Hey guys, so I'm not an acura owner yet, but there's one I have my eye on.

It's a 2004 acura tl w/ nav. It's got 67,000 miles and is being sold at a firm 12,000. Do you guys have any opinions on whether this is a good buy or not? I'm a 20 year old college student, planning on going to med school after, so I will probably need this car to last me at least 10 years. Haven't had an acura in the family yet, so don't quite know about it's full reliability.

It's got a couple of scratches here and there and a hole in the passengers leather. But it runs amazing still and everything works great. Any advice?

 

If I were a student looking far a car to last 10 years, I'd look at something other than the TL as the Acura is far from an economical car. If money is no object, go for the TL, but think how many miles the car will be driven in 10 years and add that to 67K miles, but if used only a couple thousand per year might be doable.

 

Probably gonna be 5,000-6,000 miles a year max. I go to school 150 miles away, and then commuting on campus is only like 100-150 miles a month. What are the general maintenance costs that come up on the TL?

 

if you really only drive 5-6k miles a year then you will be fine with a TL. if your school is 150 miles away though I would imagine you would drive more than 5-6k a year?
My school is only about 50 miles away but I drive 15k+ a year

 

I only come home 2-3 times a semester, so it commuting to and from home only adds 1500-2000 miles for me.

 

If you can afford it, the car should last you 10yrs, easy. It's an Acura after all.

 

I would say do it.

 

Auto or 6 speed? I'd only be a bit leery if it was an auto. I know the autos in general have had their fair share of issues, and I think 2004 was the worst. If its a 6 speed, no doubt it will last you.

Everyone talks about maintenance and being expensive because it's and Acura. It's a Honda. They are reliable, they are affordable. I think the TL is essentially an upscale Accord with less options. It has features, but they were all standard, so there was no chance of getting a TL with no sunroof or no leather. It keeps resale value to a normal level, unlike something like a Dodge Durango that base cost 18K but fully loaded was 45K.

With that being said, the miles are low, but 12K seems a hair steep for that year, but pricing can be regional. If it's an auto and you get it, my first recommendation would be to do the transmission solenoids, and do them every 2 years or so. Also do the 3x3 flush and fill I think it's called. Mine is an 04 six speed so I can't say if that's it. However, the interior looks immaculate for a 10 year old car. The exterior wasn't cared for very well, but for the price I paid, I can paint the whole car and still be under book value.

For a student, I say the TL is an excellent vehicle. Bigger than a civic, nicer than an Accord, all with Honda reliability. Go for it.

 

Hole in the passenger seat? What's the maintenance history? Any sign of previous body work? Check car fax? Be prudent and treat it like any used car.....do your diligence, research....As previously stated, on this forum 04 and 05 TL's have the most reported auto transmission issues. Get an inspection done.

Welcome to the forum.

 

the maintenance records look good, no accidents according to carfax. It's being sold by an acura dealer so it's gone through a 150 point inspection and been deemed good enough condition for their main lot. I'd also be given free oil changes and tire rotations for a year and car washes for a lifetime. It is an auto trans though. How many out of a 100 would you say have trans problems before 200k?

 

Trans, unpredictable. Know everyday people that the trans just goes, while others have the TL and no problems. Check trans fluid for color and odor and give the car a good once over. I'd say have a mechanic look it over, but I guess Acura already has with the 150 point inspection.....Yea right.
The car looks all original and is very clean, except for the hole in the seat and curb rash, any warranty with the car?
Take a look at the passenger side seat belt anchor behind the seat, carpet looks discolored in that area. May be just the photo, but make certain that there's no rust around the seat frame.

This is the beginning of the ad:
This TL wll not be here long. It is beautiful, has under 68,000 miles and it is a TYPE S.
This is from an Acura Dealer??????????

 

If you are only going to put on 5-6k per year, then you may not even use the free oil change and tire rotation for a year. Don't let that factor into your decision because it's not something that you would use a lot. You may use it once during that first year. Using it once will be about a $100 benefit.

 

Yeah, the type s part through me off with their credibility as well, but it is a certified acura dealer. The car, according to their listing, comes with 100,000 mile powertrain warranty which should cover the trans for a couple years for me at least. I'll ask them more about that when I go back tomorrow. I'll double check the rusting when I go back as well. Thanks for your advice.

And yeah, probably only gonna get an oil change and tire rotation once from them within that year, so I'm figuring that's not going to do much for me.