At 31 years old, this is my first time buying a car!! I am driving a pretty boring, reliable, and older sedan right now and am practically salivating over remote power door locks. Here's my buying strategy. I wondered if anyone had any tips.

I searched on cars.com with the maximum I'm willing to consider for an Acura TL, and sorted from lowest mileage to highest. I made a spreadsheet with the mileage, year, dealership/location, the Edmunds True Market Value (do you think this is my best bet for where I should start negotiating?), whether the car has navigation (anything else like that I should consider?), and the list price. I looked up ebay motors completed auctions, but I only found one remotely comparable completed listing, and it was more mileage than I'd buy.

I would like to do as much of this online/over the phone as possible. . .My limitations are I have two little ones who are good sports but can only be trotted out to car lots so much before they get cranky (sitter is only an option for one child), and my husband can probably only take a day off work (weekends are free), and we would like the car soon since we will be down to one car in a week after our insurance will no longer be covering the rental. I don't absolutely need a car in the short term. We live in a metro area with a lot of options spread all over the place. I'm trying to figure out how to narrow it down from my list of ten cars at eight dealerships. Two are certified and I wonder if that is worth the premium.

If you were considering an 04, 05, and 06 (07s are probably beyond our buget), with similar or proportional mileage, are there any differences, and which would you buy, and why?

We are paying cash and are not trading in.

Thanks!

 

Changes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acura_TL

Depending on the years/mileage you intend to keep the TL the CPO is a wise choice as it affords one the additional 12mo/12k warranty at the end of the factory warranty and then a 7yr/100K power train warranty from the first in service date. There is also an option to purchase an Acura 7k/100k bumper to bumper warranty. Mine was $890.
The only major option was the navigation system which is a good investment if you want to pay the premium. It has other advantages than just navigation.
Other than color, price, condition that's about it. You should have someone knowledgeable inspect any car that you consider purchasing. Although not perfect, check the CarFax report for owners/accidents. Just remember to look very closely if purchasing from an independent used car lot.
Good Luck

 

Thanks for the info. I forgot to mention that we are doing the AutoCheck and maybe Carfax too. So you would have an independent mechanic check out a manufacturer-certified vehicle? Also, we are planning to keep this car 10+ years.

 

Just go for the newest/lowest mileage you can afford.

 

Unless your husband or have a friend that is very well informed, I would. Although Acura leads us to believe the cars are near perfect condition, but just becuase they are Certified it doesn't mean they are, or haven't been in an accident or repainted. Need to look at all cosmetics as the Certified I purchased had curb rash on 3 wheels. I had the dealer exchange all the wheels with another vehicle no cost. Tires also. Although they will pass the CPO process doesn't mean they are like new. The VIN numbers are on all parts of the car, eg hood, doors, trunk, rear bumper cover and also on the front cover also, but under plastic covering. Just make certain they are there and match the VIN of the car. Another bargaining point - When I looked at ours, it wasn't listed as a CPO car, in fact it was listed well below the other CPO's of the same year/mileage. To make the deal I had the Acura dealer Certify the car for no additional cost, which he agreed. In this case it was just paperwork but I received the extended warranty, and as stated earlier paid $890 for the full bumper to bumper warranty. From the time we set foot on the lot the wife wanted the car as it was WDP with nav and parchment interior, but please don't show any emotion when bartering for a deal. Just keep in mind there are others available and go from there.
You'll love the car.

 

Edmunds TMV prices are higher in my opinion. In part I think to the current economy which they do not factor in. What would be a good reference is to find out what other people are paying for their TLs who are also in your area. Since you also said you are paying cash, you could probably get an even better deal.

What is your price range? I would lean towards an 06 if 07s are out of your price range. TLs changed more between 06-07/08 than 04-06. An 06 would be newer, lower mileage, still under warranty. A certified place would be more expensive but you could bet a CPO extended warranty which could pay off in the long term.

 

Thanks for the wikipedia. . .I noticed that they almost dismissed the differences between the 04-05 such as seat belt mounts--well, seat belt mounts can be a deal-breaker for us if it makes it difficult to install a car seat!

Really, we are willing to pay a little more and get an 06 if it would extend the useful life of the car for us and overall be a better value. But we are adding to our down payment for a house, and every dollar counts there.

That is an interesting idea to have them certify the car at no extra cost. Thanks for the VIN reminder.

How do I figure out what others have paid in my area recently? Like I said, Ebay motors has no completed listings except for a high mileage vehicle within 100 miles. We are in Northern VA.

 

Welcome.

You'll probably need to tell us your budget for the car. If you only have 11-16k you're leaning toward a equipped 04 with low mileage. If you have 15-18k, you have yourself a low mileage 05. If you have 18-23k then you're leaning toward a 06 with low mileage also. Anything higher would be a Type-S or a 07-08. I would go a 06 Base TL with or without NAVI (your preference). You always want to go lower than Edmunds or KBB (especially when you're not rich, im assuming). I dunno about your 10 year car thing, but TL is a great combo of performance, quality, and longetivity. 10 year may be pushing it a little, but with proper maintenance I know it will last longer than 5 years.

Good luck in your buy!

 

I wouldn't worry what others have paid for a specific vehicle/year as there are always variables. As long as you are comfortable with the price after researching KBB etc that's all that counts. They should all be in a range for a specific year depending on mileage, condition, warranty, etc. Cheapest is not always the best.

 

^true.

Mine is just an estimate of the price. All I want from him/her is to get a TL. TL is the best car!

 

Not to put my business out there but my 05 was offered to me for 20.5k last summer when I purchased it. That is not what I paid for it but that was the common price I found in the NOVA area at all of the places I looked for 04-05 TL's that were not certified pre-owned (CPO). A lot of factors will play into the price of the vehicle. I have noticed that Acura dealers tend to charge more for used TL's that other dealers. It just so happens that I got mine at an Infiniti dealer (same year with less miles) and paid less that I would if I had purchased the same car at the Acura shop (Karen Radley). They really wern't willing to move much on the price and I don't remember if they automatically offered it as a CPO. If you are paying cash, you are better suited to haggle with someone during a private sale versus as dealer, not to say I still wouldn't look at a dealer lot. Keep your eyes open and you will find one in your price range.

Oh and from what I hear, you will not get a good deal at Carmax. I don't know from experience but a lot of the guys here will agree.

 

It takes some patience and luck. I was started looking at TL's and found out dealers were still asking too much for CPO cars in this dreadful economy. I then started looking at TSX and V6 Accords.

It turned out well for me as a nearby dealer had too many CPO TL' s sitting on their lot with more trade in's coming in.

I was able to buy (last week) a Certified 2006 TL for only $18,000 with 26,000 miles on the odometer. This car also
has curb rash on 2 of the wheels. They also had a 2006 Certified 2006 TL with only 15,000 miles for the same price...just not my color (White).

CARFAX is not foolproof. Insurance companies do not give them data. CARFAX gets accident data from Police Departments.

 

CoolPillow,

I just did an extensive search and I used email exclusively. I would just email every dealer within 500 miles that had a car I was interested in. I would simply say "I'm interested in the silver 07 TL you have in stock. This car would be worth $XX,XXX to me. Can you sell it for that price? If so, I'm prepared to buy immediately."

I sent out over 50 emails and got rejected 49 times (my dollar amount would vary depending on miles and nav), but it only takes one. You'll find out very quickly where dealers really are. One I thought I had no chance at was listed at $29,900, but two emails back and forth later and we were at $22,300 including doc fee and temp tag (just an example of how two emails took us down $7,600.)

Another really useful feature on CarFax is that you can see how long the dealer has had it for sale. The longer a dealer had it, the more willing they were to negociate.

Anyway, like I said, I did the whole thing be email. When I finally settled on a car 8 hours from me, I had the dealer take a zillion extra pictures before I made the drive. I did a one way car rental for $120 and saved several thousand for the trouble.

Finally, if you're looking at white or silver, definitely check to see that all the VIN numbers match, but don't necessarily walk on the deal if the bumber is a slightly different color than the body -- I almost walked on the deal because I thought maybe the car had been in an accident and the bumber repainted (in spite of clean carfax and dealer assurance). A few days later on AcuraZine, I read that it is a common issue.

Sorry for the novel.

 

I heard that IF you flash oh let's say mm 100$ when your at the table and ask him/her to help you get the kind of deal that your looking for with the back and forth managers that they seem to be getting the prices from, and also inform that the 100$ is theirs if you get the deal your looking for o.o

anyone tried this before haha...

 

Hey TLinTN,
Would you mind sharing what dealer you finally bought from and maybe the salesman?
I have had no luck trying to negotiate, over email.
I told one dealer in Virginia, that I was going to pack my bags and move down there, because they obviously have no economic issues.
I am looking for a used, Blue 08 Nav. and I can not get the dealers to budge below 28k.
It is amazing. We exchange a couple of emails and then nothing. I would think with this economy, the wouldn't stop bugging a perspective buyer.
They are either really good or really bad salesmen.

 

Hey HokAy,

I had thought about doing that. I may try it next time during the test drive.

 

A few years ago my daughter/son in law wanted a new Jeep Hemi Grand Cherokee, so I negotiated via email. Finally came up with a great deal about 1.5 hours from the house. When we arrived and asked for the salesman by name, he stated that he never had any communication with us and had no idea of what transpired. It was just another ploy to get you in the door. Can't believe the frustration and the rant began. I spoke to the GM, and after a few minutes of futility, I threw all the emails on his desk, and he finally agreed to give her the Jeep at the quoted price. It was also the last day for the $3000 cash back from Chrysler which is reflected in the price. List $44950 cash $33770. Not a bad deal, but the resale of the Jeep Hemi's drop like a rock along with the 13MPG, but it's what they wanted.

 

There's a bunch of "how much did you pay for your TL" threads on this forum. There's even a "3G TL Owners Sign In" thread stickied at the top.

You can get a general feel for the price of a specific model/color and location.

I just remember going in the first time with a price on an '04 TL and when the dealer asked me how I came up with the number I said KBB and he showed me that my price was way off but I should've said I went on the forums and that's what people were paying.

 

I think NADA is the most realistic numbers right now (TRADE IN FIGURES), and I've noticed a steady drop in their prices vs. some of the other auto pricing guides, which indicates to me that they are now factoring in for the economy:

http://www.nadaguides.com/home.aspx?...=28&p=0&f=5000

This is not full proof of course, but I think their numbers are the most realistic vs. some of the others. Case in point I found a really nice '07 w/ Nav but high mileage (41K+). The dealership has it listed for a pretty high price but punch the numbers in, and you will find that it is only worth about $21,000+ on a trade right now ($19,000+ if not in the best condition).

I too am surprised out how unrealistic some of these dealerships are being w/ their prices. I'm all for making a profit and staying in business, but listing a USED TL that is almost 2 years old for over $30K, and then barely even showing interest in budging on the number?!? LOL Laughable at best...

 

I think if you are dealing with a dealer through email, you should finish off with a phone call before traveling. I would also, want the complete invoice emailed to me with all charges.

I am really stubborn. I was getting quotes at the end of the summer for brand new 08 TL's with Nav, for $29,300. Some of these were advertised prices.

Now with the economy, I am expecting to get at least 5k off of the 29,300 for a used one with 10k miles.

There is really no reason for anyone to be buying a car these days. I think most people's jobs are in question. Also I believe the stimulus package is giving tax rebates for buying new.
Maybe I am