An '08 TL-S popped up on my daily search last week, the dealer is about 5 hours away.

The lowdown

• Alabaster Silver Metallic
• Automatic
• 56,xxx miles
• Asking price of $15,000
• Dings on rear passenger fender
• Paint chips on rear bumper

The exterior looks pretty rough with a couple dings and paint chips, the interior is also dirty, but they just got the vehicle in last week so i'm assuming they haven't had the time to detail/clean it yet. I asked him if $12,500 was a possibility, and he said yes.

My question is, at $12,500 would it be a good purchased based solely on the pictures? Thanks.

https://imgur.com/a/zYvCj

 

according to the pics yes $12.5k is reasonable for marking price. But what we don't know is any mechanical need attention especially the TB tensioner, if its flopping around when cold you will need to invest in 105k service earlier than scheduled.

 

Seems like a decent deal to me, but I didn't look up the book price or anything. A 10 year old car is naturally going to have a few cosmetic imperfections. Just as long as it hasn't been wrecked or anything.

Like truonghthe said, I'd be most concerned about mechanical stuff. Take a look (and a smell) at the oil and ATF. Avoid it if they smell burnt, or if the ATF is super black. Take it for a drive and put the engine and transmission through the ringer. Downshift and upshift through all 5 gears and see how it behaves at WOT. At 10 years old, I'd consider a timing belt job as part of the price as well, even though it hasn't hit 105K.

 

Thanks guys! Yeah, I guess judging the exterior is the easy part. If I do buy, i'm hoping some touch-up paint will take care of the chips, and a few hundred on the dent removal will suffice. As far as the engine, anyone in Louisville, want to take a test drive? Haha.

 

You may want to post your question about a test driver in the Midwest Regions:

https://acurazine.com/forums/midwest-312/

Good luck with your search.

 

Oh, wow. Had no idea that existed. Thanks, man!

 

Me personally, I would never buy a car based solely on pictures. Therefore I can't give you an honest opinion on whether or not you should pull the trigger. I'd take a look at a carfax, Vehicle History Report, run the vin for any recalls or warranty work needed, and try to find any service records available. From the few pictures shown the car looks to be in pretty good shape. But I'd rather purchase a mechanically sound vehicle with some cosmetic issues vs an aesthetically pleasing car that needs some mechanical work. Good luck!

 

Some super low mileage..........

 

If he was that quick to accept a lower offer of $3000 and over the phone and they just got it then that makes it suspect to me. Yes, they could have stolen it from owner but I tend to always see the negative when it comes to dealers. Good luck.

 

I agree. A car with that amount of miles, especially type s, should be going for way more imo. Closer to the asking price. Then again I'm from CA, and everything is taxed out here