horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

We're talking about a manual gearbox here and not an automatic. There is no such a thing as a pan on most manual transmissions (this one included), and no such a thing as a flush either. In the case of these transmissions, you simply open the drain plug, drain out the MTF (given there is no torque converter, no MTF is left inside the transmission save what is coating the gears and innards of the case), put the plug back in, open the fill plug, fill with 42 ounces (2-quarts, 10-ounces) of ACDelco Synchromesh Friction Modified, put the plug back in, and drive away.

twinnett

Oh wow that's easy. Thanks!

twinnett

So most of the ones I'm looking at are being sold before I have a chance for a mechanic to look at it or I get strange looks when I ask for a shop to look at it.

What's your experience buying used cars? I feel like I just have to make the call myself as best I can or I'll never get my hands on one.

thoiboi

Take it to an Acura dealer and ask for a Pre Purchase Inspection

twinnett

​​​​​​
The problem is getting it scheduled with the owner. There always seems to be someone that comes along and buys it on the spot before I can get it looked at

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

My experience was not dissimilar; most of the good ones were sold within a day or two. The cars which were worth consideration but a bit rough (as viewed via online ads and such) were, upon further inspection, typically pretty beat. Then there were the cars which were obviously beat, slammed, modified, or all of the above; in my book, even so much as an aftermarket intake disqualified a car from consideration, and I didn't even contact the sellers. The best one I looked at was a 2006 TL 6MT NAV in the burgundy pearl paint with a light tan interior out in the San Francisco bay area; the car had 20,300 on the clock (not a typo!) and the seller wanted $14,000 for it. Due to years of low/no use (the car had belonged to the seller's father who had passed), I figured it would need all new tires, belts, and hoses (right down to the brake and A/C hoses) to make it ready for the cross-country drive. So, on top of what he was asking, I figured at least $2,500 of investment before I drove it more than a few miles. It would have been nice to have such a low mileage car, but given the $16,500 price tag, I passed.

I ended up shopping for five months and finally settled on a very clean 2006 TL 6MT with 114,000 miles on the clock and a recent timing belt service, from a small, but fairly high end, mom-and-pop used car lot in northern Connecticut. Yes, I paid more than I wanted to ($10,000 cash on the spot in May of 2017, the car was listed for $11,499), but after looking at roughly one-hundred TL 6MTs, I literally took the car for a quick test drive and then whipped out my checkbook.

twinnett

Thanks that confirms a lot of my experiences so far. My budget is a bit tighter (under $8,000) and about an hour radius so going to have to find some room to give.

Wonder how they would feel with me bringing a jack to get a better look.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Hmmm, something might need to give or you will need a certain amount of luck. In my 5-months of shopping, I didn't find even a single car which met my criteria within an hour for any price, not one. My initial budget was $8,000, however, after the protracted shopping process told me I might be waiting a very long time for a car, I took an extra $2,000 out of my savings and bought my current car. Side comment, even with as well as my car had been maintained, I still opted to put another $5,000 in needed and preventative maintenance toward it this last spring.

twinnett

$5k? Really? Wow didn't expect maintenance to be that high.

I'm looking for ones that are a little rough around the edges cosmetically and have some miles but overall not beat. Even if I have to do tires and brakes I'd feel better knowing they have good parts since I can't stand any vibration on the highway or braking.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Well, I did tires, alignment, rear wheel hubs, stabilizer bar end links and bushings, all six engine and transmission mounts (all OEM and $$$), front axles, and then the biggie, a new clutch, slave cylinder (with CDV delete), and rear main seal. My plan was to set it up to run another 100,000+ miles with minimal maintenance.

twinnett

Ah ok. Was that just parts cost or did you have somebody do the work?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Parts was somewhere between two and three thousand, don't remember for sure. My plan had been to do the work myself, however, my new job (same company, new gig) has literally kept me slammed seven days per week since April and that plan went out the window; I ended up paying a shop down the street the additional money in labor to do the work.

truonghthe

Its not the maint that cost $5k, he just like me who love replacing whatever item(s) that easily accessible while servicing another component, we got the same mentality.

E.G whenever I do the TB, I spend extra $$$ at cam seals, roller and idler, WP, tensioner and a full reseal on the oil pump assembly. Another time when my TL-S rack leaking PS fluid I replace the entire rack with OEM part along with inner and outer tire rods.

I do not recommend you do like us but whatever fit your bills.

twinnett

Nothing better than the feeling your car is running perfect. Stinks you had to pay a shop to do it though

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, but as it turns out, all of the extra work I put in has already paid off in an unexpected bonus which more than covered the cost of paying the shop, that and it looks like I'm being put up for a promotion early next year. Still, I would love to have gotten a bit of grease under my fingernails.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

A well maintained TL will last you a LONG time.
You took care of all the big things.

nfnsquared

^^^^ Yup. About to cross the 300K mile mark after 15 years of ownership. Still on original clutch and I still never add oil between 7500 mile OCI's

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

You make me sad that I didn't keep my black beauty...

twinnett

Congrats man! A well oiled career will take you farther than a well oiled car. Though maybe not as fun.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Thanks man.

Getting off topic here, I was self employed as a consulting engineer from 1981 through 2013, and after several gigs with my current company they made me an offer I couldn't refuse to become a full-time employee. Given I was rapidly approaching retirement age (but had no intention of retiring until my early 70s), I figured I could do the job they hired me for, literally in my sleep, all the way until retirement. Yeah, about that..., in 2015 my job got sent off shore to India (I'm still the subject matter expert and have to clean up their odd mess from time to time), and I was moved onto another product line, a gig which lasted until early last year when that product line also got off-shored to India. Between spring and early fall of 2017 I bounced around from project to project and was considering an early retirement, then my boss volunteered me for a very new hush-hush project using Artificial Intelligence to do things otherwise accomplished with hardware/software technologies from the 1980s.

In a case of reverse "off-shoring", my company had some very rudimentary prototyping done in India to keep a lid on what we were doing, and then had the off-shore team train me on their progress. Long story short, they had no freakin' clue what they were doing, but when I would raise objections, they would just shout me down and say I didn't know what I was talking about. The first release of their AI component sucked. Period, full stop, the end. I took over the project early this year, and even though I didn't know 10% of what I know now, I started rebuilding the AI elements from scratch; things got better, people started noticing, and suddenly I became a victim of my own success. Literally every weekend and almost all of my scheduled PTO days have been consumed with new elements to the AI stuff as well as desperately trying to find folks to hire to add to my team. Given AI is a relatively new discipline, and given the extreme lack of qualified talent, I have been making the case to hire from within; there are a few folks I have my eye on who understand the product line and seem to have elastic minds which could adapt to the AI way of thinking and problem solving, my proposal would be to develop a mentorship program and move them on to my team. The powers that be here are still insisting we find folks already trained and with experience. Hmmm...

twinnett

Looks like you've built yourself a nice new skillset right before retirement lol. AI is a pretty exciting and definitely not going anywhere.

The powers that be never understand it's better long term to find good people that can learn rather than mediocre people with experience. Anyway wish I had your success and knowledge of TLs maybe you should open a little shop in retirement.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Once I retire my intent is to buy the then latest CAD software for engine design and a high end 3D printer, I have an idea for a really cool engine design which could be significant improvement in power to weight and power to package size ratios as well as some very significant fuel economy improvements. That said, the new Mazda SkyActiv-X engine "steals" a couple (but far from all) of the concepts for the new engine.

twinnett

Interesting I was curious to see what that mazda engine could do glad somebody who knows what they're talking about thinks the same.

Didn't think something as involved as engine design could be done in your basement with CAD software and a 3D printer.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

By then I'm planning on having a small farm and a barn to work in.

twinnett

Good luck to you that sounds awesome

twinnett

Looks like he's still trying to sell it. Same cell number and listed 23 minutes ago.

https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...761576482.html

truonghthe

it gotta to be some thing need to be replace, as the IF the car is legit in that condition he could easily got $10k.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Agreed, there are folks around here who would probably pay twelve or more for that car if it was as clean as he says.

twinnett

Yea it was the cleanest car I've seen in my price range around $8k. It was kind of dark but I couldn't find anything wrong with it cosmetically.

truonghthe

yeah until you said "can I take to the dealer/ indi shop?" and that when backing out. If the car is running normal with no major issue why prevent someone take it to the shop?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

Lack of engine bay pictures...
realistically I would just ask him what the worst case scenario is so I would know what I'm dealing with...blown motor, no compression? Tranny on the way out?
Then make an offer taking that into account. Either way, he'd be glad to be rid of the headache.
I need another car like a hole in my head but I swear I would be tempted if I hadn't already gone down this road before...especially in a place with snow.

GhostTL09

iTrader: (1)

he has the dreaded cracked dash it looks like he failed to hide in his photos

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

I'd embrace that shit and use it to lower price.

Jackass

Why would you try to hide it? Because someone wouldn't find it the moment they get in the car?

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

because a lot of people might not even bother going to look at the car because of it.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

unless you have Stockholm syndrome like us and you love the car so much you expect it and don't care.

Acura TL Builder

Midnight Mystery

#RDX
#$10Kinrepairs
#leaksaquartaday
#don'tcare
#💘

Midnight Mystery

#broke

Midnight Mystery

Another member's car is for sale, bit it's not a TypeS, and nothing compares, but it's a good read!https://acurazine.com/forums/market/975387