Your best bet is to KBB it and ask for that amount on Autotrader, then be patient. If you need to sell right away, come down on your price gradually, or use ebay.

 

65k miles? 2 1/2 years old? some dings and scratches? Even though the prices hold high, the TSX used prices are purely superficial right now. As much as we all want the car's value to be high, in reality, the used prices are just insanely high. For us TSX owners, thats a good thing, for those looking for a used tsx...not so much. Its hard to say how much that is worth, but if you figure you can get a new one for about 26k today, less depreciation of about 3 years (2500 per year?), less the mileage (2000+), and the fact that the paint shows some contact with other objects...I wouldn't pay anymore than 18,19 grand for it. and thats considering that the prices of the TSX are so high. For me, in Aug i was going for a 22500 used tsx with 30k miles and certified from the dealer, no scratches or dents that i had seen. So figure a car thats twice that minus the certification, it can't be worth too much.

 

I paid 23,500 for a 7000mi Cert. Pre-Owned 2004 TSX from Acura a year ago.

With the extended warranty I felt this was a great deal.

 

As others said, it depends on location and mileage. I bought a CPO 2004 TSX (16,000 miles on it) in May 2005 for $23,500 before taxes & fees. I think that's a pretty good deal considering I just blue-booked it and KBB says retail value is about $25,800 with the additional miles I've put on it since May. There are only a handful of CPO's around in NJ, so it seems these cars are going fast and not many to go around. But just because KBB says it's worth almost $26K, I don't think I'd pay that much for a USED car with all those miles on it when it only costs $1K more for a NEW one. Gotta use common sense in your decision!

 

We got our 05 for 24500 CPO w/ 100k warranty...I too thought it was a good deal with the warranty and the financing deals on the CPO cars.

 

I'm selling my '05 in SSM on ebony, 6MT, non-NAVI, OEM lip kit, 8500 miles. $24K and it's yours.

FYI, the average wholesale price on this exact model (w/10300 miles) is $23,700 without the OEM lip kit.

 

Ooh, you have exactly what I'm selling except an '05 and a few more miles, and mine has the Silver Star wheels.
I'm asking $25k and KBB is $25k.
Good luck.

 

well, before I bought my brand new '05 TSX , I had shopped for a used one.

I found on autotrader a 2004 TSX silver/black completely stock, it was auto-no-navi and it had 17K miles on it. It was only 1 year old. KBB was worth a whopping $24K. The owner(s) wanted $22,500. I said ok, let me go check it, i was in fact going to offer $20,000 but thank god they refused...and i'll tell you why in a second.

so I go check out the car, and i mean, they didn't really take care of the car. the wife was driving it, the baby seat screwed up the back seat leather, and it was pretty dirty. Paint chipping on rear bumper and couple dents here and there.

so I offered $20grand, because not only do I have to pay 20grand, I have to pay TAX to DMV! So that comes out to 22grand something plus a little APR to the bank cuz I was gonna borrow 10 grand. So about $23grand was wut I was looking for total OTD to spend. (keep in mind I did not know yet the dealers were selling them so low below msrp..)

But the owners persistantly wanted $22,500. Then that day at night, my parents took me to Acura in Cerritos, and bought me a BRAND NEW 2005! TSX, Auto, no navi, for a nice $25,500 ! So I paid $3grand more of their (the couple's) asking price, and I got a 0 miles, brand new, an '05, TSX.

so i'm glad i got a brand new one.

truthfully, like someone said, its NOT WORTH it to buy a used TSX right now, because you aren't getting a deal at ALL. Acura holds "too much" value in the first years of the car. I was surprised to see my TSX was WORTH more than I negociated for on KBB.

 

a used tsx would be worthwhile in like 4-5 years. hondas and acuras in general hold up so much of their value (mostly becaues they are super reliable) that its just not worth it.

if you had gotten the 2004 too, you'd have not gotten xm radio, or the power passenger seat.

maybe that couple paid msrp for it, and though they were getting too low, but i think they'll have a hard time selling it for that much. 20k probably would have been ok.

 

Thanks for the feedback everyone, whether it be in written or poll-voting form.

It's funny, the vote tally here somewhat mirrors the other resources I've looked at for guidance, i.e., it's all over the map once again! (a little more than a 1/3 of the votes for up to 18.5K, about 1/3 for between 18.5K & 20K, then a little less than a third for 20K to 22K+)

For one example, when I researched and compared KBB, NADA & Edmunds TMV pricing about a month ago, the KBB was easily the lowest of the three, and with typical value differences of $2000-$3000!

The seller, who has been in communication with his dealer as he is considering another Acura to replace his current TSX, has been shown the dealer "black book", and their trade-in figures were as high or higher than I had been contemplating to offer for the car.

Now, my ideal scenario would have been a 40K-ish mile TSX, with a solid 2-3 years of use, figuring that would be a great time to buy. I would still about 10K worth of original warranty, the mileage would not be very high and the heaviest of the depreciaton would have been absorbed for me. But.. as this private seller is local, and by all indications seems to be a good "bloke", and has the car w/navigation and MT in a color I can live with, if not necessarily my favorite TSX color.. I've still kept it in serious consideration, providing I can live with the price reflective of the higher mileage, lack of warranty, etc.

It would be one thing if I knew that I would hold onto the car for several years, but I have a feeling that I might be keeping the car for a shorter time frame (1-3 years). If so, I wouldn't want to be paying a premium value now by misreading the market and end up taking a larger (than "typical" depreciation) hit down the line when I sell.

what to do?! what to do!

 

You simply aren't going to find many used TSX's, annual sales only total 30,000units. So at most we don't even have 100,000 units on the road yet? Pickings will be small keeping resale high, unless you snag a deal on a dealer demo unit prices will only be $3-5000 off MSRP.

IMO some of the best used Acura deals right now are the CL's. You can find some smoking deals on sub 50k mi type-S models. I've seen CL's with lower mileage then Accord V6's selling for at or lower prices. Find one Cert. Used and you have a very nice deal for a car you only plan to keep 1-3yrs.

Another smoking deal is the last gen RL, I've seen 2yr old model selling for mid 20's. Hey it's by no means a TSX, but it's no dawg either. SAT nav-XM, loaded goodies. Find the right model and it would be another great 3yr car.