I recently got into a pretty bad accident. Thanks to everyone for the support and info. I don't feel 100%, but hope to get there some day. Well, my baby is officially an Acura Total Loss. I'm looking to buy another TL close in mileage, condition and price. Problem is, I'm not seeing a Certified Pre Owned TL that even matches what I bought before. Prices seem to be higher with higher mileage in the CPO category. I see more options if I look into just used cars. My question is, are CPO TL's worth the extra cost? Would I be fine with just used? My previous CPO TL had some problems, but they were taken care of with no charge. That is why I like CPO. I'm pretty patient and can wait a little bit to find the right car, but my rental car is going back real soon and winter is going to be vicious. Thanks for any input.

 

First, glad to hear you are feeling better. I personally think a CPO is worth it based on personal experience. However, if you can find what you want with a good extended warranty, I think you should be good too.

 

I went with a CPO for a bit of a guarantee that I'm not buying a lemon, but I feel that I got suckered by buying the extended bumper to bumper.

 

That is pretty much why I prefer CPO.
I bought the extended warranty with the first TL. Is it possible to have it transferred to another same year TL?

 

If you go the non CPO route make sure you have an independent mechanic check it out. The first TL I made an offer on was conditional that I have it checked out by a mechanic. Car had a clean carfax report so I thought I'd sail right through the inspection. Mechanic put it up on a lift and brought me back to the car. The car had been in a real bad front end accident and the car actually had forklift marks where it had been picked up in a salvage yard. On the outside everything looked perfect, no gaps between hood and fender, whoever fixed it did a great job. But with that type of hard hit it might never drive correctly or could just cause problems down the road. I returned to the dealer and told him about what I had found. Salesperson played stupid then finally said to me "If it's been fixed correctly whats the problem". At that point I knew that he was aware of the history on the car. So just saying, be careful with any used car you buy. Anybody in the Raleigh, NC area should let TAO auto do a pre-inspection on the used car they are looking at. It's the best $40 or so dollars I ever spent. BTW the mechanic's name was Tim and they now have a customer for life.

 

I'm not sure if CPO comes with an extended warranty, but my experience with the CPO process is it's pretty worthless.

My friend owns a garage in PA very close to the NJ border. Many residents buy cars at the NJ dealers (all makes) who have an agreement with the shop to perform the PA state inspection. The CPO cars often have not even had the under-carriage panels removed. We firmly believe the CPO moniker is simply a way to charge more for the car. The money saved by not performing the CPO inspection is only partially offset by the few cars that come back for warranty work.

Just my $.02, but I put no credence in anything that's CPO'd over something used. In fact, I'd rather buy a car from an enthusiast who I can tell cared well for their car and can often provide a good service history.

 

As much as I wished CPO meant some kind of guarantee that you're not getting a crappy car, it isn't.

Someone posted a thread some time ago about a CPO with sludge discovered in the engine on the 2nd oil change. That's something they would have discovered if they changed the oil during the inspection or at least looked at the dipstick. I'm sure it varies in reality between dealers on how thorough each certification process is.

it's hopefully mostly hit with them, but there is the occasional miss.

A used car from a private party that is inspected by a reputable shop, preferably specializing in japanese makes, is just as good. You just dont get the warranty afterwards.

My TL i bought with almost no records at 52k miles. I did all the research I could on it. Clean title, so i got it inspected at my trusted japanese mech that we've been going to for over a decade. After 16k miles, no new problems that I found that were not on the inspection list.

 

I would even go a step further and recommend that is worth while to have an independent mechanic check out any used TL you are considering regardless of CPO or not. Some of the cheapest peace of mind you can buy. If the dealer/seller were to hedge at this request, I would walk. Good luck!

 

Thankfully you are OK.

The CPO process really depends on the dealership. Some of them abide by the guidelines and actually do the work involved in certifying the car. Some of them do the minimum.

Personally I would try to get a CPO one. It may be worth the extra couple bucks a month. If you do opt to buy a used and get an extended warranty then I would go with these guys....

www.curryacuracare.com

I used them in the past and they are really good.

As for the extended warranty you bought with the totaled TL you may be able to get some of the cash back. Call the dealership you purchased it from. When I sold my CLs I had a Acura extended warranty and I get a pro-rated check back since I sold it before 100K. It's worth a call.

Also....what is your budget and what are you looking for? Mileage? 6 Speed vs auto? Navi? Type S?

 

I spent 10 months looking and 8 out of 10 of the CPO's I looked at were pretty shitty. I got lucky with a private party car that was very well taken care of.

 

That would be great if I could get some of the cash back. Getting it transferred would be even better though.
The totaled TL was around $22,600 sticker price with roughly 27,900 miles on it. Was originally looking for a NBP base auto very close to that (couldn't find any), but now this NBP type-s is catching my eye. It is about $5k more than I would like to spend. Is the extra HP and nav worth the extra $4-5K? I personally don't like the Type-S rims and quad exhaust though.

 

I think CPO is worth it because it extends the original Acura new car warranty.

In my case, my CPO was fortunately priced below other used TL's so I got lucky there.