23109VC

would you consider buying an Acura loaner TL?

they are almost new, 10-11k miles...very clean...but maybe they got flogged HARD like rental cars...

any thoughts?

ross7778

I beat the shit out of the loaner when I take my car in for service. No way in hell would I buy a loaner TL.

BradE

Nope, wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole.

TimTim

iTrader: (4)

Indeed, I would never buy a loaner either. I also beat the living hell out them!

VQPower37

Noooooooooooo

mack025

hell no i wouldn't buy a loaner,just like everyone else i dog the hell out of it and im sure people dont use premium fuel.

01tl4tl

it really depends on the car- not everyone beats the loaners any more than a driver may do to their own (parents) car

Have to look at it on the lift closely to know condition of brakes- scrape marks from being bottemed out flying over jumps etc

IF its got CPO warranty- you dont have to worry on the trans failure to 100

Any car on the lot is subject to having been flogged-
give an 18 yr old a TL-S and dont expect the clutch and brakes to be good at time of sale- they unloaded that car when dad found out the repair cost!!

how would you know who drove a used car before you and how they drove??

`It was only driven by little old ladies on sunday to smuggle meth--50 miles each way!!`

01tl4tl

cars that were run on 87 octane can be fixed with seafoam and redline cleaners- makes it like new again

PhilB81

If someone drives hard frequently on a cold engine the rings are going to wear and you'll burn oil. I don't care what magical fluids you put in there to 'fix' that problem because it won't.
As far as buying a loaner depends on your plans. If you want a car for a year or 2 and it'll be under warranty, ya that could work. But if your going to get attached to it and keep it longer... Might want to find another car.
As far as the loaner vs a used car treatment, well the loaner's previous drivers never had a sense of ownership or permanence with that car. Odds are they were driving it while irritated because their car was at the shop. so in my opinion a loaner will be more beatup
than a used car in most cases. Unless you bought the car from Hulk Hogan's kid, then your better off with loaner or rental, or salvage title.

hirsch014

dont get it. my friend once bought a car that was a rental and we had it thoroughly inspected and it was under warranty. there was some weird brake/wheel problem soon after he took it. with 30k miles, the bearings started to rub, the caliper slides were sticking, and one of the wheels started clunking on bumps. couldnt seem to get them fixed. no matter how well you inspect it, it seems issues arise anyway. (later noticed some trim was different on the drivers door vs the passenger door, suggesting the door was replaced) traded that quickly before the value dropped any more.

so dont trust rentals even though they look and check out fine.

01tl4tl

rentals that see a week or weekend at a time with one person get abused more than a loaner from the dealer-
which is often driven by a responsible adult over 25 simply driving to work for a few days..not out testing it for a track day

Any car can hide problems

A brake slider not being greased comes from constant washing in a drive thru system
It sprays the wheels and washes the grease from key areas
have seen it happen on my own street car--after a drive thru wash - caliper grease all vanished!
Then had top pull the brakes apart and regrease sliders~

SickSix

There is no definite answer to this... it all depends on the exact car you are looking at. I had an 04 Mazda6 that was a loaner, and it was a great car... no issues whatsoever. It was actually on of the best cars I've ever owned... until I found my TL.

if you see one you like... thoroughly check it out, then make the dealer throw in some freebies, and fight them to lower the price.

subinf

I don't drive loaners any differently. I might take speed bumps a little faster but otherwise everything is pretty much the same.

Dave_W

I know what the loaners at the dealer I used to work for went through. If your going to buy one, go over it with a fine tooth comb first.

LoveMyTL-S

When I get a loaner I treat like it was my friends car and drive it civilized. After all it's not my car. And then again, that's me. I'm sure others abuse them very badly. My father once bought a Lincoln Towncar demo. That was a very nice car. No issues. Had 6k on the odo. But like what was mention, you take a chance. So, look it over REALLY close. Good luck with your TL search and purchase.

dmarcus48

gee, I guess my age is showing. I don't drive a loaner any different than I drive my own car. I don't put premium in it, but other then that I treat them fairly well.



Dave

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Negative

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

I agree with you guys. I don't know what possesses anyone to treat a loaner car badly. No respect-in my opinion.

csmeance

No premium? I treat my loaners as I my own car... When I had an acura loaner for 5 months due to my lemon MDX, I treated the leather, 303'ed the seals and dash, washed it, etc.... I feel pretty now...

Dave_W

Thats not wierd. I remember back in 06 when the trans went on my 3.2 CL-S they gave me a brand new tsx loaner. I detailed the thing and filled it with premium before I returned it.

dmassott

it all depends, but after working at a dealer for a year, i would say no due to what i have seen the way all of the workers treated them.

but i guess it all depends on the dealer, but there were guys that would just take them out for joyrides all day long. (redlining, ebrake turns)

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Not.

BELLER

You guys are making me nervous. I bought an 08 T.L. base, loaner in early October, with 7,000 miles on it.
So far so good. I baby it and really don't drive it hard. I changed the oil as soon as I got it, although the dealer had just changed it, I still put in full-synthetic, with a new filter, and also changed it again about 5,000 miles later.

It now has 15,000 miles on it and runs great, but again I'm easy on brakes and tires, and wash and wax it often.
I also only plan to keep it for 2 or 3 years, so I'm hoping it will be problem free til then, which should be around 30- to 40 thousand miles.
I rotate the tires, and plan to change the tranny fluid before long.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, and my 08 T.L.
( nbp ) beige int. tinted windows and really like new condition since I'm the only one in it most of the time.

wall e

loaner= no

demo= yes

subinf

You should be fine. Unless you got one of the dick heads that treats a loaner like crap it should be running just like a non-loaner TL. Hell, I'm probably nicer to loaner cars than I am my own.

tl_dinhsum84

nope wouldnt buy one either i drove one like i was some pro race car driver lol

ray-ban

If you get the car at an unbeatable or phenomenal price, then do it. If the car does cause problems, chances are it's still under some kind of warranty (make sure it is before you buy). Or, if it's outside warranty period, well, you DID save that extra $$$ when u bought the loaner car vs a used or new one, so just pony up and fix what needs to be fixed.

All comes down to the price they will give it to you for.

Would I? Probably not, but for the right price, I'll buy anything...

alexSU

iTrader: (3)

I would have to say no. Plenty of reasons above ^

RonJonTL757

Damn you guys are acting like your current GF/Wife were virgins when you met them

I mean yeah chances are the car might have been used and abused but with a CPO inspected and a warranty you really cant go wrong especially for the reduced price. Chances are there are a bunch on this forum who did it but they wont admit it.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

^^^It's just a matter of respect for property or possessions that are not yours, but are being loaned to you.

Blazing GT

you must be drunk to ask a question like that!

TL1999

Unless it is a deal of a life time

23109VC

wow. you all say NO.



here is the scoop on the car. It's a WDP/Black base w/nav. 11k miles. htey want $28k.

i offered $25k they said no. $28k was as low as they woudl go. now keep in mind this was over the phone - not in person. i did go in and drive it, but left. called back a day later and made the offer.

the car WAS a service LOANER.

i don't think that price is so smokin low that it makes it the deal of a lifetime.

i could get a used 07 Type S for that price. with m ore miles yes, but not tons more. 20-25k maybe...

there is another dealer that has a 2008 TL-S CBP/ebony with 20k miles. asking price is $31k. they'd probably go down to 28 themselves...

JwongTLS

dont worry too much about miles if its under 30k

I wouldnt be suprise if they are all highway since they rides so comfy on highway speeds..

gotta love the steering......


Oh and DO NOT buy loaner cars.. people beat the shit out of them..u will most likely get tranny problems. Not worth it

jnc2000

Loaners get the same care as my own car. If i happen to get a loaner and it isn't clean, you bet I'll wash it up, tire shine and vacuum it out. I don't drive dirty cars. I return the car it better condition then the way i borrowed it, and often I will completely refill the tank.

When I had the 4G FWD TL Tech a few weeks ago for ~2 weeks I logged 2k miles or so, kept the car clean, and managed 29-30mpg the whole time. Never abused it, raced it or anything of the sort. However, I did put it up on jackstands, and look at the underbelly, do a thorough inspection inside and out and nitpick on QC items that should have been adressed prior to leaving the factory.

Last week when I had the 4G SH-AWD for a day, I gave it the same treatment. However, since I did take possession of the car on my day off I had a good opportunity to take it on a nice drive through some good roads/corners. I met up with a local Acurazine member at lunch, and went back to the dealer (as he was in a loaner as well -- and his car was ready to be picked up) and drove it back home where I gave it a once over... noting interior, and exterior faults/strengths...


Point is whether its a rental from Enterprise, a loaner from Acura, or my best friends car I take car of it all the same... the same as I take care of mine. As others have pointed out its a matter of respect and maturity. For those that have admitted to abusing cars... don't be surprised when and if dealers start using devices to track how you used the car when it was in your possession.. for this vary reason.

BEAR-AvHistory

After looking at all your "should I buy threads" on this page alone I have to wonder if you are actually a potential buyer or just a prolific thread starter.

Babnik

^^ LOL that's what I was thinking too...

Anyways, my parents bought a loaner, we had that car for 5 years without any problems other than regular wear and tear.

Would I buy a loaner? No, UNLESS I got a really good deal on it. And if it's only a year old then you're still getting several years of bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage.

P.S. You people who abuse loaners are jerks. Someone else is gonna buy that car eventually and have problems because of you.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

As you can see I've deleted some posts in this thread. The next post that is derogatory, inflammatory and/or off topic gets two weeks off.

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

NO way would I buy a previous loaner....not because I necessarily abuse my loaners but I know others do, just like buying another prior rental vehicle....people just dont care to take care of them so No I would never buy a previous loaner.

BELLER

You guys are making me think I should trade in my '08 T.L. that I bought last October, sooner than I had planned.
Do you think it will be okay, as I had planned to deal it in another year or two.

It has 15 miles on it now, and appears to be fine. I take real good care of it, and again bought it from a dealer in Ohio, as a loaner, with 7,000 miles on it.

I really thought being a quality car, people wouldn't have abused like many suggest. I'm very dissapointed with Acura people, if this is their attitude, even towards a loaner car. I expected more from Acura folks.