First off thanks for everyone putting up with my endless threads and posts lately about my TL/RL search. Here is my scenario:

2005 RL Silver/Blk leather
68,000 miles
Very clean exterior
Clean exterior
One owner
Assembled 11/2004

The interior seemed to be a non-issue. The exterior had a few minor scrapes/scuff obviously parking or rocks on the highway. The rear bumper had a little more noticeable scuffs and a small spot about the size of half a penny where the paint was cracked and lifting up a little (I know I nit pick but..)

He had all of his maintenance history, including history of taking the car in for known bugs that I have learned about here. One invoice says they replaced his Nav.

There was some sort of front end collision, repair invoice said bumper cover, shock absorber, left headlight assembly, and lower grill. On the lower bumper grill there was some paint peeling, but supposedly all original Acura parts were used.

We negotiated and the agreed upon price was 15,500. I was writing a check for a small deposit, and the sale was contingent upon my car fax report and a run through of the vehicle by an Acura dealer (at my expense). Then I backed out and said I had to think about it. Am I crazy??????

Should I be happy that the car has been cared for especially in regards to the malfunctions and recalls or should I be cautious that maybe this car is predisposed to have continued issues? And should the front end collision concern me? Should I just PULL THE TRIGGER or am I right to be skeptical?

 

Walk away from a collision damage that required that kind of repair. There is a possibility of some other internal damage which required replacement or tweaking of ACE components. I am thinking that any kind of body shop repair cannot be as good as factory welds.

I am sure there are cars out there with no collision damage. That is my 2 cents

 

Judging by what I read in the report it didn't appear to be that serious. I used the searcgo tah function here and it appears that the peeling around the lower grille area is common. Hopefully we don't get blanketed by snow here tomm and I can go take a second look to be sure i'm not making a mistake by passing it up.

 

Does the current owner have the service documents for the collision? If the collisoin was not bad, you can still go for the deal.

 

Yeah he had the records for the collision and its repair. The guy was a doctor. He lived in ct but worked in ny hence the higher mileage. Bob what do you think about the service history and does the fact that its probably one of the first batch of 05s (assembled 11/04) make it more likely to be mechanically/electrically problematic?

 

I ran the car fax report on it. I guess the services were not reported to car fax, but like I said he had like every invoice from services both scheduled and recall/malfunction related. The accident on car fax just says that there was one reported, no details, but again, he provided me with the invoice that showed what parts were replaced.

I think I am gonna give the guy a small deposit just to have it checked by the Acura dealer. Worst case scenario they say its not all it appears to be and I'm out $100 bucks for the dealer costs.

Best case they give it a clean bill of health and I think I get a pretty good deal. The $100 bucks is worth my peace of mind either way I guess. The guy seems extraordinarily forthcoming with all the info on the dealer so I feel comfortable giving him the benefit of the doubt.

 

I'd negotiate a few more hundred for the car. Unless it simply appeals to you that much. My offer would be 14,500 for the car if it is just as you say that it is. JM2C! Either-way, good luck. You can't go wrong if Acura says that it's in great shape with no concerns. You're getting a dependable car that will last you forever as long as you care for it. Again, good luck. Great choice!!

 

UPDATE: So I had the car checked out at an Acura Dealer. It needs an oil change and a tranny fluid change flush. Other than that maintenance wise it was on schedule. Needs coolant flush at 90k. Brakes were good. Needs windshield wiper blades. One wheel lock is broken needs to be replaced. Other than that it got a clean bill of health. The oil and tranny flush will run about $300 and the wheel lock is $85 (If I were to get a flat I wouldn't be able to get it off). I am going to try to negotiate $500 more off just for the general maintenance it will need right off the bat to get to $15k even but to be truthful, I wont kill the deal over $500 bucks either way. This looks like a go! Any advice on further negotiations or words of caution?

 

i would consider puchasing an ext. acura care warranty asap.

 

Looks like a well maintained car. Get the little nits fixed and you're golden. The drive from CT to NY is mostly highway (kind of...depending on his route and traffic) which is better than local which in my mind is another plus. If you can get an AcuraCare warranty, it may be worth if for a little more peace of mind.

LL

 

^^^^^

Do it.

 

Pull the trigger.

 

One more thing...at 68,000 miles, a well maintained Acura is just getting broken in!

LL

 

TRIGGER PULLED! I'll be picking her up next week!

 

Congrats! Good move on getting her checked out by a dealer first.