Netcub

I bought my TL brand new in August of 06. It has 5800 miles on it...Every time I get in the car there seems to be another rattle. It drives me crazy, and i have to say, im disappointed with with the car. After owning several new Hondas and Toyotas, I thought the TL would be rock solid. The dealer is offering me 28,500 cash for my car. Its paid off, so besides the obvious depreciation, it seems like an easy way out. I dont know if i should just sell it to them for that price or try sell it outright for 29-30K. Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

TMLInfinity

there have been many complaints about rattles but there have also been just as many posts in this forum with people developing solutions to get rid of those rattles plus a few service bulletins by Acura too..

Perhaps you should re-consider.

Sclass88

Save yourself the hassle of trying to sell it yourself. The opportunity cost of trying to sell it yourself is way more than the $1,000 or so that you will lose by trading it in. Sorry to see you had such a negative experience with the TL, it really is a superb vehicle. Good luck with your next car.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

does your car have navi? any a-spec options? can't give ya advice without knowing those things.

JD TL-S

iTrader: (1)

If you trade the car in and the dealer gives you $28,500, at 7.5% tax you will save $2,137.50 in taxes. If you sell it yourself you have to add the tax savings to what the dealer would of given you. So that adds up to $30,637,50, you will have to sell outright to equal the trade-in. If you sell it yourself you should get at least $32,000 for the hassle. But you WON'T get that! I know for sure! I sold my 06 TL I bought in Aug 06 in Dec 06 to get a new 07 TL-S Type.

Take the car back and have the rattles fixed if you want to keep it. They will work with you. If they don't, get ahold of Corp. Acura. TOO bad about your problems.
Good Luck!

evantec

Economic issues...

In terms of raw dollars, around the end of 2006, the 06 TLs with NAVI were selling a little above $30K (because of the mid-model change, etc). Now you have one with 5K miles on it, so you'd think the dealer couldn't sell it for more than a new 06 TL -- i.e. more than $30K -- and he'd probably have to sell it for less since it's used. But he's offering you 28.5K, so he figures he'll make at least that plus more or it wouldn't be worth it. So I guess he can turn it around and sell it for more.

I'm surprised someone would buy a used TL for $30K if they could find a new one for $30K, but maybe there aren't any more to be found. But still wouldn't the new ones have fallen a bit from their sticker prices now that the 07's have been out awhile...? Is the dealer's offer for a pure purchase, or is it based on your using the money to buy a different car? If it's the latter, it may be meaningless -- a dealer can offer $50K on a trade-in and then raise the prices of the new car he sells you by that much.

In terms of the transaction, you get the convenience of dealing with a dealership (so hopefully they can do the paperwork, title transfer, motor-vehicle visit etc) more easily than a private party. Arguably it might be a more secure transaction at a dealership than someone showing up at your house with $30K in cash! (And I can imagine the bank fee if you accept a buyer's check and it turns out to bounce! ) But you might make a few more bucks on the private sale. And there are probably stories on other threads of dealers managing to screw-up car purchases even though that's part of their business they mostly do them successfully.

My own inclination would be to go for the dealership route, even if there's a few hundred dollars difference.


Preferences...

While you're not going to get a lot of sympathy on an Acura website for dumping a car after less than a year, it's a material possession you bought to make you happy so if it doesn't do that -- and you can afford it (which only you know) -- it's your choice. Most of us can't afford to swap cars every year, though with leasing people regularly trade them in for newer models even though the old ones are still running. If you do get rid of it, someone else who can overlook its shortcomings might be really happy to get it for a lower price than a new car. Acurazine isn't eBay but the people here probably can probably give you a good sense of what the car is worth. (Or maybe an inflated sense, since we love Acuras -- so you might have to sell it to an Acura enthusiast here to get the best price!)


If you do not sell the car...

For those of us who can't just trade them in as easily, some ways to fix at least a few of the rattles are...

1. Move the rear-seatbelt latch up to the top of the seat. If it's at the bottom, it can click against other objects (i.e. child-seats etc).

2. Look in the door-pockets, etc. for rattling objects like sunglasses. I thought my car had picked up a new rattle but it turned out to be sunglasses loose in a door pocket. Just because they have a sunglass-holder there doesn't mean it needs to be used. Same logic for other objects in compartment between seats, glovebox etc.

3. In winter months, use the heater so teeth do not chatter.

4. If rattling comes from engine compartment and sounds like engine knocking, be sure anyone and everyone who drives the vehicle knows about gasoline octane and high-compression engines.

evantec

Sometimes people are happier buying a "lower-quality" product (e.g. Honda Accord, $100 no-name TV) and being pleasantly suprised that it works really well, than if they bought a "high-quality" product (Acura TL, $600 Sony TV) and found out it wasn't perfect. If you spend $6K less to get an Accord, it might bother you less because it was only an Accord.


The rattle issue comes up a lot on these boards, so it is something to fix, get used to or trade-away. I don't think it's asking too much to get rid of the rattles. On the other hand, the only way to do so effectively might be to trade to a different car model (which can have other drawbacks).