And why are we discussing lease figures...?
Sure that might apply if someone got themselves into that extremely bad position but here we are talking plain and simple used car with 150K miles at said price. Buyers who put this type of mileage on a vehicle don't lease... And you cant think of "lease/mileage" numbers when considering a used vehicle - near any vehicle over 10 or 12K miles per year would look like a bad deal.


Used car = what I want, in the shape I want, at the price I am willing to spend. Everything else comes with owning a used car or any "seasoned" vehicle.


Good luck OP

 

Dude, It's not that big of a deal. In my field I put a lot of highway miles on my TL. I'm at 120k right now and it runs like a top. I do use synthetic oil and change the oil myself religiously, and keep up with all the maintenance that is required.

I do a lot of spirited driving and it never lets me down. I am a 6mt though, so I can't speak for your automatic tranny, but as for the engine, it's never let me down, and it runs like every other honda I've owned. seriously just get your TB, tensioners, and water pump changed ($699) at the dealer, just to be sure, and you should be ok.

Most people on here are scared of high miles because they haven't gotten past 50k, so when you speak of 150k they can't even imagine that they will see that mileage on their cars, as it will be traded in by then.

I can tell you from experience that this engine is as reliable as any other honda engine. I put about 50k miles a year on my car! Just keep up with the maintenance and you should be ok.

 

No it wouldn't. That would be a guaranteed transmission failure. My 2G TL (which wasn't even a type-S) grenaded its tranny before the 3/36 warranty even expired. EVERY single friend I know that had a 2G TL had a their tranny replaced. (about 5 poeple) Most of these folks moved on to a 3G TL, and so far none of them had any issues... (knock on wood)

 

Nice blanket statement. Normally it would be better to buy a car that had all highway mileage as that's less wear on the car, than all city driving, especially short distances that don't allow the car to warm up.

When we had our 2G TL, my wife put 62,000 miles on the car in about 18 months or so. Extrapolated to 48 months, that's 165,000 miles... That car was WELL maintained. (She changed jobs after we got the 3G TL, so it doesn't see the same kind of miles )

Personally, one thing I would do, is crawl under the car, and take a look at what brand the oil filter is. If it's a Honda filter, than the oil was probably changed by the dealer, if so, you may be able to find the records...

If the filter is Mobil-1, than you know the owner knows something about maintenance and probably took care of the car...

If the filter is plain white with no markings on it, the owner took it to jiffy lube. In which case, stay away from the car.

If the filter is fram or pennsoil, then the owner knows enough to change his oil, but probably doesn't know much about the rest of the car. Probably puts armor-all on the dash too (No offense to anybody that uses armor-all or fram/pennsoil/etc )

You can also pull the oil and tranny dipsticks, and smell the oil, and see what kind of condition it is in, etc.

Also check the tires to see if the front/rear wear is even, that shows if the tires were rotated. If they weren't rotated, the owner was probably too lazy to do any other maintenance on the car as well.

 

Because leasing companies want to limit their risk & maximize the value of the car when it comes off lease & they have to sell it retail or wholesale it.

They go to a lot of time, effort & expense developing computer programs that track all the cars out on least for both regular & long term service issues.

By raising the monthly price higher by the mileage used they are saying its a good business decision from their point of to move a car out at a specific millage, before its starts to rack up expensive service requirements.

If they can't move it out at a good, for them, mileage they you pay to cover their risk.

If these mileage guidelines are smart for them to use to limit their risk, then its also a good guide for the used car buyer.

If all someone can afford is a 150000 mile version of a specific car maybe they should be looking at a less expensive car with a lot less mileage.

 

One other thing, its just wonderful all the guys here who have hi mileage TL's. But that really has nothing to do with whats on the street.

A dealer gets car in trade with just a little bit of excess mileage it goes right out to the wholesaler not onto his lot. That should tell you something.

Second thing is, most people here will maintain a car pretty well, problem is you are less the 1% of the TL owners. Its the high mileage cars from the other 99% you need to worry about. IMHO if you need to go out to 150000+ miles to buy a TL you really can't afford a TL.

 

get the car inspected, check the maintance records of possible....and BUY THE DAMN CAR ALREADY!! ppl that BABY their car will have problems just as well considering most of those ppl do alot of city driving. Highway driving is HARMLESS!! ....my $.02

 

Apples to Oranges comparison there. I also currently own a 1999 GS400 and can tell you fit and finish on that car was hands above what the Acura was. Difference....one made in Japan...the other made in Ohio. I know thats controversial there...but fact is...its American Made in Ohio. The GS400 was made in Japan with different quality standards in a different plant and also costs LOTS more in comparison to the TL when it was new...comparing new price to new price.

 

FYI: This would be my daily driver, I already have 2 other cars that I use for the weekends

To me, mileage is only a number, but it seems this board has had alot of problems with the vehicles, which I was not expecting to run into.

 

hmmm... i wonder how many of us on this forum has owned a car from brand new and driven it past 200 miles.... i personally own a 1995 honda oddyssey that has about 292,000 miles and runs great... but like any other car.... i've spent thousands in maintenance and repairs... so be aware of what money you gotta spend on it... 10-11k for 150 miles isnt bad depending on the condition of the car...

 

im pretty sure a lot of us on here dont keep cars past a period of time... after all... we can afford an acura TL... LOL

 

I usually keep cars to add to the collection, but, very true, I don't keep them forever. I never picture myself purchasing a car that is brand new.

 

Makes little sense. Just because we can afford something does not mean that we will chose to not keep it for a long time. The smart money buys a quality product that meets their needs and keeps that product for an extended period of time.

Financially, buying a new car is a loser. The less frequently we do it, the less money we lose. Buying a high mileage car will be a learning experience I'm sure. I have done worse things in my life. This is a personal decision and a risk. Like a MB or BMW, the engine should be fine, everything else???

 

just bought an 04 TL 5AT @ 122K for 12,995. I got 10K for my 03 accord @ 105K so this car only cost me 3K. LOL

This car came with NO service records. I already did the Carfax/calling the dealerships that was on the Carfax and only minor maintenance was reported.

Is there ANY POSSIBLE WAY to inspect and know if the TB/water pump has been changed? I didn't see any dates/stickers in the engine bay or on the block.

 

^^^ you bought a car without taking it to your own mechanic? smart.

 

Check the car yourself. Bring it to a mechanic that you already are familiar with to have the car checked if needed. Yes, you may check the carfax for this car if you want to since not all the maintenance records can be found, especially if the previous owners did all the maintenance items themselves.

Then negotiate the price if everything above is ok. Simple as that. I wouldn't worry too much about failing parts. If I would like to buy your GS and you want to sell it (because you're tired of using it, getting bored, or whatever other sensible reasons) and you've done all the required maintenance as scheduled, then let's do it if the price is right.

 

If you don't have an idea of where it was serviced, there's probably no way of knowing. It might be possible by inspecting the waterpump, but who knows. Have someone you trust inspect the car, and maybe they'll find clues to prove that it was replaced.

 

To CasperTL04, you are too brave because you didn't have all the info yet when bought it. Either you know exactly that car inside out or you didn't use your logic and common sense.

"Is there ANY POSSIBLE WAY to inspect and know if the TB/water pump has been changed? I didn't see any dates/stickers in the engine bay or on the block." Quoted from your posting above. As far as I know no mechanics or dealer shop stick a note for telling current and future owners that TB/water pump are already changed. I never saw that kind of note in the past unless they change the rule. The only way you can know this is by tracing to the previous owner to get a copy of the receipt for this service, the dealer where the previous owner had the work done, or the parts receipt when he/she bought them and did the job himself/herself, or brought them to an independent mechanic/repair shop.

Even if you so eager and know how to remove these parts and reinstall them back properly, you can't even check them visually with bright lights when they're already removed from your car and on your hands.

 

I would think you could tell by inspecting the radiator hoses, as when I replace waterpumps, I replace all the hoses too. (Tho I suppose you don't have to, but if the hoses are new, that would be a good thing)

 

LOL. Usually I do but this time I didn't. I know I'm asking for it. I've been pretty lucky in the past on car decisions. I'm an opportunist. Sometimes you end up looking dumb.......sometimes real smart in life. This is my third Honda/Acura.

Thanks everyone for the replies. The belts and hoses are in great condition. I'm taking it to a mechanic thurs and then to acura for the 2 recalls that need to be fixed. I'll have 'em check too. About the stickers/dates. One of my old mechanics put tb/water pump change date and mileage stickers on the tb cover in the GSR I had and my sis's civic. A good idea actually.

Its no biggie. If this mechanic and acura both can't tell I'll just get it done. Just didn't want ot spend 700-1000 if it had just been done 20K miles ago.


Oh , love the TL BTW!

 

In that case, shouldn't the timing belt cover and/or bolts be nice and clean (or relatively clean) if the belt was replaced anytime recently?

 

No, I just got mines changed at the dealer and The cover/bolts look just like they did before it came out. They clean the outer plastics around the engine, the spark cover etc. Stuff you can see from the outside...

I asked for all the old parts just so I can inspect their condition. This is the only reason I can tell that the service was even done.

 

I've replaced plenty of timing belts and water pumps. It's EXTREMELY difficult to tell the age of teh belt from visual inspection, even belts I've seen that were 10 years old, look almost like new belts. There is no contact with dirt or fluids so they stay very clean. Same goes for the water pump.

 

thanks guys. Looks like I'll be changing it then. This community has a lot of great info. Learning a lot about the TL.

 

the serpentine belt looks brand new. Is that usually changed with the tb/water pump?

 

That is typically changed with the timing belt and water pump. But Bando (Honda/Acura OEM belt manufactuer) make great belts, I just replaced the original serpentine belt with 105K miles, it had no cracking. It was dirty since it does get exposed in the engine compartment.

 

id do it for 9k ...

my girl purchased a 2001 gs300 last year with 90k for 12k from a dealer.. only problem we have EVER had with it was this annoying sound coming from somewhere in the dash lol .. besides that, regular maintenance and the car is awesome..

purchased my 04 TL with 77k for 15k .. about a month ago.. and this car is awesome..

I have purchased about 6 honda civics and integras with over 100k.. only had one problem with one of them.. and that was the clutch master cylinder.. cost me 40.00 and an hour to swap out.. hondas/acuras are the way to go..

i also have 2000 VW golf.. i spent more money maintaining that car then ALL of my hondas combined!!! argh I hate that car.. it will be for sale just so i dont have to look at it anymore.. lol