vinsomniac

Hello all.

I am set on buying an 04-06 TL, and as with other cars I've had, I plan on keeping this for a while. I currently drive an 96 A4 and it's starting to fall apart at 230k miles.

Alot of the TL's I'm seeing on the market (mostly on craigslist, sf bay area) have around 80k miles. I estimate putting on 20k-30k miles a year with my commute.

Can I expect this car to still perform reliably when I hit 200k? (with regular maintenance) What general maintenance do I have coming up? Timing belt at 100k? What should I look mechanically when test driving?

Also, what do you like and dislike about your TL personally? There's always some small nifty feature that you like that the ads don't notice until after you had the car for a while.

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Timing Belt, Water Pump, Spark Plugs, Fluids @ 105k miles and every 100k miles thereafter. I'd prefer you get 05-06 due to the newer transmissions. Typical maintenance like oil changes, fluid drains/fill, etc... will easily make the TL go pass 200k.

Most people don't dislike the TL. Of course some would like more HP, and better "response" in the low end, but for what it is worth, the look, the quality of built, and other things, it is worth it. The car looks magnificent when cleaned and taken care of. Some people may say that the car doesn't look aggressive, well that's why we have a body kit. Some say we need better throttle response, that is why we have CAIs, and exhaust items (J-pipe in particular). We also have some people that have rattles and dashboard cracks. These can not necessarily be fixed as good, but it is not as noticeable. The Dashboard crack is a factory defect (though they have not reported anything), but with proper maintenance (especially keep it away from the Sun 24/7, hmm well 12/7) it shouldn't show any sign of wear, well hopefully.

The car is A+ when considering value for quality and performance.

Welcome to Acurazine!

JwongTLS

The last year u want is 04.. like above mentioned, the older tl's have tranny problems.
With proper maintainance(oil change,seafoam,etc), any acura should last u to at least 200k miles.

Good luck

jungy4

How do you like your Audi? Maintenance costs and reliability?

tonyatkayak

i'm in the same boat except i want a 06-08 and i want a type S

AnthraciteAspec

iTrader: (6)

Just buy one, can't go wrong with any year I say. My 04 is fine. I would say the worst/most annoying thing I have dealt with is the rattles, but I have fixed most of em now. And people with 08 complain of rattles so yeah, year doesn't really matter for that. Obviosuly I would recommend getting a newer one but if your budget doesn't permit it, theres nothing wrong with a well maintained 04. Any TL can have tranny problems, people with type S have even reported tranny problems. Anyways I would not let it deter you, the TL is an excellent car.

Oh and welcome to Acurazine and good luck on your purchase

LoveMyTL-S

Type-S for 3G was only made in 07-08.

saltysteve

suspension-
after that amount of miles id change it over to new stuff for a nicer ride but aside from that i have a 04 and my brother has a 04 and they both have around 100k miles and drive mint!!
just small problems: my blue tooth doesnt work- am/fm is static ( probably antenna unplugged) - a small wine is coming from engine - head lights $$$$$$$$ go bad after time and ballast and are a pain to replace and pay for!! - replacing a hub bearing at the moment.

the more miles the more stuff goes and needs replacing but the more you save on the car. and the more of a PITA it becomes

tonyatkayak

I know. but fudge. i'm talking to the dealer. they have a 2007 with 32k miles. they won't let it go. they started at 33k+ fees and now it's down to 29k + fees.

my budget is like 28k out the door

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

Dude, are you pretty set on buying from dealer? there are some decent prices off craigslist private.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1430136535.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ctd/1431252663.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ctd/1424384059.html

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ctd/1390056846.html

Ramrodthrusterpuppy

+1^Look at private sales.

When buying from a dealer don't forget that they roll all of their operating costs into the price, they have to....a private seller will not. Just get the car checked out by a trusted mechanic (CPO means next to nothing, IMO) and deal from there. Private parties are typically more willing and have more latitude to negotiate, than dealers who must cover salaries, overhead, etc out of the price of the car.

marcoguy

08-054 Service Bulletin

Applies To: 2004–10 Models – ALL

Service Manual Update: Poor AM or FM Reception

tonyatkayak

Maybe you can help me out.


I have about 8-10k downpayment and I have to finance the rest. I don't know too much about getting a car loan outside of a dealership. Can i get a loan and use it for a private party? and if yes, then how does the bank take my title and aren't the banks scared i might take that sum and use it not for a car?

Goosew

iTrader: (1)

Hey man, I don't know if I'd be able to explain it all. But the short answer is "yes" you can get a bank loan for a car for a private party sale.

for example, Bank of America offers this. Albeit, the interest rate is higher. Check the following link to see what I mean.
http://www.bankofamerica.com/vehicle...uto_loans&type=


Chase Bank is another lender.
https://www.chase.com/online/auto-lo...obile-loan.htm


I don't know which bank you do business with, but most large banking corporations DO have private party auto loans.

good luck. Let us know what you end up doing.