Hey,

I'm looking into buying a used Acura TL. I've found one online being sold privately. I went over and checked the car out. It didn't seem to be in the greatest shape ie. it had a scratch on the hood, scratches on tinted window, minor flaws on tires etc... But the price for it is great. These are things I can fix or replace. So I was thinking of getting the car inspected and I was just wondering how effective these examinations are. Do they check for any exterior or interior cosmetic flaws such as stains, scratches or rust?

 

It depends where you go and how much you pay. Most inspections are mechanical only and a test drive.

 

Call Burrard and see if they will do a complete inspection inside/out along with the mechanicals.

Also a possibility:
http://www.bcaa.com/wps/portal/BCAA/...s.xsl/1761.htm

 

If you have a trusted mechanic, use him/her. If not, maybe an Acura dealer would check it out for you. They'd probably hit you with their hourly rate, but it can't hurt.

Can you give more information on the TL? What year? How much $$$$?

Joe

 

This may seem obvious, but inspect everything yourself, too. Try ALL the switches (do the seats heat up? To both levels? Do all the windows roll up and down? Wipers work? Radio and CD/DVD-A player? Fan? Etc.). Do a Carfax. Test drive it in the city and the highway with the radio off. Listen for weird or annoying sounds.

My wife and I have done a lot of test driving lately, and we noticed significant differences in the ride between same-year models. Drive a few other TLs before settling.

 

Ok, thanks for the suggestions. The vehicle I was looking at was an Acura TL Type S going for $24,500 CAD and negotiable. Did a CarProof on it (similar to Carfax) and found out that it had been in a major accident and had been labeled "salvage" until it was rebuilt. On top of that, I could tell that the owners of the vehicle did not maintain it well nor took nearly as much care as I would have. A couple good lessons learned here. If it's too good to be true it probably is! Services like Carproof and Carfax are definitely a must when purchasing a used vehicle as well, especially over craigslist.