I just ran the VIN on autocheck.com. I do not trust CARFAX. There have been occasions in the past when I ran a report simultaneously on carfax and autocheck with the latter returning more information. For example, carfax does not include information regarding cars that are run through the auction with "unibody damage" tag attached. Autocheck, probably via a contract with major auction companies, has access to these records and reports them. So in the above example the car will have a clean carfax but a tarnished autocheck history. In my experience autocheck is better service for less money.
In rehards to the pricing, I looked around and I was very patient. I drove atleast 10 cars before I picked mine. The problems that surfaced were mentioned above and you could probably look out for them during your test drives. Pay special attention to ratTLeS and brakes.
Also try and bargain. If you dont have a trade in and if you have a good credit you can get it for substantially less than the sticker. I got mine for $27700+TTL(18k on the odo) and it includes the Acura care 84m/100k bumper to bumer extended warranty, the sticker was 31800. Initially they came down to 29551 and would not move. After several days of going back forth and also the debacle with the other car that they had they settled for 27k+730 fro the extended warranty. The economy is not back up on its feet and cars are not moving off the lots. I do not know if I got a good deal but it is better than the 31800 on the sticker. My point is, be patient and be ready to get up and leave.
Also I am not sure if CPO makes the cars more expensive, I know the dealer spends some money getting Acura to certify there car but I wouldn't pay several thousands more just because the car is CPO, I would rather get an extended service plan. Hope this is helpful. Good luck and hope to see you soon in a Type -S.
Rick.

 

Wow that's a pretty good buy! Congrats and enjoy the ride

 

Wow this is very exciting. The one I was looking at was sticker 32900 and I figured would be a little out of my price range, but knowing they would go that low is awesome. I'll have to go in there with my not-budging face on.

just signed up for 60 days of unlimited checks with autocheck. def worth it when making this big purchase. Also thanks for your research and dealer experiences. I've already been looking out for what you said when I have gone twice so far. Hopefully i'll find by black pearl soon

 

Rick,

Did you purchase a paint meter or are those things rentable? I agree on Autocheck, it seems to be much more comprehensive than Carfax.

I've been battling between a 4G or 3G S, everytime I see a nice 4G, there's always something that makes me go back to the 3G. It's a sign!

 

Rick........Sounds like your knowlegable on automobiles. Glad to have you in the this forum. Your already contributing. Congrats on your TL-S and welcome to the AZ family

 

Congrats on your purchase. The TLS is not perfect, but surely you made the right decision. It is an awesome vehicle and I can't stop staring it everyday because it is probably the best exterior and interior design that Acura ever made.

 

I'm kinda late to the party but it sounds like you didn't need any help Rick. I hope you stay active on the board. You have become an expert over a couple weeks... lol. That shimmy might be related to the lower control arm compliance bushing. Very prone to tear. Keep an eye on yours.. you should be able to see it with the wheel on.

When I bought my TL I used both Autocheck & Carfax, each caught different flags. Neither told you if the previous owner was a doucher and beat on the car.. that's what the eyes, ears & tongue are for ..

Glad you picked up a nice TL-S.. MRP is definitely a favorite of mine.

Check out the turbo thread.. idk if you want to FI the type-s but it's a new application you might be interested in or at least follow.

 

Rick,

Congrats on your new purchase! I have an '07 TL-s ASM/5AT with 34K miles. The car has been nearly perfect. I had the rear deck rattle fixed at the dealer, they added more padding, never had a problem since.

My car has been rock solid, I am having the front brake pads replaced next week (Kauffman Tire, Atlanta) for $179 (Acura dealer quoted $283). My lease is up in December, and I am having a real hard time finding a reasonable replacement, so I may just buy it off the lease. So far the 2010 S4 is at the top of my list. I drove the S4 6MT (fresh off the truck) and it was very nice, but my TL-s felt tighter and only marginally slower. Anyway, good luck with your TL-s!

 

Alright folks.....I really need help.

While parking I banged up my passenger side wheel pretty bad. It is all scratched and rather deep. There was a parking spot between two cars, I was trying to avoid a ding and while parking in the last spot in the row I got too close too the curb and then heard a crunching noise....that was it....I almost collapsed in my seat. Got out knowing very well the sight that I was about to see. The scratch is 4" long( along the circumference) and extends 1 inch towards the center and about 3-4mm in depth. Apparently I had a terrified look on my face and an old lady came over to ask me if I was okay.
I know my options get it fixed, get a new one or paint it myself. I wanted to try the last one...so any of you good folks know where to get some paint for the OEM type S wheel.
Also does anyone know where to go to get this painted by a professional shop in Edison, NJ or Boston, MA?
As usual you help is invaluable and greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you for the tip regarding the bushing, I will keep that in mind. You are so right about the previous owner, you never know who drove it and how they did it. This has been an enlightening experience, I learnt a lot while shopping for this car. This forum is a great resource, I am excited to be here and learn new things about the car and if I can help in the process that is just icing on the cake.

No FI plans just yet, this is my daily driver and I want it to be reliable. I am inheriting a 08 350z VQHR. Twin turbo plans for that baby...but just not yet. May start a family this year.
Best-
Rick

 

You should be able to fix it yourself but I'm sure a rim shop wouldn't charge you more than $70 to fix it. Here's a related thread on how to paint your wheels.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609928

Check out duplicolor as well. I tried going to their site but the products page for touchup is under maintenance. They should definitely have a wheel paint to match if you're interested. Check your local Auto Zone or auto parts store that carries duplicolor. I would basically sand down the scratch with a dremel or edge sander then hit it with some medium grit ~300 to fine grit ~1000, prime & coat.. probably not necessary to clear on such a small area.

 

I am including some crappy iphone pics of the wheel scratch and one pic of the car since I have not posted any yet. Will post a few more when I get my camera over the weekend.







I cant blur my plates....