Hello everyone - I'm new to the forum. I'm in the following situation and I'm looking for advice:

- My wife and I have 2 cars and both leases are up in the next 2 months. I don't want to lease anymore, so we're getting an old car (98 Sentra) that will get us around the neighborhood and another used car that will be more reliable (possibly an Acura).

- I'm currently looking at a 2000 Acura TL with 120k miles for $4200 being sold by a private seller. I haven't checked the car out yet, but I have had conversations with the owner and I have good reason to believe the car was well taken care of.

I have never owned an Acura, but I'm pretty loyal to Honda and my sister is a loyal Acura owner. My gut tells me that the car will be reliable and that I'll be able to get a few years out of it.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it's a good deal? Assuming my mechanic says it's in good shape, do you think I'll be able to get it close to 200k miles?

Thanks! Any thoughts are appreciated.

Joe

 

the car will go 200- even 300kmiles+ as proven by members here- so thats no sweat

The problems you face are the 105 service probably wasnt done- 1200-1500 dollars and all the fluids too- add more $$$
May not have been flushing the brake fluid- that can ruin ABS parts,
and the potential/likely failure of the transmission- 4 grand! thats 4000 dollars!!!! or more for its replacement
An early car like that on an original trans,,,you want the acura rebuild with new case -
and thats a dealer item

In short thats realllly cheap for these cars and expect to put a lot into it
Hondas are far cheaper to maintain and more reliable transmisson in their cars than the upscale acura branding

Have a scan thru the main thread title list- and the problems and fixes sections here for more info

 

much as I love my 01 I would not buy one again without getting a 200kmiles warranty on trans--they are available aftermarket

 

Thanks for the reply. I asked the owner about the transmission due to the issues I've heard about. She says she's had the car for 6 years and has not had any problems (any way I can verify that?). She also had a routine transmisison flush done at the end of 2007. Does that change anything? Also, should I doubt that she hasn't had problems? Thanks again.

 

When you test drive it, take note of the 2nd and 3rd gear shifts. Trans problems usually begin with those gears slipping. You'll notice a lag or hesitation in the shift if the trans is giving way.

Also, I would grab the VIN # and call Acura. Ask them if the trans has ever been replaced. If it was replaced before she took ownership, the warranty is long gone (3yr/36k I think it was)

I agree with 01tl. Personally, I wouldn't buy a 2nd gen TL without a long trans warranty.

 

thanks for the advice....do you have a ballpark guess on what a warranty for the transmission would run me?

 

Sorry, I don't know warranty costs. I think 01tl should know. I've read some of his post where he mentions costs.

 

names of good company that dosent try to hassle you??

 

get a rabbit...drop top if you got the cash...those things are boss.

 

don't buy a tl on original trans unless you have $4000 set aside for transmission replacement

 

Definitly beware of the 2nd gear and 3rd gear shift wait the 2000 they were 5 Speeds right? How old are the people owning car ask about previous owners too. Ifthey older they prolly didn't race too much

 

The 2nd gen TLs have serious transmission reliability problems. They actually get 'Black dots" in the Consumer Reports owners-based reliability surveys. That is very unusual for any Honda/Acura vehicle. Spend some time reading the Tranny Failure Thread before buying:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-problems-fixes-117/tranny-failure-thread-566833/

Some TL owners have gone through three transmissions before reaching 100,000 miles. The transmission would be my number one concern with buying a 2000 TL.

Acura did offer an extended 109,000 mile/ 7 year 9 month warranty on the transmission but the TL you're looking at has reached both the mileage and the time limits. As mentioned above, a replacement transmission can cost $4,000.

Also, transmission flushes are not recommended for these cars. So the fact that was done is not a good thing.