Rsnl

Hi,

I am wanting to purchase a white 2007 TL-S via craigslist private seller. The car has 36k for 23k firm and claims it to be bone stock. He lives about an hr away so I haven't seen the car yet.

I've never bought a car via private party before and I was hoping if I can get some help from the experience here. Especially with TLs. What should I look for and test out? Any known problems I should keep an eye on and what info other than carfax should I ask?

Or am I better off buying from a dealership?

I am hoping to be a regular here if it goes through.

Thanks!

stevietennis

Hey there,

Check the panels for vin number stickers, any missing stickers mean the panel was replaced.

Check the panel for any paint flaws. Usually when there is paint on the weatherstripping it means the car was painted. And if the car was painted it usually means they had an accident. Odds are since it is a WDP the bumpers will be mis-matched a little, could be one bumper or both front and rear.

Test drive the TL-S, makes sure the auto is good, and test the paddles shifters too. If it is a manual shift, like you would normally i guess. Be sure to take it down a street and the freeway too. The car is under powertrain warranty still so if you do miss something you have warranty.

Check to make sure all electronics in the car work. windows, seats, mirror, heated seats, nav, etc...since bumper to bumper warranty is most likely gone you'll have to pay these if you find them after buying the car.

I'm sure there are more things you can do but i feel that these are pretty standard and important.

Good luck with the purchase!

BG74

Isn't bumper to bumper 4 years/50K ?

BradE

Yes. But since it's a 2007, it's possible the car was purchased in summer/fall of 2006, so it could be expired based on time.

Would have to ask when the car was purchased to be 100% sure either way. I wouldn't take the sellers word for it either, take the VIN and call an Acura dealer, they can tell you the original date of sale, and how much of the bumper to bumper warranty is remaining, if any.

R33kTLs

OP- where are you from? I'm selling my 2008 WDP TL type s. with only 24k

edit: my 2008 is Acura Certified!

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

i hate to be the glass half empty guy but if you can swing an extra $2k or so....get one at a dealer certified. that way to can leave with peace of mind that the car has a warranty and has been inspected. on top of that make sure you look the car over good dont just rely on car fax for any type of accidents or other damage

conester

I disagree that the "certified" means it is better. I bought my '04 certified and I have had TONS of problems. Fortunately I bought the extended warranty because there has been probably close to 12K or more work covered under my warranty. I think no matter where you get your car, it can have problems. Nothing is a slam dunk, you just have to go with your gut and research so you feel better. If buying from a private party, you can take the car to a mechanic to have them look it over and see if there is anything that stands out that isn't in the car fax. Good luck!

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

certified does make the car better IMO. keeps you from getting nickle and dimed at the dealer, courtesy vehicle during repairs, and other perks.

i understand you can get a certified car thats a piece of shit but in general. it makes the overall car ownership better. period.

Rsnl

Hi,

I am from Seattle and the seller lives in Tacoma if that matters. Thanks for the tips because I didn't think about the stuff Stevietennis has mentioned.

How much would it cost approx to bring it to mechanic anyways? Can I just call Acura with the vin, and they'll tell me if it's still has bumper to bumper warranty?

Sorry for all the questions, I'll feel like once I go out and see it my excitement will take over and end up forgetting something stupid. Hehe

Anymore tips and recommendations before I go see it tonight or tomorrow? Thanks!

BradE

The certified inspection performed at most dealers is a joke. They CPO cars that shouldn't be certified, and don't CPO cars that should.

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

couldn't be happier with my CPO. there's shitty dealers and legit ones....do your research on where you buy as well.

Rsnl

Is it a normal thing that bumpers on a wdp are mismatched?

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

they will be slightly mismatched due to the paint settling differently on plastic vs. metal.

make sure you check that the vin label is on all panels/doors. run your fingers on the edges of panels to feel where paint would have built up where masking tape was.

Ruby

Orrrrr, you can just bring it to your mechanic and have him look it over. 2 thousand dollarz in mah pocket. Dealers rip people off and I know a lot of people that buy crap cars or even crap cars that were "CPO". CPO is just a marketing ploy.

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

theoretical question....

you buy the car non-certified, you roll past the standard warranty.....something breaks

wat do

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

also how are extended manufacturer warranties marketing ploys? just curious.

The Duck of Death

CPO from a reputable dealer gives you 5yr/62000 bumper to bumper no deductible warranty + loaner for any service outside of oil changes and basic repairs (per my sales agreement in front of me). They offered me an extended warranty, but I declined.


The price on my TL was about same/slightly higher compared to non-CPO vehicles when I researched it on autotrader.

I totally agree with you there, any vehicle, new or used can have serious problems. However, if something should happen to the car, like say a week after he buys it, that isn't covered under a warranty, he has a better chance dealing with a dealership than with a private party.

Then again, there is nothing wrong with buying private party. If you like the car, follow some of the excellent suggestions on here; inspections, carfax, even take it to the local body shop and have someone take a look at it. It shouldn't cost that much. If you decide to go CPO, like Waltah said, research the dealership when you research the car.

Either way, good luck to you!

My $.02

raf1919

i dunno me personally if i'm gonna spend 20k+ i want some piece of mind (warranty) there is a lot that can go wrong just not worth the risk. i'd rather pay a lil more.

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

bingo

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

No problem in buying private as long as one is knowledgeable and look the car over closely and there is no problem with securing the title. Many Acura dealers pick cars up from the auction and put them on their lot not knowing what maniac may have owned the car. Just don’t ne overwhelmed with the appearance of the body. Do due diligence and check maintenance records, tires for tread depth and if any uneven wear, trans fluid condition, oil level and condition, check brake rotors for any poor surface. Purchase the car then purchased the extended warranty if you so desire.

Waltah

iTrader: (3)

hence the reason to buy CPO

Rsnl

update: saw it and test drove it today. The body was great and everything seemed great. The owner is the second owner and he is 50 years old . Selling it bc he is going back to Ukraine.
THey want 23K firm. Sounds like a good price ya?

poormans_tl69

post some pics...

Hacura

I looked around for nearly 1 year and can only say that I found 1 ASM CPO TL-S that was worthwhile. 90% of the cars I saw at the dealer were poorly taken care of (scratches, scuffs, etc) - you just know. It came to the point where I didn't even get my hopes up anymore.

IMHO, a well taken care of private party vehicle will almost certainly be a better purchase than most trade-in's or lease returns. I'd say the only advantage the CPO has is the extended warranty - the rest is fluff.

Do your DD and check everything you can. Call Acura with the VIN and run an autocheck. Most importantly, be patient. It's a big purchase and try not to be too emotional with things.

If you get the car, change all fluids and enjoy.

Edit: just saw your post and 23k is a decent price for a TL-S with 36k miles. I'd try to squeeze another $500 out of it, so it'll be 22.5k + tax. I paid $25k + tax for my 2007 TL-s with 15k miles.

blacktsx05

iTrader: (1)

seems kinda high coming from a private party..my opinion

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

That certainly is debatable. The private sale in most instances will be, or should be, considerably less than the dealer CPO car, and the CPO only covers the drivetrain until 100K. To obtain the full Acura Car Care warranty will cost @ $1500, and that will add more to the price.

Naturally common sense should prevail and reference to KBB price would be prudent as the private party value is considerably less than the suggested retail.

Second owner on a ’07 and leaving the country, better check it out very closely. Run a Carfax and spend the extra $100 bucks to have an Acura dealer do an inspection. Check the tires for tread depth, should be new for the asking price, and also the tire manufacturer. Usually if a car is well cared for a decent tire will be installed, not some $100 cheapos. If they balk at having the car inspected, walk away. If everything checks out A-1 get the car as the price is in the ball park. If the owner doesn’t have the title in hand, don’t hand over the money until the title is in your possession, even if you need to go the bank or person/institution that is the lien holder.

waystinthyme

i would suggest getting it checked out by an independent auto mechanic before purchasing. often buying from a private seller can save you tons of money, prevent you from paying fees, and take the stealership out of the equation...so i'm all for it.

-waystinthyme

Jiggy2dmax

iTrader: (1)

There's a few threads on this forum where people bought CPOP cars, had issues and dealers basically told them to shove it. I would venture to say the majority of the CPO cars are lease returns....people will not take care of a lease as well as they do there own car.

You can extend the factory warranty if its still in place and add your piece of mind there.

CPO IMHO is just a ploy.

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

just wondering if its going overboard by taking a car from a private seller to the dealership and then a body shop?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I wouldn't do that, but you have the peace of mind I guess.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Certainly depends on the experience of the person doing the purchase. As some on the Forum have never changed oil in a vehicle or have never done a brake job, I certainly don't feel that they would qualify as an experienced used car buyer.I wouldn't need the assistance of either, but if someone is not very knowledgeable when it comes to vehicles, especially used vehicles, I definitely feel it best to have someone look at the car, especially someone that is familiar with the vehicle e.g. Acura dealer.

bshevchuk

Did you run carfax? Something I would def do. Even if its a clean title, it could of been title washed from other states. Carfax would show a record where it was registered.

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

thx for responses. anyone use autochecker instead of carfax? i know carfax doesnt catch alot of stuff

bshevchuk

Ive had better luck with carfax. More in depth info. Autocheck tell you it was in accident. Carfax tell you when it was in accident, if airbags went off, and sometimes even police report number. But both should pick up any major problems.

jhumbo

iTrader: (1)

Remember that these reports only know about things that were reported. Useful tools, but they may miss things.

con5tant

iTrader: (4)

man carfax is expensive now. i remember years and years ago when it was like $10 for unlimited carfaxes.

93SHOcar

Others may feel differently, but I think a legit seller should not balk at having the car checked out. To be fair, try to get things scheduled close together so that the car is not out of the owners hands for too long. Also, be prepared to pay for the mechanic's inspection. The inspection should include a written report along with estimates for any repairs. Don't get too upset if he finds something. If the repair is not due to abuse, simply use it as leverage to lower the price. Same for tires. As long as they are not mismatched or on the tread bars, use that as a leverage point and get the tires replaced, if needed, yourself. That way, you get the exact tires you want.

Lastly, consider taking it to an independent mechanic that specializes in Acura/Honda. I had a used S8 checked at a supposedly well regarded Audi dealership and it passed with flying colors (lying bast#$%s). Then I decided to go with a second inspection at a private specialist. They identified $2500 in repairs. I still went with the car but at least I knew what I was getting into. Would have really created a lot of buyer's remorse if I had not found out until later.

blacktsx05

iTrader: (1)

any update? did you buy it yet?

1islandparadise

I would recommend going through the Nav menu and see what "messages" are stored in there. I bought my 07 TL-S CPO with a message that said "tighten fuel cap". Took three trips to a different acura dealership to get it fixed....

nuttcase21

iTrader: (1)

be sure to check the power steering pressure hose as they're prone to developing some weepage that's not covered under the acura recall. if the car has it, trell the owner to go to the dealership and bitch about it, they should "good will" it and repair it for free like they did mine. also, do yourself a favor and check the noise canceling & HFL systems for proper operation. seems like a petty thing, but these cars are expensive and have some pretty complicated electronics in them that fail, especially the HFL. GLWP