Hi guys,

I am a first time car buyer and am seeking some advice. I am looking into purchasing a used Acura TL 2004 or 2005 - most cars that I am looking at have ~100k miles on them.

Given that they are maintained properly and appropriately, how much would maintenance costs be on average for a monthly basis and/or yearly basis? Can someone shed some light in comparison to a 3series (2006) with equal mileage or an Audi A4 (2006) equal mileage? Are they almost the same or significantly different (I understand European cars generally tend to have higher costs embedded)?

Nonetheless, I am leaning towards purchasing an Acura (TL 2005, 100K miles) and it's currently priced at ~$11,000. Is this a good price?

Sorry for all the questions, but any help would seriously be of great help!

Thanks!

 

first question, are you doing the work yourself or taking it to shops/dealerships?

 

probably taking it to shops or dealerships

thanks!

 

You have a pretty pricey service coming at 105K. I would try to find one that has had that service done already or look to maybe negotiate some money off to be able to do the service.

IMO if the car is well taken care off then I think it would be a good car to own. See how much service records you can get. Work on the price a bit. I think you can get some off of that.

 

I would look more at the ~80K mile range, that will give you time to put back little by little for the 105K service and give you a good amount of trouble free miles.

The Acura is hands down wayyyy cheaper to maintain than an Audi. IMO

 

I agree. Honda products are very easy to maintain and are cheaper. You get so much more value. Audi/BMW... Too expensive an not worth the problem and headaches. You'll easily spend more in repairs than what the car is worth.

BTW fellow a-ziners can't OP take the TL if he buys one to a Honda dealer to the 105K service? Wouldn't it be cheaper?

 

Yes. Some accords have the same J series engine as the TL. As far I know, Honda dealerships usually charge less for service than Acura.

 

yeah they charge way less. The Honda dealership next to the Acura dealership always has way more customers in the service department. Worst case scenario if they don't know how to fix it they usually just call a tech over from the Acura dealership haha. but yeah if you are taking it to the shops/dealership stick with the Acura. With the 3 series its nice if you are still on that 5 year package where everything is free, after that its a nightmare on your wallet if you try to take it in. Not too familiar with the Audi charges but I feel like it would be just as expensive as the BMW.

 

OP - Where do you live? We have 2 deals on that 105K service out there. One in NJ and one in SC. I think I saw one in OH as well. I plan on driving out to NJ to get mine done next Feb-March. I will go over 90K later this week. Should be at 105K early next year.

 

Thanks for all the advice!
So, if I was looking to purchase a car that's a little over ~100k, it would be most cost effective to purchase one that has surpassed the 105k mark and has gone through the 105k maintenance?

Additionally, when do you see typically see wear and tear on an Acura (aka if you had to determine the lifetime of an Acura according to mileage would it be past 200k? given that all services have been done, etc.?)

And to respond to last post, I'm from CA - probably way too far from the East Coast.

Thanks again!

 

It's an Acura....you can drive it.

FWIW there are a couple guys on here that have more than 300K on their cars and one guy in a Legend about to go over 500K. I picked up my 08TL in May with 72K and am about to go over 90K. I plan on getting 200-250K out of it. They will run provided you do the maintenance.

What's your budget? If you are set on a higher mileage one, I would suggest you test driving a lot of them. I would also suggest you testing some out with low miles to get a baseline for how they should feel.

And lastly....if the TL is out of your range the TSX is also a fine car. Not much cheaper though, but they may open up some doors for ya.

Good luck.

 

Ah thanks!
My budget ranges from 10k - 15k, I can consider going to 20k but rather not. Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely do that!

But if I do get a high mileage 90-100+, it would be more beneficial to get a car that has already assesed the 105k maintenance?

Thanks again!

 

Yes.

I did not pay much more than your $15K mark for mine. Also when I was looking I found a couple really nice low miles 05 TL for around $15K. If you can go higher you may be able to pick up a CPO model. It may be worth it.

 

Sorry for all the questions! But how much mileage did you have on the 05TL? Furthermore, where did you search? I've just been leveraging autotrader.com, cars.com, craigslist.com thus far..

 

No problem on the questions. I got my TL in May. I didn't have an 05. I looked at one. Gray/Black with Navi and it was listed at $15,300 with 56K miles on it. Great shape. I searched autotrader.com and cars.com as well as went to some of the local dealerships.

I went with the 08TL non-navi with 72K miles on it for a tad bit more mainly because it was CPO. I wanted navi but didn't want to spend $20K to get it.

 

If you buy the TL from a respect owner who cared for their vehicle, you will barely have any maintenance cost other than routine maintenance. Now if you buy a 3, it could be previously owned by an obsessed mechanic and you will come in to thousands of dollars per year on maintenance. Buy the TL.

 

Thanks everyone for all the advice - I am going with the TL.

If i was aiming to purchase a (04,05) TL w/ sunroof, navigation that had ~110 - 120k miles on it, how much should i be looking to bargain / negotiate the price to be?

11k? The market looks like its pricing such a vehicle at around 13 even 14k... is this too high?

again, any advice would really help!

thanks again!

 

Just as a reference for you, I got my 04' TL with about 95k miles for 12,000 just over a month ago.

 

6-speed MAN, w/ navi. sorry I forgot to mention that in my first post there.

 

TL autos are dime a dozen. I waited out for a 6spd and I love it. You should be able to find a TL auto with Navi with 100-120k miles around $10-11k mark.

 

Are these prices with clean/clear titles?