§€NTiN€L

Hi,

After 8 months of researching prices and specs, I am just about to buy a 2005 TL with 63K on it - still under powertrain warranty for like 5 more months. It is from a local and reputable Acura dealer.

Do you think I should get it inspected by a 3rd party mechanic?

The dealer tells me there is nothing wrong with the car but I am a little skeptic .. I was not able to find any problem from the test drive myself ... well but it's my first car so I wouldn't rely on my instincts much.

Thanks!

TlYungGun9

IF you trust the dealer than go for it. but if you have a personal mechanic that you trust more than bring it by them. good luck

01tl4tl

are they offering it CPO? that extends your warranty to 100
It adds about $1000 to the price but pays for itself if there are any problems
If not cpo - ask why- must be something their general inspection turned up

cpo does not mean perfect maitenace history or that regular maitenance is even up to date- cabin filters dont have to be replaced,,just ck- its just a list of 100sum visual inspections a tech does- minimum tire depth- brake pads more than 30 percent remaining- obvious UNrepaired damage--it can have repaired minor accident damage to doors etc, no leaking parts and all recalls done

Its up to you- the Smart buyer- to take it to a private shop and spend 50 bucks making sure what it needs - you can negotiate any repairs off the price and DIY, or dealer does them before sale

NEVER believe a salesman- they are not techs- they dont really know- they want badly to sell you a car so they can pay rent and eat

You can call acura with the vin# and get history ck- what states it lived in -how many owners
are all recalls up to date and were any warranty repairs ever done to it
1-800-382-2238x5 tell them prebuy records ck

Test drive the car driving gently- like egg under gas and brake, and drive it hard with full throttle and vtec, it should pull hard to redline with no problem and then slow very quickly-especially if brembo front brakes~ use SS mode if auto trans...

01tl4tl

its your first car buying experience and first car? take a trusted friend with you to inspect the car outdoors in full daylight and with flashlights, every spec and scratch must be noted- chips on glass--anything- otherwise it wasnt there when you left and its not their problem--ck ac vents- speakers- every single thing on the car

Friend stays with you during negotiations- best to have your own credit line set up in advance- credit union or whatever-rather than dealer financing where they screw you big time
Know what you are willing to pay--not what they can do for payments instead of what you have set up-
only what you are willing to pay- if they wont go for it- friend takes your arm and you leave..Manager runs and gets you to make the deal you want!!
Do a search here and online search for negotiating car prices

salesmen raise the price for commission- go direct to manager if you havnt already involved a salesman..or wait for them to quit~
Wait till end of month to buy- they want that last deal!!
get some skills before you get taken for a ride~

§€NTiN€L

Thanks a lot for the input. Very helpful.

Question: Would you recommend getting it CPO? They asked for Canadian $1500 more for CPO. But for $2000 I could get a 7yr/130K Comprehensive warranty, which they are willing to provide without doing a CPO. This seemed to be an indication that the car didn't need any major work done.

Comments:

1. I asked why it is not CPO. They said some ppl dont want to pay more for CPO so they wait till buyers ask for it. I'll take it to a shop and have it checked out.
2. I test drove it in normal conditions. Will test drive it again in the way you mentioned.
3. Brakes seemed to catch pretty quick (not brembo), tried accelerating quickly - the car jumped forward with no unusual engine noise. But I haven't gone full throttle, will do that next.
4. I have my own credit line setup, and you're right it is much better than what the dealer offered me.
5. I had a knowledgeable friend stay with me at all times, and it was a big help.

§€NTiN€L

Update: I am going to have the TL inspected at Midas and the decision to buy warranty will be based on that.

01tl4tl

please NOT midas- they are not a private shop with a tech who will know all about your car~

yes the dealer will sometimes hold off doing cpo as it does add cost-paperwork with acura etc, but it should qualify so thats good
Ck the coverage DETAILS of both contracts and see which way to go- transferrable- deductible- limitations etc things covered and not covered
All prices are negotiable if they want to sell you a car!!! always bear that in mind
acura may charge them 1000 for the cpo, but they can sell it for more~

01tl4tl

they want 1500 for something worth 1000, knock 700 off your offer on the cars price

§€NTiN€L

Understood, taking it to a private shop now.

Any insights on rust proofing? The dealer offered an electronic device connected to the battery which appears to be a gimmick after doing some research! What would be a good cost effective way to rustproof?

They also offered XZilon exterior paint protector which claims to protect the paint from things like road salt, tree saps, fading etc. But this comes for $500 .. do you think it's worth it?

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

No and No.

skinkman

so why would the car still under powertrain warranty for another 6 months? it is 4 years or 50k..whichever comes first..unless the car has extended warranty already?

I have an 05 TL with >51k and was told no warranty whatsoever...if you have a chance to buy to 130k..and you intend to keep the car for long..that price sounds awfully good. Of course do find out what exactly is covered.

Acura does a presales check...maybe you can take it to another dealer?

Babnik

I honestly wouldn't bother with the inspection, considering it's coming from an acura dealer and still has some warranty left.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

^
I agree.

mack025

If the vehicle is an 05 there is no powertrain warranty left because Its only 4year or 50k miles.In 06 they changed it to a 6/70k powertrain

01tl4tl

as a retired private tech and dealer tech back in the day-
any used car can have hidden damage
A 2nd opinion by an unbiased party- looking for things needing replacement now or soon, not just looking for things to ck OK on a list

Car salesmen dont know the real details of any particular car like looking at it on the rack will reveal about its past

an honest opinion is worth 50 bucks, it could save you thousands on a bad decision

tiger4life

Just some info the dealer in St. Louis told me was that it costs them $500 to get it cpo'd. (Prolly more with new tires but just in case you are negotiating)

jvette

What are you thinking? This is one of the largest purchases you can make. Trust no one! Then ask the dealer for the previous owners name and phone number. They should have this information. Then call them and ask them about the car. Then decide if you still want the purchase the car and if so take it to an independent garage and spend the money to get it checked out the rest of the way. This car can turn into a real bad deal real fast with a brake job, a belt and a few electronic problems. My thought on extended warranties is if you have to spend the money on one to make the car a good purchase then find another car. This is an insurance policy on car repair and who wins on insurance? Not the guy buying it in most cases.

§€NTiN€L

Just got back from the mechanic and a thorough road test with him.

His comments .... the car is in wonderful condition but needs the following replaced:

• Transmission fluid (Good to have)
• Rear brakes, he showed me scores on the rear rotor and the brake pads.

But also emphasized that I should get a warranty on the powertrain. Rebuilding the powertrain will be very expensive for the TL in case something goes wrong.

The visit to the mechanic was definitely worth it!!!

P.S. Original owner had a 5 yr / 100K extended warranty on it.

§€NTiN€L

Anyone knows how's their profit margin on the extended warranties?

01tl4tl

about 50 to 100 percent profit or more
they ask 1500 for a 500 policy

01tl4tl

why is the trans fluid bad- color smell wear indications?
The trans is the weak spot on these cars and 4 to 5 grand to replace~

rear brakes really bad means last owner didnt take care of the car, rear should last thru 2 sets of fronts
NEGOTIATE

§€NTiN€L

Please see my comments inline.

§€NTiN€L

Got the car finally. 2005 TL with 63K, black on black and balance of 5 months of ext. warranty left.

Extreme negotiations took of only $300 off the 7yr/130K warranty but I decided to get the warranty a few weeks later.

Dealer replaced rear brakes but the cost was shared by both.

Got the car for Canadian $19,026 + 13% tax = CAD $21500

It's a wonderful car ... superb handling!!

t3ch

If you're making a $20,000 purchase there's no reason not to spend $75 for a mechanic to give it a pre-purchase inspection. Dealers are not to be trusted; they're salesman, not angels. Not to mention they aren't out the ones out there inspecting it and working under the hood.

Enjoy the car; may your car run without issues for many years.

Bender

Wow, that's expensive.

§€NTiN€L

Yeah, they are much cheaper in the US. I'm in Canada.

smitty777

Can you give more info on the 7yr/130K warranty . In Canada also

DefTL

Not so bad actually...I paid mine 30$k in july 2008 for a certified 05 TL Auto Navi with a 3 yr/160km extended warranty. There was 86k kms on it. I'm at 106k right now and this is still the best car I've ever owned (3rd car). Not a single problem (ok...maybe some navi issues but no mechanical issues). And driving this in our dear canadian winter weather is THE ISHHHH. Take off VSA and the road is yours. YOOOOUUUUUURSSSSSS

§€NTiN€L

My car battery just went dead yesterday morning and the car wouldn't start! All displays on the dash started blinking when I tried to start the car and the car didn't start.

I am not sure how old the battery was, I'll probably go get a new battery today.

The 7yr/130K extended warranty is a comprehensive warranty that includes Roadside assistance. I will have 2.5 years of balance if I buy it now. It looks pretty good to me, after what happened yesterday. I would have gotten roadside assistance to give me a boost if I got the warranty when I bought the car. I think I am going to go buy it now. I would have paid $300 to CAA anyways.

jvette

I just sold my 2007 TL with navi and went through 2 batteries in 3 years. They were replaced under warranty but no one had a clue why both batteries went bad.