chasingthecool

should i be worried?

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

No. Just give the car a good inspection.

erick3

it really depends. it's a risky because now that the 3rd gen TL is "older," a lot of the cars won't be in warranty anymore; meaning, things that go wrong are more than likely to come out of your pocket. however, you can shop SMART. look at the records, and see the wear and tear on any used TL. it'll tell you a lot. look at the owner; does he look or at least express knowledge on cars - if he does, did he take care of it well? buying certified insures that you'll have the dealership to fall back on, which is nice to have of course. don't be afraid to buy non certified though, man. just be PATIENT and WAIT, if you have to, for the color/combo YOU WANT. do NOT settle. good luck man!

erick3

oh and take it to the dealership for a presales inspection as well. watch out for high mileage TL's that are AUTO. 5AT won't last as well as the 6MT's.

Hacura

It depends on who you are buying it from also. After nearly a year of searching and test driving many cars, I got lucky through a private party sale. Search around and make sure you know what to look for...I'd say the most important part of CPO is the extended warranty.

Dave_W

Me personally, I worked at an Acura dealership for 2 years. As was mentioned above. CPO means you have the dealership to fall back on should there be a problem. That doesnt mean your getting a good car. I bought my 04 in 2006 CPO with 35K miles. It had new tires on it. Crappy H rated BF's and the car was supposed to have w rated tires to meet certification standards. Then I looked at the records in the system. Yes they put new tires on, but didn't allign the car or even check the allignment which explained the positive camber wear that formed on those tires mainly the left front tire, so when I had it alligned, I had the tech check all of the front end parts to make sure they were in good shape, which they were. I never got reimbursed for the tires, which I replaced with a set of Continental Conti extremes. They are the correct speed rating and perform way better than the stock tires. I remember another customer when I worked there that had a bad cyl head on a certified car they would only machine the one cyl head. The tech put it back together and that engine shook so bad because of the difference in compression in that bank I thought it was going to fly out of the engine bay. So they put a new Cyl head on and that fixed the problem. These are just a couple of problems I've seen with CPO, so just inspect the car really well, and who cares if it is not CPO as long as it is in good shape. You can save a few bucks that way too.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I know that you've been looking at different cars for some time.
Take your time.
It took me 3 months to find a car.

Have the car that you are looking at inspected by a trusted mechanic. Most of these cars are well built. they are solid. you have to look for signs up UPKEEP. Oil being regularly changed, seats and leather are in good condition, etc.

I'm assuming that you passed up the 23k OTD car.

quake97

I bought a CPO and it was really the warranty that "sold" me. It also had a spoiler and nav, which I wasn't finding at any other dealers in the area, Acura or otherwise. The price was good, so I jumped on it. The previous few used cars I've bought, I've gotten from places that include some type of warranty. It gives me peace of mind and is worth the price premium.

Joe

Bucks13

I too was nervous about buying non-certified, but a month and a half later, I'm still very happy. I was able to fully inspect the car, go through service records, etc. The car had been serviced 100% at the dealer I bought it from, so they had all the records of what was done, fixed, inspected, etc.

Just shop smart and be patient. No regrets.

pimpin-tl

X2. My car needed front brake pads, engine air filter. But they replaced the tires and did a alignment on her per the records. Mine was a CPO, but obviously they didn't do some stuff that should have been done.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

like everyone said above, just ask all the appropriate questions and have a trusted mechanic look over the car before you buy. the dealership should have no problem with this, (if they have nothing to hide)

it took me a while to find the car i wanted...the waiting is the hardest part. but once i found it, i knew it was the one for me. low miles, great condition in n out, all the features and colors i wanted, and sold for a fair price.

i didn't buy mine certified, i didn't even buy mine from an acura dealership. i did however spring for the extended 100k mile warranty (just for peace of mind)...i hope i never need it.

CPO is just a fancy label they throw on the windshield to make you feel better about the car buying situation. CPO's generally cost more as well. idk about you, but i don't have money to blow like that. i'd rather do the before mentioned suggestions and save myself hundreds, if not thousands.

an acura is an acura, they are built well and reliable. a CPO TL is no different thatn a non-CPO TL...you just have to know what to look for and what questions to ask. good luck in your continued search.

vas25tl

I wouldn't be afraid. We have 4 Acura's in the family, all were purchased between 80 and 130K miles. They've all been great vehicles, they've kept me very loyal to the brand.

Now shopping for a 3g TL 6MT to add to the stable.

Bayam0n

just pay some mechanic to take a look at it, it will cost less then the stealership to certify.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

A CPO is different in that it comes with an extended warranty that you don't need to purchase unless you want an upgrade. You had, or elected to purchase an extended warranty so you'd need to add that to the price of the car you purchased.
The CPO's are normally the best, although there are exceptions, and most are inspected and wear items replaced prior to sale.
Still need to do your homework wherever the car is purchased and if you're not mechanically inclined and find a car on a non Acura dealer's lot, pay to have it inspected by your mechanic or Acura. Lot's of shysters out there.

Tehvine

When I got my 6mt a couple months ago, I bought it from a dealer. It was out of warranty and not considered CPO but I just took it on a long test drive. Brought it to my brother's dealer and we all combed over the car looking for things. I found a few minor issues and they were all resolved with the dealer within my 30 day/1000 warranty, and some -such as the synchros and brakes- were remedied before I picked up the car. I actually had brought it back once more for an alignment/seat memory issue over the warranty limits and they still took care of me.

Only complaints? I wish I bought it with nav (now I have to convert it), and I had a slight driveline vibration from the axles for the first week. As soon as I drove the car more, the vibration went away, was probably from the car sitting for a month.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

all valid points, the extended warranty added $1k to the car, which had 35k miles on it at time of purchase. i still made out pretty well at $24k otd.

following thru with a mechanic inspection is a must tho, you'd be surprised at what you find sometimes. better to know ahead of time and save yourself headaches.

jda123

I bought a previous CPO from a private party. The warranty stays with the car and I have 35k left on the drive train part.

Other than the warranty, I think that CPO is a joke. I think that they might shine a flashlight at it for a while on the lift, make a few new keys and the such, but there is no guarantee that you are REALLY getting a good car. Around here, about 2/3 of the CPO at the 2 Acura Dealers come from the auction. Heck, I don't trust the dealer to do my service, so why would I trust them to inspect the car for me?

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

A $1000 is a good price for the warranty, and $24k OTD is a great price. Actually the Acura extended Care Care warranty is nore, coming in around $1200, but that is bumper to bumper they say, but there are a great many components that aren't covered.

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

i went with the easy care warranty, very similar to the acura car care. same company and guidelines according to my local acura dealer. make sure you read the fine line print on these warranties tho, not everything is covered, but most major components are.

if i have to use this thing just twice it will probably pay for itself. warranty shot up my payments an extra $20 a month but i feel as tho it's worth it...idk...i guess i'll find out down the road.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Coming from an auction is not a problem as many dealers move their cars, especially dealers that have cars on their lots from competitors and different regions of the country bring more money. A non Acura dealer may take the TL to the auction and receive a decent price as the Acura dealer will be able to move the car for higher resale.
You also state other than the warranty, well that seems to be the crust of the matter; a warranty is part of the package and an additional 12/12000, and a 100k warranty is appealing to most.
As far as mistrust, you state that you don’t trust the dealer; just curious as to whom you might trust? An Independent dealer? Don’t think so. In my experience, you had better be on your toes whether looking private, independent, or dealer.

HondaFan81

I bought mine used with 66K miles, it was not Acura certified and from a Toyota dealership.

As people have mentioned, it comes down to your inspection and test drive of the car. Ask for any vehicle service records that the dealer completed before putting up for sale. Any reputable dealer does this as part of procedure, take caution on those that do not.

Motor oil should have been changed, all brake pads should have a safe amount of pad left and rotors in good condition (no vibration, shuddering when on test drive).

Take your time during your inspection whether salesmen rides along or not. Concentrate and ignore the salesmen jabber while inspecting, they tend to do that as if to distract you sometimes.

Inspect body also for any signs of prior significant accidents or body repair. Some things are acceptable, since these are used cars, but unibody frame damage is not or bad repairs. Pay attention to body seam lines.

Remember to use ALL the accessories you can to make sure they work. Don't get caught up on "consumeables" or normal wear & tear items, but the things you do NOT want to repair anytime soon.

After my experience, I highly suggest if buying from out-of-state, to deny any dealership financing and bring your own financing, ready to rock. This gives you time to shop, compare and have it all ready locally (or not) with best rates. Consider credit unions. Dealerships will try their best to have your use their financing, not worth the hassle when from out of state.

If you are buying a car locally, then take into consideration dealership financing, as it is feasible.

jda123

Touche. I trust me. I know that I have problems that need addressing, but I have found most dealerships disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst - not all the people mind you, the dealerships as a whole and some/most of the people. We all ultimately are responsible for the issues anyway. Trusting the dealer to help you is like trusting the government to solve your problems - as soon as they don't have to anymore, they mostly walk away. I also don't expect anybody to care about my car, situation or requirements as much as I do.

I don't think that the auction is bad either, but I don't feel the need to pay a 40% markup (around here) for a CPO when a 12/12K and 7 Year 100K is about 8% from an independent highly-rated company. I can shine my own flashlight on the cars, send it out for a detail and make a few keys for way less and the car will still have the same history. I went to the adessa here before I bought my car and the local acura dealer bought a RL and 3 TLs in the afternoon. Those things were on the lot at noon the next day as CPO and the salesman said that they had a 10 hour 160something point inspection - I asked him when they had time to do that and he told me that they are just good cars and don't usually need much. Disingenuous to say the best.

I do understand that not everybody is as jacked up as I am. Do your homework, take some time and have a plan - you will save some money and get a better product. If this is not possible, then CPO is probably a good idea.

digitaltypeS

CPO is usually just a marketing ploy. It's best to have somone look at the car for you.