tommy8321

So after months of looking for the perfect 07-08 TL-S 6MT, I came across one over in VA. Here are the stats:

He is offering me 26,887 but I am going to offer 26,500 since I have to fly out and drive it back home.
28K miles
interior looks good
Royal Blue Pearl -> I really wanted Nighthawk Black Pearl
Carfax looks clean
new brakes, new tires
but it is NOT certified

Should I go for it? Any advice from you awesome AZiners would be much appreciated

JwongTLS

Boo not CPO but i guess it's a decent price.. at least u got new brakes and tires, a big +

I would go for it specially since it's a KBP(more rare than NBP)might want to get ext. warranty tho. Good luck

arrogantbastard

That sounds like a great car from the description at a pretty good price. But nothing replaces an in-person inspection and test drive to make the final determination.
CPO is not that big of a deal since there are still miles and time left on the original factory warranty. Also, I'm pretty sure Type S's are Kinetic Blue Pearl (KBP) rather than Royal Blue Pearl.

Is this from a dealer or private seller?

And lastly, IMHO KBP>>NBP (I can say that because I have both...)

pimpin-tl

Kinetic Blue Pearl I believe you meant.

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

lol... its KBP... go 4 it wat u waitin 4?

pokin

Is it 07 or 08?
Certified doesn't matter - it is still under warranty.

Now that you leaked the state where this car is located, about 200 or so ziners are on the hunt. You better catch that flight quick - unless you really don't dig KBP.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

A KBP 6MT would be the rarest of the rare. Sounds like it could be a good one but like mentioned before you wont know for sure until you see and drive it in person. Make sure the car has had no previous paint or body work.

The guy above said boo no CPO but I dont know why?!?!? What difference does it make if the car is under factory warranty and if the car checks out to be original and clean? I say go for it KBP looks soooooo nice. NBP is nice but that along with silver and white Type S's are pretty common. Atleast by me they are.

James

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^^ +1

JwongTLS

Foo I said boo cuz he said it aint CPO himself.

tommy8321

Hehe, I wasn't sure if it was Royal Blue Pearl or Kinetic Blue Pearl. I saw MSN Autos call it Royal Blue Pearl so I went with that one...stupid MSN!

Anyways, I appreciate all the input from you guys...I think the KBP is an awesome color and it not being certified is a downer, but it does still have a good amount of factory warranty left. But it does lead me to ask why the dealership wouldn't certify it. They say it's to keep the cost down, but maybe I'm just being a skeptic.

But yeah, I'm gonna call the guy tomorrow to see what's up and I might even put a deposit down so they'll take it off the lot and so none of you awesome folks can go steal my possible future car!

tommy8321

It's an 07 and from a dealer...

tonyatkayak

it's a great deal. I just bought my 07 type S WDP 6mt for 26k with 47k miles. It's CPO. I love my TLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

but do get the color you want. I wanted WDP and nothing else.

alexSU

iTrader: (3)

Why not offer him $26k? I'm sure he can reduce the price by more then just $387.

arrogantbastard

Is it the one at Radley? If so, that looks like a great car. Since it's at an Acura dealership, you can pay the money for the inspection and they will make it a CPO if it qualifies. If it doesn't qualify, you gotta ask why? Keeping the price down to move it off the lot is a legitimate answer - if everything else checks out.

That's a really good price - I paid $32k (no-haggle CarMax price) for my '08 KBP Type S with 14k miles on it.

If your heart is really set on WDP, you may want to pass on this and wait for the car you want. You don't want to be second-guessing yourself over the next few years of ownership. Besides, Murphy's Law states that if you pull the trigger on this one, 3 WDP's will be available next week... If you're flexible on the color, then this one is definitely worth checking out.

Good Luck with your search!

SilverJ

Certification adds a few grand to the price. Not worth it IMO if the car is still under manufacturer warranty.

SouthernBoy

It's got to be the one at Radley in Fairfax on Columbia Pike (believe me, that is NOT Falls Church). Looks great, I'd jump on that one right away.

Back in late '06, I considered trading my '04 manual for a new '07 TL-S manual that that was the color combo I wanted. Kinetic Blue Pearl was Acura's featured color for that car that year and it looks super. Black is also a great color for the 3G TL's.

SouthernBoy

In which state do you live? If this is a super find for you, definitely get a deposit on it along the the name of the sales manager. And write this info down, as in the date and time you made the deposit, the media (Visa, etc.), and who took the deposit. Tell them your situation and give them the airline and flight number to prove you're a serious customer. Get the exact mileage if possible and do ask them to move the car to a "safe" location so that it is there for you (there are cases where cars get sold out from under people - I know, I did this, unknowing to me, with my last car).

Looks great. Good luck - let us know how it goes.

Damn, I bet when the time comes to sell mine, I'll get a nice price for it.

tommy8321

Yeah man, I was reading your posts and updates...congrats on the buy...hopefully I'll be able to join you in becoming a new TL-S owner.

tommy8321

I was thinking to offer 26K but the price they offered was already $1100 off the asking price. They told me that either they would give me an extended warranty since that was one of my concerns, or they would give me 1100 off the price.

Yeah, it's the one at Radley Acura. Have any of you guys checked it out? Maybe you could help a brotha out since you are local SouthernBoy? The one at Radley has been there for a little bit of time, even though the salesmen say otherwise. It's been posted on Autotrader for at least a month.

I'm located in San Antonio, TX. I told the guy I would call him back today to let him know what I thought. I priced out the trip and to fly myself and my friend out there (to help take turns driving back so I don't have to make any stops) and to drive it back, it'll be about 400-500 dollars.

I've been comparing this to the one in Austin that I posted about a month back, where I got into an argument with the sales manager. The one in Austin has 26K miles, is certified and I've been able to check it out with my own two eyes and drive it and it's certified. That one is being offered to me at 28K and it's NBP (my first choice in color, but I do like the KBP, I had a Civic SI in Electron Blue before and I loved it - RIP 2004). Decisions decisions...I need to decide by tomorrow I would think. So I'll keep all you updated. Thanks again for all the advice! Keep it coming!

SouthernBoy

I can't get over there today, but perhaps I can tomorrow. Do you have a salesman's name or a contact at the store (yes, they call them stores in the business)?

San Antonio is a long way, but if you can take three days for the drive, consider going by yourself. However, having a friend along is not a bad idea.

tommy8321

That would be awesome if you could head out there to check it out. From what I can gather, your one of the local experts on this forum so getting an experts opinion would be great.

I've been dealing with Sam Yohanns at that store.

I originally was going to do it by myself, but I figured I'd have to stop to rest and it would take me 2 or 3 days whereas switching with someone we can do it almost non-stop. Plus, having the company on such a long drive is cool too.

Let me know if you can make it out there for me! Again, I would really appreciate it if you could. Just don't decide to steal it from me

SouthernBoy

Ok, I'll do it tomorrow morning sometime.. probably mid to late morning. If you could find out if your contact is going to be there tomorrow that would be good. Most of what I would be doing is "surface" checking. The fact that you still would have quite a bit of the factory warranty is a good thing.

I'm sending you a PM now.

NBP04TL4ME

Depending on Southernboy's findings you may want to try this:

http://www2.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.c...&cat=cp&pgs=50

I don't know how or why I found this website, but it searches eBay and CL listings across the country. You can narrow your search by selecting years putting Type S in the filter, region and price. I think it is pretty slick.

Oh and I have no affiliation with the site. I just thought I would share a pretty neat search tool.

AnthraciteAspec

iTrader: (6)

KBP 6MT is super rare, and the best combo IMO, I would go for it

SouthernBoy

I didn't know this combo was so rare. Good to know.

pimpin-tl

I just bought mine from Gunn Acura here in SA. They had 3, now two Type-S's left. A WDP and a Red one. Both are autos though if you are looking for a 6mt.

Love mine!

tommy8321

I noticed that when you posted pics up after you bought it. I remembered seeing the car on that waterfall thing they have in the front. Congrats on the purchase man...can't wait until I join all you folks in being a TL owner...

I have one of the salesmen there looking for one but he's been looking for about 2 months and can't seem to find one. Who did you work with over there?

pimpin-tl

I worked with Andrew. Great guy.

tommy8321

That's the same guy I am working with...my co-worker got me in contact with him. He's definitely not your typical sales guy...not pushy or anything. Doesn't bother you and is straight up...at least, from what I can gather.

pimpin-tl

Yep. That is what I like about him.

mack025

I know your looking for a 6mt but i found the same color its a 5at for 21.5k it has 31k miles in Pa.

tommy8321

Hey all, I just wanted to take a minute to throw a mad shout out and thanks to SouthernBoy for taking time out of his day to go check out a TL-S for me at a dealership local to him. When I talked to him, he was awesome to talk to and was very thorough and helpful with giving me a detailed description of the car I am considering. I just talked to the salesman who helped him and he said SouthernBoy was very knowledgeable and very thorough and even pointed out things the salesman didn't see.

This is just another case of Acurazine'ers Unite!

I'll keep you all posted on what happens! I'll know something more definite tomorrow.

tommy8321

Thanks for the tip...but I'm pretty set on the 6MT requirement.

pimpin-tl

Hmm something is wrong with that car. That is priced way too low.

pimpin-tl

If you get it, lets hook up. PM me!

JwongTLS

Good man.

So whats the update? any dings or dents?

SouthernBoy

You're most welcome, though Radley's is not exactly local to me - about 25 miles away.

The small blemish and scratch I told you about on the rear bumper? It's on the right (passenger side) corner of the bumper. And tell them you want new wiper blades. There was a slight amount of rain yesterday morning when I drove it and the blades were not in the best condition.

arrogantbastard

SouthernBoy: Maybe a little off-topic here, but can you give your quick impressions on the "new" TL-S 6MT vs your 04 6MT? I saw the debate in another thread (04 "base" TL vs 07/08 TL-S) and was curious what you thought.

SouthernBoy

It's a three model year old car with pretty low mileage - I think it was something like 28,008 miles when I got in it. I thought it looked fine for its age, which is not old in my opinion. A couple of minor marks (I wouldn't even call them scratches) several places along a couple of doors. Really so minor that some quality Scratch and Swirl remover and you're good to go.

The little scratch on the rear bumper I mentioned. Interior looked good, but there is a scratch in the aluminum trim about an inch behind the base of the emergency brake. Don't know if that can be worked out. Clutch action was good and initial engagement was close to the stop pad. No clutch shutter or chatter. Shift linkage might be tightened a little, but it was fine otherwise. I noticed the steering was "stiffer" than that of my '04 or '05. But I seem to recall that Acura did stiffen up the steering in the TL-S for what they believed to be, improved handling. I had no problem with it. And the car tracked fine with no indication of alignment or suspension problems. It held an "on center" feel and when I removed my hands for the wheel, it stayed on center. The ride was what I would expect, which is to say, good for this car. The brakes exhibited no indication of warpage, squeaking, or any sort of concerns. The front pads are getting close to needing replacement, however - perhaps another 5000 miles, depending upon how the car is driven.

I also popped the hood and removed the oil cap to check for oil color and smell, and any gunk in the head area around the opening. I removed the dipstick to check color, look for gunk, and smelled it, too. Checked the hoses and the coolant and battery "eye". It was green, but the car needed a jump to start.

SouthernBoy

In the fall of '06 when the '07 TL-S came out, I gave some consideration to trading in my '04 manual for one. Prior to Acura announcing this car, I had written on this forum that I thought they should increase engine size (displacement) in order to increase the torque. So the TL-S really appealed to me for this reason. But there is the unknown when taking such a decision, particularly when you really like the car you currently own. And that was my case. My '04 has been great. I have had none of the problems others have had on this site and it just fits me very nicely.

As far as comparing my '04 with the TL-S, I am not a fan of the instrument display colors. I prefer mine which to me is more subtle and attractive. But I would not consider that to be a deal killer if I really wanted the car. For example, I hated the display color (orange) on my '02 Altima SE and that of our '96 BMW 328i (also orange). I really like my '04 and '05 display. I don't recall whether or not the '07 TL-S has DRL's here in the states, but I can't stand those, and I hate auto-on headlamps (also don't know if the '07 has those).

And then there are the numbers - as in 0-60 and the 1/4 mile. From what I have read, there is almost no difference here.

My final assessment between these two cars is this. If I was in the market for a 3G TL and was coming from some other car, I would be more inclined to go for the more current model. So an '07 or '08 TL-S (remember, has to be a manual for me) would be my focus. Unless an unusually good '04 or '05 popped up, I would prefer the new model. This car's so feature laden that it's hard to imagine something else in that category for that price that could be a better choice.

A word about seats. Much has been written in the "early days" (heh, heh), about the '04 seats and they penchant for developing butt prints. Well, the '04 does and the '05 seats are different than those in the '04. But you know something? I like my '04 seats better than those in my '05. Especially on long trips. The seats on the '07 TL-S I drove yesterday were better, in my opinion, that those of the '05. While the design looks about the same, the way they fit and feel is different.