I am preparing to buy a 2007 TL-S with 10K miles. The car is in Chicago and I live in the Washington, DC area. I'm getting the car at a good price and it is the exact config I want (KBP with Taupe, 6MT), which is why I'm willing to make the trip.

I intend to use the checklist wallaceoh posted in the 3G Garage. Wow, that is a great resource. Thanks wallaceoh!

Anyway, 2 questions...

1) The car is "Acura Certified Pre-Owned" and has a clean CarFax history, and is being sold by an Acura dealer. Knowing this, would you still recommend taking it to an independent shop for a pre-purchase inspection?

2) If your answer to #1 is yes, can someone recommend a good independent shop in the Chicago area to perform the inspection?

My plans are to pick up the car around mid-day on Sat Dec 8 at Ed Napleton Acura. Thanks for any advice! BTW, looking forward to being a "true" TL owner, not just a lurker with a 94 Prelude!

--Par

PS - if anyone lives close to there and wants to grab lunch before I start the trek back to DC, let me know. It would be nice to meet some Acuraziners in person!

 

IMHO, CPO means they can charge you more for nothing extra.

IOW - get it inspected.

As an additional arguement: You aren't going to be able to go back and say "You didn't do such and such....". Make sure it's right when you take delivery.

 

Thanks Bearcat. I agree with you that the CPO program is just another way to milk more money out of a deal. I test-drove a 2005 TL a few months ago that was CPO and the passenger window made a horrible squeaking noise when it was operated. What a joke - they obviously hadn't even inspected the window even though it was "certified."

In my case, the dealer did seem to want to get rid of the car enough to give me a good deal so there wasn't really a premium for buying CPO.

 

good luck with the buy pkarandi! hope all goes well


isn't the biggest benefit of CPO just the included extended warranty?

 

Might I ask how much you're getting it for?

 

realfresh, yeah - the warranty is basically the only real bonus. But with a 2007, I think the manufacturer warranty covers more. I really need to understand the difference before I actually pick it up.

blazinginder, sure. I am getting the car for $32,100 before TTL. Since I am buying the car out of state, I will pay TTL on my own when I get home. I thought this was a good deal, but apparently it's not as great as I originally thought since some people are buying brand new leftover 07 Type-S's for like $33K. BUT, a leftover 07 in 6MT is REALLY hard to come by, never mind actually getting a color I want.

If anyone knows an independent mechanic shop in the Chicago area, please post their info. I decided the $100 for an inspection is cheap insurance before the 700 mile ride home.

 

As long as you get the color combo and tranny preference that you like at a price that you are comfortable with, that is all that matters. Good luck with the purchase and let us know how it turns out.

 

Well said ggesq. I couldn't agree with you more...
I'll definitely be posting pics when I get back!

 

I agree with ggesq, I know manual's are hard to come by

....a new 08 from Cali where they're selling for very cheap in comparison to the east coast...Should be around what 34/35k??? +1k shipping so basically 3-4k more for a new 08 in exactly what you want rather then a used 07 with/10k miles

just an option

 

Nice combo choice

I would try other options before you purchase a used one with 10k miles for that much.

I had the same setup and paid 33,700 before tax . If you can pay 1000 for delivery
it might be worth the money you gain in the resale value of a new car.

Good luck.

Oh and make sure that the center speaker rattle is fixed before you take the car home...... ITS SO ANNOYING

 

$32,100 before TTL is about spot on ! ...mine has 9500k on it and is valued at $32,200....others saying theye'r buying them around $33k are pulling you noodle, this isn't CHEVROLET/FORD ......$5k + , off sticker just won't happen, take it from a former ACURA/HONDA salesman!!!! .....be sure to talk him down on door dings etc....good luck with your deal

 

Last month, I bought my 2007 TL Type-S Brand new for $32,500 + TTL. It is actually higher than what I could have purchased it for. Back in September/October, a TL Type-S was $31,856 b/c there was some marketing reimbursement to the dealer.

So, I doubt that people are pulling anyones noodles. Dealers are selling 2008 TL Type-S for $35,650 and that is without any haggling.

Times change...

 

32,500 is possible with 2500 factory cash back. however, 31,856 sounds impossible.

however, let's not forget the limited choice you have to receive that 2500 dollar factory cash back. you usually stock with the only TL-s on the lot, with the only color that no one else likes ( color is very subjective, but white, or black, in general, are popular colors), has about 100+ miles because everyone tests drove it and pushes it hard.

Am i right? I guess i am spot on, because i went to a lot of dealerships and that was what they give you for a 33000+/- dollar price tag. there is simply no way for you to get a MT for that price.

 

Thanks for the input guys (and gals possibly).

First, the AT is out of the question for me, and finding a new 2007 with a manual tranny is basically impossible right now. I am comfortable with the $32.1K price tag because I look at it this way:

I am going to keep the car a min of 10 years (I will hit exactly 10 years on my Prelude in 2 weeks)
I can pay $36K for a new 2008 TL-S or...
I can pay $32K for a barely used 2007 TL-S that is configured exactly how I would special order one
I read on this forum that the 2007 and 2008 TL-S's are identical, so it's not like I'm getting any features for the extra $4K. I am taking a little extra risk with the used 07, but the car is still under its original factory warranty for 3 more years. So, this is a reasonable deal for me. Plus, if I could actually get a KBP 6MT 2007 leftover, I'd jump on it for $33K, but it doesn't exist.

 

hey if your going to keep the car ten years, then go for it and dont look back, getting an 08 or new 07 now is not going to make a difference 10 years down the road lol.

 

Yup...

BTW evanj5, thanks for the tip on the speaker rattle. That's the kind of stuff I need to know before going in tomorrow.

--Par

 

Hey Pkarandi,

You may want to take a look through this list of items that people have posted as issues that they have had addressed under warranty. If you want to, you could pick out the recurring ones or those that you think would annoy you the most and check those before you take delivery.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168943

On the other hand, the long drive back will be a good opportunity for you to see if anything isn't quite right. Since the car will be under warranty, you could have them addressed either by a local dealer when you get home.

Hit me up when you get it. I work just around the corner in Reston. Maybe we could meet somewhere and let everyone envy our 6-spd TL-S's. (or maybe we would envy them and everyone else would just go about their business since they all see about 5,687 TLs/day).

 

There are quite a few 3G TL around the bay area here .... but still rare to see a type-s on the road .... welcome to the TL family and good luck with your journey !

 

Crap anansi - I didn't even see this post until just now. Oh well! Thanks for the reference and thanks to everyone for your input here. It was very helpful. (Anansi, I'll send you a PM about the meeting up. No kidding about a ton of TL's around here. I must see at least 6/day, no exxaggeration. At least the Type-S stands out a little bit.)

Well I bought the car on Sat in Chicago and hi-tailed it home that night! That is the first time I have ever been so far from home for that short a time. Everything went really well. I would have liked to catch some sleep on Sat night and finish the drive home Sun, but the midwest and northeast had some nasty freezing rain coming in, so I wanted to stay ahead of it. I pulled into my driveway at 5 AM Sun morning. Tired as hell but damn excited!

I have to say I am very happy with the way Napleton Acura (in Chicago) treated me. Their sales rep picked me up at Midway Airport and he even had a cup of coffee waiting for me in the car. They gave me no grief as I went through every item on the checklist (posted here by wallaceoh). They even brought the car in their shop so I could inspect it in the warmth. They did have a slight issue with me wanting to take the car to a competing dealer for the pre-purchase inspection. But, I explained that I flew all the way out there to buy THAT car, not possibly strike another deal with another dealer. Also, I offered to leave the $32K check with them until I got back. (We hadn't signed any paperwork yet). He had their sales rep accompany me to the other dealer and everything went fine. We then went back to Napleton and took care of the paperwork, and by 4 PM I started my 700 mile journey home! If you live in the Chicago area, I highly recommend Napleton Acura and specifically the two sales reps that worked with me, Cathy Sak and Jim Ryne(sp).

The inspecting dealer, McGrath Acura was also pretty good. They fixed a rattle in the glove box as part of the inspection, which I thought was pretty cool.

I have to say this forum is priceless. I feel so much better about my used car after going through that checklist. Also, in IL they don't have front license plates, but we do in VA. Thanks to the checklist, I noticed that and asked them to put a front bracket on, which they did while I was signing the paperwork.

Overall, I am totally psyched about the car. It was just so fast and yet smooth on the drive home. I do feel bad for my old Prelude though. I'll be selling it off soon and surely will miss it. The car has treated me very well over the last 10 years.

Finally, just so I don't get one of those "This Thread is Worthless Without Pics" symbol, here are some pics. They are crappy dealer website pics, but the weather is just crap here so I can't take any better ones right now...

 

Welcome to the fam!

 

Picked up a used 07 TL-S a couple weeks ago. Morocan Red Pearl w/ manual. Black and silver interior. 3400 miles. Too bad the weather has sucked, it's been parked in the garage. Added matching color splash gaurds yesterday. So far love the car.

 

Thanks shooter and ggesq.

Awesome InWI! Interesting that you just added mudguards. I noticed mine did not come with them either and was thinking about adding them.

Do you mind telling me how much they were? (I assume you bought all 4) Also, do you simply bolt/screw them in, or is the installation a little more involved?

Thanks,

--Par

 

YAY another KBP in the Acura family. Good Pick ;-) Enjoy it

 

SWWWWwwwEEEeeeeTTTT !!!

Your gonna love the car

 

Par,

Yes there are 4 of them. Got them on ebay for $95 from Park Acura in OH. The fronts were very easy just turn the wheel, remove three screws, install. The rears you have to jack the car up. You can either pull the wheels off or rig up a jointed screw driver. Took pics but can't figure out how to post them.

 

Congrats, I originally wanted the KBP, but they didn't have it in the 2-tone; they only had it in a light taupe, so I opted for the MRP.

 

I bought an '07 TL Type-S just like the one you pictured, 6MT, 10K miles, paid $33K back in March. In April I started having the 3rd gear problem. Now it's intermittently popping out of, or refusing to go into, 2nd and 3rd gear. The dealership had the car 5 times, and the Acura factory rep. said there's currently no fix, and it's a known issue, so I just have to wait for them to release a 'countermeasure.' Since the car was purchased used from another state, it doesn't qualify for the standard Lemon law. There are still federal laws to reimburse me for my inconvenience, but at this point, I'm wishing I were the original owner so that I could just lemon it, and get a Lexus.

So, that's my experience. Other than that, I love the car.

 

That's sucks, every car will have it's glitches even Lexus...
My car has the rear suspension prob. #10,000 of 30,000 (wouldn't that be ALL the TL-S's?)
They should have really fixed this known problem before giving car, but at least it's under warranty.
The only car I every owned that didn't have a glitch was a Civic, probably because it's not as complex as many other cars today.
Good luck with getting it fixed.

 

Have you even tried to change out the tranny fluid to the GM fluid?

 

Sorry to hear about your poblems Modulus.

But, consider yourself lucky that you didn't go the lemon law route. I did that for a motorcycle a few years ago and it simply was not worth it. I'm not sure about Ohio, but for the most part, the lemon laws are just bullshiit. The reason I say that is because the plaintiff is a person taking on the defendant which is a huge corporation with tons of money. Add to that the plaintiff is sitting around waiting to get reimbursed for their primary mode of transportation. Add to that you have to go out of pocket for the legal fees (which can get reimbursed if you win). The defendant will use every tactic in the book to delay the process because they know it's practically impossible for most individuals to outlay that much cash for that long. Also, your primary mode of transportation is on the line, which makes it that much tougher to handle the long timeframe. Delaying the process is VERY easy to do because the laws are bullshiit. Once you go the lemon law route, it's an out-and-out dirty streetfight.

Basically, it took me 2 years and about $xx Thousand to recoupe $(xx Thousand - 5K) during a settlement. If we went to court, I might have gotten more money back, but I would have had to cover my lawyer during a really expensive trial. (I can't speak exact values due to the settlement agreement).

It's a joke. The only people that make money in these situations are the lawyers. As a friend of mine once said to me, "The laws are written by lawyers, and they are written to keep lawyers in business."

Sorry for the rant...

I hope you get your transmission issue resolved with some of the info here (as ggesq mentioned)...

 

InWI, I tried to send you a PM to help you with posting pics, but I guess you don't have enough posts yet, so you're not allowed to PM yet.