mihink

Long time member..first time poster

Test drove an '08 w/Nav 29K miles CPO (not type-S) yesterday. Car was nice; not as powerful as my 335i (lease almost up--so trying to go back to Acura reliability).
Had occasional squeaks, but otherwise felt smooth.

Started to bargain with dealer: will not drop below $25K. That's before tax/title/license. If memory serves me right..these cars were selling at around $32-33K when new with discounts.

Dealer states that used TL prices are up siginificantly due to the economy (people looking for used deals) and the fact that everyone universally hates the '09 redesign but loves the previous gen. design.

You guys agree with assessment?

Killabee44

It is true that people are buying used cars more and less new cars because of the economy. Used car prices have gone way up, even at the auctions.

I don't like the new body style myself, so I would say he's being truthful on all counts.

They're gonna sell those cars for as much as they can and the market right now is paying. Besides, we all know how greedy they are at the stealership..

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Say no.

The dealership is full of it. This isn't 2008/2009. Economy isn't where it once was even though it will be again soon. With 25k, I'd buy a Type S with slightly more miles.

Pass. Trust me, they'll call you back.

Morrissey25

iTrader: (4)

I second this idea. Look around in the Acurazine Cars For Sale and find yourself a better deal. Right now if I was to sell my car I would probably ask for 25.5K and I know how much I baby my TL-S.

Good luck getting back to the Acura Family

sauceja

iTrader: (2)

Yup would hold out. I paid 25k for my 07 Type S in June with 25k miles on it in 6 mt. Took 3 months to find one but they are out there.

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

Champ is right-I know they could do better for you....

Bearcat94

Good; Hope it's true. The more they go up/hold value, the more my car is worth.

ladiesman217

I'm sort've puzzled. Are you really willing to convert back to a fwd after driving a RWD Bimmer? a 335i at that too. I'm guessing you dont care much for the driving experience...

gwhizkid

Whatever the dealer is telling you is bait to over pay for a car. Although stats do show that the sales for Acura have dropped significantly since the release of the 4G TL, I assure you that it's absurd for an older generation car to INCREASE in price because of that.

Rick_TL-S

I LOL'd....

mihink

To answer the RWD vs FWD debate: I do care about the 'driving' experience. The 335i is a fantastic machine but with terrible gas mileage. 23-24 mpg tops HWY. Considering that I drive a lot of miles on the HWY it really is not worth it to me. I don't track the 335i and I don't intend to in the TL either. I want a solid good looking 'semi-luxury' car for my commute that is dependable with good MPG. The TL fits the bill IMO.
I have a weekend RWD 'sporty' car when I crave driving experience.

I'll keep looking for an '08 TL w/nav low miles that is priced right!

Babnik

Aren't new car prices going up too? They're outpacing inflation that's for sure.

ladiesman217

I understand, but I'd have to disagree with you about the 335i a gas hog on the highway. I avg 7-8 L/100km on the highway which equates to about 30-34 mpg. Theres no way 23-24 mpg is just highway, it has to be mixed city and highway driving. You'll probably see the same mpg in the TL as well.

GeaugaDog

I've also heard this about the used TLs but also of used cars in general as well (poor economy driving up demand as well as lowering supply at same time) but i think the $25K price they are giving you is BS

UA6

Pass.

LaCostaRacer

I don't know about Maryland but CA appears to have very tight used market for TLs. I just did an autotrader search in S,. California and the TL inventory is pretty sparse. My search radius was 500 miles for an 2007/2008 TL and only ONE came up: $27,000, dealer, Black Type-S/Auto with 56K miles.

I then widened the search to cover 2005-2008 and got just 6 hits. The least expensive was a somewhat reasonable 13K private party, 2006 5AT/Nav that's Redondo Red Pearl and has 70k miles.

The used car market is tight because new cars are not selling as well as they use too.
People might think the economy is better than 2008 but just remember that it's not significantly better and its been this way for 3 years now so there is not a lot of comfort for people to pop extra $ for a new car these days.

For every new car purchase there is also a used car produced for most people that don't run their previous cars to the ground explaining the tight inventory. The TL has a decent owner buy-back probability so any 3Grs like myself that don't like the new model aren't going to provide a used car for the market to absorb.

MandoTL

^I would have to disagree with you on your search. What was the mile radius you searched, I live near LA county and i found over 100 cars that came up, between dealers and private.

But I do see how they have gone up in CA, i was fortunate to find my color combo for a reasonable price and mileage.

AirForceFX

I've noticed this as well. Using materials that are more available and cheaper in all aspects to manufacture/ship/process/implement, the new car market is exploding. I went to look at a base SR5 4Runner the other day because I want my old SUV back, it was $40k! 40k for a BASE SUV with a 4-pot! WTF!!!???

LaCostaRacer

What zipcode did you do your search on? I just tried 90680(Artesia) and got 6 hits for a TL, so my numbers appear to check out even using an LA zipcode. I even tried San Jose (95117) and got just 5 hits with 500 mile radius. Please supply a zipcode to verify your findings.

I also tried a more common car like the Accord and confirmed 1000s of hits from Carlsbad, so it looks like Autotrader's database seems work. Sure looks like a lack of listings to me.

The market is pretty wacked for many cars. With the loan interest rates, I hear financing is often less for a new car than a used car- partly because the used car prices are so elevated. Also the cost difference between new and used is pretty narrow, so why buy used if you need a different vehicle? I'm glad I don't need a different car for a while.

daluvdr

I've found 115 used 07-08 TL 200 miles from 92122:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...=1313376303595

Good luck.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

u guys sure having trouble finding TL's, when i bought my car back in february 2011 i had plenty of options. my search radius was all over socal.

ez12a

9 used TL (incl type s) with 6MT in a 200 mi radius from Pasadena area. Things are pretty hard to find, just one under 15k.

Good luck OP. Mind if I ask what kind of problems you had with your 335i if at all? You're citing reliability as one of the factors going back to Acura.

edit: and i love how the dealer acknowledges the 4th gen's less than ideal styling.

Bearcat94

Using your zips, I got ~240 2007 or 2008 TL's (includes TL-S). 244 for the first zip, 237 for the second. 500 mile search range.


Adding 2004 - 2008 gets almost 500 cars.







MT's are always hard to find.

MandoTL

@ LaCostaRacer:
I used 93033, and using 200 miles radius, I got 114-117 for 07/08s. and even more for 05-08s.

I would think since CA has so many large counties that your finds should be like 25x that hahaa... But manuals would be hard to find, there were 2 off of craigslist in my county, one 05' blk/blk no nav and a 06' green/tan w/ navi both M/T. than after like a couple of days posts were gone.

I like to see if there was a better buy compared to my Acura TL. but most are seriously $15k+. People just need to be patient and wait for the right car to appear.

SimonCL-S6

Ok i think we get it you own a 335i so your promoting it lol.

LaCostaRacer

^ I see what happened, I used '3.2 TL' instead of 'TL' - get much different results now.

Looks like prices are still holding firm, but there are much more available than my 3.2 search that was the first selection in the listbox. I wish autotrader used the year to display the appropriate models since there are garbage options like 2.5 TL and 3.2 TL which a few people list there cars under even.

Highest Price:
$29,975

Lowest Price:
$12,999

Average Price:
$23,865

MandoTL

yah but i guess its to narrow down a certain generation per-say since there was a 3.2 TL and a 2.5TL compared to the broader/newer generation "TL".
I would love a 07+ KBP Type S w/ creme interior. but they are way out of my price range.

jsonkimz

iTrader: (1)

OP, if you're located in Maryland I would definitely pass on that deal. TL's are everywhere in this state... so I would think you would have plenty of options if you wanted to pick up a used 3G TL.

It's my opinion that you should stay away from the stealership if you're buying used... I'm confident you could find a nice private sale in the area. Besides, you can ONLY benefit from walking away from an offer... if they call you back then you'll have gotten your deal for less. If they don't then you didn't waste your money and a better deal will come along. Just my .02.

veggiemonster

iTrader: (1)

i didn't read shit. but used cars are all going up. cash for clunkers took out the the first 2-3 "tiers" of cars on the market.

since the 4th "tier" is now the first, all prices go up accordingly.

any car with good gas mileage will also skyrocket dude to gas going over $4 for the last 4-5 months.

this is the season to buy SPORTS cars and COUPES. now is the time when everyone is realizing the need something to drive in the upcoming winter, that usually means SUV's and fwd/awd sedans.

this is just the wrong time of year to be buying a vehicle like a TL.

mau108

If Manual get the TL (Type S or Base) if auto then stick with your 335I.

What's been unreliable about the 335I? The only thing I've heard bad about those are they go through high pressure fuel pumps like a fat kid and cake.

TL is bigger then the 335I so if you need space the TL wins, but I don't see a TL returning better mpg's (auto vs auto) then your 335i.

eduthesamurai

I was very lucky to find a 2004 Acura tl in beautiful condition for 14000 before tax and title. The final price was 17000 and the car had 117000 I checked the car of course before buying it and it was pretty on the inside and the motor runs great. Planning on taking care of it for a longggggggggg time. The new models personally I don't like them especially because of the rear design so is no surprise people prefer an older model between 2004 to 2008. It is a great car

dannyboy10

Not really full of it...2008 new car sales were way down....thus new car leases were also way down.

3 years later (2011), off lease supply is way down....guess where CPO cars come from ? Tight supply means high prices. Off lease TL's owners are also buying the cars for lease agreement residuals of $20k when they see CPO'd TL's going for almost $24k at retail.

I see 2008 Honda CR-V EX's CPO'd for $20-$21k. The same car sold 3 years ago for $24k !! I would pay $4k more to get a BRAND NEW CR-V...if the dealer has the new car since the Japan earthquake earlier in the year is still seriously affecting production of parts.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Most of the ones in my area are priced pretty high and none of them are coming down. There seems to be a shortage of good used TLs. I spoke with one of the sales guys a while back and he said that a lot of people are buying out their leases.

Want to know the most common reason?

He said that most of the people he spoke too said it was because the new TL looks like ASS.

Don't kniw if it is true, but it was a funny conversation.

Rock2534

I would try for 23k, are you set on getting the nav? If not, that could knock another grand off the price. The nav is nice, it was standard on my type-s, but I still think your $200 tomtom has more features than the onboard nav, just not as big of a screen.

mihink

^ I really want Nav mainly for the backup camera and easier to navigate menu on the touch screen.

Update: called the dealer with offer of 23K + TTL..he flat out said "NO". Price is 25K bottom line. According to them, they can't find low mile 3-4 yr. old TL's since most people are buying out the lease. This is a high-volume dealer and they only have 4 used TL's in stock...so he may be right.

I live in DC metro area so the steep prices maybe region based.
Oh well...I'll keep looking, still got some time left with my 335i

akertulis

its very true i sell hondas and used car prices are up like crazy espeacially with the tsunami disaster, we have v6 used accords only 100's away from new, but im sure you can talk em down just work em down on price...theres always room to work

SilverJ

25k for a 2008 automatic ? Sheeeeeit. Pass.
I paid 25,700 Certified for a 08 Type S MANUAL 4 months ago.
Automatic TL's are a dime a dozen. That car was selling NEW with incentives for 29K.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

Right, so everyone I see driving a 4G bought it because they hated it. You should look for a slightly less "douchey" dealership.

ohsixMTee

iTrader: (2)

How does 15,900 sound for an 05 6MT TL sound? Obvious features include rear spoiler, heated leather and Nav. The front brakes look pretty damn beefy as well....I was reading something about Brembo fronts being on certain ones?

It's Anthracite w/ Charcoal int. Overall Excellent condition, 80K miles.

thedonkeyslayer

I just bought a KBP/Ebony 08 type-s 6mt from a S.FL dealership in early June. 25.5k miles when purchased, 26.5k miles now.

Love it, I paid $27.5k + t,t,l. It's CPO until April 2013.

Unfortunately due to a change in family it looks like I may have to sell it.

Anyone feel free to PM me if interested. I'm around Philly. Will create a post in classifieds within the next week or so. $26k is what it will take.