Hey guys, new to this forum, but looking at an 04 TL listed at $5k. It's listed as having new belts, water pumps, transmission and spark plugs. I know its an Acura and they should last a long time, but 253k is still a lot of miles. Do you think it would be worth that much?

 

Only you can decide if the car is worth that to you. Is there an ad for the car that we can look at? There are members on here that can pick up on small details in a pic that will tell volumes about the car.

 

Geezus thats a lot of miles. Here is my input. If your spending limit is around 5K, then your going to have no choice but to get an 04/05 that has a crap load of miles. If you have a few more thousand dollars you can spend then you can easily get one with HALF that mileage for around 9K in good condition. Its a tough call that only you can make because none of us have the ability to see and drive that particular car. I do not have experience owning any car that has had that kind of mileage, but I would say that when your car has enough miles on it that it could have reached the moon, there is no saying when something will break...even a Honda product.
If its a low owner car that has records, no accident history or atleast nothing more than a fender bender, and it appears to have been kept in good condition, then I suppose it could be a decent.

 

Yea its on craigslitst

http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/4141274556.html

 

here are my 2cents. these are freeway miles. if car checks out I would go for it. If your budget is 5K then a TL isnt typically in your sights. could be a great deal for you. I would try to confirm that the timing belt has been replaced at least once at this point. If not add 1K to your net cost

Edit! just saw add. tbelt completed. why the sale? whats up with the paint bra? could be a great deal. where does it say about a new transmission? Just had the....................never said really what has been changed???

 

looks like he has a car bra on the bumper. im curious to see how it looks under the bra if it has that many miles, especially if its been on for the car's whole life. it may look brand new.
or it may be hiding scratches/dents from an accident. only way to know is to take off the bra

 

No idea what is going on with the front of that car. Is that some sort of plasti dip kind of coating? That's definately not your normal bra that gets strapped in place. It looks like the entire front bumper was sprayed flat black as well as the front parts if the hood and fenders. Weird.

 

The front end worrys me.

 

Is $5K your absolute maximum? Go up a bit (6300) and come buy mine. It's a 2006 model with 189K, and it's in much better condition than the one you posted.

 

Said its "plasti dip" no idea what that is.

 

No1 plastidips there front end like that... The finish is most likely ruined.

 

Plasti-Dip is as it sounds, plastic-like type of paint. It comes in a can. People dip their cars for the look, and some say they do it to protect the paint. However, I've never seen someone dip just their front bumper. It supposedly peels off easily w/o affecting the paint it was over.

I'm in WI too so lmk if you are serious about getting into a TL.

 

where in wi? 6300 is out of my range. i was looking for something in the 5-5500

 

I don't mean to be rude, but if $800 is a deal breaker - a TL is not the car for you. Maintenance/gas/insurance/repair costs are expensive for this vehicle in unison.

 

Ya to me it sounds like the Op should be looking at Integras/Hondas from early 00's

 

Madison, WI.

I wish I could help you out that much, but that's just too low. $6300 is a good price for an 06 with no hidden costs. Nice white paint with tan leather. Solid solid runner. I have documentation showing timing belt job completed 60K miles ago at Acura.
I don't need to sell it, but I change cars like I change clothes.

But onto your initial question. If $5000 is all you really can afford to spend, and you are set on a TL, then you have no choice but to purchase the one you listed. It's the only TL you'll find at that price. Whether it will last you or not isn't really a question since it's the only TL available in your range and it's the model of car that you want.
The question would be if that TL w/253K is a good car for $5000, in which I would say there are better options for $5000.

 

Save your pennies and get a cleaner TL with less miles

 

KBB says in for EXCELLENT CONDITION 6K, for fair to poor your about 3800-4200.00 Offer him 2,500 bucks.

 

I would laugh hysterically if I was the owner of that car and the OP offered me $2,500.

 

Dude the car looks fine but what you can't see is the issue. This isn't magic or something. Ask him if you can see the car, start inspecting bushing's, engine mounts, rubber hoses and the like. Look for stress fractures, cracks or any of that.

The plastidip is not a big deal and is good since my front end has a shit ton of rock chips and I'm willing to bet his isn't. No ones does a cover up by changing the colors that drastically. By the sounds of it, he's been driving it on the highway to put that many miles on it. Check those components and check to see if the fluids are healthy. Ask if the transmission has had any issues. Jack the car and check the rims to see if there are any cracks that have been welded.

Check the brake rotors to see if there's enough life on there. Sway bar bushing. Beyond that you'd have to find someone with an endescope to look into the engine and see the condition of the sleeves. That is really overkill but that can be done. Worst case you're looking at a new engine that you can find for 600-800 bucks.

No one's gonna see a TL for 2500. If anything he would really laugh and cuss you out for wasting his time. This is especially true if he's taken care of the car. There will be replacement parts used on the car so check to see if he has used good quality parts or cheap shit. Wiper blades are a good clue usually. Check what brand of oil and what fluids he has used too.

 

You might as well keep laughing.

As someone who has been a tech for over 10 years and worked for Acura for a few years, there's a lot more than just looking at fluids and wiper blades. Realistically speaking, at 253K for any vehicle is not only impressive but comes at a cost of needing a good amount of repairs which as the saying goes "It may not be worth fixing".



Typically at around 80-100K motor mounts fail, so therefore i'm more than positive it will need some form of mounts and or sub frame mounts. Another very common issue is lower control arm bushings, i'm pretty sure if it wasn't done at least once by 120K it will certainly need to be done. Pretty common is the interior bulbs that go out, the door lock actuators and window motors. Not as common but is becoming more of an issue for 2004 TL's is the ABS modulator. Speaking of brakes, even at this mileage you could have issues like rubber hoses cracking (unsafe) or calipers sticking. 253K, you may also need wheel bearings if they haven't been done and they make noise which ISN'T related to tire noise. I saw in the posting he did fluid services with plugs. If the transmission fluid was done that's alright, what worries you should have if it's the original transmission.

Back to another thing with bushings.. Almost everything that deals with suspension has a bushing. At 253K they are definitely worn. You may even have frozen alignment points if rust has gotten to the under body. Think of sensors like oxygen sensors or the catalyst system. At 253K IF original not only is it pretty impressive it lasted that long but it will also say sooner than later it will fail which is $$. Other than basic maintenance like fluids and filters there is no counting that tomorrow the ignition system like coil packs start to fail. It's a huge gamble to buy any used vehicle let alone one with 253K. If this car was truly spotless looking and well maintained I would say an offer of 4,500 is fair.

I'll say it again, If I was in the market and HAD TO BUY A TL with a low budget I would offer 2,500-3K for this car. The flip side is, there are better used vehicles out there (Best bang for buck) for 5K which will have less miles and probably a bit more current in year. like others said, you really didn't give yourself enough room for repairs or insurance ect...

 

First off I wasn't insinuating that wiper blades and fluids would be a good judge of a car being maintained but it is a big factor which gives anyone an idea of someone cares about their car or not.

Having detailed hundreds of cars so far its easy to see who cares about just cleanliness or people who care about being mechanically sympathetic.

You've made excellent points. Those are physical components nevertheless and can be inspected. Motor and transmission mounts can be poly filled instead of being replaced.

As far as making room for replacement parts goes, I'd suggest beating him down as much as possible. Its hard to tell what fails when. Really depends on the usage. 04WDPSeDaN is right on the mark when you put thoughts into keeping the car on the road.

For me personally I've been taking care of my ride for a while now and for the most part, all the bushings, mounts, suspension components are all intact. I've taken care of the brake lines and clutch line just recently. Replaced the clutch slave cylinder and will be changing out the master cylinder soon. If the guy has been really really careful there is a chance its been taken care of.

But its just a chance. Besides most techs and really OCD auto enthusiasts I haven't met a lot of people who know what they're doing.

Just know that Acura's aren't the cheapest cars to work on but with good parts comes great life.

My TL is paid off is a 6spd manual which i'm in love with and has accumulated 177000 miles mostly trouble free. That many not be the case with any other car and any repair from Acura is gonna be super expensive.

 

Thank you buddy. Point I was proving is that Kelly blue book is a starting point of a $$$ direction. With all things considered, the things I listed are the things which becomes the "make it, or break it" deal. To keep a vehicle with 253k on the road (at least in safe condition) costs money. I am a tech with OCD. I take a lot of pride in my TL. Detail it every weekend, check out my progress thread link is https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-photograph-gallery-96/04wdpsedan-thread-timeline-878670/

My TL is a 04 a-spec, navi, 6 speed with 97,000 miles.

 

For 5K, I'd get myself into a 'Rolla. Inexpensive to repair and last "forever."