Hello. I have the opportunity to buy a 2000 TL that has 37600 miles on it. It drives fine except for a little extra bump when it shifts from 1st to 2nd. It has had the transmission recall performed. Also, the rear view mirror looks like half of it is tinted. Other than that, it seems to be in outstanding condition. I'm a little worried about buying it because I've heard about transmission issues in this year/model. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Keith

 

For how much $?

 

My 2000 TL as 130k miles on it, Im the 2nd owner and havent had any issues with the tranny. Just thought i'd give my input!

 

I'm on my 3 transmission but it's been a great car. Just keep the fluid for th transmission changed every 10-15k miles and have some 1k-2k set aside for a transmission when it goes

 

This sounds like a deal ONLY IF you're paying less than $3000. That figure is assuming that the exterior and interior is in great condition. I say $3000 because there's a high probability that it will need a transmission. These (as you know) are known for slaughtering their own clutches due to a design flaw internally. Changing the fluid very frequently seems to be one of the only ways of stretching out the service life a little further...and it's also not a bad idea to install an aftermarket transmission fluid cooler to assist in keeping the fluid as cool as possible in hot/harsh conditions.

As for the transmission repair itself, expect to pay anywhere from $700-$1200 for a USED transmission and upwards of $3500 for a reman'd unit...not to mention it calls for 8.5 hours of labor to replace but a good mechanical could take close to 4-6. Many others may disagree with me here and there are discrepancies BUT I'd much rather install a USED transmssion over a reman'd unit any day. This is only because the complexities involved with properly rebuilding such a component. Especially this particularly cram packed unit. If you're really serious, I'd recommend jumping on my all time fav website CAR-PARTS.COM and looking for a transmission. They're categorized in mileage, location, price, condition, grade, application...all the most basic yet pertinent information you will need when deciding which transmission would be the best.

Good luck man and if you buy it, you'll never regret your decision. That's coming from a man that owns 4 Acuras and 1 Honda...yes, I'm obsessed. :-)

 

Hey Keih, that's a good find with only 37,600 miles on the odo !!!

Is the car being offered by the original owner or an Acura dealer ? If the service history is available, that's a plus. Has the car been parked for a long period of time ? Most used cars have that mileage on within three years.

The thing to keep in mind is that the car is nearing 13 years of age. Alot of older TL's have close to 200k on the dial, but not without the common issues.......mainly the tranny. I'd suggest having the car professionally inspected, especially the tranny. Money well spent ! The T-belt service is up, due to time, so that's a considerable expense.

If you're getting a good deal and don't mind playing your luck, the tranny can be a gamble. But otherwise the TL's are a great value and ride. I bought our 2000 TL from the original owner 5 years ago with 130k, now at 170k....and with some good "PM", it still has lots of life left in it. The first thing I done was to drain & fill the tranny and have done that every year since buying it. Good DIY insurance for the original tranny, IMO !!!!

 

Thanks for the responses. The car is being offered by a small used car dealer/repair shop locally and no service records are available. They said they got it from a CarMax auction. The timing belt has been replaced along with new plugs and wires and an engine mount using CarQuest parts. They are asking $9000.00 for it but that seems quite high. The exterior and interior appear to be in new condition with the exception of some fogging on one of the headlights. The salesman said the extra bumping I felt when the tranny shifted from 1st to 2nd was probably clutch chatter and not a bad transmission. I'll be putting about 20,000 miles a year on it, mostly highway driving to work and back.

 

I would not buy if it web to auction usually it's because there was something wrong that the dealer didnt want to mess with. And for that price you could buy 2 or 3

 

That's really low mileage (if it's true!).

That "bump" you are feeling on the shift could be "motor mounts".
With the hood up and all your foot brakes "ON", gun the motor a little in forward and reverse and see if the motor moves.... It should probably only move about 1/4 inch. If it moves more, the mounts are bad. You can do the front + side mounts yourself for under $100 in parts.

 

Got my 2000 TL 2 years ago @ around 180k for $500 with a blown tranny.
New one in it & I'm at 210k still going fine.
But, I also got it from a good friend of my dad's, so I had the whole prior history on it.

My ISRV mirror was dead when I got it too, put a cheap aftermarket on for now.

 

Wtf is clutch chatter??? That dude is full of crap.

 

Hey Keih, sorry to say....even with the low mileage, that's way too much money unless the car was fully documented and guaranteed. But even then, I'd steer away from it, as you can get something much newer or if you like the 2nd Gens.....buy a seasoned one at less than half that price. At least you'll have some extra money left if the tranny should crap out !

 

Where are you locate and do you have a mechanic you trust to look at the car?

 

I bought my TL in August for $9000 w/ 98,000 miles. Everyone was saying that it was too much, but it is in great condition & 1 owner. I may have payed $2000-$3000 too much. Try to talk them down a couple thousand if you really want it.

 

Yeah, ya may very well need a couple grand $ to replace the tranny should it die !

 

Stephen00TL, the salesman said it went to auction because CarMax doesn't sell any cars that old. Mike_engr, I didn't think to check the motor mounts when I drove it to see it that was where the "bump" was coming from. I've had a couple of other trust worthy people (including my mechanic) advise me to pass on it so I probably will keep looking. Thanks again for all of your input.

Keith

 

Hey Keih, if ya really like the car.....take your mechanic along and tell the salesman that he requests looking at the car on a rack to perform a mechanical inspection of the car.

Take it to the mechanics shop, and if things are in order........then ask what their best price would be with a warranty.
If no warranty is offered, make them a reasonable "wholesale" offer of $3000, take it or leave it ! Ya may get lucky.