I recently sold my Ford Explorer, and I'm really liking the 2nd gen Acura TL's.

I've found these 2 that I like right now.

2000 WDP?

Or

2000 LGM?

 

Be aware that the 2000 models are pushing the 7 year+9 month cutoff for the extended trans warranty
I would NOT buy another TL without getting a seperate extended warranty that will include the transmission to 150 -200k miles.
Read the Trans Failure thread here on acurazine
2000 was the first year of the 5 speed and more prone to failure

Call acura with the VIN number of each car and ask for its history-
they can tell you what warranty probs its had, and if the trans was ever replaced.

White is tough to keep clean, LGM is awesome as it changes colors with viewing angle from dark grey to silver to green

 

what he said

 

Fixed your second link.

 

I've already seen the CarFax's of both, would that have been in there?

Edit: thanks for fixin link!

 

This is excellent advice.

For example, the CarFax report for the 2000 WDP lists an original in-service date of 4/11/2000. Add 7 years and 9 months to that date and you get 1/11/08 which means that the extended warranty on the transmission has already expired.

Second generation TLs have serious transmission reliability issues. A replacement transmission can cost upwards of $3,000.

 

I say purchase the tl and then get an aftermarket warrants like people had advised =).. and mod the shit out of it =)

 

How much would you guys estimate that an extended warranty will cost? I'm going to call tomorrow morning to the closest Acura dealership to me before I go and look at the LGM one. I'll ask them how much an extended warranty is, but I'm just curious as to how much I'd be paying.

 

i like the green, but i think the white is gorgeous... i used to have a white tahoe and i absolutely loved the look of a white car with black accents such as tinted windows, tail lights, rims etc.... if you are gonna keep it clean go white!

 

me personally i would try and get the 02-03. like the front end alot better. i had originally bought a 00 NBP but took it back and ended up getting an 03 SSM. and even then i was torn between the WDP same yr/same mileage. its rare but i know that some WDP came with black int and thats the only way i would have gotten the white one. im happy with my 03

here are some with the same mileage and same price. prices for cars up there are way cheaper than the ones down here in tx. i paid like 14k for cars just like these. blah

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=97

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=11

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=200

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=200

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=150

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=200

 

ehh i'm not a big fan of white.. the LGM looks nice and clean, and i like the 03 rims on it. i'd go with the LGM just for its looks, but there are much more factors to consider..

 

The first one, I might have to check out, the 03 WDP is a definate must see since I just saw the address, and that's like a 10 minute drive from my house, so I'll probably go look at that tomorrow.

The black 03 might have to wait for another weekend. The second to last link was flooded, so I'm positive my dad will say that's a red flag and wont let me get that.

On that 03 WDP, it has 94k. I'm going to assume that the engines run long as hell since they're produced by Honda?


Edit: I like the white cars because I try to keep my cars clean, and my future mods for any car I get is to get 20% to 5% tint on it, and get some nice wheels later on. I'd have to get a spoiler for the LGM just because I like the spoilers on the TL's.

 

yeah. you were looking up just the TL which is the 3g. search 3.2tl itll bring up more. hope it helped.

 

I'll give you mine for 13K, it's 2003 Tl-P with new trannie and new wheels, still have oringials. no accidents or paint work, silver on black. no nav. http://www.ibiblio.org/venus/tl.

This is only for the Acurazine members, I am about to put mine on sale for 14,999 on cars.com.

Has 60K miles, and the service for 60K will be complete tomo nights, new brake pads etc.

 

I actually test drove one today, needs new brake pads and some air in the tires and an oil change. Other than that, it's pretty clean, it's an 03 WDP TL-S. Only 83k on it. The lady wants $12.5 for it, but I carfaxed it and there was a very minor accident with the last owner. I don't mind buying it if it was very minor, so I'll bring it up when I call her and give her an offer.

 

Not all 03s are automatically covered on the 7/109 trans warranty
There was a midyear cutoff.
Acura will usually cover trans replacements- but have given some members a problem with the ol, you're not covered after 50k story.

Call Acura with the VIN number of any car you are considering and ask about its warranty and history or repairs
1-800-382-2238 x5 6am to 5 pm pacific time
DO IT!!!!

 

that 03 with 83k and needs brakes, probably needs front and rear rotors and pads at this point.

Check the Off Topic link at top of any page here, then Sponsored Sales threads for prices on good brakes and other parts, so you know about what repairts will co$$$$$t.
The TL is not a cheap parts type of car. When you replace things, its better to upgrade and improve the car.

A car that needs air in the tires is not well cared for, especially when its for sale!
Look in the Private Sales threads for good used acuras from azine members.
You know its been done right if someone learned how to mod it here.

 

If the seller is using Kelly Blue Book values to price the car, be aware that any accident or bodywork immediately drops the car out of the "Excellent Condition" category. Run the KBB.com private party values for both Excellent and the next highest category to get a delta value due to the accident.

And, as mentioned above, make sure it's one of the 2003 TLs covered by the extended warranty on the transmission. That's very easy to check.

 

If you're going to get an 99-01 in white, go with Taffeta White

 

There's actually a few more cars I'm going to look at, not sure about the 03 TL-S right now. There's a Taffeta White TL not too far from here with only 43k miles on it, asking less than $15k, can't remember exact price. I want to look at that one, then my dad is going to look at a grey(HMM?) tomorrow for me while I'm at work. Hopefully that one checks out.

 

hmm-heather mist metallic? if its grey then its an antracite metallic

 

I LOVE the white, but Im not a fan of the spoiler.

 

Well, went back to searching today after doing some research and I now have 9 cars that are possibility's, and I still need to get more info from private sellers, and get the VIN numbers just to double check. Hopefully I'll have a TL soon

 

Your time spent researching the background, then having a private mechanic look the car over and test drive for you....the end result is a reliable car.
I used to check cars for people, and it took 3 to 5 tries before they found one that was worth buying. The rejects all looked good until you went underneath or researched background.
Look in the trunk around the spare tire for sand and dirt. See what kind of life and care the car had before you.
It sounds like you are doing it right- checking everything out- joining acurazine, and with dads help and car experience, will get the right ride. Many your age dont want to listen to older folks, its good to see you are working with your dad and azine!

Good Luck and keep checking the Private Sales thread in Off Topic area. You can post a WTB want to buy ad to.
Go to your local private acura-honda repair shop and ask if their customers are selling a car. Many shops will have some customer cars for sale pics on the wall as a courtesy.

 

Also check out your local craigslist.org used car listings:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html

I bought my 1999 TL via Craigslist and that worked out great.

Here is some generic used car buying advice that I've posted previously:

Ask if the current owner is the original owner. If not, he (or she) might not know the full history of the car.

Ask if the car was ever in an accident or flood.

Ask if the car ever had any bodywork done.

Ask if there are service records available.

Ask if it has a salvage title. (Salvage cars don't have warranty coverage.)

If you don't care for the smell of smoke, ask if the car had ever been smoked it. It can be incredibly difficult to get the smoke smell out of a car.

Run a CarFax report on the car. These are not perfect but they can flag major problems and they can sometimes confirm aspects of the car's history that the seller claims.

And, as 01tl4tl wrote, consider having a local mechanic check the car out before buying.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the help guys! Definitely going to use all this advice.