All,

I recently took a look at an '03 TL Type-S for sale in my town. The car has 120,000 miles, which I know is pretty high, but considering a 100 mile roundtrip work route everyday, I can see where the miles added up.

Two issues I noticed when I looked at the car:
1.) Ticking coming from the head
2.) A loud whirring, almost buzzing sound that was noticeable from below the engine.

I think #2 is the tranny issue, but I don't think Acura will still cover that, seeing the car is over 100K.

Does this look like a lost-caused car to make as a daily driver?

 

Unless it's available for a bargain price I would pass on it.

The extended transmission warranty ends at 100,000 miles so if the transmission fails you're looking at a $3,000 to $4,000 repair. And the 2nd generation TLs have very significant transmission reliability issues. For the 2000-2003 TL models, Consumer Reports lists a "black dot" listed for transmission reliability and that's the lowest rating they give out. (The reliability numbers are based on the annual subscriber surveys and the sample sizes are pretty large.)

Bob

 

Just say

 

how much are they asking for it

 

$10,500...too much?

 

Well that's under the KBB Private Party pricing for a 2003 TL-S:

Condition / KBB Price
Excellent / $15,010
Good / $13,780
Fair / $12,185

http://www.kbb.com/

But if the transmission is about to fail it's less of a deal.

Bob