Hey how you doing guys?

I'm about to buy a 2003 acura tl for 9200
with 70k mileage in NY.
The car looks good on the outside
the seller and I just took the car to an autoshop.
they said I needed to change two engine mounts and a brake pad and maybe a tire or two too

any thoughts on this? if its a good deal or not?

thanks and happy thanksgiving!

 

The price is about right, but I'd be looking to have some or all of the engine mounts paid for. Before buying. Tires/pads are questionable.

 

as long as the car has never been hit its a good deal. You should pay close attention to things like paint bubbles and color variation on the body, also if you pop the hood look around to see if you stop any welds the look out of place, also most original body panels should have vin stickers on them make sure they match up. Even if the accident was minor it can still give you problems later down the road especially in terms of rattles and electrical issues.

The mounts are a common issue, you should be looking to spend like $150 for front and rear, $100 or less for the side, and $50 both tranny mounts, you should probably change all of them at once to save cost on labor. Front and side mounts only take about an hour, rear can take up to 2 hours depending on how they try to get to it, the two tranny mounts go in and out in like 1/2 an hour.

 

I paid 9400 for mine at about 86K very nice inside and out wth literally no defects, if you're patient, something better may come along.....

 

My Opinion: I wouldn't buy it if i have to change the engine mounts out of my pocket & im payin the seller $9200 for the car.

 

did u check and get a feel of the tranny?...that would be the biggest issue here...also look thru the Tranny thread and give the Acura number a call to see what all has been done to it as far as oil jet kit or has it had a tranny replaced....get the VIN number from him/her and check it out first.

 

yep, definitely do your homework, it will save you time and money in the future. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is....

 

^ I second that!

 

first of all, thanks to all of you who replied!

I asked the seller about the transmission recall.

"Be aware that Acura offered an 7 year 9 month/109,000 mile extended warranty on the transmission for every 1999-2002 TL 2003 TL and only some of the 2003 TLs. Whether or not a particular 2003 TL is covered depends on the car's VIN number."

and he told me the following:

"I just called the dealer and give them my vin number, they
told me my car was already completed for the transmission recall. the warranty may or may not apply depends on their inspection of the car."

I personally have no idea how to get a "feel" for the tranny, does that mean i have to manually shift up and down and see how the car feels?

thanks

 

Get something in writing from Acura that states your tranny is under the extended warranty. If not, I'd walk.

 

Yea, I agree, all that info should be easily attainable, the little extra effort will definitely save you a lot of grief......