STC

iTrader: (1)

I go look at a TL-S at a dealership an hr away today. The Internet Sales guy said this car has been on the lot since early Oct or so. When I get there, there are 3 different people waiting to test drive it . I figured the car was going to sell, but decided to at least test drive so I can get a feel of it. I test drove it and it drives like a dream. I now know I want a TL-S.

I noticed a few cosmetic things that does not seem right for a 6 yr old car w/ 62k miles on it.
-The steering wheel leather is severely worn down and the turn signal stick looks severely worn.
-There are 2 huge rips on the back seats, looks like someone tried a leather repair kit on one and failed miserably.
-The Gloss black Window trim is not gloss anymore and very weathered looking.
And I wasn't even looking closely, I imagine there are more imperfections.

Is this normal and should I expect this w/ the TL-Ss I'll find?
The 3 folks who test drove the car before me didn't buy.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

looks a little abused. the back seat tears...one of them looks like a kid seat was back there.

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

Well... there's a reason its been for sale since October. That interior is rough indeed. Not normal at all. Keep looking.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

the turn signal stalk is not worn, its just dirty. take a damp towel and wipe it with some pressure, I guarantee it'll come off

the steering wheel you can find here on acurazine for $100 or so(theres a mint one for sale right now for $100)

the seats can be reupholstered for ~$300

the faded window trim is common on all hondas, you can use a heat gun to remove the vinyl and re-wrap it yourself. that little bit of vinyl is very cheap, under $20

for $500 or so you can have the imperfections fixed easily

GRAF-FITI

I'm with paper boy. Superficial cosmetic issues are the least of the worries. If the car is mechanically sound, with no body issues, then you're biggest concerns should be answered. That being said, the car doesn't seem to have been well maintained internally. The people who passed on it probably were put off by the same things you noticed. Im guessing that's why it's been for sale as long as it has.

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

I suppose if the price was right and it was maintained then the torn seats wouldn't be a deal breaker, but again the price would have to reflect the condition of the interior, for me anyways.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

If the interior is showing that kind of wear with only 60,000 miles who is to say the person drove the car respectfully and maintained it as well? I would obviously think no. I would keep looking. I sold one of my Type S's that had 68,000 miles and the interior looked literally new.
However, if for some reason the car does check out with papers backing its maintained well then as paperboy said those interior issues can be fixed, but that would only be if it was an extremely good deal. Since it's a dealer I would assume it's not a killer deal. In that case why not look for one with a like new interior?

STC

iTrader: (1)

Another thing I noticed was that most of the lugs has rust. I know the lugs can be changed, but what I'm wondering is why would the lugs have rust in the first place?
The wheels themselves have very lil rash.

ez12a

my 10 year old seats with 81k miles look better than those.

If it's nothing "rare", like a TL-S 5AT, look elsewhere.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

depending on how much the dealer wants.

people with kids just seen to not care about the seats that much as we do

LaCostaRacer

I think the steering wheel will also cleanup- that looks like grime as well. Those magic erasers work wonders on stuff like that. It sounds like this is a car on a dealer lot- it's hard to imagine why a dealer can't spend an hour cleaning those issues?

p.s. - the carpets look the roughest of all in turns of dirt. You can buy new carpet for $500 or so or try to get it steam cleaned or oxycleaned.

GKinColo08TL

Like others have said...depends on price, if it has been there for 3 months they should be willing to deal. Is this an Acura dealer, hard to believe any dealer wouldn't take car of cosmetic issues, clean the carpet etc. Rusted lugs, faded black...it sounds like this car wasn't garaged...exposed to ocean air and fog like you have in Northern Cali would cause that for sure.

MarcoNorthPolo

Rust on the lugs means that they weren't put on by hand, they were torqued on with an impact gun, which stripped the chrome surface and allowed oxidation to set in. It's not a big thing, about 1/2 of my lugs are the same. $60 will get you new lugs, maybe even less.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

I can't for the life of me figure out why people use torque guns to crank on lug nuts. That's one reason that when I need wheel balancing or new tires I only go to Discount Tire. Those guys do great work! They always put the lugs on by hand, then use a torque wrench to snug them up. They clean the rotor hat surface prior to reinstalling the wheels, they set tire pressures correctly, and they have never once scratched a wheel of mine. A couple weeks ago my sister called me because of an issue with one of the wheels on her grand cherokee. Turns out the retard shop she took it to not only broke the tpms sensor and didn't tell her, but they over torqued the lugs and filled to the tire to 43psi. Wtf is wrong with people? Just another example of why I avoid other people touching my vehicles at all costs.

Eaglesfan9106

All tl-s are rare I've seen 3 in 5 years

eastcoastguy

It is amazing what people do to their cars. I would guess that if the interior isnt in good shape then the maintenance wasnt kept in good shape either. When I was looking at cars before I got mine I was always amazed by cars I would see, missing buttons, etc, etc. I think there are a lot of better Tl's out there that you could get. However, if the price is great and you can fix some stuff it may be a good fixer upper.

bla8291

I guess my car is the only exception to the rule. I got it at 175k, and the engine was very well maintained, while the interior looked like a desert storm blew through it several times over. No tears, holes, or cracks to report though (aside from the dashboard).

TL Luver

iTrader: (2)

Did anyone miss the sticker that says the replacement parts used are known to cause cancer?!...WTF!...LOL LOL LOL...

Acura-OC

I've been frequent to this board since I registered for about year and a half and I yet to hear about engine failure unless someone drives through a river.

What I am trying to say that it is very difficult to make Honda engine fail even without maintenance.

STC

iTrader: (1)

I decided not to get it. There were many questionables and I didn't have that "wow" feeling I had with the others car I had when I was about to buy them. I'll keep looking though, did find one 2 hrs away from me that looks promising.

GKinColo08TL

Its Califrisco, they think everything causes cancer.

nttstt444

iTrader: (1)

Well you might have to be a bit patient for the right one, but there's plenty of them out there. Good luck.

ez12a

There are at least 20 TL-S on sale in California on the Trader at this very moment. Again the TL-S is not rare in 5AT trim.

romeotl3

well whats the price? depending on what your paying for it it may or may not be worth it! i saw one in NJ at a dealer and i taught it was a complete POS but it was nbp with 80k beat the (he- double hockey sticks) up and they wanted 24k

but i paid 20k for my kbp for my MYNTY with 48k miles 2 weeks after seeing that POS, it was from a private owner and im really happy the dealer didnt rip me off. also that interior at the dealer was worst in the front and vents were broken up in the back of it....idk IM WAY MORE HAPPY NOW

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

I see 3 about every day.

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

I see 0 a day here in the Chicago burbs where I live, but thats mainly because all I do is my same old commute to work at odd hours of the day. When I go out at other times and other places like on my days off I would say I see one maybe once a month. Its not a common car to see on my typical driving. I kind of like it that way because when I do see one it makes it that much cooler to stare at :-)

STC

iTrader: (1)

They wanted 20k for it.

P1zzaman

iTrader: (1)

A crime was committed in this car. Do not get.

Vlad_Type_S

iTrader: (3)

20k is a really high starting point for something like that man. It's like JTS97Z28 said, this is evidence that the previous owner probably didn't take care of it. On the other hand, if you're mechanically inclined and work on your own cars, then having the service history of the car to show that it was properly maintained could mean that you can get a well running car for a steal because of cosmetic issues. If service history is available, I would probably negotiate a serious low-ball offer with them. Obviously they haven't been able to get rid of the car for a long time and there is a lot wrong with it cosmetically so you have a clear negotiating advantage.

LaCostaRacer

Here's one much better and cheaper too: 18,500 and in a lot better shape. Hint: you always get used cars for less money in Southern California. The savings will easily pay for a one-way airfare.

link: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=92009&endYear=2008&modelC ode1=TL_MODELS&showcaseOwnerId=56444704&startYear= 2007&makeCode1=ACURA&searchRadius=100&showcaseList ingId=362918658&mmt=[ACURA[][TL_MODELS[]]]&listingId=359694177&listingIndex=10&Log=0

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

20k for that mileage is a good deal, but not at that condition. take off $1000-2000 and it should be fine. will only be couple hundred to fix the cosmetic stuff in your pics

nowayjose1

dude, there are much better Type Ss for sale in much better condition. Including mine on the forum here. Those seats are not normal....not normal at all.

romeotl3

silver (or so i think it is) is a common color at least here in nyc and thus drives the price down in my mind... i would drive it down 2-3k and that would be fair based on miles and seen condition. but if its at a dealer... GOODLUCK most dealers are @SS holes and dont wanna do fair pricing. (my experience)