cletus_cassidy

Hey guys:

First-time poster here with a pretty loaded question.

I've found a 2007 Acura TL Type S with approximately 25,500 miles on it. The guy is asking $20,500 for it, so I called him up (says he's a dealer) and he told me that it's a rebuilt title because the car was stolen and not found within 30 days. However, he says the car was never wrecked and while there is some damage to the paint from towing without a key (see link to pictures below), mechanically the car is fine. He also said he took it to an Acura dealer and confirmed that the warranty will apply to it for another 11 months (or up to 50,000 miles).

I am at least going to take look at the car, and if it seems ok, I may make a somewhat lowball offer (possible $19K in cash or something). Does anyone have any advice on how to proceed with this type of situation? Any advice would be much appreciated!

Here is a link to pictures of the car: http://picasaweb.google.com/samchon6...=embedwebsite#

ntwrkguy1

I would be careful buying a rebuilt title. If you intend to keep the car for a long time, it's not such a big deal. But rebuilts are tough to sell, and usually have to be discounted pretty heavily.

The first place I would take this car is right to the Acura dealer and let them do an inspection, as well as having them pull any info on the VIN. Sure, you'll pay for it, but it's money well-spent. The car looks good in the pics, but I would want an expert opinion on this, especially where the warranty is concerned.

And yes, you're right to try and low-ball him. Most people shy away from rebuilts, so you might just get him to take you up on the offer. The mileage is right, and if his story checks out, $19k would make for a pretty good deal.

01tl4tl

the insurance paid out for this cars loss and this guy wants full price for it?
Keep Looking

01tl4tl

imagine how rental crs are driven,
now imagine how someone driving it like they actually stole it were treating it~

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

I already wrote about this car...

This is not just a rebuilt.. It's a Theft Salvage title.

below is link to the sale.

http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ctd/1564921621.html

Project X

its worth like 14-15k max.. pass on it not worth the headache

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Call Acura with the VIN to see if still has the factory warrany. Normally the factory warranty will be voided, but it would still be covered if any recalls are needed.
Just a caution, don't know a rebuilt title/salvage title ever being issued for only minimal work/repairs.

Deals that are to good to be true, usually are just that, too good to be true.

ytn65

i sell cars for a living... take a pass on this.... put ur 19k down on a nice car and finance the rest... believe me salvage titles arent worth the headache...

arrogantbastard

Stay away. You have no clue as to how it was treated.

While it may seem fine now, there may be a lot of things that may bite you later. How did they treat the clutch? Did they abuse the transmission? Was the engine constantly revved to the fuel cut-off? Was it over-revved on a down-shift? These are just a few alarms that pop into my head with just a second or two of thought. I'm sure there are a lot of other things you should think about first.

AM046SP

I would avoid it for sure. Even $19k is over priced for a salvage title. Salvage titles are just a headache in general. And like everyone else is saying, if it was stolen, they didn't drive it like grandma. Especially if they had it for 30+ days.

odehboy

If you plan on keeping it for a long time... buy it... but definetly not for 19K.. You can get a very clean TL for that kind of money, but it probably will not be a type S... also you can not put full coverage insurance on it... so if it gets stolen, or god forbid you wrecked it.... you could cause yourself a huge headache...

Dopes6070

Here is a little salvage story. A few years ago my GF bought a salvaged Civic... It looked great and was about 1/2 the price of a clean title one. She drove it for 2 years before giving it to her younger brother (yes she gave it to him because she couldn’t sell it!) Here is the rundown of the issues that it had

-I was constantly chasing rattles on the interior for months.

-The clear coat started peeling (bad body shop paint job)

-When she first got it I did not bother checking everything thoroughly but we paid dearly for that with a transmission rebuild. The radiator was damaged in the crash which caused some of coolant to mix in with the ATF in the transmission. I did not notice till the transmission started making noises and slipping. I was able to pull the trans and clean the valve body. It also needed new clutches with only 50k miles on it.

Avoid salvage vehicles unless you don’t mind working on them.

The car has now been in her family for 6 years and has 165k miles on it, BUT it was a major ordeal to fix the repairs that were not done correctly in the first place.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Go for a car with a clean title. This most likely will not end up being the "bargain" that it seems to be.

hatchconversion

if you know that its legitiment, then thats one things. But if you are skeptical thats another things. I would only purchase if legit and i knew i wouldnt be selling the vehicle. Once you say " rebuilt title" to the next buyer or etc there not going to be as intrigued to buy. Especially a vehicle like the tl. If it was a 88 civic or 92 corolla or something of that nature thats one thing. but a newer vehicle I would stay away unless again, you get it for a lot less than what a non "rebuilt title" would go for and you plan on keeping it (imo) for 5+ years.

Just my 2 cents

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

Just in case you've missed all of the above...

GO FOR IT

AckTL05

iTrader: (18)

Buy it for 15k and part it out .

vovka2007

Six speed Silver Tl. Beautiful Car. 19k is not a low ball offer. you could probably get it for even less. right now i see one in our place for 24k. But a black six speed Type S with 40k miles. If you plan it as a keeper then get it.

djflex167

if you really have 19 cash, you can put it down on a nice clean tittle type s and finance the rest. im sure whats left you can pay it off quickly too!! it looks good but not worth it!

YeuEmMaiMai

i bought a 94 accord LX that was salvage for $5K back in 2002. 8 years later and 230K on the clock it is still running OK. Only things I had to do were

1. driver side lower ball joint
2. driver side outer CV joint
3. rad cap
4. brakes
5. exhaust
6. recharge A/C twice

I got the car at 85K and sold it at 160K to my friend who is driving it now

Steve5.9

I wouldn't do it...

Like those who stated perviously, if you can't get the car for 17k MAX, put your 19k down on a newer TL-S and finance that bitch

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

I would never buy a salvage car without pictures of the accident. Then you can make a sound judgement

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

These were all wrecks, that have been rebuilt.... would you want to own a car that once looked like this??

SlowDown

if you ever plan on trading it to a dealership, they usually pay 25-50% of value for a salvage title if that. if you really want it i'd offer 10k. thats what its worth.

t3ch

Offer a few grand less, that seems high for a salvage.

However, unlike what many crack smoking paranoid people think, if you find a good deal on a salvage vehicle it doesn't mean it's going to blow up the minute you buy it. There are plenty of good deals to be found on salvage vehicles depending on the damage. It was stolen, not in a flood. But yeah, everyone's probably right... The thief's took the car, drained the oil and revved real high, screwed up the clutch on purpose, then just parked it out for original owner to find it. Man, what a dick thief!

Talk him down a few grand, find out exactly what, if anything, he had fixed when he got it back, and take it to a mechanic you trust for a VERY thorough inspection. Tell them the situation, get a full pre-buy inspection, compression test, etc. If they give it a clean bill of health, go for it. You may just get yourself a killer deal on a low mileage type S. Those are typically over 25k.

RonJonTL757

post is REMOVED BY AUTHOR.....hmm someone bought it it was flagged